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T
ransboundary
W
ater
M
anagement
Brahmaputra, Ganges and Salween basins are categorized
as areas of economic water scarcity.
Climate change and associated changes could have
a serious impact on the stability of water supply in the
region. Observed warming in the region ranges from
0.01 to 0.06° C per year. The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected that tempera-
tures will be about 3° C warmer than the baseline by
the middle of the twenty-first century and about 4° C
warmer by the end of the century. Models project about
20 and 30 per cent increases in annual precipitation in
the eastern Himalayas, with increased interannual and
the peaks in water availability usually do not coincide with the high
demand periods. The eastern river basins depend mainly on monsoon
precipitation, while the western basins are dominated by westerlies and
heavily reliant on meltwater. While the region is known for its abun-
dance of water resources, some areas are already water scarce, either
physically (with more than 75 per cent of river flows withdrawn for
agriculture, industry and domestic purposes) or economically (meaning
that less than 25 per cent of water from rivers is withdrawn for human
purposes, but significant improvements are needed in existing water
infrastructure and management to make the water resources available
for use). The western Himalayas and a large part of the Indus basin
are recognized as physically water stressed areas. Large parts of the
Map of 10 major river basins and seasonal variations in flow of selected rivers in the HKH region
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Ganges at
Farakka
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Kabul at
Warshak
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Indus at
Besham Quila
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Brahmaputra
at Bahudarabad
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Yangtze at
Honkau
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Irrawadi at
Sagaing
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Discharge [m
3
/s]
Time [Month]
Mekong at
Kratao
Yangtse
Indus
Tarim
Ganges
YellowRiver
Mekong
Amudarya
Irrawady
Salween
Brahmaputra
Source: ICIMOD