Dissertation: Information in support of water management action

Abstract

Successful water management implies tackling multi-level governance and improving integration between sectors. Sound information and related processes will be required to support water management decision-making at these various levels. Additionally, considering Principle 10 of the UN’s Agenda 21, actors should have access to information to enable their involvement in shaping water management outcomes. This thesis draws on the results of two separate cases where information systems support action: (i) rural water supply in Uganda; and, (ii) water management according to the Water Framework Directive in Sweden. A research approach was formed based on: (a) a model conceptualising how information systems support organisational processes which lead to action; and, (b) a systems-thinking methodology. The results reveal that there are numerous, similar challenges to achieving information support for action in both the Ugandan and Swedish cases. In both cases, information quantity and quality is limited; consequentially, the use of information to support action is inhibited. Furthermore, not all actors are involved in information system processes; in particular, local-level actors. Overall, there is limited support of strategic decision-making and weak support of operational, or local, decision-making. The results suggest that it might be possible to tailor strategic-level information processes to local needs, hopefully encouraging active involvement of local actors. Improved involvement, together with a suitable systems approach, could be used to further develop information systems, improving integration between multiple levels of governance and across sectors – suiting not just the needs of strategic decision-making but also the needs of operational, or local, decision-making.