PP 4.1: IWRM Planning Framework

2 Module Objective and Scope Participants acquire knowledge of the Principles of Good Basin Planning and can apply the principles in their basin planning process. What are the Principles of Good Basin Planning Knowledge-based Approach to Planning Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement Effective Organizational Arrangements Integration and Coordination Across Sectors and Areas of Expertise Informative Monitoring and Evaluation

3 Objectives of an Integrated River Basin Plan for the Mekong Basin Article 2 of the MRC Agreement defines the objective of an Integrated Basin Plan. Key points Cooperation and coordination between nations Sustainable benefits for all nations Prevention of wasteful use Emphasis on joint and/or basin wide development projects

4 Steps in the Planning Framework Identify how people currently benefit from the water resources Identify joint or basin-wide water resource development potential Identify the benefits and costs of the potential water resource developments Provide information on those benefits and costs to decision-makers so that trade-off decisions can be made

5 Why basin planning? The most powerful reason for planning at the basin level is to address priority water problems affecting society and to stimulate growth and development. Basin plans for water resources are therefore set within the realities of water availability, within the geographical and political context and will take into account all activities and developments requiring water or influencing the water resources which include – ecological requirements, water supply and sanitation, irrigation, land use and forestry, fisheries, hydropower and industrial use.

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10 River Basin Plans The IWRM Toolbox (Global Water Partnership 2002) recommended that basin plans should include information on the following items: Physical description of the basin Land use inventories Current water availability and demands Pollution source inventories Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem needs Vulnerability to floods or extreme meteorological events Identification of stakeholders and mechanisms for participation Implications of changing land use Identification of priority issues (impact issues or user requirement issues) Short ‐ and long ‐ term goals for the river basin

11 Basin Plans (Cont.) Water related development scenarios, future water demands + risk assessments Water allocation and water quality objectives Strategy, measures and action plans for the achievement of goals, including sub ‐ basin management plans Financing of water use and management Responsibility and schedules for implementation Mechanisms for monitoring and updating Annexes including specific studies such as areas of significant environmental problems

12 Key questions to help move forward river basin and sub ‐ basin planning: 1. Has the basin organization or the responsible water resources agency developed a river basin or water resources planning process? Have senior policy makers endorsed it? 2. Are there adequate data and information – economic, environmental, and social –for the planning process to be effective? Is more targeted research needed? 3. Does the planning process include genuine participatory processes for the basin community to provide input and make contributions? 4. Does the planning process include bottom ‐ up planning to address the water ‐ related problems and needs of local communities? 5. How do basin and sub ‐ basin management plans incorporate risk assessment of proposed projects?

Pp 4.2 Applying Planning Framework

A. Knowledge-based Planning

15 Information on benefits and costs Identifying benefits and costs requires knowledge on whether the benefits of a water resource development will be realised and what the potential costs of the development might be ? All nations in the Basin must be committed to gaining and sharing this knowledge.

16 Different types of knowledge Engineering / hydrology information Environmental information Social information Economic information Give some examples of each of these for a water resource development.

B. Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement

18 Better knowledge will be gained through stakeholder engagement Stakeholders are all those people who have an interest in water resource development. There are many stakeholders involved in a Basin plan: – Government; – River basin organisations – Experts both scientific and local – Civil society groups – Industry representatives – Community representatives and community members

19 Stakeholder engagement in the MRC relies upon member governments The MRC is unique in that it works through member countries two key questions for the MRC are: – How effective the member countries are in engaging stakeholders, and – How can member countries be assisted to be more effective.

C. Effective Organizational Arrangements

Relationships between Watersheds and Administrative Hierarchies Reference: Tuyll, C. 2007: MRC GTZ Watershed Management Programme – Consultative Meeting Viet Nam April Power Point Presentation. Government Private Sector NGOs User Organisations Country Province District Commune EnergyInterior AgricultureForestry Water Resources Rural Development Planning Women's Affairs Land Management Horizontal consistency Vertical consistency National River Basin Organisation Watershed Committee Catchment Group Regional River Basin Organisation Institutional consistency Government Private Sector NGOs User Organisations Government Private Sector NGOs User Organisations Government Private Sector NGOs User Organisations Sectors Involved:

22 Pak Mun Dam 1994 Completed 1994 Pak Mun Dam - Thailand

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26 Setting priorities Specify and prioritise natural resources management issues clearly and within national planning and development goals. Specify how each issue will be addressed in the planning process. Check each priority issue against the constraints and opportunities of the basin’s hydrology. Relate priorities to financial resources. Do what is most pressing first!

27 Criteria for prioritising WRM problems It is a barrier to solving other problems. Has an impact on a large number of people. Is a major equity issue. Will improve development and reduce poverty. Will significantly improve efficiency. Will positively impact on environment. Will improve water resource availability.

28 Setting priorities, evaluating and ranking water resources issues