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This paper analyzes the intermittent water distribution system in the West Bank, Palestine. It quantifies the impacts of reduced supply duration on the hydraulics and costs of water distribution. It shows that designing systems based on intermittent supply criteria implies increasing the diameters of pipes significantly, which is expensive and infeasible. The paper recommends that studying the local conditions should precede the design of new systems to avoid reduced supply duration and related negative impacts. In addition, improving governance, revising tariffs, reducing leakage, saving water, involving the private sector, and improving water diplomacy should be considered in any water policy reform. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides an empirical basis for local water-governance reforms in the Philippines using primary data from 299 water managers representing water districts, community-based water organizations, irrigators’ associations and local government water providers. Survey results showed that local water organizations are subject to various forms of laws and regulations; there are no set bases for water price determination; and water administration set-up varies from the formal to the loosely informal structures. Recommendations are offered towards responsive local water governance arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the recently developed 'Guidelines for the design and control of intermittent water distribution systems'. These guidelines outline a new approach to the design of urban water distribution systems for developing countries in order to maintain adequate and equitable supplies under the common conditions of water resource shortage. The guidelines are novel in that they recognise the reality of intermittent supply and hence provide new methods of analysis and design, appropriate for such systems. Design objectives specifically tailored to intermittent systems are developed and drive the design process. These objectives are expressed in terms of equity in supply, adequate pressure at water connections and duration or time of supply that are convenient to the consumers. The modifications required to model such systems have been incorporated into a new network analysis simulation tool coupled with an optimal design tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Soviet period of the command system left a legacy of under-funded multilevel bureaucratic structure of water administration and planning for the Central Asia and Caucasus countries. The existing administrative system of water management is unable to cope with inter-sector, dynamic, and versatile character of current water management problems. Therefore, the situation calls for principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the region. This paper presents some ideas about institutional reforms in water sector started in Central Asia and Caucasus regions. It describes the key IWRM principles and how these principles are being implemented into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better knowledge of droughts is required to improve water management in water scarce areas. To appropriately cope with droughts, there is the need to adopt adequate concepts relative to droughts and water scarcity, to properly use drought indices that help characterize them, including ones relative to their severity, and to develop prediction tools that may be useful for early warning and that may reduce the respective lead time needed for appropriate response. In this paper, concepts relative to drought and other water scarcity regimes are discussed aiming both to distinguish droughts from other water scarcity regimes and to base a common understanding of the general characteristics of droughts as hazards and disasters. Three main drought indices are described aiming at appropriate characterization of droughts: the theory of runs, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Their application to local and regional droughts in the region of Alentejo, Portugal is presented focusing on the respective comparison and possible adequateness for drought monitoring. Results indicate some difficulties in using the theory of runs, particularly because it requires a subjective definition of thresholds in precipitation and does not provide a standardized classification of severity. Results show that drought characterization with the PDSI and the SPI produce coherent information, but the PDSI is limited relative to the SPI because it requires more data to perform a soil water balance while the SPI needs only precipitation data, which are more easily available in numerous locations. It is concluded that adopting the SPI is appropriate, but there is advantage in combining different indices to characterize droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State of Ceará is located in the Northeast of Brazil, characterized by a semi-arid climate, with a pronounced time and space variability of its rainfall. Recurrent droughts have been plaguing the region, and as a result, water is stored in reservoirs as much as possible. However, it is has been shown that, despite the large amount of water stored in reservoirs, the water shortages still persisted. After years of having water resources management based only on supply side, Ceará State's current water policy emphasizes the demand side, including legal water rights, charging for water educational campaigns, and the decentralized decision making of the users through their participation in river basin committees. This policy is carried out by Secretariat of Water Resources (SRH), who motivates, analyzes, and formalizes the requests for water use rights, and the Company of Water Management of the State (COGERH), which acts as a catalytic agent in activities that support users' organization in river basins. This paper shows how Ceará is dealing with the initial allocation of water rights and analyzes the obstacles and challenges of that new way of managing water in the state. The model is still being implemented, but the differences in the results for overcoming the 1993 and 1998 droughts show the importance of having a dedicated institution for water management. A conceptual model is also presented representing the steps that could be followed for the implementation of a water market that is limited in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After nearly half a century of planning, the construction of the controversial south-to-north water transfer (SNWT) project in China was officially launched just before the end of 2002. This paper looks into the decision-making process of the project in the context of the country's transition from a centrally-planned economy to a market economy, rapid economic development, and severe environmental degradation. Uncertainties concerning future water demand in individual sectors are examined with reference to the latest projection prior to the launch of the project. Adjustment of project objectives and shut of the focal issues concerned over the years are elaborated. The analysis suggests a high degree of uncertainty in future water demand. The expansion of project objectives to include ecosystem recovery in the late 1990s, however provided a decisive argument for implementing the project as no other alternative was considered available to meet the estimated ecosystem water requirement Consequently, remaining doubts on the need for the project and concerns on adverse environmental impacts have tended to be sidelined. With the implementation of the project, the government is caught in a dilemma of keeping water prices low to substantiate the economic needs and improving water use efficiency to honor the environmental objective of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Rural Water and Sanitation Project was implemented in Brazil in the 1980s. It did not succeed because it did not become an institutionalized public policy that reached the entire national territory, and it was discontinued a few years later. This article assesses the factors explaining this failure using the 5C Protocol. The results show that the flaws in the implementation impaired the sustainability of the established systems. Political reasons compromised the principles idealized during the conception of the project. Also, technical and institutional limitations constrained the implementation of the recommended innovations, such as social participation, and adaptive technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of multiple-use water systems (MUS) in Nepal has mostly relied on international/non-governmental organizations. Despite the growing interest in MUS within the country, the approach has not yet received space in government policy and programmes, limiting its wider implementation. We seek to understand both the challenges to, and strategies for, scaling-up MUS, especially with regard to how MUS could be incorporated into Nepali institutional and policy processes arising from the adoption of a three-tier (federal, state and local) federal governance system. Our recommendations are informed by a study of MUS in the middle hills of Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As knowledge and capacity development (KCD) is increasingly acknowledged as crucial for development, the need to evaluate its impact increases, too. However, evaluating KCD in practice remains a challenge. This article aims to synthesize the current wisdom on the topic of KCD evaluation in the water sector. We discuss two leading approaches to KCD (positivist and complex adaptive systems) and their associated evaluation paradigms, the major methodological challenges facing KCD evaluation, and progress made in that respect. The article provides insights for KCD practitioners and policy makers in the water sector that can help them improve their KCD evaluation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid-1990s Australia embarked on a program of reforms including the introduction of private property rights in water, the allocation of water for the environment, and increased public participation where new initiatives are proposed. Many of the water allocation and management practices adopted in the country have originated from states in the Murray-Darling Basin. This article considers the different approaches taken in NSW, Queensland, and Victoria. In each of these states, public participation has been an evolving process, giving rise to difficulties of a slightly different nature. The article outlines the policy and theory behind public participation and sets out the legal provisions for its inclusion in water planning. It explores the main issues in the implementation of the legislation. The Australian experience suggests that policy makers and legislators did not initially draw upon the extensive research that was in existence on effective public participation. However, changes were made to make the processes more inclusive. Capacity building of participants, independent scientific support, and access to data were some of the most critical factors in effective public participation. Because the public had the opportunity to participate and influence decision making in water allocation, some potential legal conflict was avoided. Of the states examined, Queensland had the best legislative template for public participation although improvements could be made in many areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]