Latest revision as of 07:07, 8 October 2013

An AquaPedia case study concerns a water conflict (or complex water problem) that involves multiple stakeholders and efforts to negotiate a solution. When starting a case study, you should be able to answer “yes” to at least three of the five guiding questions below. Cases that do not meet at least 3 of the 5 criteria will not be included in the AquaPedia.

Criteria for Inclusion

To decide if a water conflict or problem should be included as a new AquaPedia case, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this case involve a contentious water management problem between parties including two or more sovereign or federated states or other established territories (i.e., two different states, provinces, counties or cities)?

Examples: Two nations who share a river basin may have issues about water storage and allocation. States or provinces within a nation may have different priorities for water resources they share. Regional governments, or indigenous communities, may disagree with the federal government about how shared water sources should be managed.

• Does this case focus on a problem or issue that hinges on reconciling competing water uses (i.e., across multiple purposes or sectors)?

Examples: Agricultural and industrial interests may have competing needs. Stakeholders such as smallholder farmers and large agribusinesses may be competing for groundwater withdrawals.

• Does this case involve significant scientific or technical uncertainty that cannot be quantified or otherwise satisfactorily addressed given the current state of knowledge?

Example: Stakeholders perceive significant uncertainty regarding future climate, future water availability, estimated water needs, or economic growth.

• Does this case involve decisions that cannot be readily resolved using current regulatory, funding, or technological mechanisms?

Example: Are regulatory changes, public fund allocations, or decisions about building new infrastructure the focus of the conflict?

• Do stakeholders in this conflict have differing views about the issues at the heart of the conflict?

Example: Some stakeholders feel that the allocation of water rights is central to the problem, while others are more concerned about allocation for a specific use. Still others may be more concerned about environmental impacts.

If you can’t answer “yes” to at least three of these questions, your topic of interest probably isn’t a case.

see AquaPedia:Policies

If it isn't a case, then where does it fit in AquaPedia?

Your topic may fit into one of the, or may be appropriate for incorporation within a case as an Analysis, Synthesis & Insights (ASI) section or part of the background information within a case.

When a topic won't fit: other wikis and databases

There are other wikis that deal with water issues that are outside of the scope of AquaPedia.

Does your topic deal with water access, sanitation, hygiene, or public health projects, initiatives, technology, or advice for implementing a water project?

• AkvoPedia focuses on water transmission and sanitation projects and technologies and accessing mechanisms to fund and organize projects.
• The IWA Water Wiki accepts articles on a wide range of water topics
• WaterWiki.net highlights UN water related reports and projects. They invite others to contribute as well.
• Water Data Hub is an independent, global, non-profit project dedicated to connecting people to the world's water data. Anyone can search for data sources; anyone can add new data sources