The One Water approach, also known as Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), is a comprehensive and inclusive strategy aimed at managing water resources holistically and sustainably. Read here to learn more about it.
This approach recognizes that all water- whether it’s drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, or greywater -has value and should be managed in a unified and coordinated manner across the entire water cycle.
Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being. Billions of people will lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadruples.
Water demand is rising owing to rapid population growth, urbanization, and increasing water needs from the agriculture, industry, and energy sectors.
The Bengaluru water crisis has divulged the dire condition of water crisis especially in the urban areas.
One water approach
The One Water approach seeks to break down traditional silos between drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater sectors to foster collaboration, enhance efficiency, and achieve shared water-related goals.
- The idea of “One Water” holds that all water, no matter where it comes from, is valuable.
- For the benefit of the environment and the economy, it entails managing that source in an integrated, inclusive, and sustainable way that involves the community, industry leaders, businesspeople, farmers, environmentalists, legislators, academics, and others.
- The new method of managing water resources is commonly known as integrated water resources management (IWRM).
- IWRM is an โintegrated planning and implementation approach to managing finite water resources for long-term resilience and reliability meeting both community and ecosystem needsโ, according to the research organization Water Research Foundation.
It is a multi-faceted collaborative technique that strives for greater coordination among various stakeholders and decision-makers with the following objectives:
- Reliable, secure, clean water supplies
- Aquifer recharge
- Flood protection
- Minimizing environmental pollution
- Efficient use and reuse of natural resources
- Resiliency to climate
- Long-term sustainability
- Equity, affordability, and accessibility to safe drinking water
- Economic growth and prosperity
Key Principles of the One Water Approach
- Holistic Management: One Water promotes the management of all water resources as a single, interconnected system. This principle acknowledges the interdependence of surface water, groundwater, and alternative water sources.
- Sustainability: The approach prioritizes long-term water resource sustainability, focusing on conservation, resource recovery, and the protection of natural water cycles.
- Resilience: By diversifying water sources and implementing integrated management practices, One Water enhances the resilience of water systems to withstand droughts, floods, and other climate change impacts.
- Collaboration: One Water encourages collaboration across different sectors, disciplines, and communities to leverage knowledge, resources, and efforts for comprehensive water management.
- Innovation: This approach supports the adoption of innovative technologies and practices, such as advanced water treatment, water reuse, and green infrastructure, to optimize water management.
- Equity: One Water aims to ensure equitable access to water resources and benefits, addressing disparities and involving communities in decision-making processes.
Benefits
- Water Reuse: Treating and reusing wastewater for non-potable purposes, such as irrigation, industrial processes, or replenishing aquifers, reduces the demand for freshwater.
- Stormwater Management: Implementing green infrastructure, like rain gardens, permeable pavements, and green roofs, can capture and utilize stormwater, reducing runoff and pollution while recharging local aquifers.
- Integrated Planning: Coordinating land use and water planning helps manage the impacts of urbanization on water resources and promotes sustainable development.
- Resource Recovery: Extracting nutrients, energy, and other valuable products from wastewater contributes to economic efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Conventional water management vs IWRM
IWRM is superior to the conventional water management approach in several ways:
- In the conventional water management approach, drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater are managed separately, whereas in โOne Waterโ, All the water systems, regardless of their source, are connected intentionally and managed meticulously for water, energy, and resource.
- Water is recycled and reused several times in IWRM, in contrast to a one-way route from supply to use, treatment, and disposal.
- Stormwater is utilized as a valuable resource to fight against water scarcity, recharge groundwater, and support natural vegetation.
- The water system includes green infrastructures and a mix of grey and green infrastructure that form a hybrid system as compared to grey infrastructure in conventional water management.
- The interconnectedness of surface water, groundwater, stormwater, and wastewater is collectively recognized and managed by these separate but connected entities.
- Active collaborations with industry, agencies, policymakers, business leaders, and various stakeholders are a regular practice in the One Water approach, whereas collaboration is need-based in conventional water management systems.
Why IWRM?
Water is a key driver of economic and social development while it also has a basic function in maintaining the integrity of the natural environment.
- However, water is only one of several vital natural resources and water issues mustn’t be considered in isolation.
- Managers, whether in the government or private sectors, have to make difficult decisions on water allocation.
- More and more they have to apportion diminishing supplies between ever-increasing demands.
- Drivers such as demographic and climatic changes further increase the stress on water resources.
- The traditional fragmented approach is no longer viable and a more holistic approach to water management is essential.
- This is the rationale for the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach that has now been accepted internationally as the way forward for efficient, equitable, and sustainable development and management of the world’s limited water resources and for coping with conflicting demands.
Challenges
- Implementing the One Water approach involves overcoming regulatory, financial, and institutional barriers.
- Traditional water management systems are often entrenched in sector-specific regulations and practices, making integrated approaches challenging.
- Financial constraints and the need for significant investments in infrastructure and technology also pose hurdles.
- Additionally, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders with varying interests requires effective communication and engagement strategies.
Conclusion
The One Water approach offers a promising path toward sustainable and resilient water management by recognizing the intrinsic value of all water resources and promoting integrated, innovative, and equitable management practices.
As water scarcity and quality concerns intensify under the pressures of climate change and population growth, adopting the One Water framework becomes increasingly essential for ensuring water security for future generations.
Previous year question
What are the benefits of implementing the โIntegrated Watershed Development Programmeโ? (Prelims 2014)
- Prevention of soil runoff
- Linking the countryโs perennial rivers with seasonal rivers
- Rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater table
- Regeneration of natural vegetation
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3, and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Related articles:
- Water crisis in India
- Groundwater depletion and contamination in India
- Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2022
- Water pollution
- Watershed management
-Article by Swathi Satish
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