Historically interest in water resources development has always been higher in the South than in the North. From the perspective of the South, there can be no real direct international governance in the field of water, either in terms of quantity or quality. Even though the final decisions on water management are made by the appropriate levels of the governments in individual countries, international organizations do influence such decisions by a variety of ways and means. Two major issues—international rivers and environmental considerations—are discussed, where international governance can have major impacts on national water policies and institutions.
By Asit K. Biswas, 1992. Article published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, Volume 8, Issue 1, pages 3-9. DOI: 10.1080/07900629208722528