Water governance is all you need to give water its place in society.

Water governance refers to the way the management of flood risk and water resources, fresh water supply and waste water treatment are organized, and the interaction between the organizations responsible for the related political, administrative, social, legal and financial elements.Many organizations are involved in water issues, all on their own competences and disciplines. Together they make sure that clean and fresh water supply is guaranteed in countries such as The Netherlands, while flood risk is reduced to a minimum.

In addition to technical measures
Water cannot be managed, purified or prepared into drinking water by technical measures alone. Also, financial and legal arrangements for these activities have to be organized, governance and political responsibilities must be addressed, the right competencies, skills and knowledge must be made available, and stakeholder participation must be arranged. According to us, water governance is the combination of all these processes, with their mutual interaction, and in addition to technical measures.

No boundaries
For water governance there are literally no boundaries: it covers both local problems in cities due to heavy downpour and cross-boundary issues of water distribution between countries. Issues may differ from one country to another, but the driving forces behind the demand for more knowledge on water governance are the same: fragmentation of knowledge and experience, and an increasing complexity of water issues.