Protocol to Monitor Water Governance Based on Indicators for Rural Basins

Abstract

The use of quality indicators guarantees the accurate monitoring of sustainability processes around the world. This work proposes a protocol to detail the indicators that make up the rural basin management index (GWI) in order to assess the degree of water management in a predominantly rural basin or region. The methodology contemplates the development of indicators to evaluate performance and its monitoring over time as the basis for planning. This research is based on the in situ evaluation of four municipalities within the department of Boyacá, Colombia, where there is a lack of a culture regarding the long-term planning and management of water and environmental resources. Water availability is the most sensitive factor in this context. This study raises the need for the use of monitoring systems in sustainability processes at the level of rural basins, as a result of the findings of four study cases, where processes with a low level of sustainability were evidenced.