A New Year With World Water Policy

Welcome to the first issue of World Water Policy Journal for 2025. In this issue, we bring you another 21 contributions from around the world, including 1 guest editorial, 16 research articles, and 4 discussion papers. In practically all regions of the world, we can witness efforts to overcome complex challenges deriving from intersectional issues. Water is not independent of land use, environmental protection, urban development, agriculture, forestry, industrial uses, energy production, and other dimensions. Water is also not a unique and compartmentalized area of government. As we already stated, a couple of years ago, all challenges are interconnected, but our ability to predict, deal with, and adapt to the impact of those changes is not equal to all countries (Camkin and Neto 2022). Neither are the resources to minimize the impacts of climate change, conflict and wars, or migration issues. The world is facing many unbalancing factors that also have consequences for water security. Hegemonic uses of water resources cause unjust suffering and unequal life conditions in many communities. Related to water security, basic human rights to water were discussed at the UN Water Conference in Mar del Plata (1977), followed at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio (1992), and formally recognized by the UN in 2002 as “the right to water as the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses” (Neto and Camkin 2024). In this unstable world where security threats are increasingly serious, the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all must be ensured for global prosperity and peace (UN 2024). We trust the world will pursue this path of developing better approaches to water policy and water governance. If the lessons of some regions can be heard by others, at least we can keep learning and evolving towards more sustainability. In their guest editorial, Research on the Greening of Water Policy Needs to Move Beyond Supply and Demand-Oriented Logics to Achieve Water Sustainability for All, Franck Poupeau and Brian F. O'Neill reflect on the 10th Water Forum in 2024, recent research and current trends to unpack how supply and demand logics continue to inform policy dominated by “rational” economics. The authors argue that this has not led to the social structural transformations needed around the world, but rather to the re-emphasis of civil engineering exemplified by the rise of new mega-dams, desalination plants and other “new water” initiatives. Drawing lessons from examples including the US (Arizona), France (Paris), and Bolivia (El Alto), where a more precautionary approach was taken, they consider it necessary to rethink public and democratic action to ensure water is distributed in a more widely acceptable, equitable, and less destructive way by reducing the influence of abusive economic forces. The authors conclude that the 10th Water Forum did not seem to pay sufficient attention to the greening of water policy through ecological infrastructure. Building on a theme from our guest editorial, Sandra Megens and Jeroen Warner discuss the recent surge of scholarly interest in exploring the emergence of new governance regimes that redefine the self-governing capacities of local communities in water management while ensuring compliance with central government water laws and regulations in Invisible Threads: Emerging Water Governance in the Multi-Actor Dynamics of the Mira-Mataje Transboundary River Basin. Embracing polycentric governance emphasizes the importance of decentralized, collaborative systems for effectively and sustainably managing water resources. Focusing on actors' interactions around the downstream area of the Mira River basin, which is shared between Columbia and Ecuador, the authors employed a mixed-method approach to gain comprehensive insights into the complex interactions shaping transboundary water governance and community responses. Philamer Torio and Leila Harris focus on the significant role of tariffs for water services to not only achieve operational sustainability and efficiency goals but to also address the requirements of affordability and equity in Water Tariffs and Social Equity: Towards Water Service Connections and Pricing Instruments for the Poor. Noting that even with a well-designed water tariff, the inability of poor households to get piped connections results in the payment of premiums for water that is difficult to access and at times of questionable quality, the authors assess pro-poor projects of three municipal water systems in the Philippines, concluding that to ensure both operational viability and equitable water provision, designing tariffs for socioeconomic, political, and environmental realities must go hand-in-hand with programs that provide water service connections to poor households. In Autonomy Within Sovereignty: The Multi-Scalar Hydropolitics of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Rozita Meihami and co-authors examine the hydropolitical issues faced by the Kurdistan Regional Government within domestic and international contexts. The authors' historical review of the hydropolitics highlights the domestic and international dimensions of transboundary water politics and the power dynamics that underpin both water conflict and cooperation. Effective water management requires a holistic approach that integrates scientific understanding with active stakeholder participation. In Enhancing Participatory Planning for Water Management Through the Use of Innovative Tools in Collaborative Action Research, Chatthip Chaichakan and Dararat Khampeng present community-based water balance management (CBWBM) as a promising strategy to foster collaboration between communities and scientific experts. Drawing on case studies from rural Thailand, the authors report on their investigation into how innovative tools, grounded in futures studies and gamification approaches, can empower communities to actively participate in CBWBM planning processes, highlighting the importance of context-specific design and user-centered development to facilitate deliberative dialogue, knowledge exchange, and informed decision making. Following themes emerging in this issue, Jorge Cardoso-Gonçalves, José Tentúgal-Valente, and Diana Tavares discuss the importance of an integrated vision for water infrastructure management that includes the preservation of good basic practices, safeguarding of people and goods, valorization of water resources, promotion of efficient building solutions, and sustainability of public spaces in their paper Water Services. Circular Integrated Management as a management strategy. The authors present circular integrated management (CIM) as an integrated management strategy for water supply, wastewater, and rainwater drainage, considering the management of solid waste and urban space, as a common model, with the production of energy in water supply and water and wastewater treatment, and the recovery of treatment residues, also part of an integrated approach. Muhajir Mussa Kwikima's article, Enhancing Integrated Water Resources Management in Tanzania Through Participatory and Institutional Capacity Building Approaches, reports on an analysis of opportunities for advancing IWRM in Tanzania through participation and capacity-building interventions. Despite Tanzania's commitment to IWRM, the author identifies important capacity gaps, including hydrological monitoring, enforcement, and financial management, and makes several key recommendations to strengthen fragmented roles, address knowledge gaps, and empower stakeholders. Ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water is a principal target of SDG 6. In Bridging Local Initiative and Global Goals: Role of Water Treatment Plant for Localizing Sustainable Development Goal 6, Target 6.1, Prasannata Lamichhane and co-authors present the results of their study on the role of the Dhulikhel Water Treatment Plant in Nepal in localizing SDG 6 at the municipal level. The authors discuss the complex dynamics of water tariffs and upstream-downstream conflicts and make recommendations for granular local-level measures to address potential contamination and improve equity of supply. In Investigating the Transforming Hydrosocial Dynamics in Urbanizing Gurgaon, India, Sheeba Amir and Vishal Narain reflect on the evolving interaction between water and society and the growing water insecurities within the “emerging” urban system of Gurgaon, a city peripheral to New Delhi. The authors discuss the transition of the area from a community-managed traditional water system to a centralized, extractive and techno-centric approach, along with the challenges, and vulnerabilities this has created. Understanding the negative impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) on water quality is key to developing effective integrated catchment management strategies. In Threats Posed by Land Use to Water Quality in South Africa's Strategic Water Source Areas, Kent Anson Locke and Kevin Winter discuss the application and implications of a recently published study on methods for estimating minimum thresholds of natural vegetation necessary for maintaining and protecting water quality in South African catchments. Focusing on the vulnerability of South Africa's strategic water source areas to land-use-related water quality impacts, the authors emphasize the need to restore and preserve sufficient areas of natural land cover to protect these strategic water resources. With the world population projected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050, increasing pressure on already scarce freshwater resources, J. Harsha discusses the idea of “saline water footprint” in Unlocking the Blue Frontier:Saline Water Footprint as a Path to Sustainability. Exploring the opportunities and limitations of increasing the use of saline water, the author recommends saline water footprint as an important contribution to integrated water management strategies. In Irrigation Project and Education: A Study on Teesta Barrage Irrigation Project Area of Nilphamari, Bangladesh, Md. Abu Shahen and Md. Nurul Momen present an investigation into how the Teesta Barrage Irrigation Project affects the education of farming families living in the project region. Finding that those in the middle and upper classes have benefited but lower levels have not, the authors make recommendations to address inconsistencies in water available for cultivation throughout the year. Reservoirs play a pivotal role in regulating the hydrological regime, with a range of benefits, but also have positive and negative impacts on the environment and societies. Important, but perhaps not widely recognized, is the impact construction of reservoirs has on soils. Drawing on examples from Ukraine, Maryna Ladyka and Ruofan Wu present their research on the physico-chemical properties of soils in The Impact of Reservoirs on the Soils of Adjacent Areas: Overview of Global and Local Aspects, advocating for the inclusion of these issues in a comprehensive approach to water resource management and environmental protection. Water quality assessment in freshwater ecosystems is crucial for understanding their health and ensuring safe water use for various domestic purposes. In Physicochemical characterization at the drawing and bathing points of Lake Kivu, by the Water Quality Index, Wand'arhasima L. finds that water quality at urban and rural drawing and bathing points is inadequate for sustaining aquatic life and that chemical treatment, disinfection, and rigorous monitoring are necessary for safe use. Concluding that physicochemical parameters are essential but not sufficient as a stand-alone analysis, the author proposes a multiparametric approach, including the World Health Organization cyanophycean standards for aquatic life and the health of beneficiaries/users. In Water Utilization Practices and Wastage at Household Level: A Case Study of Lahore City, Anam Chaudhry and co-authors present their research which found a clear correlation between water shortage and patterns of water utilization and waste. Noting that water shortages could hinder the sustainable development of the Punjab region in Pakistan, including Lahore, the authors propose a range of measures and household water-saving practices to better align water management with the SDG goals. Damte Tegegne Fetene, Tarun Kumar Lohani, and Abdella Kemal Mohammed report on their efforts to model the impact of climate change in Application of Coupled MIKE SHE/MIKE HYDRO on Streamflow Dynamics Under Climate Change in Lake Tana Sub Basin, Abay Basin, Ethiopia. In the case of Laka Tana Sub Basin, the study showed that conditions related to streamflow may change in the future due to climate alteration. The authors argue that by offering a better understanding of current and future climates, the integrated modeling system approach can assist environmentalists, hydrologists, and policymakers in water management and policy intervention. Watershed degradation is a significant global problem, but as a mountainous nation, Nepal faces even greater challenges in managing its water resources. In this context, sub-watershed prioritization is a promising approach for managing watersheds. In Prioritization of Sub-Watershed Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System in Gandaki Province, Nepal, Diwakar Poudel and co-authors delineated 121 sub-watersheds in the Gandaki Province and quantitatively ranked them to promote targeted action for water resource management, supporting ecosystem preservation, and climate resilience. Inappropriate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in rice farming can be a significant source of pollution in aquatic environments, resulting in declining water quality, impacts on aquatic life and health concerns for riparian communities. In Spatial Variation in Physico-Chemical Water Quality Parameters Associated with Rice Farming in the Dakalt Branch Canal, Kafrelsheikh Governorate, Egypt, Onyango Cersey Ochieng, Ogendi George Morara and Donia Noha Samir conclude from their study that poor rice management practices are responsible for pollution observed from the River Nile. The authors make recommendations for the monitoring of water quality and implementation of Best Management Practices in the application of pesticides and fertilizers. Agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring food security and reducing poverty in Ethiopia, with rain-fed agriculture predominant. However, rainfall distribution and intensity vary spatially and temporally. Enhancing agricultural water management and irrigation has the potential to increase Ethiopia's agricultural productivity. In Assessment of Surface Irrigation Potential and Crop Water Demand in Daramalo Wereda, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Melkamu Ateka Derebe and Ligalem Agegn Asres evaluate surface water potential and the irrigation water demand of the Zage River sub-watershed. The findings that suggest the watershed has high surface water potential for surface irrigation for selected crop types are relevant to improving local water management policies and practices, enhancing agricultural productivity, and helping improve the food security of local farmers. In GIS Based Surface Irrigation Potential Assessment of Gololcha River Watershed, Awash Basin, Ethiopia, Wudad Yazid Abagissa and co-authors report on their evaluation of the potential land and water resources for surface irrigation in the watershed. While finding that only 14.15% of the total suitable land can be irrigated using existing flows, the authors note there is potential for expanding surface irrigation, particularly during the rainy seasons. These findings provide valuable insights for developing sustainable irrigation strategies, enhancing agricultural productivity, and contributing to food security in the region. In Hydrological Streamflow Modeling at the Inlet of Gilgel Gibe III Dam of Ethiopia using Soil and Water Assessment Tool, the final article in this issue, Yohannes Mehari Andiye and Tarun Kumar Lohani assessed the accuracy and applicability of the SWAT model in predicting streamflow at the inlet of the Gilgel Gibe III dam watershed. By demonstrating the model's effectiveness in simulating streamflow at the dam's inlet, the now calibrated and validated model can be used to study the effects of climate and land use changes, analyze water quality and sediment yield, and inform future water policy plans, dam construction planning, and flood disaster risk management. We trust you will enjoy reading another rich collection of insights into water policy, practice, and the learning that supports them from around the world. Thank you to all our authors for their fine contributions, to the dozens of reviewers who volunteered their time to support the authors and World Water Policy, and to our hard-working editorial team. The next issue of World Water Policy, to be published in May 2025, will be a special issue on Water Management Under Changing Climate: Innovative Approaches, Solutions, and Policies Towards Resilient Communities, featuring papers at Water Thank you for interest in World Water We to contributions and other opportunities for collaboration in the Neto and Camkin and of of Research and for Sustainability and and Franck F. Sandra Philamer Rozita Chatthip Jorge Muhajir Mussa Prasannata Sheeba Kent Anson Md. Abu Nurul Wand'arhasima Anam Damte Tegegne Kumar Kemal SHE/MIKE HYDRO Diwakar Onyango Cersey George Noha Melkamu Ateka Agegn Wudad Yazid Gibe Yohannes Mehari Kumar Gibe Neto Camkin J. and Climate Change May Global World Water Policy and J. 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