A Proposed Strategy to Encourage and Facilitate Improved Water Resources Management in Latin America and the Caribbean

By William B. Lord, Morris Israel, Douglas Kenney (03/96, En, Es)

Documents A Proposed Strategy to Encourage and Facilitate Improved Water Resources Management in Latin America and the Caribbean (RTF, 296 Kb, En) A Proposed Strategy to Encourage and Facilitate Improved Water Resources Management in Latin America (PDF, 227 Kb, En)
CONTENTS
v...List of Acronyms

PART 1...INTRODUCTION

1...1.1 Purpose

2...1.2 Organization

3...1.3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PART 2...STATE OF THE ART OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

4...2.1 Introduction
5...2.2 Ends And Means In Water Resource Management
6...2.2.1 Objectives and Constraints
6...2.2.2 Goals of Sustainability, Alleviation of Poverty, and Environmental Protection
7...2.3 Action Situations
8...2.3.1 Actors
8...2.3.2 Environments
10...2.3.3 Institutions
10...2.3.3.1 Scope
11...2.3.3.2 Participation
13...2.3.3.3 Powers
15...2.3.3.4 Information
15...2.3.3.5 Decision making
17...2.3.3.6 Benefits and costs
18...2.4 Levels Of Action
18...2.4.1 Water Use Level
21...2.4.2 Water Resource Management Level
21...2.4.3 Water Policy and Law Level
22...2.5 The Problem Solving Approach
23...2.5.1 General Principles
26...2.5.2 Water Use Problems
26...2.5.2.1 Externality problems
26...2.5.2.2 Open access problems
27...2.5.2.3 Public goods problems
27...2.5.2.4 Scarcity problems 27

27...2.5.3 Means for Achieving Water Resource Management Goals and Objectives 27

28...2.6 Summary 28

PART 3 AN ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

30...3.1 Introduction
31...3.2 State of Water Resources Management in Latin America and the Caribbean
31...3.2.1 Recent Advances In Water Resource Management
32...3.2.1.1 Improved Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage
32...3.2.1.2 Increased Opportunities to Experiment
35...3.2.2 Short-Comings in Water Resources Management
36...3.2.2.1 Fragmented and Diffused Water Resources Management
38...3.2.2.2 Inadequate and Poorly Maintained Infrastructure
39...3.2.2.3 Insufficient and Poor Quality Data
40...3.2.2.4 Inadequate Enforcement of Legislation
42...3.2.2.5 Inadequate Consideration of Environmental Impacts
43...3.2.2.6 Minimal Stakeholder Participation
44...3.3 Management Responses to Current Problems
45...3.3.1 Legislative Reform
47...3.3.2 River Basin Management
49...3.3.3 Privatization of Water Services
49...3.3.3.1 Concessions for Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Services
51...3.3.3.2 Transferring Ownership of Irrigation Infrastructure
52...3.3.4 Water Markets
54...3.3.5 National Water Planing
55...3.3.6 Environmental Planning
57...3.3.7 Improvements in Cost Recovery
58...3.4 Some Observations on Current Water Resource Management
58...3.4.1 Implementation issues
60...3.4.2 Sequencing Problems
60...3.4.3 Striking a balance in management
61...3.4.4 Stakeholder Participation is a Multi-Disciplinary task
62...3.4.5 Crises can be positive
63...3.5 Perceived needs for improving water resources management in LAC
63...3.5.1 Infrastructure projects
64...3.5.2 Improved legal and institutional framework
64...3.5.3 Expansion and modernization of data systems
65...3.5.4 Demand management programs
66...3.5.5 Capacity Building
67...3.5.6 Improved coordination among international lending agencies
67...3.5.7 Empirical studies and dissemination of information
68...3.6 Summary

PART 4 IMPROVING WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN LAC COUNTRIES

70...4.1 Introduction
72...4.2 Solving Water Use Problems Through Institutional Innovation
72...4.2.1 Water pollution (Externality problems)
74...4.2.2 Overexploitation of ground water supplies (open access problem)
76...4.2.3 Urban flood damages (public goods problem)
77...4.2.4 Inadequate supplies of potable water (scarcity problem)
78...4.3 Adoption and implementation issues
79...4.3.1 Emphasis on institutional innovation
80...4.3.2 Attention to socio-cultural considerations
80...4.3.3 Education in many dimensions
81...4.4 Summary

PART 5 WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR DONOR AGENCIES

82...5.1 Introduction
v 82...5.2 Principles for donor agency strategy selection
82...5.2.1 Distinguish between long run and short run efforts
83...5.2.2 Conformity to international water resource management goals
84...5.2.3 Experimentation with new kinds of incentives
85...5.2.4 Cooperative and coordinated programs
85...5.3 Elements of a Suggested Strategy
87...5.3.1 An international institute for analysis and training
88...5.3.2 Development of comprehensive national strategies
88...5.3.3 Encouragement of regional water resource management
89...5.3.4 Enforcement of consistency requirements as loan conditions
90...5.3.5 Loans for analysis, planning, and institution building
91...5.3.6 Credits for institutional innovations
92...5.3.7 Research to develop guidelines and standards
93...5.4 Summary 93

LIST OF FIGURES

9...Figure 1 - Components of and Action Situation
19...Figure 2 - Levels of Water Policy and Management

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - References

Appendix 2 - Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography

Appendix 3 - List of People Interviewed

Last updated: 01/16/07