Sustainable Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in NC Nigeria By Akindunni O.

D Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin Nigeria.

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Introduction

Water according to oxford dictionary can be defined as a colorless, transparent, odourless liquid which forms the sea, lakes, rivers and rain and is the basis of fluids of living organisms. A Greek philosopher once said the best of all things is water. Water is universal; it is present everywhere and without water life as we know it comes to an end. A great musician once sang a song that water has no enemy and in reality the need of water, throughout human history, has always been appreciated. Water is constantly in motion and can be trapped in a reservoir or dam, it can be stationary i.e lakes, it can also move from one location to another. Water may be everywhere but its rational planning and management is a difficult task and its availability in terms of quantity and quality is a very complex issue that needs to be addressed properly. A water problem is not a new concept, it has been around for more than three generations and till now no reasonable solution is in sight. This problems are neither homogenous over time. They often vary very significantly from one region to another, season to season, year to year. Availability of water is not only the solution to water problems, but also depends on some factors, among which are the process through which water is managed; competence and capacities of the water body regulatory that control them. Setting up an appropriate legal framework, funds availability, level of technology, current state of the country i.e wars, mode of governance including issues of transparency, corruption etc.; educational and development conditions, climatic, social and environmental conditions. Water is a resource that is of direct interest to the entire population, as well as to most private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Such interest is not a unique situation for water, over the years, exploitation of oil, agriculture, mining of natural resources have cause problems to country due to mismanagement. Water in some countries are been treated precious because its not available in abundant. Water management issues should command high level of attentions in modern societies since this kind of attentions is given to other issues. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process which can assist countries in their endeavor to deal with water issues in a cost-effective and sustainable way. The concept of IWRM has attracted particular attention following the international conferences on water and environmental issues in Dublin and Rio de Janeiro held during 1992 (Torkil, 2004); however

IWRM doesnt have a definite meaning nor implementation process, what should be integrated and how best it is done. However, Integrated water resources management is therefore a systematic process for the sustainable development, allocation and monitoring of water resource use in the context of social, economic and environmental objectives. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the water problems of a country can no longer be resolved by the water professionals or water regulatory bodies alone. Water problems are becoming interconnected with other development related issues and also with social, economic, legal, political factors at all levels. Water problems have already become far too complex, interconnected to be handled by any one single institution, irrespective of the authority and resources given to it, technical expertise, management capacity available, level of political support. (Biswas, 2001). The current trends indicate that water problems will continue to become increasingly more complex and become more intertwined with other development sectors like agriculture, energy, transportation, communication, etc. unless the water policies and major water related issues are properly assessed, analyzed, reviewed and resolved within an overall societal and development context.