The Water Resource Sustainability Model: A pragmatic tool for sustainable water management

The conventional approach to water management has proved inadequate for the long-term sustainability of the world?s water resources. In response to inadequacies in conventional water management and a need for sustaining ecosystems, Sustainable Water Management has become the desired paradigm and is comprised of the following key considerations: Water quality and quantity should not be degraded or reduced over the long term; Present and future basic human water needs are met; and Ecosystem integrity and biodiversity are maintained. The Water Resource Sustainability Model is a pragmatic tool developed to assess the sustainability of a watershed?s water resources. It was created based on the key principles of sustainable water management with the exception of water quality which remained beyond the scope of this study. The model provides a sensible way of testing whether particular water consumption patterns can be sustainable in the long term. The Water Resource Sustainability Model provides helpful insights to sustain water resources as ?the computer model process is to the mind what the telescope and the microscope are to the eye (Heinz Pagels, 1988)?.