Water Wheel Nov/Dec 2022: Integrated Water Resource Management

Abstract

Cooperative governance in water resource management – Drawing lessons from the Breede River catchment This consensus is reflected in leading international water governance thinking, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). South Africa’s National Water Act (NWA) of 1998 is based on IWRM, which recognises the need for integrated management of all aspects of water resources and it provides the foundations upon which participatory water management institutions are established. The NWA provides a legal framework for sustainable water resource management and places a great emphasis on the need for water actors to work cooperatively and enable stakeholder participation. But what is cooperative governance? It is described as a process where actors from different parts of civil society and government work together in a coordinated manner to respond to a mutual issue. Cooperative water governance is made up of two principles: collaboration and adaptive management.

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