**4. Conclusions and Recommendations**

This paper investigated the current condition of IWRM in Madagascar, evaluated its sustainability, and compared it with the one in Japan. Relevant information about the existing IWRM policy, legal and strategic frameworks, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and climate change in both countries were investigated. The effects of climate change were analyzed using Aqueduct data under SSP2 RCP85 scenarios. This study revealed two important findings. First, Madagascar and Japan differ greatly in terms of IWRM implementation for river basin management. Second, climate change will decrease the available water resources in Madagascar by 2040. Based on the lessons learned from river basin management in Japan, our findings suggest reinforcement of water management for the major river basins through flexible and adaptive policies, systemic thinking and planning, and capacity-building programs. We recommend the establishment of the intersectoral approach that integrates all the ministries related to water to ensure better coordination of the water resources as shown in the case of Japan. This study suggests a regular revision and update of Madagascar's framework documents in terms of the national and global contexts such as climate change, natural hazards, and population needs. When using Aqueduct data, our analysis found that the Maningory, Tsiribihina, and Mangoky basins (in the west and the east) will experience water stress; the demand will be higher in the Maningory, Betsiboka, Tsiribihina, Mangoro, and Mangoky basins (in the highlands), while less water will be available in the Mangoky, Onilahy, and Mandrare basins (in the south). The evidence from these findings suggests that considerable attention must first be paid to the Maningory, Tsiribihina, and Mangoky basins when implementing IRBM across the 12 river basins.

We conclude that the implementation of IWRM is operational, but requires clearer programming and integrated planning. Japan is internationally recognized for its experience in IWRM, as well as its effective and resilient IRBM institutions. The country has many tools available for IWRM planning, monitoring, evaluation, and budgeting. The establishment of an integrated river management system for flood management, water utilization, and environmental conservation was helpful for stakeholders at the ground level. Japan's law requires public participation during the planning, which makes river basin management very specific. There is a need for a better understanding of the positioning and relationships between stakeholders to ensure that they are effectively and efficiently involved in the process. It was shown that Madagascar established an IWRM legal framework aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals; however, their application remains limited and should be re-examined. The results of this study indicate that the unsuccessful implementation of various structures (basin agencies and basin committees), non-application of framework documents, lack of coordination and budget have made the current river management strategies unsustainable. The ground realities for water management in Madagascar indicate that concepts of IWRM or IRBM are not just a myth. Many projects started IWRM implementation at the catchment and small basin levels. Effective frameworks and policies are responsible for the implementation of IRBM at the major river basins. The Malagasy government must implement concrete actions to manage and preserve water resources more effectively. The proposed framework and Japan's experience in river basin management can contribute to solving the current and future water scarcity. The findings of this study will serve to enhance the knowledge concerning the link between IWRM implementation and the impacts of climate change in Madagascar; they may assist in actions taken by the Malagasy government. A great effort is needed to address the current and future challenges for river basin management, to achieve SDG 6.5. The present study makes several noteworthy contributions to the WASH sector in Madagascar. The findings should be considered for the update of the current Water Code which is currently in process.

There are several issues related to water resources and river basin management. The current study only examined the issues of water availability and demand across the major river basins in Madagascar. It is important to note that the comparison with Japan was the first step of the study because, as highlighted in this paper, these countries have similar characteristics. Future studies on the current topic should be conducted to investigate other issues related to river basin management and comparison with other countries are therefore recommended for implementation of the most appropriate IRBM/IWRM approaches in Madagascar.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, by R.Z.H.; methodology, R.Z.H. and I.H.; writing original draft preparation, R.Z.H.; writing—review and editing R.Z.H. and I.H.; supervision, I.H.; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** Data supporting the reported results can be found in WRI Aqueduct projections 2015 (Data available at https://www.wri.org/aqueduct, accessed on 25 May 2020).

**Acknowledgments:** The authors would like to acknowledge the Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment (ICRE), University of Yamanashi, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), ABE Initiative Program for supporting this study.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

#### **References**


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