Frameworks for Water Law Reform


Book Description

This book develops an analytical framework for water law reform, using case studies across four jurisdictions, for academics, students and policy makers.




Frameworks for Water Law Reform


Book Description

The world is currently experiencing unprecedented global change, with population increase, urbanisation, climate change and environmental degradation combining to make management of freshwater resources a critical policy focus of the twenty-first century. This timely book designs and develops an original, analytical framework for water law reform processes, using case studies across four jurisdictions. Addressing the four principal areas of water law - integrated water resource management (IWRM) and river basin planning, water rights and allocation, water pollution and quality, and water services - this book provides a comprehensive study of water law, within the context of global and regional policy agendas. Case studies from England, Scotland, South Africa and Queensland, Australia, are presented, providing comparators from both common law and mixed jurisdictions, from the northern and southern hemispheres, and from developed and developing countries. A legislative framework is proposed for water law reform processes, and the consequences of different reform options are considered and investigated. A valuable resource for academics and graduate students in environmental law, resource management, hydrology and social science, this book is also highly relevant to policymakers, NGOs and legal practitioners.




Rule


Book Description

Effective water governance capacity is the foundation of efficient management of water resources. Water governance reform processes must work towards building capacity in a cohesive and articulated approach that links national policies, laws and institutions, within an enabling environment that allows for their implementation. This guide shows how national water reform processes can deliver good water governance, by focussing on the principles and practice of reform. RULE guides managers and decision makers on a journey which provides an overview of what makes good law, policy and institutions, and the steps needed to build a coherent and fully operational water governance structure.




Water Governance in Motion


Book Description

"Water Governance in Motion: Towards Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Water Laws" focuses on the work undertaken by International Environmental Law Research Centre IELRC on water law reforms in India. It seeks to provide a broader understanding of the conceptual framework informing existing water law and ongoing reforms. The book is divided into two parts. The first part critically analyses the context of international law for water reforms and the second part discusses the multifaceted aspects of water sector reforms in India. It assembles in one volume the contributions made by a broad range of scholars working on various law and policy issues arising in the context of water sector reforms in India. The contributions have been specifically selected in order to address the wide range of issues including water distribution to households, irrigation, industrial use and wastewater treatment. These questions are dealt with from a range of perspectives including human rights, environment, agriculture, development and trade. The book would be of interest to academia, researchers, NGOs and policy-makers.




Water Law for the Twenty-First Century


Book Description

This volume critically analyses legal issues arising under international law, concerning the consequences of proposed water regulatory changes and their implementation. The book looks at reforms in India in order to ask broader questions about the relevance of international law in national law and policy making.




Water Law, Poverty, and Development


Book Description

This monograph comprehensively examines water law regulations and reform in the present decade, going beyond a simple analysis of existing water law and regulations to encompass environmental, social, economic, and human rights aspects of water as a natural resource. Using the specific case of India and on the related international law and policy framework that directly influences water regulatory developments in India, this book offers what will be the first and only analysis of water law reforms taking place at the national level in many developing countries in their domestic and international context. On the one hand, international freshwater law remains under-developed and existing legal instruments such as the 1997 UN Convention only address a limited set of relevant issues. Yet, the international law and policy framework concerning freshwater is increasingly important in shaping up law reforms taking place at the national level, in particular in developing countries. Indeed, non-binding resolutions such as the Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development (1992) have had an immense influence on water law reforms in most developing countries. This book seeks to conceive of and analyse freshwater regulation in a broader context, and go beyond a literature that either lauds or criticises ongoing water sector reforms to provide an analytical basis for the reforms which all countries will have to adopt in the near or medium-term future.




Legal Frameworks for Transparency in Water Utilities Regulation


Book Description

Transparency in the regulation of water utilities is essential in order to ensure quality and fairness. This book explores and compares different regulatory arrangements in the water utilities sectors in three jurisdictions to determine which regulatory and ownership model is most transparent and why. The three jurisdictions considered are England (UK), Victoria (Australia) and Jakarta (Indonesia). Following an introduction to the importance of transparency in water utilities regulation, the book provides an overview of the three chosen jurisdictions and their legal and institutional frameworks. Through a comparison of these the author explores the contested and difficult terrain of "privatization", as (often) opposed to public ownership, in which it is shown that the relationships between transparency and ownership models are not as clear-cut as might be assumed. Chapters consider various aspects and outcomes of the regulatory process and the role of transparency, including topics such as regulators' internal governance mechanisms, utilities corporate governance, licensing and information flow, freedom of information and transparency in tariffs and pricing, as well as customer service. The book concludes with a summary of lessons learned to inform the refinement of transparency in utilities regulation.




Water Policy in Chile


Book Description

This book offers a detailed examination of the main sources of Chile’s water, its principle consumers, the gap between supply and demand, hydrological droughts, and future projected impacts of climate change. It describes, analyzes and evaluates the performance of water policies, laws and institutions, identifies the main challenges that Chile needs to face and derives lessons learnt from Chile’s reform experience. Expert contributors discuss such topics as Chile’s water policy, and the reasoning which explains its policy reform. The book presents and evaluates the performance of the legal and institutional framework of water resources. It also describes efforts to meet actual demands for water by augmenting supplies with groundwater management, waste water re-use and desalination and improve the state of water ecosystems. The last chapter presents the editor’s assessment and conclusions. The case of Chile is illustrative of a transition from command and control to market based management policies, where economic incentives play a significant role in water management.




Water Quality and Agriculture


Book Description

This report on Water Quality and Agriculture examines the linkages between agriculture and water quality. It discusses the overall trends and outlook for agriculture and water quality in OECD countries; describes recent actions by policy makers to address water quality issues in agriculture; and provides a set of recommendations for countries to meet the challenge of improving agricultural water quality.




Water Law


Book Description

This volume of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law provides thorough and detailed coverage of the changing meanings and roles of water law, from the local to the global. It examines the rules of ownership, rights of use, and dispute resolution that address access, allocation, and protection of water resources. Written by leading scholars and practitioners from across the globe, this authoritative volume will be a vital resource for all scholars and students of environmental law.