Changing the behaviour of water users towards more sustainable practices is a necessary step in achieving water security. One way to promote such change is through economic instruments. Economic incentives involve the use of prices and other market-based measures to improve the way water is managed and used. They provide incentives to water users to use water carefully, efficiently, and in a manner consistent with the public interest. They have both positive and negative effects, rewarding users that recognise the true value of water and penalising profligate and anti-social use.
In order to achieve water security for an area, decision makers need to not only understand the physical resource itself, but also its surroundings and the possible impacts that their management decisions have on those surroundings. For that reason, a good planning process should include social, environmental, economic, and risk assessments.
