Water Supply and Sanitation & Integrated Water Resources Management: why seek better integration?

Abstract

This working paper was prepared as a contribution to a joint Indian, South African and UK research project on Water, Households and Rural Livelihoods (WHIRL). The objectives of the paper are to identify approaches to improve access of the poor to secure, safe and sustainable water supplies in areas of water scarcity, and to identify some of the key challenges to the more effective management of water resources in these areas. It is targeted at organisations responsible for the delivery of water supply and sanitation (WSS) services and management of land and water resources in developing countries. It aims to promote discussion and dialogue between the research partners and these organisations. The paper initially examines the role of water supply and sanitation in livelihoods, and the importance of addressing WSS in poverty-focused programmes. It then examines the potential for integrated resource management approaches such as Integrated Water Resources Management, Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) and Participatory Watershed Development (PWD) to improve the real availability to poor people of the vital goods and services that water resources provide