Water Resources Planning and Management

[WRE4204]

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

email: [email protected] OR Sissay Dechasa

[email protected] March 2023
ASTU
Learning Objectives:

✓ Be
able to understand and describe the definition and purpose of
water resources planning and management;
❑ Beable to identify and explain the generalized processes and tasks
of WRPD;
✓ Beable to identify the global water resources and Ethiopian water
resources and basins
General:

⚫ A project consists of constructed facilities and other measures that control,

utilize, or limit the use of water.

⚫ Planning activities include the identification, formulation and analysis of

projects.

⚫ Planning activities are also included in subsequent phases of project

implementation, including design, construction, operation and maintenance.

⚫ Water resources planning methods are based on scientific, legal, ethical, critical concepts.
➢ It has been only about 50 years that modern water resources planning has evolved over, even though water
resources projects have been constructed for thousands of years.
 Water is a petroleum
of the 21st century

Water Resources Challenges

⚫ The potential of water resources of the planet has been largely

distressed due to the dynamic population increase and the global
climate change impacts.

⚫ The world is on the brink of a water crisis. United Nations in World

Water Day 2002 has warned more than 2.7 billion people will face
severe water shortages by 2025 (BBC News, 22 March 2002).

⚫ This trend by far leads us to turn our attitude to utilize the water
resources for the desired purpose sustainably in a systematized way.
Climate Change Impact Examples:
Drought
Flood
Embankment Dam @Borena
(March 2023)
Examples: El Niño Effect - 2016
 WRPM, IWRM, SWRM

⚫ Integrated water resources management (IWRM),

water resources planning and management (WRPM),
and Sustainable water resources management
(SWRM) are related concepts that aim to ensure the
efficient and equitable use of water resources while
protecting the environment.
Water resources planning & management
(WRPM)

⚫ Water resources planning and management (WRPM) is a

process that involves identifying, evaluating, and selecting
water management strategies that best meet the needs of
stakeholders while taking into account environmental, social,
and economic factors. WRPM typically involves a range of
technical analyses and modeling to assess the impacts of
various water management scenarios.
Integrated water resources management
(IWRM)
⚫ IWRM is a holistic approach to managing water resources that
considers the interconnections between water, land, and ecosystems. It
involves balancing the competing demands of different users and uses
of water resources while maintaining the long-term sustainability of the
resource.
⚫ IWRM considers the entire water cycle, from the source of water to its
use and eventual return to the environment. It involves collaboration
and coordination among stakeholders, including government agencies,
communities, and water users, to ensure equitable and efficient
management of water resources. IWRM seeks to integrate social,
economic, and environmental considerations into water management
decisions and promote sustainable development.
Sustainable Water Resources Management
(SWRM)

⚫ SWRM focuses specifically on ensuring the long-term

sustainability of water resources. It involves managing
water resources in a way that meets current needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.

⚫ SWRM seeks to balance economic, social, and

environmental considerations to ensure that water
resources are used in a sustainable way.
Differences:

⚫ While water resources planning and management (WRPM)

focuses on developing strategies to manage water resources,
⚫ IWRM takes a more holistic approach beyond just planning and
management that considers the entire water cycle and involves
collaboration among stakeholders.
⚫ In summary, while there are similarities between these
approaches in terms of their focus on the sustainable
management of water resources, they differ in their emphasis on
stakeholder participation, integrated planning and management,
and ecological knowledge.
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) to transform the world:
⚫ GOAL 1: No Poverty ⚫ GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
⚫ GOAL 2: Zero Hunger ⚫ GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities &
⚫ GOAL 3: Good Health & Well-being Communities
⚫ GOAL 4: Quality Education ⚫ GOAL 12: Responsible
⚫ GOAL 5: Gender Equality Consumption and Production
⚫ GOAL 6: Clean Water & Sanitation ⚫ GOAL 13: Climate Action
⚫ GOAL 7: Affordable & Clean Energy ⚫ GOAL 14: Life Below Water
⚫ GOAL 8: Decent Work & Economic ⚫ GOAL 15: Life on Land
Growth ⚫ GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and
⚫ GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Strong Institutions
Infrastructure ⚫ GOAL 17: Partnerships to
achieve the Goals
 Purpose of
Water Resources Planning and Management
⚫ Why? Uneven distribution (too little, too much water), CC, scarcity, drought, flood, pollution, …
⚫ Water resources planning techniques are used to determine what measures should be
employed to meet water needs, take advantage of opportunities for water resources
management, and preserve and enhance natural water resources and related land resources.
⚫ Water resources are developed or managed for the following purposes & functions:
➢ Irrigation
➢ Water supply
➢ Hydroelectric power generation
➢ Flood control and damage preservation
➢ Low flow augmentation, Water quality management, including WWT and disposal
➢ Navigation
➢ Recreation
➢ Commercial fishing and aquatic farming
➢ Drainage, sedimentation control, erosion control & other measures of watershed management
➢ Other multipurpose uses
General Measures in Water Resources Planning

⚫ The goals of water resources planning may be advanced by the use of

constructed facilities (structural measures), or by management and legal
techniques that do not require constructed facilities. The latter are
nonstructural measures and may include rules to limit or control water and
land use (e.g. flood warning systems, restrictive zoning on flood plains) which
complement or substitute for constructed facilities. A project may consist of
one or more structural or nonstructural measures.
⚫ Goal is a general societal aim such as the “improvement of the quality of
life” and;
⚫ Objective in more specific (monetary or other) terms such as “maximization
of net benefit.” Policies are related to the goals and objectives and to the
various constraints which restrict development and management within
specific bounds.
Methodologies in Water Resources Planning

⚫ Methodologies of water resources planning categorized as:

A. Principles: provide the broad policy framework for planning activities and
include the conceptual basis for planning.
B. Standards: provide for uniformity and consistency in comparing, measuring
and judging beneficial and adverse effects of alternative plans.
C. Procedures: provide more detailed methods for carrying out the various
levels of planning activities, including the measurement of beneficial and
adverse effects, and the comparison of alternative plans for action.
▪ Principles, standards and procedures are all subject to change over time. The
principles, being most fundamental, are expected to evolve relatively slowly, while the
standards and procedures are expected to change more readily with the development
of data and techniques. The term guidelines may be applied when the standards
and procedures are not fully binding on the planner.
Generalized Processes of WRPD

⚫ Establishment of goals and objectives – broad policies; legal and other constraints
⚫ Problem identification and analysis – collection of data; projection of demand/supply
relationships; use of water and land; opportunities for development and management
⚫ Solution identification and impact assessment – structural solutions; nonstructural
(management) solutions; preliminary assessment of impacts
⚫ Formulation of alternatives and analysis – criteria and procedures for comparison of
alternatives; formulation of alternative systems of structural and nonstructural measures;
detailed assessment of impacts
⚫ Recommendations including priorities and schedules for implementation
⚫ Decisions
⚫ Implementation-organizations for action, if required
⚫ Operation and management
Professional Specialists in WRD
⚫ Engineers – Water resources engineers, civil, structural, hydraulic, hydrologic, electrical
geotechnical, construction, cost estimating, mechanical,, surveying and
mapping, drafting
⚫ Urban/regional land planning specialists
⚫ Architects
⚫ Economic and financial specialists
⚫ Environmental specialists-biological science of various types, forestry,
archeological, historical, geological water and air quality, soils
⚫ Sociologists
⚫ Real estate and relocation specialists
⚫ Public information specialists
⚫ Report production specialists
 Global Water Resources

Water Resources – sources of water that are potentially useful

⚫ Freshwater Resources – the stores of water that are useable • e.g. river water,
lakes, glaciers, groundwater, …
⚫ Renewable Freshwater Resources – the stores that can be renewed within a
reasonable time frame • e.g. river flows
⚫ Non-renewable Freshwater Resources – the stores that will not be replenished
within a reasonable time frame • e.g. deep groundwater in the Sahara
⚫ The Water/Hydrological Cycle – the circulation of water fluxes between stores of
water. This drives the renewal of freshwater resources
⚫ Hydrological Science – the study of water, and its variation in time & space
 Global water potential

⚫ About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and the

oceans hold 96.5% of all the Earth’s water exists (Shiklomanov,
1993).

⚫ Fresh water covers almost 2.5% of the total water resources of

the sphere which includes surface water, groundwater, glaciers
and ice caps.
World Water Distribution, (Source: Shiklomanov, 1993)
Ethiopian Water Resources and Basins

⚫ Ethiopia is endowed with plentiful amounts of water

resources potential – a water tower of East Africa.

⚫ Based on the findings, the country has sufficient amount of

surface water resources potential which is around 124
billion cubic meter and 30 Billion cubic meter of
ground water.
 FIGURE 1:
Map of Ethiopian
Water Resources
Major Ethiopian basins with its IRRIGATION and
HYDROPOWER potential
River Basin:
⚫ A river basin is an area of land that is drained by a river and its
tributaries. It includes the entire area of land that contributes water to
the river, including hills, mountains, and other landforms. River basins
are important for water resources management because they provide
a natural unit for understanding the hydrology and ecology of a region.
Management of a river basin typically involves a range of
stakeholders, including government agencies, water users, and
environmental groups, who work together to develop and implement
strategies for sustainable water management. Integrated water
resources management is often used as a framework for managing
river basins, as it emphasizes the need for stakeholder participation,
integrated planning and management, and adaptive management
strategies.
River Basin:

• also defined as the geographical area determined by the watershed limits of the
system of waters, including surface and underground waters, flowing into a common
terminus (cf. Helsinki Rules, International Law Association, 1966, article II).

• also be defined as an area that drains via a specific river; an area where the surface
runoff flows towards and passes through the mouth of a specific river; for example, the
Nile Basin, Zambezi River basin etc… (Figure 2)

•Ethiopia is a country with a diverse and complex hydrological system, with 12 major
river basins that play a crucial role in the country's water resources management. These
major river basins in Ethiopia include the Nile Basin, Awash Basin, Omo-Gibe Basin,
Baro-Akobo Basin, and Tekeze Basin.
Figure. (a) Blue Nile River basin (b) Awash River basin