Water governance—Role for assuring water security

Climate change, rapid urban and technological development, increased standard of living and the burgeoning population are all contributing to increased stress on water and subsequently, food and energy resources as well as rural and urban development. The combined effect of all these is causing concern for the sustainability of water resources and threatening global water security. Agricultural water provides the largest demand component and is also a crucial component of food security and livelihoods at all levels of society. Therefore, influencing and understanding the mechanics of water governance is of utmost importance to irrigation and drainage professionals and policymakers. Water security implies the provision of assured quantity and quality of resources at common efficiency levels to all potential users at an appropriate time. However, the availability of an adequate supply of freshwater resources globally is hugely varied. Being a finite resource with dynamic availability in time and space, water needs continued distribution in order to meet the needs of the users. Additionally, water, being a common pool finite natural resource, needs meticulous planning as the supply and demands are controlled by extraneous factors like climate and economics. Thus, governance principles have to be applied through legislative means and administrative mechanisms established for implementation thereof. Moreover, unless adequate resolution regimes are established through governance principles, social and political tranquillity cannot be achieved.