What Should the Basin Water Management Institutional Structure Be Like?

Boards in Water Management are Increasing, An institutional structure centered on DSI Regional Directorate is needed in the Basin

The Presidential Decree on the Establishment of the National Water Board, which will ensure high-level coordination and cooperation for the purpose of effective management and efficient use of water resources, came into force after being published in the Official Gazette No. 32384 dated 29.11.2023. This decree stated that "Basin Water Boards" would be established in river basins and "Provincial Water Boards" would be established in each province under the chairmanship of the provincial governor.

The first meeting of the National Water Board was held on 25 December 2023 at the General Directorate of DSI. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim YUMAKLI stated that plans, policies and strategies regarding water supply will be created with the National Water Board, whose first meeting was held, and policies regarding the sustainable management of water resources will be determined.

National Water Board; Under the chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Minister of Treasury and Finance, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Deputy Minister of National Education. It will consist of Deputy Minister, Deputy Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Presidential Strategy and Budget President, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, President of the Turkish Statistical Institute, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey and President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey. . This board will include 1 Minister and 11 Deputy Ministers, the President of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget and the Presidents of TÜBİTAK, TÜİK, TOBB and TBB.

Other Existing Boards and Delegations Are Also in Force

Water management committees/boards have been established in Turkey to strengthen the cooperation between water-related institutions and organizations at both national and regional levels. The Water Management Coordination Board was previously established with the Prime Ministry Circular No. 2012/7 (Official Gazette No. 28239 dated 20.03.2012), and its membership structure was renewed with the Presidential Circular No. 2021/17 (Official Gazette No. 31560 dated 06.08.2012). Apart from this, three different committees and boards have been established: Basin Management Central Board, Basin Management Boards and Provincial Water Management Coordination Boards.

While the National Water Board comes into force, other previously established boards and delegations continue their work. The "Water Management Coordination Board", which is still in force, has held 8 meetings so far.

Water Management Coordination Board

The "Water Management Coordination Board", which was established with the circular numbered 2012/7 published in the Official Gazette on March 20, 2012, was reconstituted with the circular in 2021.

This board is chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry or the deputy minister to be appointed by him, and the relevant deputy ministers of the ministries of Environment and Urbanization, Foreign Affairs, Energy and Natural Resources, Internal Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Health, Industry and Technology, Transport and Infrastructure or general managers of the relevant units they will assign, Strategy and the Head of Budget or the general managers of the relevant units to be assigned by him, the Head of Disaster and Emergency Management and the General Director of Water Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the General Director of Nature Conservation and National Parks, the General Director of Agricultural Reform, the General Director of Agricultural Research and Policies, the General Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture. General Manager, General Manager of Crop Production, General Manager of Combating Desertification and Erosion, General Director of European Union and Foreign Relations, General Director of State Hydraulic Works, General Director of Forestry, General Director of Meteorology, President of the Turkish Water Institute, General Manager of İLBANK AŞ and Union of Municipalities of Turkey. It includes the Secretary General. The structure of this board is similar to the structure of the National Water Board.

Basin Management Central Board, Basin Management Board and Provincial Water Management Coordination Board

The Basin Management Central Board, the Basin Management Board and the Provincial Water Management Coordination Board were established in 2015 with the Communiqué of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, and later, some minor arrangements were made in their structures with the communiqué published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2019.

Since 2015, these boards have held meetings in the provinces several times a year under the chairmanship of the Governor or Coordinator Governor, according to their working principles.

Basin Water Boards and Provincial Water Boards are also expected to be established

In the Presidential Decree, which came into force after being published in the Official Gazette No. 32384 dated 29.11.2023, it was also stated that Basin Water Boards would be established in river basins and Provincial Water Boards would be established in each province under the chairmanship of the provincial governor.

Weak Relationship between Boards and Water Management Institutions

It is seen that the structure and duties of the National Water Board and the Water Management Coordination Board are similar and this will cause confusion of authority and duties. In addition, the formation of the Basin Water Board and Provincial Water Board while the Basin Management Central Board, Basin Management Board and Provincial Water Management Coordination Boards are in effect will cause this confusion of authority to increase.

It is seen that there are/will be many difficulties in the ability of the existing committees established at the river basin and provincial scale and/or the newly formed committees to effectively carry out water management. In the National Water Report 2019-2023 published in 2019, it was recommended to "establish a strong administrative structure overlapping the basin boundaries that will ensure the holistic management of water, planning and coordination of applications."

Existing or proposed new boards can perform coordination functions at central, basin and provincial scales and resolve disputes between different ministries and institutions. However, it seems difficult to eliminate the multi-headed, multi-part structure in water management and achieve effective water services management at the basin scale in practice.

For this purpose, it is essential to prevent conflicts of authority and duties of institutions such as the General Directorate of DSI and the General Directorate of Water Management, which are responsible for water management. In addition, it will be necessary to effectively ensure a vertical hierarchy among the established boards and to prevent conflicts of authority and responsibility between institutions at the basin and provincial scale.

In addition, it is also important that these regulations are carried out without causing confusion and service disruption in water management, especially in basin-scale applications.

These boards can contribute to the formation of a participatory water management approach among stakeholders at the basin scale. However, survey and planning of water resources at the basin scale, water allocations, project planning for water supply and development of water resources, construction, operation and inspection activities, wastewater treatment, pollution control, dam and pond operations, protection and rehabilitation of lakes and wetlands, allocation of groundwater. Many issues such as direct performance of many interrelated tasks within the basin, such as watershed protection, sectoral allocation, implementation of flood protection and drought action plans, completion of deficiencies in provincial disaster risk management plans, river bed rehabilitation, or outsourcing and coordination to relevant institutions, are carried out at the basin scale. It should be under the duties, authority and responsibility of an institution that is organized and experienced in its field.

As a result, as suggested in the national water plan, there is a need to establish a strong administrative structure overlapping the basin boundaries that will ensure the holistic management and planning of water at the basin scale and the coordination of applications in this field.

Draft Water Law Should Be Reorganized

Boards in water management are in the draft water law; Its structure, duties and responsibilities were also defined as the Water Management High Council, Basin Management Central Board, Basin Water Management Board and Provincial Water Management Coordination Board. However, following new developments, the draft water law will need to be amended. In this context, articles related to existing boards will need to be removed from the draft law, and the structures, duties and responsibilities of the newly established National Water Board and the basin water board and provincial water boards that are planned to be established will be added to the current draft Water Law.

DSI Organized at Basin Scale

The water collection boundaries of the 26 major rivers in Turkey also constitute natural boundaries in the development and management of water resources. DSI General Directorate is organized according to river basins through regional organizations. There are also branch offices in the provinces.

Among the institutions related to the water sector in our country, only the General Directorate of DSI is organized on a basin basis. If it is within any basin boundary; many provincial administrations, provincial directorates of environment, special provincial administrations that provide drinking water to villages, water and sewerage administrations that provide drinking water services to big cities and are responsible for the treatment of wastewater, municipalities, irrigation unions, irrigation cooperatives and various non-governmental organizations and stakeholder institutions. There are. These institutions and organizations can effectively fulfill their duties at the basin scale under the coordination and management of an experienced, knowledgeable and strong administrative structure in this field. This structure can be created by reshaping the structure of DSI Regional Directorates in the basins as a basis.

A DSI-Centered Basin Management Institutional Structure is Necessary

The coordination function in managing water resources on a basin basis has been carried out by DSI Regional Directorates for a long time. In this context, taking into account the country's realities as well as the tradition, knowledge and experience accumulated over 60 years, it would be beneficial to establish an effective institutional structuring centered on DSI Regional Directorates at the basin or basin regions scale.

DSI General Directorate is an institution that has prepared all basin-scale master plans in our country, carries out irrigation management through irrigation unions, is authorized for water supply and wastewater treatment, and is responsible for industrial water allocations. Due to these duties and responsibilities, DSI General Directorate is a specialized state institution with a great knowledge and experience in all areas of water management.

As mentioned before, water management committees/boards have been established in Turkey to strengthen the cooperation between water-related institutions and organizations at both national and regional levels.

In fact, although coordination with other institutions is a correct approach in principle, this structure, which can be up to 25 people in the form of the "Basin Management Board", will slow down the decision-making process. Instead, authorizing an institution that will serve as an implementation organization in the River Basin and involving other stakeholders in a consultation mechanism as the "Basin Commission" will provide a more effective basin management.

Considering the integrity of the hydrological system, the administrative structure should be organized on a basin basis as much as possible. In this context, the areas of authority and responsibility of DSI Regional Directorates can be developed in a way that best represents the basin, taking into account provincial borders, and an effective basin management institutional structure can be created.

"Integrated water resources management at the basin scale" is not limited to drinking water supply and wastewater treatment, but also includes elements such as agricultural irrigation, flood protection, energy production, ensuring food security, drought management, protection of the natural environment and ecosystem balance.

Making technical planning on the basis of the river basin, taking into account the balance of social, economic and ecological goals, updating these plans over time, building and managing the planned facilities, providing operation and maintenance services is a complex process that complements each other and one phase feeds back on the other. In order for this process to be carried out in a healthy manner, a knowledgeable, experienced and equipped institution at the basin scale must ensure coordination in determined areas and manage and direct the practices.

The need to manage water resources with an integrated approach at the basin scale has been accepted in our country and all our plans regarding water management have been prepared at the river basin scale.

In order to fulfill this task in the most appropriate way for our country's conditions, without major disruptions and complications, the current structure of DSI Regional Directorates should be improved across the basin borders and an effective basin management institutional structure should be created. In this context, our country needs to create an effective institutional structure centered on DSI Regional Directorates at the basin scale.