Classification of water resources and and Resource
Quality Objectives in the Inkomati Catchment
Methodology to way up the level of protection
against water use towards finding the desirable
balance and Management Class
Original presentations and development of model: Pieter van Rooyen
Modified by and presented by: Delana Louw
17 March 2014
NWRCS integrated steps
1: Delineate units of analysis and describe the status quo
2: Initiation of stakeholder process and catchment visioning
3: Quantify EWRs and changes in Ecosystem Services
4: Identification and evaluation of scenarios within IWRM
5: Draft Management Classes
6: Resource Quality Objectives (EcoSpecs & water quality (user))
7: Gazette class configuration
Evaluating scenarios and determining MC
2
NWRCS integrated steps
1. Status quo, IUA
delineation
PSC 1
3. Quantify EWRs &
links to EGSA
THIS PSC 2 MEETING
4. ID Scenarios
4. Recommend
Scenario & MC
6. RQO
PSC 3
Step 4 and 5: IWRM & MCs
NWRCS facilitates finding a balance between
protection and use of the water resource.
This process takes place during Step 4 and 5.
This study is now at the start of this process.
What needs to be balanced?
Degree of the ecological health / status and socioeconomics (Ecosystem services &
Economic
implications)
Step 4 and 5: IWRM & MCs
The process of finding a balance is facilitated by
assessing different future levels of water resource use.
Different levels of water resource use are assessed by
means of evaluating a range of possible future
scenarios and
determining the consequences of these scenarios on
users and the environment.
Aim is to design an optimised scenario that would result
in an acceptable balance.
Scenario links to MC and Catchment Configuration
Catchment Analysis
Catchment Resource
Availability
Protection
Ecological
Water
Requirements
Socio-Economic
Water Requirements
Use
Management Class
(Decision)
6
What are scenarios?
Scenarios, in context of water resource
management and planning are plausible
definitions (settings) of all the factors
(variables) that influence the water balance
and water quality in a catchment and the
system as a whole (System’s context)
Different levels of water use and protection are
evaluated with the aim to find a preferred
scenario
NWRC is the process to evaluate and recommend
what that scenario entails
Scenario evaluation and MC
Challenges: Integration
 Node / reach / river to catchment scale
 Ecosystem status/health (non-monetary)
versus Socio-economics (non-monetary and
monetary
Management Class decision suport system or
tool based on multi-criteria decision analysis
approaches have been developed.
The scenario evaluation process and integration
fits within this approach.
8
Integrated Assessment of Scenarios
Elements
Variables
Water
Resource
System
Integrated
Units of
Analysis
River
Reaches
(Resource Unit)
Ecological
health
Ecosystem
Services
Economic
Implications
Biophysical
Nodes
Scenario Assessment
Scenario Evaluation Process
Scenario
Description
Formulate
Alternative
Scenarios
Compare, rank &
optimise
scenarios
Ecological
Ecosystem Services
Economics
Non-Ecological
Water Quality
Select
relevant
scenarios
Evaluate
against
vision
Stakeholder
Evaluation
Water
Availability
Analysis
Information feeding
into the process
Estimate
consequences
Evaluation and
analysis steps
Scenario steps
scenarios
Geomorphology
Physico-chemical
Fish
Macroinvertebrates
Riparian vegetation
Consequences
ECOLOGICAL STATE
Relative importance
Weighting
process
Score
Degree of meeting
REC
Prevailing situation
Culture
Regulating
Food, vegetation
Fuel
Riparian
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Jobs
GDP
Consequences
ECONOMY
Weighting
process
Score
Relative to present
provisions
Makeup of economy
Weighting
process
Relative to base
condition
Score
Integrated Comparison (all variables)
Multi-criteria assessment
method
For all
For each reach / node
For IUA / system
Scenario Comparison Visualisation
Ecological
Status
relative to
REC
Economic
Indicator
Ecosystem
Services
Overall Ranking
(Rank Order)
Employment
5
REC
10
10
9
PES
6
REC
PES
PES
9
5
REC
6
10
9
6
5
1
1.0
2.0
0.5
3.0
2
1.0
2.0
0.05
3.0
3
1.0
2.0
0.2
3.0
4
1.0
2.0
0.25
3.0
5
1.0
2.0
3.0
6
Deriving the Management Class
IUA
1
2
3
4
5
Scenarios and Management Class
PES
REC
1
2
3
II
II
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
III
II
III
III
III
II
II
III
III
III
I
I
I
I
I
4
III
III
III
III
I
Scenario Comparison
Visualisation
 Focus of the rest of the balance methodology
presentation is to show how each of the variables
come up with the individual ranking order and scoring
PRIOR to integration
 Note, the catchment used is COMPLETELY
HYPOTHETICAL and representative of a typical
catchment. The results also – this is just a
demonstration and is intended to prepare you for
providing input when the scenario evaluation is
complete.
 Only aspect of this process undertaken during THIS
PSC meeting is the input on the scenarios to be
evaluated.