Devastating floods and mud slides, declining water quality and fish catch, loss of biological diversity, water shortages and falling water tables are but some of the signs that the management systems for water resources, rivers and lakes in China are in need of urgent attention. To further reinforce this point, as this report is being finalized, yet again the Yangtze River is experiencing serious flooding with loss of life, destruction of property, sanitation problems and loss of livelihoods. With pressure on water resources intensifying in all parts of the world, integrated river basin management (IRBM) is rapidly being introduced in many countries as a management framework that can help draw together economic, social and environmental aspirations. A key factor that undermines efforts to deliver sustainability outcomes is sector-based governance; the organization of public administration that segregates, rather than integrates, economic, social and environmental policy, laws and administration.
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