Water is one of the most important resources of all , Businesses, communities, and ecosystems everywhere depend on clean freshwater to survive and prosper. When the same source of water is shared for economic, social and environmental causes it becomes the responsibility of every sector to develop a sustainable water strategy beneficial for all. Like agriculture and domestic use Industries also consume great amount of water which is generally sourced from the common environmental resource shared by the natural and thuman communityies. While utilising water corporates have a responsibility to understand the source of water, its quantum and vulnerability so that conflicts among different stakeholders can be avoided. While doing so the corporate managers will face many challenges coming out of resource assessment, water accounting, water sharing, water disclosure and compliance and different government statutes and law of the land. Corporations are now facing diverse water risks, including changing allotments, more stringent water-quality regulations, growing community interest and control over local resources, and increased public scrutiny of water-related activities. Another great challenge for the industries is the gradual decline of water resource in different part of the world due to increase in demand, change in landscape, climate change etc. The industries now should face not only the competition in resource sharing but also the impacts of climate change. The term efficient water use will be applied to those businesses which have minimised the water use and properly protected the source water, used technologies and water management system that minimises the water requirement and complies all necessary norms and statues regarding maintaining the water quality and quantity. Water stewardship implies that a corporate not only manages its own water but it also integrates different stakeholders in the management process and develops an integrated system where water sharing is equitable, careful, and sustainable. While dealing with challenges in water management corporate managers will encounter opportunities that will lead them in developing a sustainable water strategy.
The aim of this book is to offer a water resource management plan for industries which is directly implementable and consistent with the Water Framework Directives of different countries with a special emphasis on developing countries. The contributor, who is a leading world expert in these fields, develops an integrated water resources management plan for the industries which is economically efficient, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. The book offers explicit technical and investment solutions, socioeconomic and legal instruments and recommendations for institutional restructuring. The introductory chapter describes the water situation throughout the world and how the industries are sharing the resource and how conflicts are developing between industries and ecosystem. In the first chapter the author describes a hydro-ecological approach of water resource management. The modalities and methods of assessment of source water has been discussed in this chapter along with an introduction to the basic concepts for understanding of water resource. Chapter 2 introduces the case study area highlighting the particular pressures and impacts as well as the environmental functions and values of sustainable water resource management. Chapter 3 deals with corporate water strategy for water security. In this chapter water security has been defined as the availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, ecosystems and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water related risks to people, environments and economies. Water security has always been a societal priority -- in its absence people and economies have remained vulnerable and poor. How the corporate should handle the emerging demands, social conflicts and priorities are discussed in this chapter. . Chapter 4 focuses on the Rules and statutes that regulatory authorities imposing on the industries and how these statues are to be handled by the industries. This chapter discusses on the methods of water accounting including water audit, water footprint assessment and water disclosure. Chapter 5 deals with the various methods of storm water management by industries and the methods and tools for water conservation including rainwater harvesting. Chapter 6 deals with efficient water stewardship for industries and addresses the stakeholder’s participation. Chapter 7 completes the baseline appraisal, presenting the details of water use by the stakeholders, valuation and decision-making tools from a range of perspectives, including valuing the impacts of industrial activity, the costs and benefits of environmental preservation and management. The water resources management plan is presented in Chapter 8, discusses corporate social responsibility in water sector. Chapter 9, the concluding chapter offers recommendations on institutional changes and presents the lessons learned as resources applicable to other industries in various countries. Each chapter is further illustrated by case studies in the relevant topics and current trends in water management in different industries. In the following chapters the book applies valuation methods to estimate water demands in different sectors and to balance these, over time and space, with water supply. Given the well-known challenge of managing natural resources in a way that maximizes and sustains social welfare, this book will provide an invaluable point of reference for applied researchers and policy makers working in water resources management.
