Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must have water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a comprehensive, participatory planning and implementation tool for managing and developing water resources in a way that balances social and economic needs, and that ensures the protection of ecosystems for future generations. Water’s many different uses—for agriculture, for healthy ecosystems, for people and livelihoods—demands coordinated action. The present book is an important contribution to international, regional and national debates on managing water resources and on enhancing activism to make integrated water management a possibility. It will be of interest to professionals in the fields of resource management, rural development, environmental studies, engineering and participatory management, as also to aid development agencies and NGOs involved in the fields of water use and management, sustainable development and food security. It will also be of use to students of development studies and sociology.
