As the problem of polluted water resources and the looming threat of water scarcity in many of the world’s poorest countries rises to the top of the world’s policy agenda, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is set to use its scientific expertise to help shape forthcoming international water policy.

Over the past five years IWMI’s research has established it as a scientific leader on water management. The Institute studies the links between water, poverty and food security that are faced by developing countries. Its science program is active at two levels: strategic conceptual research, and applied research done through dozens of projects in some 12 countries across the developing world.

From strategic to applied research

The Institute’s strategic research focuses on questions of global significance, such as water scarcity and its causes, or the creation of software-based tools such as the World Water and Climate Atlas, that shows the water available in countries worldwide.

IWMI’s applied research looks at topics such as: developing low-cost, high-tech tools that help planners develop effective water and food security policy. These include computer modeling of the water availability in river basins and satellite remote sensing tools that give a precise picture of how water interacts with crops and nature.

Other applied projects include the creation of methods for measuring water productivity and opportunities to save water in agriculture; water management for improved environmental protection or better health standards. Another research area looks at institutional aspect of water use – asking the question: how can institutions be created that improve access to water management and policy in developing countries? A special gender, water and poverty project works closely with these research disciplines.

"Our strength is the multi-disciplinary scope of our research, "says IWMI Director General, David Seckler. "Many IWMI projects combine the expertise of economists, agronomists, hydrologists and social scientists with health and environmental scientists."

Redefining water management science

Seckler continues: "Much of our effort over the past five years concentrated on bringing an analytical foundation to the science of water management that had not been clearly defined. There was a lack of testing and validation of the available tools for measuring the productivity of water in agriculture. Today we have delivered a number of tools, methods and new knowledge that can help developing countries better understand and manage their water resources. The ultimate goal is to push them out toward users to help improve the lot of poor people." All IWMI research outputs are international public goods, given freely to governments and other users in developing countries.

Seckler feels that it was a necessary step for IWMI to spend considerable energy on defining and addressing the big questions that link water management and poverty. "Now we have a better understanding of the research directions that must be taken, and we can deepen this through applied research."

Frank Rijsberman – IWMI’s Director General Designate

The next step in the strategic development of IWMI will be the responsibility of Dr. Frank Rijsberman He will take over as Director General of the Institute in September 2000, when the term of office of David Seckler concludes. The Institute’s Board of Governors announced his appointment on March 4.

Rijsberman, a Dutch citizen, is currently Deputy Director of the World Water Vision Unit of the World Water Council. He is responsible for the development and analysis of "water vision" scenarios, which will be presented for discussion at the 2^nd World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference, at The Hague, March 17-22, 2000. He is also a part-time professor in the water resources and environment group at the International Institute for Hydraulic, Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering (IHE) in Delft, The Netherlands.

He brings to IWMI 20 years’ experience as a natural resources planner, working on projects for fresh water resources, coastal zones, soil erosion, environmental management and climate change/sea level rise. He has worked on projects across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Rijsberman says that he will help IWMI build on its strong scientific work, to make the Institute the international center of excellence for integrated water resources management – with a specific focus on the scientific aspects of water for food and rural development in poor countries.

IWMI: the Global Water Center

"The challenge for IWMI over the coming five years is to establish itself as The Global Water Center. The fact that the Institute has the expertise and a reputation for scientific excellence in integrated water resources management, makes it the ideal player to take this place," he says. "IWMI’s scientific work will continue to focus on developing a better understanding of the interaction among water uses and users–agriculture, nature, people and industry. Once we have a clear understanding, we will focus research on how the water needs of expanding populations can be met while maintaining environmental quality and biodiversity."

How does he think IWMI can achieve this goal? "Here, the key word is integrated," comments Rijsberman. "IWMI’s strategic thrust will be to lead the debate on irrigated agriculture, by forming strong partnerships with the environmental sector and others to address the problem of water for food and rural development in harmony with nature. The objective is to agree on directions that all sides are comfortable with.

Rijsberman explains that a starting point for this work is framed in two "big questions" that have been highlighted through the World Water Vision process: By how much will irrigated agriculture expand?, and, What is the rate of depletion of groundwater, especially in water scarce countries and regions?

Because there is considerable disagreement on these points in the worlds of economic, environmental and agricultural planning, he says that a key role for IWMI will be to bring the various players together in a dialogue that is based on scientific facts. "To address these issues, research work needs to be done in the areas of ground water mapping and cost/benefit analyses of irrigated agriculture. This is a major role for IWMI."

Striking the irrigation/nature balance

Precisely because irrigated agriculture uses most of the water available to poor countries, we must focus research and open dialogue on this topic, Rijsberman stresses. "Some people feel that, to feed the world in 2025, irrigated agriculture must expand by 25-30%. Others say that a lack of investment – combined with environmental requirements – will restrict this to 5-10%. A related crisis is groundwater, where the world is over-drawing its ‘bank account’— possibly as much as 200 million cubic km per year more is pumped than is being recharged," he says.

"There can be no one-size-fits-all solutions to such a complex problem. If we are to propose answers that can really make a change and improve the lives of people in these countries, then questions must be answered on a region-by-region basis," he says.

The end result of this integrated approach to water resources management will be to develop a consensus that policy makers, water managers, NGOs and water users at community level can use to drive change in their countries. "Over the coming five years, IWMI will be a driving force behind this process," concludes Rijsberman.