The pillars of IWRM for adapted resource management

Why IWRM at basin level?

For more than 30 years, INBO, a not-for-profit association, has been speaking on behalf of river basin organizations, the hydrological unit that we believe is best suited to integrated water resources management (IWRM), or coordinated and comprehensive resource management.

In fact, this natural scale enables a cross-sectoral approach, considering water as a central element of energy, agriculture, finance, industry, tourism, the environment and fisheries.

Successful implementation requires cooperation between all sectors and levels of governance, both within national basins and across borders in the case of shared basins and transboundary rivers.

IWRM at basin level must include adaptation to climate change, preservation of biodiversity and transboundary cooperation, in order to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015, “a global call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people live in peace and prosperity by 2030“.

Integrated water management is therefore seen in relation to economic efficiency, environmental protection, sustainability, the specific needs of each country in terms of economic and social development, and decision-making that must be guided by the needs of all stakeholders and users of water resources.

Public and private investment in the water sector must be economically efficient, socially acceptable and financially sustainable.

INBO recommendations for an operational approach to IWRM

IWRM is not just a concept, it is also an operational reality with various strategic, technical, organizational and legal levers for its implementation.

Based on the experiences of its members and partners, INBO has defined 6 major shared recommendations :

Manage the resource at basin level (surface water and groundwater).
Inform diagnosis and decision-making via monitoring networks and shared water information systems.
Drawing up medium and long-term management plans.
Draw up multi-year programmes of measures and investment.
Implement sustainable financial mechanisms (polluter/user pays and cost recovery).
Involve users/stakeholders in decision-making to ensure ownership.