What is the relationship between man and water? Although there are very different approaches to this question, there is one thing we can all agree on: without water there is no life.
At the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, it was proposed to "develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans by 2005, with support for developing countries and action at all levels". This proposal was set out in its final report, which initiated a series of guidelines for our relationship with water.
To this end, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) defined Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as 'a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resulting economic and social welfare in an equitable manner, without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems'. Many countries, including Uruguay, have adopted this strategy.
IWRM in Uruguay
Uruguay has come a long way in defining, from an institutional point of view, what its relationship with water should be. A history of conflicting interests that continues to this day.
The process has resulted in the National Water Plan (NWP), a comprehensive document that outlines how institutions will work together to manage this vital resource.
According to the NAP, "the management of water resources, within the framework of integrated management, involves responding in space and time, in quantity and quality, to the demands of the different users of water resources, taking into account social, economic, legal and environmental aspects, in order to ensure the sustainable use of water in the long term".
Words: a defining framework
Looking closely at the words chosen to define IWRM and its application in the NWP, how do they frame our relationship with water?
According to Arran Stibbe's ecolinguistics, framing is 'a story that uses a packet of knowledge about an area of life (a frame) to structure another area of life'. They are 'trigger words that bring a frame to mind'.
What framing do the words that define IWRM and its application in the NWP suggest?
In order to answer this question, a discourse analysis can be carried out and the words that carry the most weight in terms of meaning can be extracted. These are then organised according to two types of framing: anthropogenic or ecological.
IWRM: 'A process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources to maximise the resulting economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
- 11 anthropocentric words: process, development, management, coordination, resources, maximise, welfare, economic, social, equitable, compromise
- 5 ecological words: water, land, sustainability, ecosystems, vital.
WNP: 'The management of water resources within the framework of integrated management involves responding in space and time, in quantity and quality, to the demands of different users on water resources, taking into account social, economic, legal and environmental aspects, in order to ensure the long-term sustainable use of water'.
- 15 anthropocentric words: management, resource, water, resources, framework, conceptual, integrated, response, quantity, quality, demand, users, social, economic, legal, ensure
- 5 ecological words: space, time, environment, sustainable, water, water, environmental, sustainable, waters
This brief and basic analysis of the discourse reveals a strong anthropogenic, human-centred component and limited space for a more ecological approach. Although IWRM implies the participation of professionals and communities involved in water management, including flora and fauna, the latter are not explicitly present in the texts and their relevance is almost omitted. They appear only through concepts such as ecosystems, land, environment.
Taking advantage of #WorldWaterDay2025, this note does not seek to make a value judgement on the application of IWRM as a strategy. Rather, it seeks to shed light, from a linguistic and ecological perspective, on how words can define our relationship with water.
Río Queguay. Fuente: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%ADo_Queguay_02.JPG
