I |
| ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River) | International organisation consisting of 13 European states and the European Union which deals with the whole Danube River Basin including its tributaries and the ground water resources. The ultimate goal of the ICPDR is to implement the Danube River Protection Convention. |
| ICSU (International Council for Science) | The International Council for Science (ICSU), formerly called the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science. |
| IFR (Instream Flow Requirements) | The water that is deliberately left in the river or released from a reservoir for maintaining the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems downstream. |
| Igneous | A rock which originates as molten magma from beneath the earth's surface. |
| Image | The representation of an object produced by the reflection or refraction of light when focused by a lens or mirror. An image is the recorded representation (commonly as a photo-image) of an object produced by optical, electro-optical, optical mechanical, or electronic means. It is generally used when the electromagnetic radiation is emitted or reflected from a scene is not directly recorded on film. In remote sensing and GIS, image is a term that describes digital representations of earth features. |
| Impermeable | Having a texture that does not permit water to move through it perceptibly under static pressure ordinarily found in subsurface water. |
| Impervious | Incapable of being penetrated. |
| Impoundment | The process of restraining flow of a river to create a body of water using a dam or other physical barrier. |
| Improved drinking water supply | A type of drinking water facility or water delivery point that by the nature of its design protects the drinking water source from external contamination, particularly of faecal origin. |
| IMS (Information Management System) | A system to enable the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. |
| Incised river | An incised river channel is one that cuts deeply into the landscape. |
| Incomati | The one of the several international river basins shared by southern African countries. |
| Indicator | A value or state used to determine and/or describe the condition of a system. |
| Indigenous | Naturally occurring in or native to a specific place. |
| Indigenous knowledge | The long-standing traditions, practices, wisdom, teachings and knowledge of local or indigenous communities (See traditional knowledge). |
| Indirect use value | Value arising from ecosystem functions that support and maintain human activity. The value obtained from the flood regulation services of a wetland is an example of indirect use value. |
| Industrial use | Use of water for commercial, electrical power generation, industrial, manufacturing and mining purposes. |
| Infiltration | The movement of surface water into soil or rock through cracks and pores. |
| Information Management System (IMS) | A system to enable the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. |
| Information system | A system consisting of the network of all communication channels used within an organization or group of people. |
| Infrastructure | Infrastructure can be defined as the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. The term typically refers to the technical structures that support a society, such as roads, water supply, sewers, power grids, telecommunications, and so forth. |
| Infrastructure assets | Infrastructure assets are installations and services such as roads, water supply, sewage systems, power supply, flood management, leisure facilities, etc. Investment in these assets is made with the intention that dividends will accrue through increased productivity, improved living conditions and greater prosperity. |
| Insect | An invertebrate animal of the Class Insecta. Insects comprise the most diverse group of animals on earth. |
| Instream Flow Requirements (IFR) | The water that is deliberately left in the river or released from a reservoir for maintaining the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems downstream. |
| Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) | The management of river basins as part of the broader natural environment and in relation to their socio-economic environment. |
| Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) | A process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. |
| Intellectual property rights | Legal property rights over creations of the mind such as music, literature, ideas and symbols. |
| International Council for Science (ICSU) | The International Council for Science (ICSU), formerly called the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science. |
| Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) | Zone of rising air masses and low atmospheric pressure located at or near the equator. Rising air currents result from global wind convergence (trade winds) and convection from thermal heating. |
| Invasive | A species that heavily colonises a certain habitat. |
| Invertebrate | Animal that does not have a backbone. Also see vertebrate. |
| Ion | An atom, molecule or compound that carries either a positive (cation) or negative (anion) electrical charge. |
| IRBM (Integrated River Basin Management) | The management of river basins as part of the broader natural environment and in relation to their socio-economic environment. |
| Irrigated agriculture | Agriculture that depends on irrigation to provide sufficient water for successful and often economic production of a crop. |
| Irrigation | The artificial application of water to the soil usually used to assist in growing crops in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. |
| ISO 14001 | ISO 14001 is a standard for environmental management systems to be implemented in any business, regardless of size, location or income. The aim of the standard is to reduce the environmental footprint of a business and to decrease the pollution and waste a business produces. |
| ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) | Zone of rising air masses and low atmospheric pressure located at or near the equator. Rising air currents result from global wind convergence (trade winds) and convection from thermal heating. |
| IWR (Institute for Water Research, South Africa) | An Institute in Rhodes University (South Africa) which does research on water resources. |
| IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management) | A process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. |
