ABSTRACT
The concept of water resources management was introduced in a 1993 World Bank Policy Paper (World Bank, 1993). This paper served as a guideline for the World Bank in developing a new policy grounded in a general theory of water resources management at the local, national and international levels. The following quote indicates the scope of this concept:
Sustainable growth is predicated on improved water management to overcome constraints posed by the quantity and quality of water available for development. The failure of past practices to adequately deal with the challenges highlights the need for a new approach. The adoption of a program of integrated water resource management holds the key to placing water resources . . . on a sustainable path. Meeting the challenges requires the integration of the qualitative, quantitative, economic and institutional dimensions to water resource management.
