Towards a Sustainable Systems Approach in Governing Water Environment in the Philippines (original) (raw)
This paper analyses the enabling conditions for a water governance model responsive to future Philippine water requirements. Using the stage-based approach to institutional reforms, it assesses the outcomes of previous water governance reforms, such as conflicts in customary and formal rules; urban and rural; upstream and downstream; and the contestations in water supply privatization in Metro Manila. The analysis suggests that past water governance reforms were symbolic and procedural, and structural changes to support the legal frameworks were not achieved. Based on the case findings, the authors support the current reform agenda of implementing a decentralized framework of water governance at a watershed scale. Keywords: water governance; customary rules; privatization; integrated water resources management; Philippines
OECD Principles on Water Governance in practice_ABSTRACT_Water International_Neto et al..docx
Through the lens of the 12 OECD Principles on Water Governance, this article examines six water resources and water services frameworks in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and South America to understand enhancing and constraining contextual factors. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to analyze each framework against four criteria: alignment; implementation; on-ground results; and policy impact. Four main target areas are identified for improving water governance: policy coherence; financing; managing trade-offs; and ensuring integrity and transparency by all decision makers and stakeholders. Suggestions are presented to support practical implementation of the principles through better government action and stakeholder involvement. KEYWORDS: OECD principles, water governance, Likert scale, multilevel assessment
An Analysis on Governance in Watersheds: The Case of Ipo Watershed, Philippines
This study seeks to understand the role of institutional arrangement, in the context of watersheds, as a tool to encourage coordination among actors. Assessing institutional arrangement and understanding how institution affects the level of coordination are instrumental in identifying appropriate strategies to address the prevailing problems in water resources management. The results are vital in developing watershed management framework, defining policies and programs implementation. This research also highlights the importance of clear, integrated and comprehensive institutional arrangement as a governance tool to encourage the culture of coordination, partnership, and accountability. The concepts that were used in this research include academic theories on institutional arrangement, governance, and coordination. Related literature revealed that institutional arrangements are instrumental in linking local, provincial, and national level of government and non-government organizations (Mattingly, 2007). Furthermore, it is viewed at a macro and formal perspective, formalized in forms of legal framework, policies and administrative arrangements (Saleth and Dinar, 2000, Mireku, Acheampong, et al., 2014). In the context of governance, the institutional arrangement is deliberated as the basis of management and governance (Montgomery, Stren, et al., 2003). It is considered as a platform to guide, specify incentives or constraints and install mechanisms to enhance management (Nansam-Aggrey, 2015). Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) highlights the importance of defined roles and responsibilities among public authorities in order to avoid fragmented policies in water resources management, unharmonized programs, and lack of wholistic performance measurements (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2011). On the other hand, coordination is rationalized as a result of institutionalized norms, rules, and logics (Sehested and Groth, 2012, Orton and Weick, 1990). It was stated that coordination processes are more or less institutionalized governance of different government levels in a political system that came about due to their interdependence, transformative politics and selective interconnectivity. (Sehested and Groth, 2012). Through the lens of these academic literature, empirical information of Ipo Watershed was processed, analysed and correlated. The study area was selected because of the role it plays in the provision of water supply to 13 million population of Metro Manila, Philippines. Despite its ecological importance, this watershed degraded down to 30% forest cover as of 2009. The data for this study were collected through semi-structured interview, observation, and secondary data research. Target institutions were pre-selected based on existing laws, regulations, policies and researched articles. Respondents to the interview were identified based on their position in their respective agencies and the role they play in the management of Ipo Watershed. The interviews were carried out with five (5) sectors namely: Environment, Water, Local Government Units, Indigenous Peoples and Non-Government Organization, with a total of thirteen (13) respondents.
Unpacking Water Governance: A Framework for Practitioners
Water
Water governance has emerged as an important topic in the international arena and is acknowledged to be a crucial factor for adequate and sustained progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. However, there is not enough clarity about the practical meaning of the term “water governance” and how to work with it. This paper reviews the term’s use, to reveal how the concept is understood, referred to, and implemented in practice by different stakeholders. Based on literature review and consultations with experts, we identify and describe the core components of water governance (functions), describe their potential qualities when performed (attributes), and how they interrelate with the values and aspirations of the different stakeholders to achieve certain outcomes. These different components are described in detail to construct an operational framework to assess and work with water governance, which covers water and sanitation services delivery, water resources ma...