Long-term impacts of policy mismatch upon watershed health

Abstract

Policy impacts have been studied in different contexts. A change in watershed characteristics may be perceived as positive by one sector, but negative by other sectors. It is also likely that an impact is positive for a period of time but may turn to negative thereafter. Thus, studies on policy impacts from a long-term perspective should be pursued. The present study addressed the issue of policy mismatch in a historical context through a case study. By data synthesis and numerical simulations, it was found that the combination of flood control, rice production reduction, and suburbanization policies was the fundamental cause of water quality deterioration in Lake Tega, and the mismatch also led to flood risk polarization in the lake's watershed.

Keywords:

• Policy impact
• rice production reduction
• urbanization
• water quality
• flood
• Lake Tega

Acknowledgements

Responsible editor and anonymous referees are gratefully acknowledged for their valuable professional comments.