The Paradoxes Holding Back Progress on Water Security

Effective water management and policy play a critical role in shaping society’s evolving relationship with water. Yet, the growing impacts of water-related risks worldwide reveal that many responses remain ineffective, often leading to unintended consequences that undermine stated policy objectives. These contradictions —referred to in the literature as “water paradoxes” —occur when well-intentioned efforts to manage water backfire. This paper argues that researchers should better characterize these paradoxes, while practitioners must integrate them in decision-making processes and economic evaluations of water policy. This paper examines four key paradoxes: value, supply, efficiency, and data. For each, it highlights relevant examples, explores policy implications, and suggests potential approaches to address them. Water management and policy should focus on addressing these paradoxes rather than pursuing grand visions and missions detached from context.