ABSTRACT
The concept of the maturing water economy is useful in the present context in a number of ways. As metropolitan water authorities try to secure added supplies to satisfy their residents, they compete with other sectors for water and for funds. If the primary source of water for a city is a surface flow, competition will extend up and down the stream. Problems of allocation among water use sectors—agriculture, industry, urban water supply and sanitation, fisheries, navigation, hydropower, environmental preservation, and recreation—are becoming increasingly acute as water resources are more fully used and pollution increases. Water quantity problems are accelerating in most Asian-Pacific metropolises because of their growing economies and populations. In general, the basic concepts that apply to conflicts over water quantity may be used for water quality as well, although the latter is usually more complex due to the larger number of quality dimensions. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
