Appropriate measures to conserve the water quality of rivers : lessons from international experiences

Objective: Rivers are an essential component of the Earth's freshwater resources. They play a vital role not only in the water cycle but also in sustaining human life and in supporting terrestrial ecosystems. Consequently, there is an utmost importance to conserve river water from pollution and degradation for the purpose of maintaining ecological, economic and social sustainability. However, often confusion and disagreements exist within the different groups of policy makers regarding the selection of appropriate and effective measures to conserve the water quality of any particular river. Hence, the main objective of this research is to identify the lessons which are learned from the experiences of best practices for sustainable river pollution management and thus to come across the measures which are practically applied for the stated purpose. Methodology: From secondary sources of information, this study analyses six prominent examples from some selected countries where various pollution control policy instruments are applied for conserving the river water quality. The examples are drawn from both developed and developing countries including USA, Australia, China and India. The experiences from the content analysis of these examples provide insights about the performance and the difficulties encountered during implementation of different policy instruments across diverse countries. Results: The case studies in general demonstrate that there are some common problems for effective water pollution control, which include absence of clear responsibilities, with the overlapping of institutional boundaries; weaknesses in monitoring and enforcement activities; and a lack of coordination within the stakeholders. A number of factors such as disclosure of information; public participation; and economic incentives for pollution control must be considered while applying a particular measure for a specific water system. A common argument drawn from the experiences is that certain preconditions should be fulfilled in order for a pollution control approach to be effective. These include availability of appropriate standards, effective monitoring and enforcement capacities and political will for pollution control. Conclusion: From the experiences of the case studies it seems appropriate to apply a mixture of instruments in an integrated manner for developing a sustainable river water pollution control system.