Identification and Diagnosis of Transboundary River Basin Water Management in China and Neighboring Countries

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated that a complex distribution of water resources, regional development, and management mechanisms create significant management challenges for transboundary river basins. We utilized diagnostic thinking to examine the water management issues of the 14 main transboundary watersheds in three regions (Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest) of China. Our four diagnosis points were water quantity, water quality, ecological stability and human health, and cooperation among watershed stakeholders. We found that the watersheds faced varying water management issues. The Indus and Ganges basins have the worst problems, whereas the Tarim basin’s ecological environment is the most vulnerable and the Ob basin is the fittest. Therefore, depending on each basin’s results, we provide practical water management ideas for each. Furthermore, we summarized and classified the geographical settings of each basin and determined the water management issues in each major region in China. Our results provide direction for both new research on and cooperation with transboundary basin water management.