Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries
Study region: Blesbokspruit River Catchment (BRC), Republic of South Africa (RSA). Study focus: A decision support system (DSS) for enhancing policy implementation in water resource management is a tool developed to assist water resource managers to take informed decisions to ensure that policy obje...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003635 |
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| author | Koleka Makanda Stanley Nzama Thokozani Kanyerere |
| author_facet | Koleka Makanda Stanley Nzama Thokozani Kanyerere |
| author_sort | Koleka Makanda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Study region: Blesbokspruit River Catchment (BRC), Republic of South Africa (RSA). Study focus: A decision support system (DSS) for enhancing policy implementation in water resource management is a tool developed to assist water resource managers to take informed decisions to ensure that policy objectives on water resource protection and sustainable utilization are achieved. Uncertainties associated with not knowing how water resource systems would respond to catchment management actions provide enormous challenges for water resource managers which demands application of adaptive management approach in water resource management practices. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework for operationalizing adaptive management into a decision support system to promote rationality in water resource management. The feasibility of the framework was assessed with a case study of the Blesbokspruit River Catchment (BRC) in the Republic of South Africa, whereby compliance with legalized protection limits for instream water quality was assessed in a regulated river system. New insight: Adaptability, cost-effectiveness, consistency, transparency, versatility, treatability index and dilution flow adjustments enable application of an adaptive management approach into a DSS to improve decision-making regarding water resource protection. The results indicate that the developed framework serves as a useful tool allowing water resource managers to evaluate different options and select the most suitable solutions. These findings underscore the urgent need for a decision support system to operationalize adaptive management in water resource management to safeguard ecological ecosystem and public health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c41b6c2225b748068b5f3dec2b968b7d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2214-5818 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-c41b6c2225b748068b5f3dec2b968b7d2025-08-20T02:48:34ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182025-08-016010253810.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102538Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countriesKoleka Makanda0Stanley Nzama1Thokozani Kanyerere2Water Resource Classification, Department of Water and Sanitation, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; Corresponding author.Reserve Determination, Department of Water and Sanitation, Pretoria 0001, South AfricaDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South AfricaStudy region: Blesbokspruit River Catchment (BRC), Republic of South Africa (RSA). Study focus: A decision support system (DSS) for enhancing policy implementation in water resource management is a tool developed to assist water resource managers to take informed decisions to ensure that policy objectives on water resource protection and sustainable utilization are achieved. Uncertainties associated with not knowing how water resource systems would respond to catchment management actions provide enormous challenges for water resource managers which demands application of adaptive management approach in water resource management practices. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework for operationalizing adaptive management into a decision support system to promote rationality in water resource management. The feasibility of the framework was assessed with a case study of the Blesbokspruit River Catchment (BRC) in the Republic of South Africa, whereby compliance with legalized protection limits for instream water quality was assessed in a regulated river system. New insight: Adaptability, cost-effectiveness, consistency, transparency, versatility, treatability index and dilution flow adjustments enable application of an adaptive management approach into a DSS to improve decision-making regarding water resource protection. The results indicate that the developed framework serves as a useful tool allowing water resource managers to evaluate different options and select the most suitable solutions. These findings underscore the urgent need for a decision support system to operationalize adaptive management in water resource management to safeguard ecological ecosystem and public health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003635Adaptive managementCompliance monitoringDecision support systemDilution flowTreatability indexInstream water quality |
| spellingShingle | Koleka Makanda Stanley Nzama Thokozani Kanyerere Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Adaptive management Compliance monitoring Decision support system Dilution flow Treatability index Instream water quality |
| title | Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| title_full | Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| title_fullStr | Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| title_short | Putting water resource protection into practice: A decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| title_sort | putting water resource protection into practice a decision support system to assess compliance with predefined protection limits for water resources in developing countries |
| topic | Adaptive management Compliance monitoring Decision support system Dilution flow Treatability index Instream water quality |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003635 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kolekamakanda puttingwaterresourceprotectionintopracticeadecisionsupportsystemtoassesscompliancewithpredefinedprotectionlimitsforwaterresourcesindevelopingcountries AT stanleynzama puttingwaterresourceprotectionintopracticeadecisionsupportsystemtoassesscompliancewithpredefinedprotectionlimitsforwaterresourcesindevelopingcountries AT thokozanikanyerere puttingwaterresourceprotectionintopracticeadecisionsupportsystemtoassesscompliancewithpredefinedprotectionlimitsforwaterresourcesindevelopingcountries |