Ensuring the availability of clean water to the world's exploding population is the major challenge of this century. The subject was adopted as a matter of urgency at the Rio and Johannesburg Conferences.
Agenda 21 defines IWRM as actions which aim to ensure the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources by maximising economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
Multidisciplinary approach
COWI provides the multidisciplinary approach to cover the whole range of subjects:
- Policy and legislation
- Institutional development
- Economics and finance
- Hydrology and water quality
- Water supply and waste water
- Agriculture
- Environment
- River transportation
- Social and gender issues
- Capacity building and training
- Data management, GIS and modelling
EU's Water Framework Directive
IWRM in the EU is implemented through the Water Framework Directive (WFD). It calls for a comprehensive reform of water management in all member states based on river basin management and a new system of environmental objectives.
COWI assists with all aspects of the directive implementation as well as the planning processes and investment projects that follow from the implementation.
