If policy instruments or technical assessment lag behind the increasing pressure on the resource, then benefits will be reduced as a result of high uncertainty over the resource, concerns of security of access to water, or economic inefficiency. Thus the challenge is not to implement the most sophisticated and complete set of risk management measures everywhere but to match the level of risk management (in terms of sophistication) to the level of water risks and circumstances of each country. As economic growth proceeds and incomes rise, households and governments increasingly have access to the financial resources needed to reduce losses from water risks.