Talking Water

14th January 2008

Subject: Water Management Plans, Planning and Policies

The terms plan, planning and policy are used in very different ways in different contexts and often among people within any one specific context. It is helpful for us to start with ways in which these terms are used in regard to water. Further, since the course is focusing on planning for water resources management, to begin in this context. The ToolBox for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) created by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) has an item for National Water Resources Plans, which provides a useful starting point for exploring what many people mean when they speak of water management plans, planning and policies. Just skim the elaborations on the terms used in the introduction so you know what is there to come back to when you need it.

Take a quick look at the home pages for the GWP and their IWRM ToolBox. These are two major resources for you to draw on.