Free Flow

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ransboundary

ater

anagement

coordination of shared resources and closely examining

these dynamics is essential to the enhancement of trans-

boundary cooperation from a qualitative standpoint.

Improving transboundary water cooperation

Advances in transboundary water management are

urgently needed and there is a range of ways to over-

come the challenges. A key insight is to understand the

various actors at play in the transboundary arena. Earle

and others provided an understanding of how various

stakeholders act (and interact) in a complex system in

the development of transboundary water management.

An improved understanding of this context is crucial for

those wanting to better understand and efficiently engage

in transboundary water management. Notwithstanding

contemporary challenges, there are also new challenges

emerging that need to be addressed – preferably in a coop-

erative manner. While national institutions and legislative

bodies provide mechanisms for addressing conflicting

demands within a country, there are no equivalent institu-

tional mechanisms to respond to transboundary problems.

Without such mechanisms, competition for water might

lead to disruptive conflicts.

Zeitoun and Mirumachi argue that it is imperative to

make a thorough analysis of the power structures prior to

any engagement in the support of transboundary waters

management.

While maintaining that power should be

at the centre of analysis they do not support the notion

that a region cannot move towards wider cooperation

and integration without taking it into account. However,

without recognizing the power structure dynamic,

resulting policy measures may be misguided and unin-

transboundary waters and a lack of coordinated approaches among

development partners. In response to these challenges the United

Nations General Assembly, through resolution 65/154, declared

2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation. It urged states

and other relevant actors to take this opportunity to promote actions

at all levels, including appropriate international cooperation aimed

at the achievement of internationally agreed water-related goals.

The challenges to effective transboundary water management

appear different in diverse parts of the world. In regions that are

‘securitised’ (where there is a strong focus on security issues such as

military conflicts, for example the Middle East region), cooperation

and advancement of cooperation beyond the water sector is argu-

ably less likely than in regions where there are less pressing security

issues.

In other parts of the world, financing for appropriate institu-

tional development for joint management is lacking, and in yet other

contexts, underfinancing of much-needed infrastructural develop-

ment to meet increased climate variability and change prevails.

There follows an outline of the importance of adequate manage-

ment of transboundary waters and suggestions for ways in which

it can be improved and developed, as well as the identification of

a number of new challenges for the effective management of trans-

boundary waters. A case study featuring the Middle East illustrates

the importance of adequate management of transboundary waters

by highlighting examples of success and failure between riparian

countries within the Jordan Basin.

The importance of adequate management

The potential costs of tensions between riparian nations over trans-

boundary waters are high. They can limit prospects for regional

integration, trade and stability. This in effect limits the potential

for sustainable development to materialise. On the other hand, if

transboundary waters are appropriately managed they can serve as

a focal point for cooperation, thereby diminishing tensions between

countries while promoting regional integration and development,

both within a basin and in a wider region.

In contrast, human security and development can be made vulner-

able by ignoring transboundary waters, since conflict or improper

management may lead to a lack of regional preparedness or capacity to

address challenges such as floods and droughts. These vulnerabilities

are further exposed by the absence of adequate systems or mecha-

nisms to effectively share hydrological data and information within a

basin. In certain cases, information may be available in the upstream

part of a river system, but without joint management and open

communication, downstream neighbours may not receive adequate

information needed to develop an appropriate response. In the case

of a flood, this lack of openly shared intelligence can have potentially

devastating effects. Consequently, the effects of improperly managed

transboundary waters bleed into other sectors. For example, efforts to

eradicate poverty can be severely hampered as they are related, at least

indirectly, to the ways in which transboundary waters are managed.

The quality of transboundary cooperation is another area that

must be addressed.

Although the coordination of shared resources

between countries is fundamental from the perspectives of justice,

equity and sustainability, it merely forms the foundation from

which higher levels of cooperation are built. Furthermore, Granit

and Claasen have identified different power levels as a challenge

and a barrier to development towards sustainable transboundary

water management.

Power asymmetry between parties is often an

impediment to effective cooperation.

Moving beyond the basic

Around 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in river and lake

basins that cross international borders

Image: Manfred Matz, 2005