A legal analysis on the water resources management in Malaysia / Nur Khalis Johar Amin, Siti Noor Mardiana Shahrom and Nurfarahin Mohd Karim.

This research is a legal analysis on water resources management in Malaysia. There are two branches of water management in Malaysia which is water resources and water supply and sewerage services management. However, this study aims to discover the problems with regards to the water resources management in Malaysia, in particular, whether numerous water-related laws and departments in Malaysia is the main problem that lead to numerous problems with regards to water resources management. In Malaysia, problems correlated with water resources management include non revenue water, uncontrolled development and fragmented powers and jurisdictions of public authorities. In order to solve all of these problems, we recommended that Malaysia should adopt the model of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) where it aims to promote coordination of the development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise the resultant economic value and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. In United Kingdom, this model was introduced as the River Basin Management. In Selangor, there is also a single body which was established under the LUAS Enactment 1999 by the State Government of Selangor which was inspired by the River Basin Management in UK. IWRM policy is currently implemented on the river basin of Selangor. If it is successful, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) may be a perfect model that should be adopted by all other states in Malaysia

An Investigation of the Employment of Multiple Objectives in Water Resources Planning

A number of objectives in water resources development have been identified historically, but planning practice has adhered most closely to economic efficiency. A question of growing concern is whether or not the conscious inclusion of multiple objectives simultaneously in water resources planning can result in the formulation of plans closer to an optimum in the satisfaction of peoples’ total desires than does a plan which optimizes the objective of economic efficiency or other single objective. The purpose of this study was to determine if the explicit employment of multiple objectives in water resources planning represents a strengthening of capability to plan for the accommodation of demands for water among competing interests. This involved determination of 1. The theoretical implications of employing multiple objective; 2. The degree to which the employment of multiple objectives is compatible with quantitative analysis; and 3. The adequacy of the existing institutional structure to administer multiple objective planning. Current evaluation procedures were found to support the economic efficiency planning objective, but not consider the income redistributional effects of a resource allocation. National, the aggregate effect is small, but on a project basis the distributional effects can be significant on the people in the affected area. The effects of water resources development on the environment also appear significant and appropriately evaluated as a dimension of welfare. Income redistribution, environmental quality and other planning objectives were conceived to provide a better approximation of the welfare considerations of a resources allocation than can be gained from a single objective. Together appropriate planning objectives give a breadth of choice in making decisions concerning the water resource. The contemporary planning efforts in the Susquehanna River Basin Study were reviewed as an attempt to employ a multiple-objective approach to planning through the preparation of separate plans responsive to each of the planning objectives of economic efficiency, environmental quality and regional development. Particular difficulties were noted to be encountered in the identification and quantification of benefits for the objectives other than economic efficiency. Criteria for the selection of features from the individual plans to be recommended as the basin plan by the study coordination group were observed to also be difficult to define. The coordination group had not reached agreement concerning the degree of detail to be presented to policy makers and the public; other institutional barriers were also recognized. In reporting on the attempt by the Susquehanna River Basin Study to formulate plans responsive to several objectives, a dialogue on the practical value of multiple-objective planning has been opened. This study in applied economics provides a rationale for an advance in approach to water resources planning employing multiple objectives. It places in perspective the alternative objectives of planning and conceptualizes and rationalizes their inclusion in formal plan formulation. Objectives relate goals of people and the purposes served by water use and development and were found, on theoretical grounds, to provide additional dimensions to welfare. A multiple-objective framework attempts to make costs explicit including the opportunity costs of foreclosed alternatives. Wider range of choice is promoted. This study provides a workable rationale to improve the basis for decision making in water resources planning

Values of inland fisheries in the Mekong river basin

Asia has the most productive inland fisheries in the world. The fishery sector contributes significantly to the national economies of the region. Inland fisheries also improve food security by providing a source of protein and a livelihood for millions of people in this part of the world, especially the rural poor. The purpose of this report is to provide information on the biological, economic, social and cultural values of river fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin, and to identify the main impacts of environmental changes on these values. A review of fisheries-related literature, including project reports and gray literature, was undertaken. More than 800 documents were reviewed, and original information was extracted from 270 of them. The analysis identified a large number of localized studies leading to generic conclusions. The report addresses the basin wide issues and studies. It is then organized by nation, namely, the Chinese province of Yunnan, then Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It first gives an overview of each country’s economic, fisheries and social situation, then details the values documented for river fisheries in each country

Climate change adaptation and vulnerability assessment of water resources systems in developing countries: a generalized framework and a feasibility study in Bangladesh

Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earth’s ecosystems and therefore people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. Besides climatic change, current demographic trends, economic development and related land use changes have direct impact on increasing demand for freshwater resources. Taken together, the net effect of these supply and demand changes is affecting the vulnerability of water resources. The concept of ‘vulnerability’ is not straightforward as there is no universally accepted approach for assessing vulnerability. In this study, we review the evolution of approaches to vulnerability assessment related to water resources. From the current practices, we identify research gaps, and approaches to overcome these gaps a generalized assessment framework is developed. A feasibility study is then presented in the context of the Lower Brahmaputra River Basin (LBRB). The results of the feasibility study identify the current main constraints (e.g., lack of institutional coordination) and opportunities (e.g., adaptation) of LBRB. The results of this study can be helpful for innovative research and management initiatives and the described framework can be widely used as a guideline for the vulnerability assessment of water resources systems, particularly in developing countries

Stochastic analysis of hydrologic systems

Hydrologic phenomena are in reality stochastic in nature; that is, their behavior changes with the time in accordance with the law of probability as well as with the sequential relationship between the occurrences of the phenomenon. In order to analyze the hydrologic phenomenon, a mathematic model of the stochastic hydrologic system to simulate the phenomenon must be formulated. In this study, a watershed is treated as the stochastic hydrologic system whose components of precipitation, runoff, storage and evapotranspiration are simulated as stochastic processes by time series models to be determined by correlograms and spectral analysis. The hydrologic system model is then formulated on the basis of the principle of conservation of mass and composed of the component stochastic processes. To demonstrate the practical application of the method of analysis so developed, the upper Sangamon River basin above Monticello in east central Illinois is used as the sample watershed. The watershed system model so formulated can be employed to generate stochastic streamflows for practical use in the analysis of water resources systems. This is of particular value in the economic planning of water supply and irrigation projects which is concerned with the long-range water yield of the watershed.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe

America's North Coast: A Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Program to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes

Examines the baseline ecological conditions of the Great Lakes and offers a plan for the area's environmental protection and restoration. Demonstrates how a restoration program can provide economic benefits that substantially exceed its costs

Water Scarcity in the Zambezi Basin in the Long-Term Future: A Risk Assessment

The aim of this paper is to explore possible futures for the Zambezi basin and to estimate the risks of different water management strategies. Existing uncertainties are translated into alternative assumptions. The risk of a certain management strategy, which has been developed under a given set of assumptions, is analysed by applying alternative assumptions. For the exploration of possible futures, a dynamic simulation model is used. Three ‘utopias’ and a number of ‘dystopias’ are considered. A utopia is based on a coherent set of assumptions with respect to world-view (how does the world function), management style (how do people respond) and context (exogenous developments). A dystopia evolves if some assumptions are taken differently. Using the risk assessment method described, the paper reflects on the water policy priorities earlier proposed in an expert meeting held in Harare. It is shown that in only one out of the nine cases putting the ‘Harare priorities’ into practice will work out effectively and without large tradeoffs. It is concluded that minimising risks would require a radical shift from supply towards demand policy.\u

Review of river fisheries valuation in West and Central Africa

This paper provides a review of the valuation of river fisheries in West and Central Africa. It is the general perception that, compared to the biological and ecological aspects of river fisheries, this particular subject area has received relatively little attention. Economic valuation is concerned with finding expression for what is important in life for human society. It should, therefore, be a central and integral part of government decision-making and policy. The review started with concepts and methods for valuation. Three main types of valuation techniques were identified: conventional economic valuations, economic impact assessments and socioeconomic investigations, and livelihood analysis. On the basis of a literature review, valuation information was then synthesized for the major regional river basins and large lakes, and also used to develop a series of national fisheries profiles. To supplement this broad perspective, a series of case studies are also presented, which focus in particular on the impact of changes in water management regime. Finally, the paper presents an assessment of the three main types of valuation methodology and a set of conclusions and recommendations for future valuation studies

Participation and Watershed Management: Experiences from Brazil

Public participation is emphasized in many new institutional approaches to resource management, especially watershed governance. The implementation of participatory management frameworks, and capacity-building for civil society participants, deserve close attention. This paper reports on an ongoing project in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, which is designed to strengthen the ability of local and NGO representatives to participate in democratic water management structures.This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canad