DEFINITIONS Agricultural use means use of water for irrigation purposes. Annual renewable water resources means average annual flow of rivers and groundwater generated from endogenous precipitation. Annual averages disguise large seasonal, inter-annual and long term variations. Aquaculture means all activities aimed at producing in restricted areas, processing and marketing aquatic plants and animals from fresh, brackish or salt waters. Blue water refers to water in rivers, lakes and shallow aquifers (In the past this has received most of the attention from planners, engineers and policy makers because of its association with established forms of irrigation). Comparative advantage. A country has a comparative advantage over another if, in producing a commodity, it can do so at a relatively lower opportunity cost in terms of the forgone alternative commodities that could be produced. Conservation means the protection, maintenance, rehabilitation, restoration and enhancement of natural resources and includes the management of the use of natural resources to ensure the sustainability of such use. Cost recovery means the extent to which users are charged for goods and/or services to generate revenue to cover the costs of provision. Development is the process of improving the quality of all human lives. Important aspects of development are raising people’s quality of life and living levels, creating conditions conducive to the growth of people’s self-esteem and increasing people’s freedom of choice. Domestic use means use of water for drinking, washing, cooking, bathing, sanitation and stock watering purposes. Economic co-operation means two or more countries working together to promote their common economic interests through joint projects and programmes, physical or otherwise. Economic good means that water has an economic value, in addition to its environmental, social and cultural value. It is a scarce resource that is limited in quantities in comparison to the demand for the resource. Treating water as an economic good recognises that water has an opportunity cost, that it must be managed in a way that reflects its economic value for all uses and that the pricing of water will reflect the cost of provision (taking account of the needs of the poor and vulnerable). Economic growth is the steady process by which the productive capacity of the economy is increased over time to bring about rising levels of national output and income. Economic integration is the merging, to varying degrees, of the economies and economic policies of two or more countries in a given region. - 57 -