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Social, Environmental, Economic, Institutional and Political Aspects of Water

Management

EuroAquae Master Programme2014

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The aim of the course is to provide an overview of

key aspects of the social, environmental, economic,

institutional and political dimension of Integrated

Water Resource Management (IWRM), using the River Basin

Management Planning of the Water Framework Directive

(WFD) as a guiding principle.

Aim of the course

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The course will focus on the general framework of Integrated

River Basin Management Planning (with the EU-WFD as

example), looking at water management practices in

different regions of the world (including your case studies!).

This will cover social aspects, including problem definition

and analysis, environmental objectives versus water uses,

economic considerations, political and institutional

dimension (including regulatory framework, coordination

patterns, etc.)

Focus of the course

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Social aspects

Water resource management may be considered in

the light of driver’s considerations (industry,

agriculture, urban, tourism etc.) and their social

pressures and consequences, in the framework of which

stakeholder’s implications play a key role.

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Environmental aspects

Water management needs to be conceived in the light of

environmental (policy) objectives and

the way they are set up (typologies, chemical,

ecological and hydromorphological considerations,

ecotoxicity, etc.) in comparison to water uses (e.g.

drinking water, irrigation, cooling, etc.). Technical management

aspects also involve features such as risk assessment,

monitoring, action programmes, compliance aspects etc.

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Economic aspects

Economic considerations include the polluter’s pay

Principle (and its enforcement), issues of cost recovery of water

services, and other economic aspects of water management

(incurred costs related to e.g. action programmes and their

follow-up).

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Institutional & political aspects

Different institutional and political set-ups and regulatory

frameworks are used in water management worldwide. The

EU situation is one of the most organised as respect to

enforceable principles and international management

approaches. River Basin Management Planning principles

will be examined in the light of the WFD

settings, including issues of environmental objectives,

stakeholder participation and integration of technical and

scientific knowledge with regular reviews of the legal

framework.

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About this course….

You are invited to present case studies in teams of 5-6

students, illustrating one or several features of the course.

You should be able to demonstrate ability in designing

integrated water resource management approaches in a

given country/region, taking into account social,

environmental, economic, institutional and political

aspects, keeping in mind that we are learning by

doing…

Motto of the course: ‘think global, act local’

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Case studies= the basis forYour assignments

Case studies highlight the diversity of circumstances and various challenges and priorities facing different regions. They help to illustrate policies developed at national and regional levels and their effects, in particular how decisions taken at the local level affect the decisions of higher management.

Your assignments will be based on your own research resulting in a short (5-10 minutes) presentation during the course and a 4-pages (max.) case study report concerning a sector / region / country of your choice, describing links with IWRM (from planning to effective measures or recommendations): examples taken from your assignments will feed the course and be used in an interactive way for discussions

Two possibilities: (1) responding to questions which I will pose and presenting your views the following week (report expected later) or (2) scheduling a case study presentation of your choice

Some principles Drafting: Start from the general topic, write ideas at they come,

extract one key-word for each idea, order the key words (what is linked to what? Is there a hierarchy?), give examples

Structure: Set-up a clear structure for your talk. Do not change your plan (be “previsible”)

Timing: Periods of 20 minutes are optimal, with 3 ideas being developed. In the framework of this course, the time will be limited to 5-10 minutes, depending upon the chosen topic

Simplicity: Adapt the talk to the level of the audience. Speak in simple terms

Be persuasive: Believe in your topic, use your “persuasive strength” Self-confidence: Be self-confident (you are the best!) but without

exageration – avoid provocating your audience! Provocate interest: adapt to the centre of interest of your audience,

refer to what is known to the auditors « Body language »: Physical expression, vocal/oral expression,

possibly use humour (but no irony)

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Some tips on communication

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IWRM as a worldwide

recognised principle

As defined by the Global Water Partnership (GWP): IWRM is a IWRM is a

process which promotes the process which promotes the coordinated development coordinated development and and

managementmanagement of water, land and related resources in order of water, land and related resources in order

to maximize the resultant to maximize the resultant economiceconomic and and socialsocial welfare in an welfare in an

equitableequitable manner without compromising the manner without compromising the sustainabilitysustainability of of

vital vital ecosystemsecosystems.

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Water and governance

Water governance is sometimes equated with the actual

water policy in place, but governance is more: it is

about the exercise of power in policy-making and

whether or not to implement particular policies. Which

actors were involved in developing the policy? Was the

policy developed in a transparent and participatory way?

Are financial and human resources sufficient to implement

the policy? There are some of the questions indicating that

governance is about the process of decision-making, its

content and the likelihood of policies and decisions to be

implemented.

What is river basin management? River basin: geographical area determined by the watershed

limits, including surface and underground waters, flowing into a common terminus. Includes interactions between groundwater and surface water, water quantity and quality, and between land and water, upstream and downstream, turning river basins from a geographical area into a coherent system.

An outline of RBM: four different levels may be distinguished: (1) operational management (directly affecting river basins), (2) planning (to improve/support operational management), (3) analytical support (supporting both steps) and (4) the institutional and legal framework (influencing all steps).

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Integrated river basinmanagement concepts

Institutional structure: different levels of formal and informal working rules, including e.g. setting up of emission standards, policy directives.

Three models: Hydrological model based on hydrological boundaries, water

management in the hands of a single entity: the “river basin authority”.

Administrative model opposite to the hydrological model, in which water management is the responsibility of provinces, municipalities and other bodies not based on hydrological boundaries.

Co-ordinated model falling somewhere between the hydrological and the administrator model: water management performed by river basin commissions with a co-ordinating task.

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Integrated river basinmanagement concepts

Reducing uncertainty: improve and apply system understanding

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Base sketch from Meade (1996) and DPSIR from EEA

D

D

P P

S

S

SP

SI

bio-physical systembio-physical system

R

societal systemsocietal system

River Basin ManagementRiver Basin Management

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RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN

Identification of planning needs, taking into account technical and scientific information (possibly involving preliminary research) on

the river system and socio-economic aspects

Analysis of institutional framework for RBM

Identification of different operational decisions that can be taken,the bodies responsible and their management capacity

Identification of other stakeholders and other interested parties

Preparation of draft plan, describing different phases, the groupsto be involved at each phase, the organisation of the work,

taking into account technical and socio-economic feasibility

Public consultation prior to adoption of the plan (possible review)

Implementation

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Danube river basin: 18 countries, 817.000 km2 catchment area

© World Bank

Geographical coverage: cooperation at different levels: national, European, International = beyond EU

Cooperation = administrative arrangements at River =basin District level

International river basins

Water characteristics Physical characteristics Chemical characteristics (micro-)biological and bacteriological characteristics Ecological characteristics

Environmental vs. uses Ecological water quality criteria Quality criteria related to water uses (drinking water, irrigation,

animal watering, industrial uses)

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Reminder about water quality

Quality criteria Quality standards: limit value for a specific parameter, which may

only be exceeded incidentally, if at all Linked to dose-effect relationships, technological, socio-economic

considerations Design of protection regime to be adapted to the above

considerations, taking account technical and economic feasibility

Types of standards Emission standards (linked to quality of water in production,

treatment settings) Imission standards (linked to quality of receiving waters)

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Water quality criteria

Pollution means the direct or indirect introduction, as a result of human activity, of substances or heat into the air, water or land which may be harmful to human health or the quality of aquatic ecosystems or terrestrial ecosystems directly depending on aquatic ecosystems, which result in damage property, or which impair or interfere with amenities and other legitimate uses of the environment.

Pollutant means any substance liable to cause pollution.

(definitions given in the EU Water Framework Directive)

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Types and sources of pollution

Diffuse pollution Dispersion of pollutants over large surface areas, e.g. spreading of

fertilizers (related to eutrophication risks), urban pollution, large historical contaminated sites etc.

Point source pollution Well identified (localised) amounts of polluting substances spread over well

defined areas

Natural ‘contamination’ High concentrations of substances which are naturally present, e.g. heavy

metals originating from leaching of rocks [note that this is not a pollution sensu stricto (environmental quality # quality-related uses)]. Example of double-source “pollution”: saline intrusion (maybe natural but generally largely induced by over-abstraction of groundwater)

Thermal pollution Use of water for cooling (electric plants, steel, paper, petroleum industries)

with temperature rises which may be harmful to aquatic ecosystems

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Types and sources of pollution

Besides ‘classical pollutants’, growing concern about the impacts of personal care products (e.g. laundry detergents, skin lotions, deodorants, shampoos etc.) and pharmaceuticals (e.g. antiobiotics) on water quality and the productivity of aquatic systems and ecological functioning – through the disruption of endocrine systems in fish, for example.

Indirect impact may also affect the environment through e.g. leaching of chemicals from chemical wastes, from mobilization of pollutants to groundwater (‘leachate plumes’), eventually reaching a stream, or atmospheric deposition of chemicals distributed through air (e.g. dioxins and furans) and rain pollution (e.g. sulphur and nitrogen compounds, SOx and NOx).

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Human impacts –Pollution

Exacerbated when combined with extended natural dry periods. Linked to agriculture and municipal use, deforestation, and basic lack of control over exploitation of the actual surface and groundwater sources.

Increased pumping from aquifers (in particular for irrigation) leading to negative side-effects (changes to local water regimes with related impacts, e.g. lowering of water tables and soil subsidence, entire depletion of aquifers in some areas, reduction of spring yields, drying up of rivers, saline intrusions, increased stress for dependent terrestrial ecosystems such as wetlands etc.)

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Human impacts –Over-abstraction

Human pressures on aquatic ecosystems have caused a severe decline in the condition of species, with more freshwater species threatened with extinction than in either terrestrial or marine environment.

Invasive alien species (IAS): second most important cause of biodiversity loss in freshwater species after habitat loss and degradation (competition, predation etc.). Introductions either intentional e.g. through introduction of ‘exotic’ plants and organisms into gardens or waterways, or unintentional, as a result of the escape of aquaculture operations or the accidental transport of organisms attached to boards, structures, garbage or ballast water.

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Human impacts –Pressure on biodiversity

Expected impact on agriculture and food production patterns through three major factors: global warming, change in rainfall patterns and increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere. Depending upon the temperature increase (more or less than 2 °C), the adaptation capacity will obviously be different from regions to regions (with higher impacts in drought prone rural areas).

Knowledge gaps related to the water sector, in particular on understanding of how changes in variability affect the water environment and related adaptation/mitigation strategies. Increased droughts and floods, and increasingly frequent extreme events are all anticipated, with major implications on water resources and aquatic ecosystems (e.g. shifts in species diversity, reduction of upwelling of nutrients due to changes in currents etc.).

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Climate change impacts

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Information utilisation

Water management

Laboratory analysis

Data handling

Data analysis

Assessment and reporting

Information needs

Sample collection

Assessment strategy

Monitoring programme

Water Management cycle

Lesson learnt from the past:

Dioxins in fly ashesMean +/- SD

Time

F118

F119

F121F130

45 : 00 50 : 00 55 : 00

Lab. 5

(a) New type of chromatographic column (lab.5)

+ thorough validation

F118

(+F119)

F121F130

( b) Other chromatographic columns

All laboratories (b) except one found a value for F118 (hexaclorodibenzofurane)

20 % too high. Only Lab. 5 was right. WHAT ABOUT MODELS? ARE WE SATISFIED WITH

A COMPARABILITY OF 5 MODELS OUT OF 15?

European LegislativeFramework

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Economic & Social Committee (EESC)

DirectiveRegulationDecision

European Commission

(EC)

Council of Ministers

European Parliament (EP)

EU Agencies

Committee of the Regions (CoR)

Lobbyists

Main EU Institutions

European Investment Bank (EIB)

Court of Auditors

European Court of

Justice (ECJ)

European Central Bank (ECB)

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27 Members of the Commission

36 Directorate Generals and Services

CabinetsInfo and contacts

European Commission

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Diversity of regions: different hydrogeological conditions, different cultures

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Water Framework Directive key elements

• protecting all waters, surface and groundwaters;

• covering all impacts on waters (risk analysis and design of appropriate programmes of measures);

• good quality (‘good status’) to be achieved, as a rule, by 2015;

• water quality comprehensively defined in terms of biology, chemistry and morphology;

• water management based on river basins;

• monitoring programmes for surface and groundwaters, both as a planning tool and as an assessment instrument;

• economic instruments: getting the prices right - to promote prudent use of water;

• mandatory public participation;

• … and complemented/guided by an unprecedented cooperation on implementation.

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Principle of WFD River Basin Management Planning

One plan for each river basin in Europe;

River Basin Management Plan as main instrument for planning, reporting and evaluation of success;

Publication 2009, updates every 6 years;

Contents: characteristics of river basin; environmental and economic analysis; monitoring network; established environmental objectives (‘good status’ made operational); results of public participation; programme of measures

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Environmental objective (1)“good status”

• For surface waters defined in terms of

- biology (aquatic flora and invertebrate fauna – composition and abundance; fish fauna – composition, abundance and age structure);

- chemistry; and

- hydromorphology;

• For groundwater defined in terms of

- chemistry (compliance with numerical quality standards; no saline or other intrusions); and

- quantity (balance between natural recharge and abstractions)

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Risks of pollution from diffuse/point sources (urban, agriculture, industrial): Art. 5 WFD (“bodies at risk”)

Quality standards /Thresholds linked to chemical status

Interactions with aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Links with SW status and EQS

Prevent / Limit measures

Drinking waterAbstractionArt. 7 WFD

Run-off

Example: the EU legislative framework for groundwater protection

Groundwater= natural resource to be protected against pollution and deterioration, in particular for dependent ecosystems and for use in water supply (links with Article 7 of WFD about Drinking Water Protected Areas)

When approaching risk assessment, the widely-used Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) analytical framework is relevant

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DriverAn anthropogenic activity that may have an environmental effect (e.g. agriculture, industry)

Term Definition

PressureThe direct effect of the driver (for example, an effect that causes a change in flow or a change in the water chemistry)

StateThe condition of the water body resulting from both natural and anthropogenic factors (i.e. physical and chemical characteristics)

ImpactThe environmental effect of the pressure (e.g. ecosystem modified)

ResponseThe measures taken to improve the state of the water body (e.g. restricting abstraction, limiting point source discharges, developing best practice guidance for agriculture)

RISK ASSESSMENTDPSIR Principle

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Driving Forces Pressure State Impact

Agriculture

Industry

Energy

Transport

Services

Households/

Consumption

Discharges

Landuse

Resource use

Environmental

conditions:

physical chemical ecological

Nature and

environment

Health

Response

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D P S I

DPSIR Principle

38Base sketch from Meade (1996) and DPSIR from EEA

D

D

P P

S

S

SP

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bio-physical systembio-physical system

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societal systemsocietal system

River Basin ManagementRiver Basin Management

Understanding the system: Needs for multi-disciplinary (natural, socio-economic sciences) and

sectoral cooperation: integrated knowledge

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Risk assessmentSummary of tasks

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Project preparation

Notification to CompetentAuthority

Screening

Scoping

Environmental studies

Submissionof environmental informationTo Competent Authority and

Review of its adequacy

Consultation with Environmental Authorities,

other interested partiesand the public

Consideration of informationbefore making consent decision

Announcement of decision

Post-decision monitoring ifproject is granted

The developer prepares the proposal

In some countries, requirement for the developer

To notify the CA in advance

The CA makes a decision on whether an EIA is required

Mandatory or not: identiification by CA of matters to be covered

Studies by developer to collect and prepare the information

The developer submits the information to the CA together with

the application for development consent. In the EU, the info is

presented in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement and

Formal requirement for independent review if appropriate

Environmental information made available to authorities, parties

and public with possibilities to comment before a decision

is made

The environmental information and results of consultations

to be considered by the CA in reaching their decision

Decision made publicly available with description of measures

Requirement to monitor may be requested once the

Project is implemented

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Clear structure with logical sequence, e.g. describing baseline conditions, predicted impacts (nature, extent, magnitude), scope for mitigation, etc.

Table of contents at the beginning of the document Reads as a single document with appropriate cross-referencing Concise, comprehensive and objective Written in an impartial manner without bias Includes a full description of the development proposals Makes effective use of diagrams, illustrations, photos Uses consistent terminology with a glossary References all information sources used Contains a clear explanation of complex issues Describes methods used for the environmental studies and covers each

environmental topic according to its importance Provides evidence of good consultations Includes a clear discussion about alternatives Makes a commitment to mitigation (with a programme) and to

monitoring Has a non-technical summary which does not contain technical guidance

Quality of a good EIA

See Guidance on EIA + Checklists