GWP Toolbox - C3 Efficiency in water Use. Managing demand and supply

Demand management reflects a major shift in the approach to water resources management, away from traditional supply development (construction of physical infrastructure to capture more water for direct use) to an improvement in efficiency of use, conservation, recycling and reuse of water. Demand management looks at changing demand and the way people use water in order to achieve more efficient and cost effective water use. It can help to reduce wasteful use of the resource, which represents an opportunity lost as well as the use of water without an economic purpose. Demand management can sometimes obviate the need for physical or infrastructure investments, providing real efficiency gains to society. Demand management works best in an IWRM framework which looks across sectors and makes proper links between policy instruments and impacts.