This book presents new and significant research results on water resources which are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans. They are important because they are needed for life to exist. Many uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water. Only 2.7 per cent of water on the Earth is fresh water, and over two thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps, leaving only 0.007 per cent available for human use. Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world, and as world population continues to rise at an unprecedented rate, many more areas are expected to experience this imbalance in the near future. The framework for allocating water resources to water users (where such a framework exists) is known as water rights.

Over 7 billion people demand water from resources that the changing climate is making more and more difficult to harness. Water scarcity and shortage are increasingly common and conditions are becoming more extreme. Inadequate and inappropriate management of water is already taking its toll on the environment and on the quality of life of millions of people. Modern water professionals have a duty to develop sound water science and robust evidence to lobby and influence national and regional development policy and investment priorities. We need to be bold and brave to challenge the status quo, argue the case for change, and create a New Water Architecture. Water Resources: A New Water Architecture takes a unique approach to the challenges of water management. The stress caused by our desire to live, eat, and consume is examined in the context of Governance, the role of policy, and the commercial world. The authors share their nine-step vision for a New Water Architecture. Written by three industry practitioners, this book provides students, young professionals, policymakers, and those interested in the sustainability of our natural resources with a pragmatic and compelling perspective on how to manage the ultimate resource of our time.

This book takes a new and critical look at the underlying factors that affect the management of water resources, and its content is guided by three important visions. With the “theory” vision, the existing knowledge system for IWRM is reorganized in order to supplement new theories related to our society and science. We then introduce two distinctive case studies on how to achieve sustainable water management. Based on the “social implementation” vision, one study is carried out by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature on Indonesia’s Bali Island, where there is a long history of educational and inspirational local-level water management systems with multistakeholder participation. A further study is based on the “harmony between science and society” vision, and the Ritsumeikan-Global Innovation Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, proposes innovative water recycling system for the sustainable development of Chongming Island, an eco-island that belongs to China. These two studies highlight “science with society”, a new perspective on science that could promisingly lead to more sustainable futures. This book offers a valuable reference guide for all stakeholders and scholars active in water resources management.