Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Concept of Integrated Water Resources Management

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) indicates integration and management of water resources by basin, considering quantity and quality of water as well as culture, for maximized efficiency and sustainable use of water.

Trend of business promotion

Integrated water management has been settled as a new paradigm to overcome water crisis including climate change suggested at Rio Summit in 1992 and has been expanded to a national task called water security since 2000.

Upon UN-Water Investigation (alliances and cooperators of fresh water-related organizations under UN) in 2012, more than 68% of countries all over the world started to introduce integrated water management and such trend is now proliferating gradually.

• - (EU) Establishment of fundamental water act in each nation including Germany (1957 ~) and establishment of EU Basic Guidance of Water (2000)
• - (Australia) Federal integrated water management including the installment of river agency for Murray Darling (2008)
• - (USA) Establishment of IWRM Roadmap by river in each state including California and Washington (2002 ~)

Current water management in Korea

Korea is yet in the initial stage of integrated water management and it is diversified by functions such as water quantity, management of water quality and disaster management, into Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Security and Public Administration, local governments,  Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and K-Water, and there is no organization where can control national water management synthetically yet.

• - Management of quantity and quality of water : Dualised system into Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Ministry of Environment
• - Dam management: Various operating bodies such as multipurpose dam(K-water), agricultural dam(farming and fishing villages), generating dam(Korea Electric Power Corporation) and so forth

K-Water has promoted integrated water management within the scope of management including the establishment of integrated dam operation system and co-management of dam and barrage, however, it has not reached the level of integrated management encompassing water circulation system.

Necessity of integrated water management

To respond to current water-related issues such as climate change and conflict over water distribution effectively henceforth, integrated water management needs to be more advanced, exceeding the scope of individual management of each water management subject.

• - (accumulated issues) Increased issues and conflicts such as a conflict over price and distribution of water, an occurrence of green algae, and an increase in non-point pollutant source
• - (increased risks) Change in climate and water management environment including an increase in frequency and severity of flood and drought
• * 5.3 times higher disaster damage than that in 1980’s, 1.2 trillion won of damage on annual average during the last 10 years
• * Damage from  storm and flood such as typhoon and heavy rain occupying 87% of disaster damage as of 2012 (chronological list in 2013)

For instance, it is important to manage pollutants in river which are the main cause of green algae in order to solve green algae-related issues, however, pollutants in river can not be managed effectively only with efforts of a single organization. They shall be managed by organic and integrated actions of Ministry of Environment, local governments, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, K-Water, and such other relevant organizations to establish necessary measures such as prior management of various pollution sources including domestic sewage, livestock wastewater, fertilizer and agricultural pesticides at farmland, maintenance of sewage, enlargement of pollution source treatment facilities, river purification, and so forth.

Direction of business promotion henceforward

K-Water plans to establish master plan for national integrated water management for realizing integrated water management suitable for Korea and to suggest policies to related organizations such as National Assembly and government and to form a social and political consensus through experts’ open forum, policy seminar, and other such meetings.

It also aims to promote phased plans for integrated water management which can help establish integrated governance for water-related organizations, residents, environmental organizations, and experts to cooperate with each other and share water-related information with relevant organizations including weather center, Korea Rural Community Corporation, and National Emergency Management Agency.