1. Nanor Momjian
GIS Expert, Water Resources Section
Sustainable Development and Productivity Division
(SDPD)
Legal Issues and the ESCWA-BGR Inventory on Shared
Water Resources in Western Asia as a Knowledge Base for
Transboundary Cooperation
Workshop
Scaling-up Integrated Natural Resource Management, furthering knowledge on groundwater resources
management and strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation systems in the GEF MENARID program
UNESCO-IHP, ICARDA, IFAD - Beirut, Lebanon 16-18 June 2014
Ralf Klingbeil
Regional Advisor Environment and Water
Sustainable Development and Productivity Division
(SDPD)

2. Outline
Transboundary Aquifers
Overview of Global and Regional Legal Instruments
Shared Groundwater – Transboundary Aquifer Systems
“Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia”
Examples:
 Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer System
(South): Rub’ al Khali
 Saq-Ram Aquifer System (West)
Sub-Regional studies and agreement
Examples:
 Kuwait
 Jordan River Basin Dialogue
Outlook and Conclusion
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 2

3. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Transboundary Aquifers
RedrawnbyUN-ESCWA-BGR,2013basedonPuriandArnold2002
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 3

4. 1966
Helsinki
Rules
1997 UN
Watercourse
Convention
2014 Entry into Force
1992 UN ECE
Water
Convention
2003 UN ECE
Amendment
1998 SADC
Water Protocol
2000 SADC
Revised Water
Protocol
2000 EU WFD 2006 EU GW Dir
2008 UN GA
Law of TBAs
2011, -13, -16 UN GA Reviews
2010 AMWC Res
for Drafting AWC
Annual AMWC
Reviews
Overview Global and Regional
Legal Instruments
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 4

5. Legal Framework for Shared Water in the Arab Region –
“Arab Water Convention”
Preparation of Draft Text for Legal Framework, Cooperation of
• UN ESCWA
• Centre of Water Studies and Arab Water Security
• supported by ACSAD, BGR Germany
Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) Resolutions
• Res. No. 20, Second Session, Cairo - 2 Jul 2010
• Res. No. 37, Third Session, Cairo - 15 Jun 2011
• Res. No. 56, Fourth Session, Baghdad - 29 May 2012
• Res. No. 71, Fifth Session, Cairo - 06 Jul 2013
• Res. 71 of Exec. Bureau of AMWC - 29 Jan 2014
• Fourth Consultative Meeting, Ministries of Water and Foreign
Affairs, Cairo - 28-29 Apr 2014
Legal Framework for
Shared Water in the Arab Region
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 5

6. Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia
INVENTORY OF
SHARED WATER
RESOURCES
IN WESTERN ASIA

7. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
The Inventory is…
the first UN-led effort to take
stock of the region’s shared
surface and groundwater
resources in a comprehensive,
systematic and standardized
manner.
Key Themes:
• Hydrology, hydrogeology
• Water resources development
and use,
• Agreements and cross-border
management efforts.
Objectives:
• Identify, and document the state
of shared water resources and
their use
• Improve the knowledge base
and facilitate information
access
• Create awareness and
stimulate informed dialogue
within and between riparian
countries
• Support regional processes
towards improved dialogue and
cooperation over shared water
resources
Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia — Overview
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 7

8. Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia — Work Process
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 8

9. A total of 22 shared aquifer
systems and 6 shared river
basins were identified.
9 chapters on shared surface
waters and 17 chapters on
shared aquifer systems, each
following a standardized structure
and methodology.
624 pages of detailed information
with 60 new maps and over 200
figures, tables and boxes.
Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia — Content
www.waterinventory.org
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 9

10. www.waterinventory.org
Inventory - Chapter Features - Groundwater

11. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Shared Water Resources in Western Asia
Cenozoic Era
Umm er Radhuma-Dammam
Aquifer System (North): Widyan-
Salman
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia
Umm er Radhuma-Dammam
Aquifer System (Centre): Gulf
Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia
Umm er Radhuma-Dammam
Aquifer System (South): Rub’ al
Khali
Oman, Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates,
Yemen
Neogene Aquifer System (South-
East), Dibdibba-Kuwait Group:
Dibdibba Delta Basin
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia
Neogene Aquifer System (North-
West), Upper and Lower Fars:
Jezira Basin
Iraq, Syria
Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System:
Wadi Sirhan Basin
Jordan, Saudi Arabia
Basalt Aquifer System (South):
Azraq-Dhuleil Basin
Jordan, Syria
Basalt Aquifer System (West):
Yarmouk Basin
Jordan, Syria
Coastal Aquifer Basin Egypt, Israel,
Palestine
Jezira Tertiary Limestone Aquifer
System
Syria, Turkey
Taurus-Zagros Iran, Iraq, Turkey
www.waterinventory.org

12. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Shared Water Resources in Western Asia
Mesozoic and Paleozoic Eras
Anti-Lebanon Lebanon, Syria
Western Aquifer Basin Egypt, Israel,
Palestine
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer
System (North): Sakaka-Rutba
Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer
System (South): Tawila-
Mahra/Cretaceous Sands
Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Saq-Ram Aquifer System (West) Jordan, Saudi Arabia
Wajid Aquifer System Saudi Arabia, Yemen
www.waterinventory.org

13. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer
System (South): Rub’ al Khali

14. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer
System (South): Rub’ al Khali
CompiledbyESCWA-BGRbasedonUN-ESCWAandBGR,1999
CompiledbyESCWA-BGRbasedonRizkandAlsharhan,2008;Ministry
ofRegionalMunicipalitiesandWaterResourcesinOman,2005

15. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Saq Ram Aquifer System (West)
Example:
Saq-Ram Aquifer System
(West) – ‘Disi’ Aquifer
• approximate exploitability
• groundwater development
2 July, 2014 15

16. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Saq Ram Aquifer System (West)
Agricultural Statistics
Example: Water Use
Remote Sensing Studies
Alsharhanetal.,2001.

17. VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.waterinventory.org
contact:
waterinventory@un.org
United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
P.O. Box 11-8575
Beirut, Lebanon
INVENTORY OF
SHARED WATER RESOURCES
IN WESTERN ASIA

18. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
Assistance in field of shared groundwater & aquifers
– KISR / ESCWA Workshop Shared Groundwater
Aquifers in GCC Countries, April 2014,
– ESCWA Presentation “Recent Developments at Global
and Regional Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers
with a Focus on Arab Gulf Countries”,
– Support and technical inputs to develop research
proposal on shared groundwater aquifers between
Kuwait and neighbouring countries,
Further activities envisaged
– Assistance in review of research proposal,
– Backstopping and advice through participation in
advisory committee.
Transboundary Aquifer Research cooperation
between Kuwait and neighbouring countries
www.waterinventory.org
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 18

19. 2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 19
ESCWA Requested by Palestinian Water Authority (PWA)
Based on ESCWA - BGR Inventory of Shared Water
Resources in Western Asia (2013)
UN ESCWA facilitated riparian dialogue, cooperating under
1997 UN Convention on Non-Navigational Uses of
International Water Courses
Addressed themes: Hydrology and hydrogeology,
historic development of water use and options for
further cooperation between riparian
First meeting: Amman, April 2014
Jordan River Basin Dialogue

20. Conclusions and Outlook 1/2
Water is included in
every
agreement/dispute
for it is involved in
many sectors (food,
energy..)
Understanding the benefits
of cooperation for each
riparian and focusing on
shared benefits (protection
of shared water resources)
rather than divided water.
Global and regional legal
frameworks for cooperation
are developing to also
address transboundary
aquifers
The lack of accurate
data (spatial extent of
Aquifer System
boundary) hampers
joint water resources
management.
Sharing
agreements need
to take into
account historic
& prior use
There is not a single
agreement on shared
groundwater resources in
the region at the Aquifer
System level.
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 20

21. Groundwater plays an
important role in surface
water basins, a link
which is often
overlooked.
A new thinking is required to
deal with large regional
aquifer systems from a shared
perspective.
Aquifer Management unit does
not equal to the entire Aquifer
System
It is already too late to
save some shared
waters
ESCWA BGR Inventory
useful to improved
understanding of shared
groundwater between
countries in the region.
Further joint
transboundary research
cooperation can be
developed with a focus
on win-win solutions for
all parties.
The Groundwater in the
region is largely non-
renewable & aquifers are
rapidly being depleted.
2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 21
Conclusions and Outlook 2/2

22. VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.waterinventory.org
contact:
waterinventory@un.org
Thank you for your attention!
United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
P.O. Box 11-8575
Beirut, Lebanon
Nanor Momjian
GIS Expert, Water Resources Section
Sustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD)
Ralf Klingbeil
Regional Advisor Environment and Water
Sustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD)