Comprehensive integrated water management

Abstract

Improper utilization of water resources has the potential to result in reduced availability of high-quality water and adverse effects on societal development. In fact, what appears to be a serious gap in comprehensive water resources studies is the lack of a coherent approach that can link different social, economic and environmental parts within the framework of the integrated water management paradigm to extract strategies and operational plans. Comprehensive water resources management (CWRM) is a process that intends to develop and manage water, land and other resources in a way that maximizes the social and economic well-being of human societies, without compromising the integrity and sustainability of vital ecosystems and future benefits. This chapter discusses the definitions of integrated and comprehensive water resources management describing the steps of using integrated management in practical examples.