Critical Issues and

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Critical Issues and Research Priorities for
Water Resources Management
An engineering viewpoint with help of a
sociologist
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Water Resources Management Definition
incorporates all of the programs, resources and
regulatory tools available to protect the water
resource including the aquatic ecosystems and
human health that depends on it
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Key Factors in Water Resources Management
Management approach depends on
The level of investment
The amount of information and engineering
knowledge available
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Water Resource Management Approaches

• Top Down (administrative rationalism)
• Bottom Up (Democratic Pragmatism)
• Economic Rationalism

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Investment

• Government
• Business
• Public

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Information and Knowledge

• Information for objects is available either by
  stakeholders, or by local and the central
  government sources

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Coordinating Investment, Information, with Manage
ment Approaches
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Management Diagram
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EXAMPLES nuclear power plants genetically
altered food rural development dikes watershed
management reservoirs and dams
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Nuclear Power plants
Knowledge? Investment?
30 years ago
presently
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Nuclear Power Plants
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Genetically Altered Crops
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Genetically Altered Crops
opponents
proponents
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• information?
• Investment?
• top down or
• bottom up?

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Supporting Community-Based Responses to
Increasing Water Scarcity Through Integrated
Watershed Management  
Philippines
Ecuador
Kenya
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• information?
• investment?
• Top down or
• bottom up?

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• information?
• investment?
• Top down or
• bottom up?

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Dams and Watersheds
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CONCLUSIONS

• level of knowledge and investment can be used to
  determine the most appropriate planning and
  implementation procedures for solving particular
  problems.
• Therefore...

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CONCLUSIONS

• Water resources projects that establish an
  appropriate balance between professional and
  public inputs will be more effective in solving
  identified problems
• if existing problems are resolved, new ones will
  be identified and new balance between public and
  professional inputs need to be established.

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Thank you!