Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner.
IWRM is a cross-sectoral approach that is increasingly recognized as the solution to traditional, fragmented sectoral approaches to water resources management that have led to unsustainable use and poor services. IWRM is based on the understanding that water resources are an integral component of the ecosystem, a natural resource, and a social and economic good.
The basis of IWRM is that the many different uses of finite water resources are interdependent. High irrigation demands and pollution from agriculture, for example, mean less fresh water for drinking or industrial use; contaminated municipal and industrial wastewater pollutes rivers and threatens ecosystems; if water has to be left in a river to protect fisheries and ecosystems (environmental flows), less can be diverted to grow crops.
Our work on water resources management is carried out through public-private partnerships, often involving partners, collaborating centres and networks.
