Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a holistic approach that coordinates the development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare while maintaining ecosystem sustainability.
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to optimize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. The concept was formalized at the 1992 Dublin Conference on Water and Environment and has since become the globally accepted framework for water governance, endorsed by the United Nations and adopted as a target under Sustainable Development Goal 6. IWRM is built on four key principles: freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource; water development and management should be participatory; women play a central role in water management; and water has economic value and should be recognized as an economic good. Implementation of IWRM requires institutional reforms including establishment of river basin organizations, stakeholder participation platforms, and cross-sectoral coordination mechanisms. It addresses the interconnections between water quantity and quality, surface water and groundwater, upstream and downstream users, and water and land use. Challenges in implementing IWRM include institutional fragmentation, inadequate data and monitoring, political resistance to reform, and the difficulty of balancing multiple competing objectives. Despite these challenges, IWRM principles have guided water sector reforms in over 130 countries.