This book examines the current economic practices of water management in the Southern Kurdistan Region (SKR) and suggests ways to change environmental conditions to encourage the regionâe(tm)s decision makers to pursue sustainable resource development through interstate and within Kurdistan Region KRG-consumersâe(tm) co-operation. The focus is on: âe¢ making a comparative study of water resources between Iraq, its neighboring countries, MENA and the world averages, âe¢ conducting a sector analysis to identify and quantify available water resources, the needs and sub-optimality in their uses, âe¢ analyzing current allocation of water and quantifying and suggesting necessary reductions in wasteful use of water resources, âe¢ designing water policies and suggesting measures that improve regional water planning and management practices, âe¢ developing techniques and models in the projection of demand, supply and future utilization patterns and quantification of the water gap, âe¢ suggesting alternatives for provision of water to areas facing scarcity on the basis of sustainable long-term and minimum cost solutions, âe¢ suggesting necessary mechanisms for approaching interstate cooperation and for participating in the building of interregional institutions, âe¢ proposing economically and environmentally optimal practices for within region and interstate cooperation and resource management, and âe¢ suggesting opportunities for increased government investment in the development and management of the water market. |