The document discusses the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Procedures, which are tools for multinational cooperation and basin development planning in the Mekong River Basin. It describes the key MRC Procedures, including Procedures for Data Exchange, Water Use Monitoring, Notification of Planned Projects, Maintenance of River Flows, and Water Quality. It highlights examples of implementation, such as water quality monitoring, notification of hydropower projects through the PNPCA, and monitoring of river flows. The document emphasizes that the full and cooperative implementation of all the MRC Procedures by the four member countries can help ensure sustainable and equitable development and management of water resources across the basin.

1. MRC Procedures – An IWRM tool for
multinational cooperation and the
support to basin development planning
Water Land and Ecosystems Forum 2015, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2. Water Conflict
Water conflict is a term describing a conflict
between countries, states, or groups over an
access to water resources
The United Nations recognizes that water
disputes result from opposing interests of water
users, public or private

3. • China-India: The Brahmaputra River : the agricultural
industry in India’s Assam plains vs a series of
hydroelectric plants in China located in Tibetan plateau
• Ethiopia-Egypt: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
and the Nile River : the Ethiopian government’s ‘Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’ vs water supplies in
Egypt as downstream
International Water Conflicts to Watch

4. The Mekong Region

5. Signing the 1995 Mekong Agreement
A common interest in jointly managing the
member Countries shared water resources and
developing economic potential in the river.

6. 1995
Mekong
Agreement
Agreement
between
the
Member
Countries
on
the
objec4ves,
ins4tu4ons
and
governance
required
for
coopera4on
5
Procedures
Agreement
in
the
Council
on
the
‘Policy’
required
to
enable
coopera4on
6
Technical
Guidelines
Agreement
in
the
Joint
Commi@ee
on
how
to
implement
the
‘Policy’

7. § Procedures for Data, Information
Exchange and Sharing (PDIES)
§ Procedures for Water Use Monitoring
(PWUM)
§ Procedures for Notification, Prior
Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA)
§ Procedures for the Maintenance of Flows
on the Mainstream (PMFM)
§ Procedures for Water Quality (PWQ)
MRC Procedures

8. 1. Data
and
informa4on
Services
for
MRC
monitoring
systems.
2. Web
Map
Services
for
Geo-­‐Spa4al
data
of
LMB.
3. Data
Service
&
Download
provide
search
engine
based
on
PDIES
data
groups
and
ISO
19115
categories
for
data
and
informa4on
sharing.
New
MRC
Data
portal
Interface

9. On-line information sharing for
progress work of PDIES
implementation
MRC
Web
portal
Input
informa4on
and
related
documents
to
PDIES
web
page
(h@p://portal.reamra.com/mrc-­‐procedures)

10. Cambodia: Stung Pursat
Catchment
Lao PDR: Xedone Catchment
Thailand: Lam Dom Noi
Catchment
Viet Nam: Srepork Catchment

11. § 48 primary monitoring
stations
§ 18 water quality parameters
were monitored
§ Data for 2014 routine water
quality monitoring placed in
the MRC data portal for
sharing
§ Capacity strengthening
activities/ laboratories
The routine water quality
monitoring of the Mekong
River and its tributaries

12. Implementation of the PNPCA
• Establishing mechanism to notify the Member Countries of changes in the
water use which may affect the system
• 49 projects have been notified by Member Countries, including the
proposed Xayaburi hydropower project

13. Impact from PNPCA
• Dialogue for member countries
• Redesign of the Xayaburi Hydropower Project
addressing concern from MRC member countries
• Public consultation on the Don Sahong Hydropower
Project
http://www.poweringprogress.org/new/images/PDF/
DEB_and_DEPP_Presentation/
DEB_XayaburiProject_DevDiv.pdf

14. Monitoring Flows
• The PMFM implementation in a learning-by-doing
approach
• Daily water flows during the wet and dry seasons at
each of the selected 11 hydrological stations along the
mainstream
• Improvement of the webpage
http://pmfm.mrcmekong.org/

15. STRUCTURE
OF
THE
JOINT
PLATFORM
Advisory Committee (Senior
Members of MCs,MRCS CEO)
Supported by selected TWG reps,
relevant MRC Programmes
Regional Technical Platform
(selected TWG Representatives)
Supported by relevant MRC
Progammes
Recommend
ExisAng
Technical
Working
Group
PNPCA
JCWG,
TACT,
TRG,TBWQ

16. MRC Procedures interlinked to
support transboundary cooperation

17. q The MRC Procedures are tools for cooperation. Their successful
implementation relies on the ‘Mekong Spirit’, and full cooperation
by all the countries.
q By implementing the all the MRC Procedures together the four
Member Countries can ensure that the use and development of
water resources is fair and sustainable, and that their needs are
considered in the other countries water resource development,
and that changes in flow patterns can be fully understood
Key Messages

18. www.mrcmekong.org
The
linkages
between
MRC
Procedures
and
basin
planning
Dr.
Anoulak
Kikhoun
Coordinator,
Basin
Development
Plan
(BDP)
Programme
Mekong
River
Commission

19. www.mrcmekong.org

20. www.mrcmekong.org
Synergy
of
Procedures
with
basin
planning
[ The
Procedures
are
there
to
support
Mekong
basin
development
and
management
-­‐
thus
to
support
the
Basin
Development
Strategy
(BDS)
[ When
this
is
rela4onship
is
not
clear
or
when
basin
planning
and
the
development/implementa4on
of
the
Procedures
go
‘out
of
sync’
(as
happened
during
the
implementa4on
of
WUP
and
BDP1),
the
Procedures
may
be
seen
by
some
countries
as
restraining
and/or
ineffec4ve
mechanisms
that
dis-­‐benefit
na4onal
interests
(WUP
Evalua4on
Report,
December
2007)

21. www.mrcmekong.org
Synergy
of
basin
planning
with
the
Procedures
PMFM
and
PWQ
support
the
‘boundary’
of
the
Development
Opportunity
Space
(DOS)
in
the
Basin
Development
Strategy:
[ i.e.
a
common
understanding
of
what
transboundary
impacts
and
risks
may
be
considered
acceptable
across
the
whole
basin
[ PMFM
and
PWQ
are
used
also
to
monitor
whether
the
DOS
‘boundary’
is
maintained
and
projects
are
operated
according
to
any
condi4ons
required
in
the
PNPCA
PDIES
and
PWUM
provide
the
data
needed
to
undertake
basin
level
planning
and
monitor
development
(including
condi4ons
agreed
in
the
PNPCA
process)
PNPCA
ensures
that
no4fied
projects
are
within
the
DOS
and
designed,
constructed
and
operated
to
avoid,
minimize
and
mi4gate
adverse
transboundary
impacts
However,
none
of
the
Procedures
address
transboundary
environmental
and
social
impacts
–
these
are
addressed
through
BDP’s
scenario
assessments
and
other
transboundary
impact
studies
requested
by
JC
under
PNPCA

22. Thank you for your attention.

23. Open Discussion
q Is the MRC Procedures are effective?
q What can be done to improve the
effectiveness of Procedures
implementation?