Abstract
‘Multiple use systems’ are systems that allow efficient and effective supply of water from different sources to communities for their domestic and for their productive purposes and that allow interaction with providers of water related services. Such systems are probably highly desirable from the perspective of using scare water efficiently and also from the perspectives of gender equity and improving livelihoods. It is therefore useful to carry out scientific research to validate this statement about a water-innovation. The mode of research must be ‘action research’. The specific form and management of multiple use systems depends on local biophysical and socio-economic factors, as well as on local institutions and legislation. Eleven ‘cornerstones’ need to be in place to realize a full multiple use system. Since a blue print cannot be made and many parties are involved, ‘learning alliances’ are to be set up in specific geographic areas and at national level to identify how much of these cornerstones of multiple use systems are still lacking, and to work together to create or implement these. Guidelines for setting up Learning Alliances and for actually implementing systems of multiple water use are needed.
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Manuscript for the International Conference on ’Integrated Assessment of Water Resources and Global Change: A North-South Analysis’, 23–25 February 2005, Bonn, Germany (http://www.zef.de/watershed2005). Submitted after review and revision 21 October 2005.
The paper is based on extensive discussions and notes on multiple use systems shared among the members of the MUS project and others in November 2004, including E. Boelee, J. Butterworth, T. Cousins, A. Duran, J. Hagmann, B. Mintesinot, S. Morardet, P. Moriarty, I.Restrepo, S.Ruaysoongnern,S. Suryarwanshi, S. Smits, B. van Koppen and B. Yoder.
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Vries, F.W.T.P.d. Learning Alliances for the broad implementation of an integrated approach to multiple sources, multiple uses and multiple users of water. Water Resour Manage 21, 79–95 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9042-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9042-2