Experience world-wide shows that developing Water Quality Management may prove to be very challenging for several reasons :
- It is a highly multi-objectives and multi-sectors topic: Several key institutions are deeply concerned with water quality, such as Health, Environment, Agriculture, Urban planning, Industry, Tourism…
- Issues may be very specific according to local conditions, e.g.
- Diffuse pollution (nitrogen and phosphorus), due to overuse of fertilizers that may affect surface water quality and the related ecosystems
- Consequent groundwater deterioration that put water supply at risk and may generate serious health concerns
- Uncontrolled industrial or mining effluents that may put the population in great danger in terms of health or even life and that may generate substantial loss in fish production
- Insufficient or uncontrolled wastewater treatment plants, and/or improper reject of effluents that may equally generate health problems and loss of biodiversity including in fish production
- Uncontrolled waste disposal that affect both surface water (through runoff) and groundwater (trough infiltration). Some toxic elements may even cause quasi-irreversible damages to the groundwater resources and jeopardize the use of such water for generations.
