Water is a constantly changing resource by way of the hydrological cycle. It is unevenly distributed and crosses boundaries of all kinds i.e. political, social, cultural and natural. Samoa is a small developing state in the Pacific Region that is facing rapid pressure with its water resource availability. Consequently, access to and use of water resources has created tensions between water resources regulators, water utilities and villages. Therefore, managing and governing of water becomes a challenging process that has to take into account the complexity of both nature and society. With the emergence of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework, a greater social acceptance and importance has been given to catchment scale management and governance. Nowadays, many countries including Samoa, have embraced this appealing concept where catchments are seen as natural units for water governance and management. This study used a social qualitative approach, aimed to investigate the implementation of catchment management and examine local community perceptions of catchment management, using Apia Catchment as case study. It is based on a conceptual framework of the concept of scale i.e. set out in recent debates and ideas in the arena of catchment scale water governance and management. The primary data was collected from community focus groups within two villages of Apia Catchment, and semi-structured interviews with government agencies involved in the Water and Sanitation Sector programmes. The findings revealed a shift in water resources management and governance and a spatial scale mismatch in Apia Catchment management. According to government officials, the catchment approach is a ‘management tool’ adopted to improve the coordination between water users and to promote local ownership of catchment activities amongst individual villages. However, several challenges arose around land ownership, monetary cost, community resistance and issues outside of catchment areas when implementing catchment management. Despite the challenges that government officials encountered and the concerns raised by the communities, catchment scale management is still being adopted in Samoa. With the adoption of catchment management, many individual villages within Apia Catchment are expected to make decisions collectively. However, some local groups have concerns about the use of the term ‘boundary’, the possibility of the government taking over their land and the proposed catchment-based authority taking precedence over pre-existing cultural hierarchy. Overall, this research reveals that catchment management is often viewed or seen by government as a ‘one size fits all’ notion that ignores the range of the socio-ecological realities on the ground. This study shows that in order to design better water resources policies and strategies that are fully applicable and workable for Samoa, it is very important to identify these mismatches in scales (e.g. spatial and administrative) and levels (e.g. national and local). Understanding scales and associated levels is critical to understanding the whole system and can reduce possible consequences of mismatches due to lack of interaction and collaboration between levels and scales. Local villages have expressed their opinions on how to enhance catchment management and this could perhaps be useful for government in terms of implementation. Based on the results, recommendations are made for water resources managers to assess the importance of different levels and their interactions but, more importantly, to consider how local communities perceive catchment management.

Climate change affects water resources suitable for human consumption, transforming water quality and quantity. These changes exacerbate vulnerabilities of human society, increasing the importance of adequately protecting and managing water resources and supplies. Growing urban populations provide an additional stress on existing water resources, particularly increasing the vulnerability of people living in poor neighbourhoods. In urban areas, official responses to climate change are currently dominated by Disaster Risk Management (DRM); however, more recently Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has emerged to support the integration of climate change adaptation in water resource planning. Based on a case study of the city of Douala, Cameroon, the thesis examines the operational implementation of both frameworks, combining observations, semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders and a survey carried out in three poor communities. The research highlights the challenges of improving the joining of both frameworks to adequately reach the urban poor, whilst being alert to, and responsive to, the autonomous adaptation strategies the poor autonomously implement and develop. At present, the IWRM and DRM frameworks are implemented separately and do not clearly reach the urban poor who face three major water-related issues (flooding, water-related diseases and water access). Other institutional water-related measures and projects are carried out by authorities in the low-income communities, but the institutions still struggle to manage the delivery of basic services and protect these communities against hazards. The lack of effective outcomes of the institutional water-related measures and projects has led to a strong process of autonomous adaptation by inhabitants of poor communities. Driven by their adaptive capacity supported by the abundance in groundwater resources, they use coping and adaptive strategies to reduce their vulnerability to water-related issues, such as alternative water suppliers. Similarly, the frequency of the flooding hazard has led the urban poor to develop practices to minimise disaster impacts. However, the autonomous strategies developed face limitations caused by the natural and build environment. In this context, the autonomous strategies of the urban poor and the strategies appear to have a strong influence on each other. While institutional projects have initiated spontaneous strategies, other strategies reduce the willingness of the low-income neighbourhoods to participate in the implementation of official, externally derived development projects.

The hyporheic interstitial was recognized as an integral zone within the aquatic ecosystem bearing important functions for both adjacent compartments, surface and ground water, about 50 years ago. Since then, rather disciplinary works gained knowledge on the organismic community of this ecotone, its spatial extent, the role of distinct parameters such as hydrology and morphology, temporal characteristics, process dynamics, the role for stream or groundwater quality and restoration measures. However, a systematic study on the risks to the hyporheic functions was missing to date. This thesis combined existing methods in order to gather an integrated set of information allowing for the assessment of the ecotonal status. This approach was applied to investigate the functional behavior towards stressors like increasing nutrient and fine sediment input into a rather pristine environment. An interdisciplinary risk assessment and the establishment of adapted measures was called for as land-use scenarios for the studied catchment area indicated progressive onland erosion. Therefore firstly, an integrated monitoring scheme was drawn up and conducted at three sites along a river that underlay a stressor gradient such as mentioned before. Secondly, the data sets were analysed in order to evaluate the status of the hyporheic funtions at the riffles. Thirdly, a coupled surface-subsurface modelling approach was set up to further study the impact of the stressors on the ecotonal integrity. And fourthly, an interdisciplinary consideration combined with studies on the catchments sediment budget and the rivers ecological status was applied to identify measures for the restoration and protection of the aquatic ecosystem. The analysis of the data gathered with the help of the established monitoring scheme revealed that elevated nutrient or fine sediment input lead to biological or physical clogging, respectively, with consequences for the hyporheic zone functions. The surface - ground water connectivity was either lowered in summer months, when biofilm growth was highest, or permanently, as fine sediment particles infiltrated into the interstices of the riverbed sediment. Scouring did not seem to take place as high amounts of fine particles were found in the matrix after discharge events of snowmelt and summer precipitation. With respect to the biogeochemical regulation function, biofilm material appeared to provide an autochthonous carbon source boosting microbial substance turnover. The sediment underneath the physical clogged layer was cut off from carbon and oxygen rich surface water and thus was not reactive. However, the enhanced surface area provided by the fine sediment within the topmost sediment layer seemed to support microbial processing. The inclusion of the results of a study concerning the ecological status at the investigated reaches lead to the deduction that biological clogging at the present degree was not affecting habitat quality. Whereas the physical clogging had tremendeous and lasting effects on the macroinvertebrate community which carries to the conclusion that sediment management within the studied catchment is of uttermost importance. A scenario analysis reflecting distinct clogging degrees and types with a calibrated model of a studied riffle within a pristine reach proved the observed loss of hydrologic connectivity due to physical and biological clogging. Further, a treshold of oxygen consumption rates above which the reproduction of salmonid fish would be unsuccessful was identified for the settings of the middle reaches. In summer month with low discharge it seemed to be likely that this treshold might be reached. Following, a dynamic discharge may be decisive to protect the ecotonal integrity. The integration with the outcome of an investigation regarding the sediment sources within the catchment allowed for two suggestions. On the one hand, river bank restoration and protection within the middle reaches need to be prioritised, and on the other hand, the conservation of the natural vegetation at the steep slopes within the mountaineous areas need to be undertaken in order to secure the pristine aquatic environment of this area. Hyporheic zone research of the last decade was driven by testing hypotheses on the functional significance of distinct spatial and temporal configurations in the field and by new modelling approaches. However, data on the quantification of the ecological impact of clogging processes were lacking. The thesis contributed to the systemic understanding of the hyporheic zone being affected by physical and biological clogging and new field data within a degrading pristine environment were generated, accessible for further hyporheic research. The interdisciplinarity enabled comprehensive statements for the usage of an Integrated Water Resources Management plan.

Pervasive social and ecological water crises in Mexico remain, despite over two decades of legal and institutional backing for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a policy tenet. In this article we apply a socialshed analysis to uncover and understand the geographical and jurisdictional forces influencing the social construction and simultaneous fragmentation of the San Miguel Watershed (SMW) in the state of Sonora, in Mexico's water-scarcity bulls-eye. Specific insights derived from an empirical analysis include that water management (WM) is socially embedded in dense networks of family and friends, farmers and ranchers, citizens and local government - all to varying degrees sharing information about local water crises. Irrigation water user representatives (WUR) are connected across communities and within their own municipalities, but interwatershed social links with other WUR are virtually nonexistent, despite high levels of awareness of crossmunicipality WM problems. Implementation of IWRM as a federal policy by a single agency and the creation of basin councils and subsidiary technical committees for groundwater management have not been sufficient for technical - much less social - integration at the watershed level. This study shows that the SMW socialshed remains fragmented by local jurisdictions; without coordinated agency-jurisdiction-local action fomenting social connections, a socialshed will not emerge.

Many studies have investigated Nigeria’s experiences of river basin management. Despite the acceptance of IWRM by the Nigerian Government, findings from the literature demonstrate that there remain significant water management challenges in Nigeria. However, reported research which exposes the forces influencing the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Nigeria remains sparse. This thesis exposes these forces, and most importantly, the environments within which they are embedded by drawing upon theoretical and empirical evidence on the processes required to transfer IWRM from theory to practice. The retroductive logic of enquiry was adopted as a guide and a conceptual framework was developed to illustrate the forces influencing IWRM implementation at the river basin level in Nigeria and the environments within which they are embedded. The conceptual framework formed the basis for the development of the research questions and also informed the choice of neo-institutional theory as a guide to proffer answers to the research questions. The research process employed a qualitative social science approach to provide answers to the research questions and realise the study’s main aim. The study’s theoretical framework followed a string of hermeneutics, phenomenology, and interpretivists philosophies and a case study research strategy to explore issues related to IWRM implementation in both Ogun-Oshun River Basin and Benin-Owena River Basin from different perspectives using multiple sources of evidence – documents, semi-structured interviews, and direct observations. Interviews were conducted with the staff of the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) and other water-related national and international organisations in the selected case river basins in Nigeria. The data obtained were first analysed using textual approach and then followed by variance institutional approach. Findings clearly illustrate that: (i) there were weaknesses in IWRM implementation in Nigeria, and (ii) both institutional (that is, regulative, normative, cognitive, and cultural) and technical (that is, water infrastructure) elements which are located within the macro and the operational environments were the forces that contributed to the weaknesses in IWRM implementation at the river basin level in Nigeria. Consistent with the institutional analysis perspective, to improve IWRM implementation in practice in Nigeria, the study proposed improvements to the regulative institutions to serve as a shock. This study contributes to IWRM and reinforces the importance of institutional and technical elements as potent forces that can enable or constrain the implementation of a water management approach, IWRM.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The research problem for this study is the limited and unsuccessful implementation of the IWRM concept. This thesis has argued that comprehensive assessment of physical and socioeconomic conditions is essential to provide explanation on factors that limit the successful execution of the IWRM approach. It has further argued that the local IWRM works as proxy for full and successful implementation of the IWRM approach.To contextualise this thesis, the prevailing physical and socioeconomic factors in Malawi in relation to current management and usage of water resources were explained.With 1,321m3 per capita per year against index thresholds of 1,700-1,000m3 per capita per year, this study showed that Malawi is a physically water stressed country but not physically water scarce country although economically it is a water scarce country. This novelty is against some literature that present Malawi as a water abundant country.Again, this study showed that executing a full and successful IWRM in Malawi remains a challenge because of the prevailing socioeconomic situation in terms of water policies,water laws, institutions and management instruments. These aspects have not been reformed and harmonised to facilitate a successful operation of the IWRM approach.The main water-related problem in Malawi is the mismanagement of the available water resources. This is largely due to the lack of implementing management approaches which can generate systematic data for practical assessment of water resources to guide the coordinated procedure among water stakeholders working in catchments. This lack of implementing a coordinated management approach commonly known as integrated water resources management (IWRM) can be attributed to various reasons that includei) lack of comprehensive assessment of factors that can explain lack of successful IWRM implementation at catchment level and ii) lack of methods to demonstrate data generation and analysis on quantity, quality and governance of water that show practical operation of IWRM at community level using groundwater as a showcase among others.This study revealed that introducing local IWRM requires a prior knowledge of the evolution and role of the full IWRM concept in the international water policy which aimed at addressing broader developmental objectives. Globally, the current status of the IWRM concept has potential to address such broader developmental objectives, but sustaining IWRM projects where they have been piloted showed slow progress. Basing on the factors that slow such a progress, local IWRM approach has emerged as a proxy to execute the full IWRM as demonstrated in chapter 8 in this thesis. However, the observed lack of sustainable resources to fund continual functioning of local IWRM activities will defeat its potential solution to water management challenges. The main threat for sustainable local IWRM activities is the tendency of national governments to decentralise roles and responsibilities to local governments and communities without the accompanying financial resources to enable the implementation of the local participation, investments and initiatives at local level. If this tendency could be reversed, the contribution by local IWRM towards solving management problems in the water sector will be enormous. Chapter four has provided the general case-study approach used in this study in terms of research design, data collection methods, data analysis methods, ethical consideration and limitation of the current study within the context of water resource management with a focus on groundwater management.Using geologic map, satellite images, photographs and hydrogeologic conceptual model, the following results emerged: 1) that the Upper Limphasa River catchment has fractured rock aquifer with limited permeability and storage capacity; 2) The topographic nature and north-south strikes of the lineaments explained the north-south flow direction of groundwater in the catchment; 3) The drainage system observed in the Kandoli and Kaning’ina Mountains to the east and west of the Upper Limphasa River catchment respectively (Fig. 5.1; Fig.5.2) formed a groundwater recharge boundary; 4)The regional faults in the same mountains (Fig. 5.1; Fig.5.2) formed structural boundar as well as hydrogeologic boundary which controlled flow direction of the groundwater;5) the hydrogeologic conceptual model showed the existence of the forested weathered bedrock in the upland areas of the entire catchment which formed no-flow boundary and groundwater divide thereby controlling the water flow direction downwards (Fig. 5.9);6) The major agricultural commercial activities existed in Lower Limphasa catchment while only subsistence farming existed in Upper Limphasa catchment. This knowledge and visualization from the map (Fig. 5.3) and conceptual model (Fig.5.9) showed interactions between upland and lowland areas and the role of physical factors in controlling groundwater flow direction in the catchment. It also provided the enlightenment on implications of socioeconomic farming activities on water management. These insights enabled this study to recommend the need for expedited implementation of holistic effective management for sustainable water utilization.Using different physical factors, water scarcity indices and methodologies, this study showed that Malawi is a physically water stressed as well as an economic water scarce country. This novelty is against some literature that present Malawi as a water abundant country. Again, despite the high proportion (85%) of Malawians relying on groundwater resource, groundwater availability (storage in km3) is relatively low (269 km3 in Table 6.10) compared to other countries within SADC and Africa. Given the complexity of groundwater abstraction, the available groundwater for use is further reduced for Malawians who depend on such a resource for their domestic and productive livelihoods. Such insights provided the basis for discussing the need for IWRM.Although daily statistics on groundwater demand (i: 21.20 litres; 116.91 litres;80,550.99 litres), use (ii: 16.8 litres; 92.55 litres; 63,766.95 litres) and abstracted but not used (iii: 4.4; 24.36; 16,784.04 litres) were relatively low per person, per household and per sub-catchment respectively, such statistics when calculated on monthly basis (i.Demand: 636 litres; 3,507.30 litres; 2,416,529.70 litres; ii.Use:504 litres; 2,776.5 litres;1, 913, 008.5 litres iii. Abstracted but not used: 132 litres; 730 litres; 503, 521.2); and on yearly basis (i. Demand: 7,632 litres; 42,087.6 litres; 28,998,356.4 litres; ii. Use: 6,048 litres; 33,318 litres; 22, 956, 102 litres; iii: Abstracted but not used: 1,584 litres; 8,769.6 litres; 6,042,254.4 litres) per person, per household and per sub-catchment provided huge amount of groundwater (Table 6.5). Given the limited storage capacity of fractured rock aquifer in the basement complex geology, the monthly and yearly groundwater demand and use on one hand and abstracted but not used on the other was considered enormous. With the population growth rate of 2.8 for Nkhata Bay (NSO, 2009) and the observed desire to intensify productive livelihoods activities coupled with expected negative effects of climate change, the need to implement IWRM approach for such groundwater resource in the study catchment remains imperative and is urgently needed.In addition to identifying and describing factors that explain the limited groundwater availability in the study catchment, the study developed a methodology for calculating groundwater demand, use and unused at both households and sub-catchment levels.This methodology provided step-by-step procedure for collecting data on groundwater demand and use as a tool that would improve availability of data on groundwater.Implications of such results for IWRM in similar environments were discussed. Despite the time-consuming procedure involved in using the developed methodology, the calculations are simple and interpretation of results is easily understood among various stakeholders. Hence, such an approach is recommended for the IWRM approach which requires stakeholders from various disciplines to interact and collaborate. Nonetheless, this recommends the use of this method as its further refinement is being sought. The analysis on groundwater quality has shown that the dominant water type in the aquifers of Upper Limphasa catchment was Ca-HCO3, suggesting that the study area had shallow, fresh groundwater with recent recharged aquifer. Analyses on physicochemical parameters revealed that none of the sampled boreholes (BHs) and protected shallow dug wells (PSWs) had physical or chemical concentration levels of health concern when such levels were compared with 2008-World Health Organisation(WHO) guidelines and 2005-Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS). Conversely, although the compliance with 2008-WHO and 2005-MBS of pathogenic bacteria (E.coli) in BHs water was 100% suggesting that water from BHs had low risk and free from bacteriological contamination, water from PSWs showed 0% compliance with 2008-WHO and 2005-MBS values implying high risk to human health. The overall assessment on risk to health classification showed that PSWs were risky sources to supply potable water, hence the need to implement strategies that protect groundwater.On the basis of such findings, the analysis in this study demonstrated the feasibility of using IWRM approach as a platform for implementing environmental and engineering interventions through education programmes to create and raise public awareness on groundwater protection and on the need for collaborative efforts to implement protective measures for their drinking water sources. The use of different analytical methods which were applied to identify the exact sources of the observed contaminants in the PSWs proved futile. Therefore, this study concluded that rolling-out PSWs either as improved or safe sources of drinking water requires further detailed investigations.However, this research recommended using rapid assessment of drinking water-quality (RADWQ) methods for assessing the quality of groundwater sources for drinking. Despite the study area being in the humid climatic region with annual rainfall above 1,000 mm, many of the physical factors were not favourable for availability of more groundwater in the aquifers. Such observation provided compelling evidence in this study to commend the local IWRM as a proxy for the full IWRM implementation for sustainable utilization of such waters. Although institutional arrangements, water laws and water policy were found problematic to facilitate a successful implementation of full IWRM at national level in Malawi, this thesis demonstrated that local institutional arrangements, coordination among institutions, data collection efforts by local community members (active participation), self-regulation among local community committees were favourable conditions for a successful local IWRM in the Upper Limphasa River catchment. This research recommends continuation of such local participation, investment and initiatives as proxy for the full and successful IWRM beyond the study catchment. However, the observed lack of financial resource from central government to facilitates local IWRM activities were seen as counterproductive.In addition, this thesis recommended further studies which should aim at improving some observed negative implications of self-regulations on community members and the limited decentralisation elements from the Department of Water Development.Finally, one of the contributions from this study is the scientific value in using different methods to assess the quality of groundwater as presented in chapter 7. The second value is the demonstration of applying practical techniques to evaluate factors that explain the amount of groundwater storage in the aquifers that can be understood by water scientists, water users, water developers and water managers to implement IWRM collaboratively using groundwater as a showcase. The third contribution is the provision of the procedure to systematically generate data on demand (abstraction) and use of groundwater in unmetered rural areas which has the potential to guide water allocation process in the catchment. Fourthly, the thesis has provided a hydrogeologic conceptual model for the first time for Limphasa River catchment to be used as a visual tool for planning and developing management practices and addressing current water problems.Fifthly, the study has shown how local IWRM works at community level as a proxy for the full implementation of IWRM despite the absence of Catchment Management Agencies. The last contribution is the dissemination of results from this study made through publications and conference presentations as outlined in the appendix.

Despite the emphasis of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) on 'soft' demand-side management, large-scale water infrastructure is increasingly being constructed in basins managed under an IWRM framework. While there has been substantial research on IWRM, few scholars have unpacked how IWRM and large-scale water infrastructure development coexist and conflict. Piura, Peru is an important site for understanding how IWRM and capital-intensive, concrete-heavy water infrastructure development articulate in practice. After 70 years of proposals and planning, the Regional Government of Piura began construction of the mega-irrigation project, Proyecto Especial de Irrigacion e Hidroelectrico del Alto Piura (PEIHAP) in 2013. PEIHAP, which will irrigate an additional 19,000 hectares (ha), is being realised in the wake of major reforms in the Chira-Piura River Basin, a pilot basin for the IWRM-inspired 2009 Water Resources Law. We first map the historical trajectory of PEIHAP as it mirrors the shifting political priorities of the Peruvian state. We then draw on interviews with the newly formed River Basin Council, regional government, PEIHAP, and civil society actors to understand why and how these differing water management paradigms coexist. We find that while the 2009 Water Resources Law labels large-scale irrigation infrastructure as an 'exceptional measure', this development continues to eclipse IWRM provisions of the new law. This uneasy coexistence reflects the parallel desires of the state to imbue water policy reform with international credibility via IWRM while also furthering economic development goals via large-scale water infrastructure. While the participatory mechanisms and expertise of IWRM-inspired river basin councils have not been brought to bear on the approval and construction of PEIHAP, these institutions will play a crucial role in managing the myriad resource and social conflicts that are likely to result.

The hyporheic interstitial was recognized as an integral zone within the aquatic ecosystem bearing important functions for both adjacent compartments, surface and ground water, about 50 years ago. Since then, rather disciplinary works gained knowledge on the organismic community of this ecotone, its spatial extent, the role of distinct parameters such as hydrology and morphology, temporal characteristics, process dynamics, the role for stream or groundwater quality and restoration measures. However, a systematic study on the risks to the hyporheic functions was missing to date. This thesis combined existing methods in order to gather an integrated set of information allowing for the assessment of the ecotonal status. This approach was applied to investigate the functional behavior towards stressors like increasing nutrient and fine sediment input into a rather pristine environment. An interdisciplinary risk assessment and the establishment of adapted measures was called for as land-use scenarios for the studied catchment area indicated progressive onland erosion. Therefore firstly, an integrated monitoring scheme was drawn up and conducted at three sites along a river that underlay a stressor gradient such as mentioned before. Secondly, the data sets were analysed in order to evaluate the status of the hyporheic funtions at the riffles. Thirdly, a coupled surface-subsurface modelling approach was set up to further study the impact of the stressors on the ecotonal integrity. And fourthly, an interdisciplinary consideration combined with studies on the catchments sediment budget and the rivers ecological status was applied to identify measures for the restoration and protection of the aquatic ecosystem. The analysis of the data gathered with the help of the established monitoring scheme revealed that elevated nutrient or fine sediment input lead to biological or physical clogging, respectively, with consequences for the hyporheic zone functions. The surface - ground water connectivity was either lowered in summer months, when biofilm growth was highest, or permanently, as fine sediment particles infiltrated into the interstices of the riverbed sediment. Scouring did not seem to take place as high amounts of fine particles were found in the matrix after discharge events of snowmelt and summer precipitation. With respect to the biogeochemical regulation function, biofilm material appeared to provide an autochthonous carbon source boosting microbial substance turnover. The sediment underneath the physical clogged layer was cut off from carbon and oxygen rich surface water and thus was not reactive. However, the enhanced surface area provided by the fine sediment within the topmost sediment layer seemed to support microbial processing. The inclusion of the results of a study concerning the ecological status at the investigated reaches lead to the deduction that biological clogging at the present degree was not affecting habitat quality. Whereas the physical clogging had tremendeous and lasting effects on the macroinvertebrate community which carries to the conclusion that sediment management within the studied catchment is of uttermost importance. A scenario analysis reflecting distinct clogging degrees and types with a calibrated model of a studied riffle within a pristine reach proved the observed loss of hydrologic connectivity due to physical and biological clogging. Further, a treshold of oxygen consumption rates above which the reproduction of salmonid fish would be unsuccessful was identified for the settings of the middle reaches. In summer month with low discharge it seemed to be likely that this treshold might be reached. Following, a dynamic discharge may be decisive to protect the ecotonal integrity. The integration with the outcome of an investigation regarding the sediment sources within the catchment allowed for two suggestions. On the one hand, river bank restoration and protection within the middle reaches need to be prioritised, and on the other hand, the conservation of the natural vegetation at the steep slopes within the mountaineous areas need to be undertaken in order to secure the pristine aquatic environment of this area. Hyporheic zone research of the last decade was driven by testing hypotheses on the functional significance of distinct spatial and temporal configurations in the field and by new modelling approaches. However, data on the quantification of the ecological impact of clogging processes were lacking. The thesis contributed to the systemic understanding of the hyporheic zone being affected by physical and biological clogging and new field data within a degrading pristine environment were generated, accessible for further hyporheic research. The interdisciplinarity enabled comprehensive statements for the usage of an Integrated Water Resources Management plan.

The scarcity of freshwater resources in the Sultanate of Oman, makes it essential that both surface and groundwater resources are carefully managed. Introducing new water demand management tools is important, especially for the coastal agricultural areas (e. g. Al Batinah coastal region) which are affected by sea water intrusion. Based on a social survey performed during this work, the existing situation generates conflicts between different stakeholders (SHs) which have different interests regarding water availability, sustainable aquifer management, and profitable agricultural production. The current aim is to evaluate the implementation potential of several management interventions and their combinations by analysing opinions and responses of the relevant stakeholders in the region. Influencing the behavior and drivers affecting farmers’ decision-making manner, can be a valuable tool to improve water demand management. The work also introduces the use of a participatory process within the frame of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) to support decision makers in taking better informed decisions. Data were collected by questionnaires from different groups of stakeholders. These data were analysed statistically for each group separately as well as relations amongst groups by using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) software package. Differences were examined between opinions of farmers and decision makers (DM’s) regarding potential interventions. Farmers’ frequency curves showed differences in opinions in some interventions, while differences in opinions were not so high within the group of DM’s. Therefore, Cross Tabulation and Discriminant Analysis (DA) were performed to identify the drivers influencing farmers’ opinions regarding the intervention measures. As an advanced step, a Bayesian Networks (BNs) approach is used for mapping stakeholders’ behaviors and to show the strength of a relationship between dependent and predictor variables. By using BNs it is possible to analyse future scenarios for implementation and acceptance of interventions.

Water resources management has to deal with complex real life problems under uncertain framework conditions. One possibility for encountering such challenges is integrated water resources management (IWRM). However, IWRM is often understood as prescriptive manual, not acknowledging the need for adaptive solutions and capacity development (CD). These challenges demonstrate that sustainable water resources management requires transdisciplinarity, i.e. the integration of several scientific disciplines, as well as the collaboration between science and local actors. Transdisciplinarity is inherently related to CD since it facilitates collaboration and provides mutual learning and knowledge on complex interrelationships. This correlates with the evidence that CD can be seen as a key factor for water resources management (Alaerts et al. 1991, Alaerts 2009). Consequently, the objective of this thesis is to strengthen water resources management by connecting processes of IWRM and CD in a transdisciplinary sense, i.e. (i) interrelating disciplinary research within an interdisciplinary research team that collaborates with local actors, and (ii) conducting a political process for knowledge and capacity development. Based on general insights, an embedded case study in the Western Bug River Basin, Ukraine, was conducted to evaluate the concept. It is shown that CD is essential for shifting from IWRM theories towards implementation and accordingly advantages of harmonizing CD into the IWRM process are presented (Leidel et al. 2012). Next to capacity issues, also other coordination gaps were assessed. River Basin Organisations are frequently proposed as a response to the administrative gap; however, coordination efforts cannot be simply reduced by transferring tasks from jurisdictional institutions to a river basin authority, because they will always need to coordinate with organizations from within or outside the water sector (von Keitz and Kessler 2008). Thus, coordination mechanisms across the boundaries of relevant policy fields are essential. Therefore, a management framework is established linking technical development and capacity development that describes interrelations between environmental pressures and capacity and information gaps for different levels of water management (Leidel et al. 2014). The developed model-based and capacity-based IWRM framework combines model-based systems analysis and capacity analysis for developing management options that support water management actors. This is aligned with a political process for capacity development. It constitutes a boundary object for approaching cross-scale challenges that converges analyses, assessments and participation into one strategy. As concluded by Mollinga (2008), this can improve the performance of sustainable resources management by approaching transdisciplinarity. Within the model and capacity-based IWRM framework, the results of the integrated analysis are made explicit and transparent by introducing a matrix approach. Technical issues, institutional challenges, organizational and human resources development, and information needs are jointly assessed and interrelated by confronting pressures and coordination gaps on a subsystem basis. Accordingly, the concept supports a transparent decision making process by identifying knowledge and capacities required for the implementation of technical intervention options and vice versa. The method is applied in the International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS) model region ‘Ukraine’. It could be shown that the approach delivers management options that are scientifically credible and also accepted by and relevant for the actors. The case study revealed that technical intervention measures for the urban and rural water management have to be jointly implemented with appropriate CD measures and an accompanying political process on (i) strengthening the institutional framework and interministerial collaboration, (ii) fitting RBM into the existing institutional framework, (iii) setting up prerequisites for realistic RBM (Monitoring, information management, legal enforcement), (iv) a revision of effluent standards and a differentiated levy system, (v) cost covering tariffs, (vi) association work. For the Western Bug River Basin (WBRB), the strengthening of the collaboration between actors on all levels has to be continued. For increasing the usability, the approach needs to be institutionalized and become more practice relevant, e.g. by extending it to a water knowledge management system. Developing a roadmap for establishing transboundary water management is a subsequent step. For strengthening future water management actors, IWRM curricula development at uni-versities in Ukraine was supported. And we developed the e-learning module IWRM-education that links interactively different aspects of water management to comprehend the complexity of IWRM (Leidel et al. 2013). The evaluation showed that participants under-stand the content, appreciate this way of learning, and will use this module for further activities. The case study showed that technical cooperation can be a facilitator for political processes and that it can support decision making in a transparent way. Yet, it also showed that IWRM is highly political process and that the developed approach cannot cover all obstacles. In summary, exploring and reducing simultaneously environmental pressures and capacity and information gaps is essential for water sector evolution worldwide. Accordingly, transdisciplinarity as a means for capacity development can support the implementation of real integrated water resources management.