ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Water is now seen as a central plank of sustainable natural resources management, it is embedded in all aspects of development – food security, health, and poverty reduction – it is essential for economic growth, and it sustains the natural ecosystems on which everything else depends. Implicit in all this is the need for integration. This is already at the heart of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and this chapter argues that it is timely to revisit IWRM as an approach that can facilitate and lead the process of ‘greening’ the world’s economies. There are skeptics, but evidence is presented from the 2012 UN survey of 134 countries that 82% have embarked on reforms to improve the enabling environment and integrate approaches to water resources management, 65% have developed IWRM plans, and 34% say they are at an advanced stage of implementation. It is argued that IWRM is no longer just an idea; it is a reality for many. It is truly ‘fit for purpose’ – a process whose time has come.
