International cooperation in managing transboundary water resources can provide significant economic, environmental, social and political benefits to riparian countries. Regional cooperation allows for improved flood management and drought mitigation, increased hydropower production, expanded irrigation, navigation benefits, and other gains from coordinated planning and shared infrastructure development. Principles of equitable utilization, no significant harm, information sharing, and peaceful dispute resolution have emerged to guide cooperative management among riparian nations.

1. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
Why Riparian Countries Should
Cooperate in Transboundary
Water Resource Management?
Golam Rasul

2. Outline
1. Why Regional Cooperation is Important
2. Evolving Approaches to River basin
Management
3. Potential Benefits of Regional Cooperation
4. Implication for Afghanistan

3. Why Cooperation is Important?
• Philosophers: cooperation can improves human condition
• Cooperation also exists in animal world
• Economists: Cooperation can improve economy & society
through
– economies of scale, knowledge & information sharing,
Regional Public Goods
• Cooperation in transboundary water resources
– Up-stream downstream interdependencies &
geographical linkages- Synergy & mutual benefits
• Nature of Water Resources
– Consumptive & non-consumptive use of water
– Specific Value
– System Value

4. Example of consumptive &
non-consumptive use of water

5. •Communication
& notification
•Information
sharing
•Regional
assessments
•Negotiate & implement
national investments to
capture incremental
cooperative gains
•Adapt national plans to
mitigate regional costs
•Adapt national plans to
capture regional gains
•Joint project
assessment &
design
•Joint ownership
•Joint institutions
•Joint investment
1. Unilateral
Action
4. Joint
Action
2. Coordination 3. Collaboration
Cooperation ContinuumDispute Integration
A Cooperation Continuum: 4 types

6. Evolving Patterns of Transboundary Water
Resource Development
• The concept of transboundary river basin development
changing
• Single purpose: early river basin development efforts were
single-purpose
• Dual purpose: combining two development goals
• Multipurpose: pursue a number of goals simultaneously
• Comprehensive: basin-wide approach, multipurpose
development for both land & water resources
• Integrated approach goes further than “comprehensive”
approach, water as a “tool” for social & economic
development or “engine of development”

7. Potential Benefits of Regional Cooperation
Augmenting Dry Season
Water Availability
• Too Much-Too Little
Water
• Seasonal & spatial variation
water availability could be
tackled, to a some extent, by
storing the monsoonal water
in lakes, reservoirs, &
multipurpose river
development projects, …
• Drought mitigation
• Irrigation, agriculture, food
security, hydropower
generation

8. Potential Benefits of Regional Cooperation
• Mitigating Flood
Damage
– Huge flood damage
• Lead time of flood
forecasting can be
increased through
real time data
sharing
• Flood damage can
be reduced
substantially by
regional cooperation
Population affected by floods in
Bangladesh, India & Nepal

9. Improving regional connectivity
Potential waterways to connect
with the Bay of Bengal

10. Improving regional connectivity
Potential waterways to connect Bhutan &
North East India to the Bay of Bengal

11. Implications for Afghanistan
• Afghanistan is a landlocked
country
• Afghanistan-
– Total cultivated area : 7.9 million ha
– Rain-fed area 4.7 million ha
– Population affected from drought 2
million
• Hydropower potential is- 23,000 MW, 442
MW
• Per capita energy consumption is lowest in
the world
• Afghanistan-Pak 2 billion US$
• US$ 4000 to move a cargo from
Karchi to Afghan border
• Navigation through Indus &
Kabul river?
Tradingtimeandcosttoimportandexportacontainerinthelandlockedandcoastal
countriesofSouthAsia
Country Export Import
Time
(days)
Cost
(USDper
container)
Time
(days)
Cost
(USDpercontainer)
Afghanistan 86 5,045 91 5,680
Bangladesh 28 1,281 33 1,515
Bhutan 38 2,230 37 2,330
India 17 1,332 21 1,462
Nepal 40 2,545 39 2,650
Pakistan 21 765 18 1,005
SouthAsiaaverage* 38 1,603 40 1736
OECDaverage n.d. 1,028 n.d. 1080
Worldaverage 21.5 1,559 24 1,877
*AveragefigureforSouthAsiaisbasedonthedataofonlysixcountriespresentedinthistable.
n.d.=nodataavailable
Sources:WorldBank,2018

12. Thank you
All countries of the GBM region should
work together to achieve equitable and
sustainable socio-economic
development for the people in the
region without compromising the
sustainability of the ecosystem
through proper utilization of water
resources in the GBM basins

13. Conclusion & Way Forward
• Costs of non-cooperation is very high
– To transport 100,000 tons of freight from Kolkata to
Kathmandu costs NRs 66 million –if it were could be
transported through water ways the cost would be NRs
6.7 million.
– Every year Bangladesh, India & Nepal incurring huge
financial, economic & environmental cost due to flood that
could be avoided by joint efforts
• Development requires peace, but there can be no
peace without development.

14. Recommendations
• A basin-wide approach needed
• Focus should be optimum & efficient use of
water resources
• Planning & management: multipurpose &
integrated. Water sector should be integrated
with overall planning for economic & social
development

15. Recommendations
• Cooperative development: based on principles of
equality, mutual benefits,
• Develop framework for sharing benefits & costs
based on internationally accepted principles to
harness hydro power potentials
• Exploring the possibilities of joint projects for
development of shared water resources: short,
medium & long term measures

16. Recommendations
• Establishment of basin wide data bank, hydrological
networks & operational mechanisms for sharing
data
Developing appropriate mechanisms for conflict
resolutions & sharing benefits & costs.
• Moving from Geo-politics to Geo-economics

17. Evolving Principles of Transboundary Water
Resources Management
• Limited Territorial Sovereignty: use shared rivers without
prejudicing the rights & interests of the co-riparians
• Equitable & Reasonable Utilization: each basin state has
the right to a reasonable & equitable share of water
resources- not necessarily mean an equal share of waters.
• Not to Cause Significant Harm: no states are allowed to
use the watercourses in such away that cause significant
harm to other basin states or to their environment

18. Evolving Principles of Transboundary Water
Resources Management
• Notification, Consultation & Negotiation: Every riparian
state is entitled to prior notice when use by another riparian
may cause serious harm to its rights or interest.
• Cooperation and Information Exchange: each riparian state
should cooperate & exchange data & information regarding
the state of the watercourse and current & future planned
uses
• Peaceful Settlement of Disputes: all states should seek a
settlement of the disputes by peaceful means

19. Status of Cooperation & Collaboration
• Nepal & India signed an agreement in 1996 for
integrated development of the Mahakali River
including Sarada Barrage, Tanakpur Barrage &
Pancheshwar Project
• Bangladesh & India signed a treaty in 1996 on
sharing of the Ganges waters at Farakka
• Bhutan & India signed 10 agreements on water
hydropower development & data sharing
• China- India signed an MoU in 2002 & renewed in
2005 for hydro-metrological data sharing

20. Thank youEconomic Environmental Social Political
Benefits to
Bangladesh
Flood moderation, Reduce flood and
minimize flood damage, Dry season
water, increased navigation,
increased regional trade
Maintenance of
minimum river flows and
preservation of
ecosystems, control of
saline intrusion, reduced
river bank erosion,
receiving hydro-
metrological data
Public health
improvement , less
social tension
Better relationship
with neighboring
countries, less
political tension,
Benefits to
Bhutan
Bhutan’s electricity market may
expand to other regional countries
that will enhance its bargaining power.
Bhutan may get access to sea
through water ways and it may
overcome its landlocknes
More sustainable use of
water & other natural
resources through
access to regional
economy, technology &
science
Employment, Low-
cost power to villages,
Improved living
standard & well-
being,
Capacity development
through management
of mega projects
There is significant
power asymmetry in
South Asia region.
Through moving from
bilateral to regional
cooperation Bhutan
can gain more
power.
Benefits to
India
More surface irrigation water &
groundwater pumping, flood control,
Inexpensive power less than
alternative cost of generation, Life of
coal & hydrocarbon reserve will
increase, Sale of equipment: turbine;
power line machinery, Utilization of
skilled labor, Reduction in industry
load shedding, Reduction in oil
imports (foreign exchange saving)
Reduction of
environmental pollution
Reduce flood and
minimize flood damage
Better relationship
with neighboring
countries, less
tension, less military
expenditure, higher
recognition in
international for a,
Security Council
Member !
Benefits of collaborative management of transboundary water resources (1)

21. Thank youEconomic Environmental Social Political
Benefits
to Nepal
Resource value, Royalty of site, Submergence
cost, Environment cost, Revenue gains from
Custom duties on imported material, Income
tax, Dividend share from: power sale; irrigation
water;
Reduced flood and minimize flood damage
Higher price of electricity through downstream
benefits of flood moderation & increased dry
season water flow, increased bargaining
power,
Inland and Sea navigational benefits; overcome
landlockness, reduced transport cost, increased
regional trade
Dry season water, increased navigation,
Inland water transport t, access to sea and
water transport to Nepal and Bhutan, reduced
transportation, faster access to sea,
Substitution of electricity
for fuelwood will have
beneficial effects on the
environment; will reduce
pressure on forests & will
improve water & air
quality
Employment, Low-
cost power to
villages, Positive
impact on health,
reduce time spent in
gathering wood,
Reduce water related
diseases
Capacity
development
through
management of
mega projects
Nepal can gain more
power. through moving
from bilateral to regional
cooperation
Benefits
to
China
Utilization of untapped water resources of river
….
More sustainable use of
water & other natural
resources through access to
regional economy,
technology & science
Improved living
standard & economic
well-being,
less social tension
Improved relationship
with South Asian
countries
Benefits of collaborative management of transboundary water resources (2)