Water security: past, present and future of a controversial concept

Abstract

The term water security was first used in the Ministerial Declaration of the 2nd World Water Forum (WWF) in The Hague in 2000. Its role in the international water discourse has been fuzzy and its contradicting definitions and interpretations have resulted in controversial discussions preventing a universally accepted conceptual framework guiding water resources management. This chapter addresses the reasons for these controversies, discusses how this concept could contribute to sustainable and integrated water resources management (IWRM) (GWP 2000), analyses its differences with food security and energy security, reviews linkages with human security (UNDP 1994) and assesses why different actors associate water security with different meanings.