The Role of Governance in Sustainable Water Management A Systematic Review

Abstract

Water is a paramount resource to the support of modern civilisation, including the growing population, urbanisation, and heavy industry. Consequently, optimal water usage is necessary for the support of vital human activities. The concept of optimal management presumes that water resources should be used both sustainably and efficiently, presuming the necessity of implementing current management policies, technological advancements, stakeholder engagement and adaptive practices to the management of water resources. The introduction of the indicated management aspects has a range of environmental, social, and economic issues that should be addressed while developing the respective water policies. The work aims to systematically review the most up-to-date literature on the management of water resources and identify best practices in the area along with research gaps. As a result, it was also intended to outline actionable improvement recommendations to the involved parties. The research methodology involves an analysis of water governance publications, complemented by both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Specifically, relevant literature was reviewed, including surveys, interviews with policymakers, and other water management professionals. Both thematic and qualitative analysis were employed to assess management strategies and outline recommendations for more effective water usage. As a result, it was confirmed that a hybrid governance model that involved a combination of both centralised and decentralised approaches was the most effective in the sustainable management of water resources. It was also confirmed that the key components of successful water governance are heavy use of green infrastructure, engagement of stakeholders, and the implementation of OECD principles. Another critical aspect is the integration of data-driven technologies such as GIS and IoT to improve decision-making in the area. However, the use of such technologies poses challenges to data privacy and costs. Key words: water governance, sustainable water management, hybrid governance, OECD principles, stakeholder engagement, green infrastructure