Strengthened enforcement capacity and judicial system

Enforcement is often one of the greatest obstacles to an integrated water resource management system, since conservation and anti-pollution laws are only as good as the institutions that enforce them. The scarcity of water and other natural resources in most developing nations gives rise to a myriad of environmental disputes, which most courts are not qualified to arbitrate. These challenges drive the need for capacity building and strengthening to enforce environmental law and to resolve environmental disputes in developing nations. There is a wide spectrum of capacity building activities that can effectively enhance a country’s ability to enforce its environmental management scheme, from equipping local judges with the specialized knowledge to hear and decide environmental disputes, to establishing environmental laws and special courts specifically to address environmental issues such as property and access rights, land use, and violations of conservation laws.

Case Studies

South Africans gain access to drinking water Dwarsloop, South Africa | March 31, 2005 Today, as result of a USAID-funded project, water is flowing freely in Thulamahashe and Dwarsloop, and in other towns and villages in Bushbuckridge, an area in northeastern South Africa with some 140 communities and about 800,000 people. Learn more

Recovering water utility costs, a first in Egypt

Redefining wastewater treatment in Augusta, Georgia

For every challenge, an opportunity

Putting power in utility providers' hands in Egypt

Better management brings Indonesians more water

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