Water Governance focusses on tailoring initiatives to the prevailing local contexts, and requires a deep involvement as of the early stages of the civil society in the project development. Only this way inclusiveness and social accountability can be developed, and anchored in legislation while fostering cooperation with other government levels and stakeholders.
This will also ensure that local, often small contractors, can participate in development processes, and initiatives with respect to local economic and tourism development can be integrated in a collective approach. Also this will create a high sense of ownership at local level, and allows the implementation of innovative construction and maintenance schemes that will save costs, and extend the sustainability of the assets created.
Further, the Hydro 2.0 approach envisages to encompass the development of capacity of local institutions as to assure that proper water governance will be executed. Dutch experience with water governance structures dates back centuries, and the wealth of expertise in water governance from national to local level will be essential for bringing water initiatives to full fruit.