As a non-political chemical ...

As a non-political chemical engineer, but an interested observer of what has gone on during my time dedicated to the industrial water treatment business, I offer you the comments below:

In more and better developed countries, higher cultural an educational value, the importance of water resources is well recognized, and high priority is naturally given to. In the other extreme, normally,  there is a cost to pay to get dictator´s attention or action.

It varies with the country culture and degree of educational values, as well as its past political inclination to right or left. Normally a dictatorship is conceived and put into force by the country´s  armed forces. In that respect compare, for example, the differences in existing or recently  changed to democracies between south American and African dictatorships. Most south American dictatorships had an intrinsic nationalism value against an existing right or leftist/communist nature dictatorship. Rare or no bloodshed, just some temporary prisoning or deporting of opponents´ leaders. In African countries changes of government by force have tribal and/or monetary interests. Genocide is uncommon, using barbarian methods. Same practices had been seen in southwest Asian countries.

Attention, be it protection or use, of water resources in right* or leftist dictatorships, varies following the above-mentioned countries characteristics. In higher developed societies water resources receive high priority, in other any attention has a price to pay.

Regarding water resources, be it protection or use, it is impossible to generalize any evaluation of merit or demerit of dictatorships. 

(*) A good example is the Itaipú dam and power plant.