Several countries have ministries that explicitly include “water” in their prerogatives, but also embrace other policy areas such as rural affairs or agriculture. In most cases, these have wide responsibilities over a broader set of areas than water policy. Positive implications in the concentration of different water-related responsibilities within the same line ministry include a more open, coherent view for water policies, the concentration of technical and administrative skills, and the possibility for a more integrated programming approach. Examples of line ministries in water policy making can be classified into three main categories: a first category where water policies are encompassed within broader environmental issues, a second category where water policies are included with infrastructure and public works, and a third category where water policies are grouped with environmental challenges and specific rural concerns. This categorisation does not necessarily imply that the allocation of water responsibilities will generate a situation where one sector plays the dominant role in water policy making, although the assumption can be made. Providing an adequate response to the needs of water policy therefore requires an association of the how (which ministry?