Integrated water resources management

Many countries struggle with the proper distribution of their fresh water resources. Water supplies may be deficient and/or available at the wrong time or place, and the water quality may be poor. Often this results in conflicts between the different users. Deltares supports decision making in these complex situations with the development of integrated water resources management (IWRM) plans and policies.

For us, IWRM is more than the sum of parts …

Just adding up the study of the various components that are relevant to a water resources study is not enough to come to an integrated approach. At Deltares, we consider a river basin a unity and the study of the various aspects of the basin is never a goal in itself, but should contribute to the overall analysis and optimization of the planning and management of the region of study. The Natural, Socio-economic and Institutional systems are just three routes to approach the common goal that is translated into measures and finally strategies that will be evaluated in terms of solution strength under various external conditions (scenarios), including (global) economic developments as well as the latest estimated impacts of climate change. Only by following such an approach, we are convinced that a solution can be presented to the Client that will fully satisfy the expectations for the present situation and will prove a resilient solution in the future.

Read more about Integrated Water Resources Management (pdf)

Related fields of activity

• Renewable Energy from Water and Subsurface