ABSTRACT
The global water sector underwent revolutionary changes during the twentieth century. Human water use increased, at least, by six-fold while the human population increased only by three-fold. he symptoms of water scarcity are already evident in 80 countries with 40 percent of global population. Although water scarcity is usually viewed in physical terms as a widening gap between water demand and supply, in reality it is much more than a hydrological phenomenon in view of its economic and institutional causes and ecological and health consequences. The concept of water governance has different but closely related definitions. The GWP, for instance, defines water governance as the range of political, social, economic, and administrative systems that are in place to develop and manage water resources at different levels. Despite the political difficulties, institutional change and adaptation have occurred in many countries both due to the natural process of institutional evolution as well as due to the purposive reforms undertaken by the state.
