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The present paper analyzes the relationship between perceived public service performance, trust in the government, and citizens' willingness to participate in water governance with insights into broader state–citizen relations. The study is based on a household survey conducted in June 2022 that employed a multistage stratified random sampling within the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation limits of Andhra Pradesh, a southern state of India. The analysis reveals that citizens' perception of water service delivery performance positively affects trust in water managers while negatively affecting their willingness to participate in water governance. In contrast, the citizens' trust in water managers positively correlates to their willingness to participate. Moreover, the identified correlations among the three variables elucidate a circular pattern. The intricate circular pattern observed among these three variables complicates the citizen–state relationship. Understanding and navigating this complex web of relationships is crucial for policymakers and researchers seeking to enhance citizen participation and trust in water services. The circular nature of these interactions underscores the need for holistic and integrated approaches in addressing the multifaceted dynamics within the citizen–state relationship. HIGHLIGHTS Investigates the interplay among citizens'perceptions of water service delivery, trust in water managers, and willingness to participate.; Establishes evidence for mutual reciprocity among the three essential aspects of water governance.; Contributes empirically from a city in the Global South.; The study findings are instrumental in contributing to effective water management practices, strengthening the citizen–state relationship.;

Insufficient funding for water infrastructure has become a notable challenge for China and other developing countries. In light of marketization and globalization, financialization has emerged as a potential avenue to address the financial difficulties. This study employs the PMC index model and cluster analysis method to quantitatively analyze the financialization of water infrastructure in China through a lens of public policy lens. The findings suggest that financialization has become a significant trend in water infrastructure, with public policy playing a critical role in water infrastructure development. This study contributes to the novel possibilities for studying water infrastructure financialization and offers a reference to policymakers and professionals for optimizing water infrastructure development. HIGHLIGHTS Financing is a key challenge facing global water infrastructure development.; This study employs the PMC index model and cluster analysis method to quantitatively analyze the financialization of water infrastructure in China through a lens of public policy lens.; Financialization has become a significant trend in water infrastructure, with public policy playing a critical role in water infrastructure development.;

The water-draw and utilization assessment (WDUA) policy is crucial for ensuring sustainable water development and good water governance in China. It consists of the WDUA in construction projects (WDUA-CP) and WDUA in urban planning (WDUA-UP). Based on a systematic review of the WDUA policy's development, this study evaluated the WDUA policy from the perspectives of policy text and implementation effectiveness using text-mining and statistical analysis methods. The results show that the WDUA policy is generally successful and has progressed across all regions in China. Despite existing regional gaps, effectiveness will continue to grow at the current situation of implementation. This study broadens the field of inquiry into China's water policy, enhances the method for assessing global water policy, and offers a fresh viewpoint for the international water community to understand China's integrated water resources management and water governance. HIGHLIGHTS The water-draw and utilization assessment policy, including project construction and urban planning, is a critical policy in China's integrated water resources management.; The text-mining and statistical analysis methods have been used to systematically assess the WDUA policy in China.; The WDUA policy is generally successful and has been formulated scientifically and its implementation has been effective.;

Protected Areas (PA) are the main conservation instrument in Latin America, but rural communities are rarely integrated into the decision-making. In Mexico, many conflicts related to PAs stem from guaranteeing equitable access to resources for local communities against private economic interests. The aim of this manuscript is to present a strategy to evaluate the functioning of the PA from a socio-ecological perspective, including: diagnosis, evaluation of the conservation instrument, and intervention proposal. The results show that the Nevado de Toluca PA was recategorized without adequate characterization of the problems facing its conservation. The impact has been biased towards the development of large-scale activities while local communities have been excluded. This scenario has resulted in a migration of local men to cities in search of work, while women and children face unequal management of natural resources. In terms of aquatic ecological quality, indicators show signs of degradation that have not been improved through the management plan. The activities proposed in the annual operational plans are unrealistic since they include no support and training. We propose participatory monitoring as a strategy for community empowerment in the use of water resources, as well as a cohesive element that reconciles government policies and local needs. HIGHLIGHTS Pressure on water resources by industrial activities that are not regulated and the local communities are the most affected.; The functioning of the protected area does not consider social community development to establish management programs.; There is no water governance scheme, which favors internal conflicts between locals and with authorities and industry.;

Sustainable water governance is crucial for addressing the global water crisis and ensuring access to clean water resources. In the Indonesian context, Riau Province faces significant challenges in providing sufficient clean water to its population. Collaborative approaches involving diverse actors have emerged as a potential solution to complex water governance problems. However, limited empirical evidence exists regarding the engagement and interactions of these actors in decision-making processes. This study focuses on Bengkalis Regency, Dumai City, and Rokan Hilir Regency, in Riau Province, using Textual Network Analysis (TNA) to identify key actors in local water governance. The findings of this study highlight: (1) The influential actors (nodes) identified by TNA consist of drinking water systems, financial arrangements, oversight mechanisms, environmental concerns, water accessibility, and eco-friendly water governance. These actors nuance the formation of local policies related to Durolis water governance. (2) The Riau provincial government is empowered to fund pipanization projects from the river to the cities. Meanwhile, local governments are given financial responsibility for pipanization in their respective regions. (3) Durolis water governance follows a centralized approach, with the provincial government acting as a facilitator when problems arise. Meanwhile, problem-solving is based on consensus between the regions as a decision-making tool. HIGHLIGHTS The paper highlights various problems in Riau Province.; It gives recommendations for improving sustainable water governance in Riau Province at the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels.; The TNA method suggests valuable information and new perspectives for sustainable water governance that other methods miss out.; It provides empirical evidence of the key actors’ identification into their roles in water governance decision-making.;

Reliable water governance will ensure the strength and sustainability of an institution. The rising needs for water warrant a thorough study of critical variables of water governance. These variables are crucial for the development of a sound institutional framework. However, there were still insufficient studies that systematically review the existing literature in this field. Hence, the current study aims to examine the key components of the institutional framework for water governance. This study was guided by PRISMA 2020 in its systematic searching strategy on three databases, namely Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Articles for the period of 2018–2022 were screened. The process resulted in the selection of 20 related studies which were then assessed using the Mixed-Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Thematic analysis was employed and three themes were identified, namely stakeholders engagement, policy and practices, and water resource management. Based on the pattern of previous studies, the study offered significant contributions to practical purposes and the body of knowledge. HIGHLIGHTS Key components of institutional capacity for water governance.; Systematic literature review on water governance.; Application of PRISMA 2020 and MMAT methods.; Critical variables of water governance: stakeholders engagement, policy and practices, water resource management.; Political interference highly influenced water governance.;

The challenge of collaborative water governance often lies in the complexity of the networks involved in its processes, particularly in understanding the location of power and how the reputational power can be executed for policy decisions. A case study of the state of Johor, Malaysia, was done with the goal of figuring out a method for mapping out reputational powers in the network of actors involved in the water governance of the state. To achieve this goal, this study deconstructs the different facets of the state’s water governance system by outlining the spatial, operational, and legal boundaries of various agencies. The fundamental issues identified through this step are the complexity that leads to fragmented water governance. A research framework is thus proposed, derived from a qualitative approach whereby through in-depth interviews, respondents are asked to rank the water-related agencies based on their perceived influence. These rankings derived from qualitative interviews are given weights and subsequently measured using parameters such as density and in-degree centrality to provide quantitative evidence of the reputational powers held by actors in the water governance network. The study supports the future use of the reputational power research framework to achieve collaborative water governance solutions. HIGHLIGHTS The deconstruction of the different facets of the state of Johor's water governance system.; The overlaps and fragmentation of power in the water governance network as fundamental issues.; Contribution to collaborative interactions in a water governance system.; The development of reputational power research framework based on social network analysis.; Measuring power from both qualitative and quantitative angles.;

The strictest water resources management (SWRM) policy is an important policy to promote the rational use of water resources and sustainable water development in China. An evaluation of the SWRM policy is conducive to the SWRM's optimization and water governance. The S-CAD (Subjectivity – Consistency, Adequacy, Dependency) method is used to assess the implementation effect and formulation of the SWRM policy. The results show that the SWRM policy has a clear logic, goals, and strategy; the goals reflect the government's policy stands and the policy goals can be fully realized through the implementation process. In addition, the SWRM policy's effect is high, which helps solve the challenges of maintaining water resources, the water environment, and water security in China, and has a positive impact on water use efficiency. This study enriches the knowledge body of water policy evaluation and water governance both in China and across the world HIGHLIGHTS The S-CAD method be adopted to evaluate the strictest water resources management policy in China.; The strictest water resources management policy is evaluated by a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches.; The knowledge system of water policy evaluation is enriched from the perspective of method and content.;

Urban floods can cause significant damage and are expected to become more common due to climate change. Previous research has identified that climate change adaptation in cities requires the development of blue-green infrastructure (BGI), and it is expected that cities can leapfrog to a water-sensitive state by implementing BGI. However, leapfrogging is context-dependent, and little is known about how governance factors affect leapfrogging, particularly in midsize cities. This paper addresses this knowledge gap, providing empirical insights into leapfrogging by assessing the governance factors that support or restrict BGI implementation in Zwolle (The Netherlands) towards reaching a water-sensitive state. For the analysis, we employ a governance assessment tool and three catalytic factors that promote leapfrogging. The results show that the governance context supports leapfrogging at a moderate to high level. This means that while the governmental levels and stakeholder networks collaborate to support climate change adaptation of the city, new legislation on BGI and citizens’ involvement in climate change adaptation projects could increase the leapfrog possibilities for Zwolle in achieving its goal of becoming climate-proof by 2050. HIGHLIGHTS The three leapfrogging catalysts are present in Zwolle's BGI projects.; Zwolle requires the support of higher governmental levels to become climate-proof.; There is high integration of the climate change adaptation policy.; Actors' networks support the bottom-up implementation of BGI projects.; Collaboration of governmental actors with residents enhances leapfrogging chances.;

This article explores the intertwined, multi-level, and varied scale of public institutions, local level organizations, and various actors involved in rendering water supply services to the residents of Delhi. To ensure water security in the national capital, the study of actors and institutions involved in the water governance of Delhi is pertinent. Delhi, being the capital of the country, has overlapping administration between both the central and state government. Various ministries and departments which vary in hierarchy and power are working for the day-to-day functioning of the megacity. This phenomenon also applies to the water governance of Delhi, making it byzantine and complex in nature. In this context, a multi-level governance approach has been used for exploring the water governance of Delhi. Identification of various actors, stakeholders, and institutions involved in Delhi's water governance is a prerequisite to ensure effective, equitable, and participatory water management for the city. HIGHLIGHT This article explores the intertwined, multi-level, and varied scale of public institutions, local level organizations, and various actors involved in rendering water supply services to residents of Delhi, India.;

Water policies play a critical role in good water governance and sustainable water development. The evaluation of water policies helps improve the quality of water policy systems and water governance. This study quantitatively evaluated water resource management policies through the policy modeling consistency (PMC) index model and a text-mining method based on national water resource management policy texts produced from 2011 to 2019. This study constructed an evaluation index system based on the water resource management policy's high-frequency words, including 9 first-level variables and 43 second-level variables; furthermore, it compared and analyzed key water resource policies based on the PMC index and PMC surface. The results showed that China's water resource management policies are generally applicable, but it needs to be improved. China's water resource management policies are reasonable in terms of policy nature, policy function, policy priority, and function level, and need to be further improved in terms of policy prescriptions, incentive constraints, policy fields, policy evaluations, and policy priorities. This study thus provided a scientific basis for the optimization of water resource management policies and water governance capacities in China. HIGHLIGHTS The key water resource management policies in China have been evaluated through the hybrid method that includes PMC model, text mining, and content analysis.; An evaluation index system has been constructed based on the high-frequency words of policy texts, including 9 first-level variables and 43 second-level variables.; This study compared and analyzed key water resource policies based on the PMC index and PMC surface.;

Conflicts of interest due to cultural, political, and social oversights have threatened effective and efficient corporate water governance in Nigeria. This has affected the inclusive participation of stakeholders, policy makers and the relevant agencies of the water resources management, thus hampering good water governance. Assessing the water governance impacts based on frameworks proposed for effective, efficient and inclusive governance was aimed. Information contributing to the governance input was highlighted by analyzing hydrological units that characterized Nigerian watersheds. Toxicological index (Ti) values were presented as a practical guideline to assessing water policy outcomes. The (Ti) ≥ 1.0 dominated; signifying the water resources exposed to toxic environments. High pollutant loads associated with public health deterioration across Nigeria are considered as impacts indicating lagged water governance. While the lagged governance output manifested in some diseases relating to deficient access to potable water supply/poor sanitation services like Blue Baby syndrome, Renal/liver/lung diseases and blood cancer, the outcome showed an absence of health and social wellbeing. These indicators demonstrate the need for incorporating Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles on Water Governance in the Nigerian water governance system. Notably, flexibility across all governance levels can enable shared responsibility to balance economic activities and the ecological wellbeing. HIGHLIGHTS Mineral exploitations are the major means of economy in Nigeria.; Even as water resources sustain both population and the economy.; Contrast which exists in the development of the water and mineral resources created conflicts of interests.; The conflicts affected the management of water supply with a negative impact on the ecosystem.; So, policy reform is necessary, particularly based on the OECD Principles on water governance.;

This paper reports on a global review of evidence on the outcomes of accountability and advocacy interventions for improved water and sanitation service delivery, water resource management (WRM) sector governance, and the factors which influence their performance. Mapping current knowledge will help guide the community of practice, policy, and research working to strengthen water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) service delivery systems. We summarise the state of the evidence, key insights, and implications. Available evidence is relatively limited (151 papers) and is skewed towards India and East Africa (c. 50%), water service delivery (62%), and social accountability monitoring (54%). Most included articles (80%) associate accountability and advocacy with positive outcomes for sector performance. Positive outcomes are achieved through, for example: improved operational maintenance; access to data; representation and inclusion; political will; changes in policy, law, and process; new investment; and organisational performance. Impact is less frequently reported (32%) and attribution of impacts to interventions is a recurrent challenge. We identify 28 factors that determine the interventions' performance. These are used to populate a theory of change for accountability and advocacy interventions. The results of the review are important for those working on water sector system strengthening. They suggest the potential of accountability interventions to accelerate delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on WASH, and provide an organising framework to strengthen intervention design and delivery, and future research. HIGHLIGHTS A global review of the evidence about accountability and advocacy interventions on water, including their outcomes and factors shaping performance.; Provides a theory of change and knowledge base to guide theory, policy, and practice.; Validates new research to explore community, governance, and contextual dynamics that constrain or stimulate accountability in the water sector.;

River rehabilitation projects are framed as water security interventions in South Africa. They aim to address water quality and water quantity issues, as well as to improve socio-ecological relationships. These projects acknowledge the value of capacity building and social learning in enhancing water security. However, they adopt different governance approaches and hence have different knowledge construction and capacity building outcomes. This paper employs a ‘governmentality’ framework to analyse the capacity development processes within three river rehabilitation projects in Durban, South Africa. The analysis revealed that the three projects, with their different governmentalities, produced different capacity development modalities, which are utilised to sustain ‘the object of intervention’ in each river rehabilitation project. However, despite these differences, information as the currency of action; the context or site of learning; the importance of building state–citizen relationships; and the need for bridges or intermediaries, emerged as common elements which support capacity building and knowledge sharing across all three projects. HIGHLIGHTS River rehabilitation projects are socio-ecological governance processes.; Capacity building modalities emerge from different governmentalities of river rehabilitation projects.; Locally driven river rehabilitation projects emerge through institutional voids.; Sharing knowledge, understanding socio-ecological relations, state–citizen relationships and intermediaries are critical to transformative river rehabilitation projects.;

The pressure on water resources that Algeria encounters is due to the scarcity and the water demand increase by different sectors of activity. This induces managers to reconsider the traditional supply management approach. The new water policies aim to adopt water demand management by improving the efficiency of its use in the agricultural sector, which consumes more than 59% of freshwater withdrawals. Economic, regulatory, and voluntary instruments have been adopted for better governance of water resources. This study aims to (i) define institutional arrangements on the exploitation of surface water in large irrigation schemes in Algeria and (ii) assess the effectiveness of the current water management instruments. Findings from farmers’ and water distribution agencies’ surveys suggest that objectives expected by the application of the different economic instruments are far from being achieved. Moreover, the absence of effective executive agencies for the implementation of regulations suggests that an improvement in the performance of public administration is necessary to achieve better governance of irrigation water in Algeria. At the local level, and despite a lack of farmers’ will to formally engage in a collective of farmers, they organize themselves around informal arrangements to overcome the challenges associated with water scarcity. HIGHLIGHTS The desired objectives of cost recovery and reducing the pressure on the resource are not achieved.; Quota policy leads to a greater pressure on groundwater resources.; A greater consideration of groundwater is necessary.; The enforcement of regulatory instruments is not effective.; The improvement in the performance of public administration is necessary to achieve better governance of irrigation water in Algeria.;

Sustainable Development Goal number 6 declares safe drinking water for all as a human right and it can be used as an indicator to measure development. While urban and municipal residents benefit from safe drinking water through centralized water supply systems, water supply for rural areas and estates were decentralized due to large construction costs, according to the demand-driven approach introducing community governance mechanism for water sources and water supply in rural areas. Community-based water societies emerged as a consequence of this situation. In Badulla district of Sri Lanka, 47% of community-based water societies depend upon natural water springs benefitting 46% of households in a particular area. Recently, two natural water springs dried up affecting 191 households and 10 community-based water societies who depend on natural water springs are regulating their water supply hours due to a long and extended drought situation. This affected 1,953 households in Badulla. Further it represents 8.4% of households who depend upon natural water springs. Owing to the present water scarcity, 37 community-based water societies started catchment protection initiatives with the support of government and non-governmental agencies. One community-based water society in this district has collapsed due to lack of water with the drying up of their natural water spring and another is functioning with an alternative water source. Other community-based water societies are functioning to a varying extent because of water level reduction in natural water springs. While the climate is changing, there are development initiatives that, in particular, are affecting natural water springs. HIGHLIGHTS Future potential water crisis in Central hills of Sri Lanka.; Impact for whole country through that incident.; Importance of community water governance structure.;

Dysfunctional water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) systems are mainly determined by poor water governance, exacerbating inequalities and poverty. Multi-stakeholder partnerships provide an approach to more flexible and adaptive governance to explore these problems. In this article, national commitments made to improve WaSH, made through the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership's Mutual Accountability Mechanism, are examined through qualitative content analysis and guided by the SMART framework to assess the current target-setting. The analysis reveals that there are differences in the participation of the different constituencies regarding the number of stakeholders participating and their performance for measurable and time-bound commitments. This applies especially to research and learning and the private sector. Countries have prioritized commitments related to policy and strategy, efficiency and enabling conditions; further research should understand the linkages of the SWA commitments with other priority-setting processes at the national level. In sum, the commitments leave room for improvement to specify approaches to water governance in more detail and the chance to support the creation of sustainable and resilient systems with more diversified commitments from a wider range of partners. HIGHLIGHTS The importance of more equal participation of all constituencies needs to be underlined, since there are differences in general participation and performance for SMART goals.; Priorities in presenting certain governance components should be explored further to assess national goal-setting thoroughly.; Diversifying commitments could increase the potential of commitments to support creating sustainable and resilient systems.;

Reliable and secure water resources for rural communities in Africa continue to be at the forefront of the challenges facing these communities in the last 20 years, particularly for smallholders, agricultural sector productivity, food security and economic development increasingly exacerbated by climate change and rapidly growing urban populations. Addressing these challenges requires well-structured policy in the water sector, to implement commitments and investments effectively, and ultimately ensure the quantity and quality of water supply. The AWV 2025 for Africa was commissioned by the World Water Council in 2000 to create a framework to target these aspects in Africa. We examine the progress towards achieving this vision after two decades, through the initiatives, government policies and water strategies that have been implemented. We take a closer look at the top-down impact of the AWV 2025 in the national context of Kenya and its rural population. While the water sector has evolved since 2000, it remains difficult to meet international standards, both at the continental level and in Kenya. This requires continued efforts to strengthen good governance in the water sector, address the financial challenges associated with the expansion of the infrastructure, and developing decentralized approaches to water supply provision. HIGHLIGHTS Development of secure water resources is critical for rural communities to achieve climate resilience.; The Africa Water Vision 2025 outlined four goals to promote water governance.; Limited success has been reported in delivering these goals.; Investment has focussed on private water services and urban infrastructure.; Water law reforms in Kenya have been enacted, but their impact has been minimal in rural areas.;

Population growth, along with climate change, has exacerbaed the water crisis in local communities. The simplest and quickest response of governments to such problems is direct intervention in local governance. Such solutions are usually proposed without regarding the indigenous knowledge of the local people. These also include top-down policies on water issues, which disrupt local institutional arrangements and eliminate the possibility of collective action by stakeholders in reaching an agreement. A case study of one of the water basins in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari in Iran (the Gorgak River in Sureshjan city) using an institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework shows that in the past, people acted collectively to solve the asymmetric distribution and drought problem. But government intervention, which initially sought to improve water conditions, has disrupted the region's institutional arrangements and power asymmetries between exploiters. Our study used the IAD framework to examine changes in institutional arrangements due to the introduction of technology and government intervention by the game theory. It clarifies that government intervention in local institutional arrangements, even if designed with the intention of improving conditions, may lead to greater inequality due to disregarding physical and social conditions and local knowledge. This inequality can eventually worsen the situation. HIGHLIGHTS Government intervention in local institutional arrangements may lead to greater inequality due to disregarding local knowledge and local institutions.; Using the institutional analysis and development framework and game theory, we identified the effective institutional factors in our case study.; Our study shows the consequences of a wrong government intervention, which crowd out the self-governance of local communities.;

As part of the formulation of the first National Water Plan (NWP) in Uruguay, a mini-public process called ‘Citizen Deliberation on Water (Deci Agua)’ was developed in 2016. While the draft of the plan was being discussed in the formal arenas of water governance (Basin Commissions and Regional Water Resources Councils), a University research team (led by the authors), in coordination with the national water authority, adapted the mechanism of consensus conferences in order to incorporate the citizens’ visions and to contribute to public understanding of the NWP challenges. This article analyses the main aspects of the developed participation strategy and discusses them regarding a set of quality criteria used to evaluate deliberative processes. Although the final version of the NWP (passed by decree in 2017) incorporated some of the contributions of the Citizen Panel, an in-depth analysis of the scope of the deliberative process of Deci Agua allows us to delve into some key aspects related to the quality of participation processes and the challenges. A mixed approach that combines stakeholder participation and lay citizens is novel and desirable in water governance since it increases the scope of participation, deepens the legitimacy of decision-making and improves the public debate. Highlights Deci Agua was a citizen deliberation process based on consensus conferences.; A Citizen Panel contributed to the formulation of Uruguay's first National Water Plan.; The inclusion of the ethical dimension of water management was the main contribution.; Mini-publics like Deci Agua collaborate with the public debate.; Processes of citizen participation can complement stakeholder participation forums.;

Water is becoming an increasingly contested resource. Today, the sustainability of water use is assessed with different indicator frameworks that usually refer to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or other norms. Classifying international norms and the subsequent indicators for assessment according to their legitimacy will increase the practical relevance of assessment results. The classification will enable addressees to differentiate between mandatory obligations in water management and additional more ambitious targets for decisions on sustainable water distribution. This study presents 11 standards for sustainable water distribution which have been classified based on legitimacy and specificity. A literature review identified relevant international norms that were subsequently classified. Suggestions for the implementation of the standards and priorities in assessment methods are discussed. Through the new set of standards, assessment results can transparently be communicated to policymakers, NGOs and business and support them to identify their obligations for sustainable water use. Highlights Compiled standards can be used by decision-makers for the spatial assessment of the sustainability of water use.; Classification of norms according to legitimacy and specificity points to governmental actors where further operationalization is needed to implement and monitor sustainable water use.; In competing situations, water allocation between environment and food production remains unsolved.;

Sri Lanka has no water scarcity within the country, and per capita, water availability is adequate to cater for the country's estimated peak population. Nevertheless, the frequent variability of spatial and temporal water availability and extreme events have built up a water scarcity in Sri Lanka, which has been observed during the last two to three decades. Therefore, effective and efficient water governance is most important in today's context, and regular review and amendment of policies, laws, and regulations are crucial to mitigate water scarcity. Although a few attempts were initiated, none of them succeeded. In this study, historical and present water governance mechanisms, including coordinating mechanisms and implementing water management agencies in Sri Lanka, were comprehensively reviewed. Further, the previously proposed water policies, their status and reasons for the failures of policies were discussed. Finally, the formulation of a novel institutional arrangement or altering the existing institutional arrangement with shared data and allocating non-shared responsibilities to each institution is suggested for better water governance in Sri Lanka. Highlights Monarchs guided by the Buddhist monasteries governed ancient WRM in Sri Lanka.; Water Management Panel under the jurisdiction of Mahaweli Authority coordinates WRM.; Donor organizations proposed economic value to irrigation water.; Concept of privatizing the irrigation water hindered the acceptance of the water policy.;

We identify and describe social perspectives on the sustainability of the water sector in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona. Using Q methodology, we find evidence for different meanings of sustainability when stakeholders are presented with concrete policy options and applications in spite of an apparently widespread agreement on the concept of sustainability itself. We put the social perspectives articulated by local stakeholders in perspective by analyzing whether they adhere to a commonly used set of sustainability principles when applied to water management and governance. The analysis indicates that although there is some level of acceptance of sustainability principles among the social perspectives identified, there are important discrepancies in the salience of different principles. Results suggest that when people are interacting in policy-making processes they tend to support their previously held own vision of the problems and that their normative considerations may be opposed to broadly accepted sustainability discourses. The different visions of water sustainability may have a direct impact on the water policy-making process depending on the position and influence of the actors involved in the governance scheme. Highlights Key research to debate water policy in Phoenix.; Identify key perspectives that affect water governance.; Results suggest that when people are interacting in policy-making processes they tend to support their own vision of the problems and normative considerations.; Findings are useful to develop questionnaires or surveys in Phoenix.; Findings could be useful to minimize areas of conflicts;

Climate change and water security have become the most challenging global issues of this era, especially for developing countries like Pakistan. Amid many hindrances, poor governance has been identified as one of the most pressing reasons for ineffective action to tackle multifaceted and integrative climate-water issues in Pakistan. This article, therefore, applied a systematic literature review methodology to examine the current climate-water governance archetype, including key areas, major elements, critical gaps, and potential strategy in Pakistan. This study found that key climate-water governance areas in Pakistan are: river basin and watershed management, agriculture and irrigation management, urban and domestic water issues, floods, droughts and disaster management, groundwater management, and transboundary management. Moreover, it is revealed that the major governance elements are political commitment and leadership, policy formulation and regulation, institutional capacity and coordination, stakeholder engagement, and resource management, technology, and infrastructure development. The article also discusses how Pakistan has not effectively employed most of the identified governance elements to tackle its climate-water problems, lacking mostly in political, policy, institutional, coordination, and infrastructure aspects. In conclusion, a four-dimensional governance strategy, encompassing leadership, policy, institutions, and stakeholders is proposed to improve water sector resilience and adaptation to combat climate change in Pakistan. Highlights Poor governance is identified as the major reason for ineffective climate-water action in Pakistan.; Leadership, policy, institutions, and stakeholders are key facets of climate-water governance.; Pakistan lacks political leadership, policy processes, institutional capacity, and stakeholder engagement.; A four-dimensional strategy leadership-policy-institutions-stakeholders is needed to improve climate-water governance.;

This article offers an evaluation of the reuse of reclaimed water and desalination in Spain and aims to provide an overview of the state of the art and Spanish legal framework as far as non-conventional resources are concerned. The fight against the scarcity of water resources in this country, especially in the southeast, has made the production of new alternative water resources a clear priority and has turned the nation into a leader in water reuse and seawater desalination. The assessment presented can be used to help build a more general framework, like the European one, and shed light on other comparative legal experiences.