Water resources planning and management: from stakeholders’ local actions to the global perspective

Water planning and management, especially during periods of water stress, is becoming challenging for water managers worldwide. The aim of the present study was to provide an integrated water resources management (IWRM) plan designed to water management implementation at the local scale. This study was conducted in Morocco, a country which opts for anticipatory and long-term planning for the 2021–2050. The objective-based stakeholder interaction approach was adopted to establish the impact relationship between stakeholders and to develop an integrated water resources management (IWRM) plan. Thus, ten actors were involved and twelve water-related issues were identified and analysed. As a result, an analysis of stakeholders’ engagement was carried out based on an indicator framework on the impact between actors and the similarity between the actors’ objectives. The stakeholder’s analysis shows a high level of the objective similarity amongst some stakeholders which is very important indicator to recognise in the IWRM planning process. Furthermore, an IWRM plan was developed, which consisted of nine components aimed at either implementing or enhancing the water management process. This IWRM plan emphasised capacity building and stakeholders’ participation as main input of the process. The findings provide a roadmap for effective IWRM implementation through the operationalization of water management actions.