Role and complexity of integrated water-resources management for periurban landscapes in Australia

Water is vital to life, agriculture, commerce, industry, energy, and virtually all processes in nature. Living beings, the environment, and ecosystems, for the most part, are water. It is no surprise that many societies in the world regard water as a gift from God and worship it. The same applies to the carriers of water—rivers. For example, the Ganges in India is revered, and its waters are used to perform all religious ceremonies. It is therefore essential that this vital resource is properly used and managed. Although water is a renewable resource, its availability is finite, and more important, it is not always available where it is needed and when it is needed. This means that the water available for consumption is limited in most places and most of the time. Compounding the problem of limited water availability is the degrading water quality. Looking at the global picture, nearly two-thirds of the global population resides in water-stressed areas. The scarcity of water is being further exacerbated by a growing population, rising standard of living, changing land use, urbanization, increasing economic activity, current lifestyles, and climate change. Unless water is used efficiently, recycled, reused, treated, and managed properly, it is doubtful that there will be enough water for everybody in the decades ahead. Fortunately, water is receiving a lot of attention from all quarters these days. At the center of this attention is the concept of integrated water-resources management (IWRM).