Understanding and managing water transitions: a policy science perspective

Water is a resource that man cannot do without. Water fulfils a range of functions for humans. Water is used to grow agricultural produce, as a line of defence by inundating land, for drinking water, as a repository for waste, as political and cultural symbol, and a location for recreation to mention just a few possibilities. Given its value for humans it is no sur-prise that attempts at managing water, that is, simply put, ‘taking care that users have the right amount of water, of the right quality available at the right time’, has attracted the attention of human societies for long. Obviously, the way in which water is managed has changed considera-bly over the time that human beings started intervening in its natural course. Such changes, for instance, reflect the continuously evolving tech-nological capabilities, altered understandings and perceptions of water, new lifestyles and locations, and economic development. The connection between the ecological (water) system and human society has become so close that some have argued we are now in an era of ‘social-ecological sys