The exploitation of surface and groundwater has risen substantially since 1970. Approximately 3,800 km3 of freshwater is withdrawn each year from lakes, rivers, and aquifers, which is twice the amount withdrawn per year in the mid-twentieth century. Many basins are becoming ‘closed’ (i.e., not having any water left to be extracted). The competition for the scarce resources calls for revisiting the fundamental ideas around how water is allocated between actors and hence the challenge of water-sharing. However, there is an inadequate exploration of why sharing water is becoming an important and unavoidable necessity in water governance in the Anthropocene. The overarching research question of my thesis is: What is the role of water-sharing in the Anthropocene, and what does this imply for the design of policy instruments and the phases of water governance? The analysis indicates that several instruments can have direct impacts on and yield improvements in water governance, like water permits, disaster risk reduction, drought management and climate proofing, which are considered major advantages. In conclusion, as the water-sharing conflicts have been increasing, the importance of discussing water governance has also increased in the Anthropocene. Due to the current circumstances, water governance requires two main elements: adaptiveness and inclusiveness.