Management of Impacts Impact on Watershed Degradation and Water Pollution. Policies and programmes for water resources management need to delineate and address the structural causes of water pollution from municipal, industrial, mining and agricultural discharge and of poor land use, degrading watersheds, influencing changes in runoff patterns, water quality, and sediment transport. Impact on the Marine Environment. Policies and programmes for water resources management need to recognize the linkage between, and deal with impacts of actions in upper watersheds on the downstream marine environment. Impacts of the Tourism Industry. The impact of the tourism industry on water demand and wastewater production need to be recognized by policy makers. Policies should consider the localized impacts of tourism-related water demand, the seasonality of demand, the impacts of all related development and the critical need for hotel retrofit. Policies should include application of equitable pricing and tariff structures. Settlement Patterns. Patterns of settlement represented a major impact on water resources in most islands, and should be addressed by policies for integrated water resources management.
Public Participation Community Participation. The role of community participation in water resources management encompasses the identification of problems and solutions, issues and priorities. This should be embodied in any water resources management policy.
Communication Political Awareness and Commitment. To facilitate the process of policy reform, political awareness of the relevant issues must be promoted. Public Information and Awareness Programmes. Public information and awareness programmes need to be critical components of water resources management policies and programmes. Such campaigns need to be given priority, particularly in areas where education levels are major constraints to community action. Stakeholder Consultations. Stakeholder consultations, should be conducted, and should include meetings with users, suppliers and licensed abstractors and regulators. Utility Public Image. While seeking to improve service delivery efficiency, reduce wastage and become more effective, agencies with responsibility for supply of potable water must maintain a positive public image in order to gain confidence of the public and their participation to ensure success of their conservation efforts. Networking to Maximize Access to Resources. There is need for sharing and exchanging knowledge, experience and lessons about successful water resources management practices within the region and with the international community. An effective way to accomplish this would be through improving access to regional and international electronic networks and strengthening or expanding existing networks to improve access to skills, knowledge and experiences.
Working Group Reports During the final two days, four working groups were formed and were given the responsibility for discussing and recommending ding strategies for improving public awareness and education, institutional coordination, water resources policy and legislation and financing of water resources. The working groups recommended actions in the following areas.
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