Integrated Water Resources Management and Social Simulation

FutureDAMS is a consortium funded by UKRI as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The Centre for Research in Social Simulation (CRESS), based in the Department of Sociology, is one of the consortium partners with an objective to use social simulation to explore, understand and describe the human dimension of water resources management and its impacts on the social, economic and environmental systems in basin regions.
In this seminar, Kavin will be presenting their choice of Water User Associations (WUAs) as focal institutions to explore the overarching topic of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), its principles, practices and impacts. In many countries, WUAs are interface institutions responsible for coordinating with multiple stakeholders to manage water resources at community level. On the one hand, evidence suggests that WUAs provide an appropriate level of governance, capable of dealing with national, regional and basin-level actors and interests, as well as understanding and supporting the needs of local communities. On the other hand, in some countries, the purpose and governance of WUAs are weak and ineffective in practice. To this end, Kavin will also talk about plans to develop an agent-based model to test assumptions regarding the operation and management of WUAs and their effects on the dynamics of water use in a catchment.
The seminar will present work in progress in a relaxed and informal environment and Kavin is keen to receive feedback and suggestions.