Transboundary Water Management Research Articles

Exogenous, Endogenous, and Peripheral Actors: A Situational Analysis of Stakeholder Inclusion within Transboundary Water Governance

Transboundary water governance involves collaborative decision-making across geopolitical boundaries to manage shared water resources sustainably. While this approach integrates public, private, and community efforts, little scrutiny has been directed toward the involvement of non-institutionally affiliated stakeholders. This study critically examines stakeholder participation in Upper Klamath Basin water governance by investigating how deficiencies in stakeholder inclusion impede transboundary water management processes by favoring institutionally affiliated actors. Findings reveal the differential influence of “endogenous” (directly involved), “exogenous” (indirectly involved), and “peripheral” (limited engagement and influence) actors. While endogenous and exogenous actors have formal or informal ties to institutions, peripheral actors lack institutional affiliation(s), making it difficult for them to participate in and ultimately influence water governance decision-making processes. Their limited access to financial, natural, and social capital further restricts their engagement with governance efforts. This imbalance underscores challenges to equity and inclusion in transboundary water governance processes. Addressing the exclusion of peripheral actors from transboundary water governance requires that governance institutions prioritize equity and inclusivity, fostering transparency, incentivizing inclusive practices, and comparing engagement processes to enhance effectiveness and equity in transboundary water management.

Book Review — A Transboundary Water Management that Works: Review of the Book Border Water by Steve Mumme

Book Review — A Transboundary Water Management that Works: Review of the Book Border Water by Steve Mumme

An approach to complex transboundary water management in Central Asia: Evolutionary cooperation in transboundary basins under the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus

Water-related issues in transboundary basins are generally complicated by the challenges of climate change, the historical evolution of the basin characteristics, and the different interests of the riparian countries. Therefore, dealing with water-sharing and water cooperation problems among basin countries needs to be based on multi-factor system analysis in the context of regional water, energy, food (land) resources, and ecosystems. In the present study, the Aral Sea basin in Central Asia, where transboundary water problems are extremely prominent and complex, was selected as the research area. Firstly, the characteristics of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus of the Aral Sea basin are analyzed. Then, based on the game theory, a multi-objective game model is constructed, and the multi-objective evolutionary game process and evolutionary stable strategies (ESSs) of both the upstream and downstream countries are explored. Finally, the evolutionary stable strategy under the intervention of the basin commission is simulated. The results show that there are obvious reciprocal feedbacks among water, land, energy, and ecosystem in the Aral Sea basin, and the uneven distribution of natural resources, fragile ecosystems, and conflicting demands of multiple actors lead to the unstable evolution of the nexus. Driven by the maximization of upstream and downstream countries’ respective interests, the optimal stabilization strategy of the system cannot be realized. Whereas, the introduction of the basin commission intervention and its restraint mechanism is conducive to promoting cooperation and maximizing the overall benefits of the basin. The incentives and penalties of the basin commission have significant effects on whether the system can reach Pareto optimality, and higher incentive coefficient and penalty coefficient help the system converge to the ideal state more quickly. The evolution of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus based on the perspective of the whole basin can provide theoretical support for dealing with the transboundary water conflicts, and the cooperation strategy aiming at maximizing the overall benefits of the basin can provide decision-making basis for promoting transboundary water cooperation and synergistic development of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus.

The rise of counter hydro-hegemony and the deconstruction of old narratives in the eastern Nile basin

ABSTRACT This article examines the advent of the new counter-hydro-hegemony and its role in deconstructing age-old hydro-hegemony myths in the eastern Nile basin. As the most critical hydro-political issues in the Eastern Nile basin have been overcoming past legacies, hydro-hegemony, power asymmetry and evolving geopolitical situations, employing a qualitative research approach, the article emphasizes the various counter hydro hegemony strategies used by the upper riparian states to avert the ever-exited hydro-hegemonic scenario in the Eastern Nile basin, which is often overlooked in conventional trans-boundary water analysis. The findings depicted that Egypt's hydro hegemony in the Eastern Nile basin is being challenged in two ways. On the one hand, the initiation of basin-wide agreements like Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), which is based on reasonable and equitable utilization approaches. On the other hand, initiating development projects on the Nile water was used as an expression of the right to use shared rivers’ water. The building of massive hydroelectric dams and irrigation canals in Ethiopia and South Sudan are self-evident examples. Both have been critical not only in deconstructing age-old hydro-hegemonic narratives, but also in foreseeing the end of inequitable trans-boundary water management. Thus, counter-hydro hegemonic actions in current Nile basin hydro-politics foreshadow the deconstruction of hoary hydro-political narratives in the Nile basin.

Trans-boundary water management during the peace process in Korean peninsula: Solution finding from previous precedents

South Korea and North Korea are divided states and armed-conflict counterparties. Peace building has been pursued since the 1953 Armistice Agreement, but no meaningful results have been achieved. Recently, tensions have risen in the transboundary maritime areas around the NLL, the provisional maritime delimitation line between the two Koreas. Two Koreas' unique circumstances require case studies between divided and/or armed-conflict States focusing on maritime areas. From the first case of maritime delimitation under the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan to the divided States and/or the armed-conflict States case, i.e. the East and West Germany case, the Cyprus case, the Northern Ireland case, the Israel-Jordan case), this paper aims to extract legal implications and lessons for the peaceful management of transboundary maritime areas and waters surrounding the NLL. Till now two Koreas have only agreed on transboundary maritime management with the issue-specific approach. For the future, in addition to the achievement of the issue-specific approach to the transboundary maritime management, it needs to consider the integrated maritime management, such as the MSP.

Towards an Indian land data assimilation system (ILDAS): A coupled hydrologic-hydraulic system for water balance assessments

Effective management of water resources requires reliable estimates of land surface states and fluxes, including water balance components. But most land surface models run in uncoupled mode and do not produce river discharge at catchment scales to be useful for water resources management applications. Such integrated systems are also rare over India where hydrometeorological extremes have wreaked havoc on the economy and people. So, an Indian Land Data Assimilation System (ILDAS) with a coupled land surface and a hydrodynamic model has been developed and driven by multiple meteorological forcings (0.1°, daily) to estimate land surface states, channel discharge, and floodplain inundation. ILDAS benefits from an integrated framework as well as the largest suite of observation records collected over India and has been used to produce a reanalysis product for 1981–2021 using four forcing datasets, namely, Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS), ECMWF’s ERA-5, and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) gridded precipitation. We assessed the uncertainty and bias in these precipitation datasets and validated all major components of the terrestrial water balance, i.e., surface runoff, soil moisture, terrestrial water storage anomalies, evapotranspiration, and streamflow, against a combination of satellite and in situ observation datasets. Our assessment shows that ILDAS can represent the hydrological processes reasonably well over the Indian landmass with IMD precipitation showing the best relative performance. Evaluation against ESA-CCI soil moisture shows that MERRA-2 based estimates outperform the others, whereas ERA-5 performs best in simulating evapotranspiration when evaluated against MODIS ET. Evaluations against observed records show that CHIRPS-based estimates have the highest performance in reconstructing surface runoff and streamflow. Once operational, this system will be useful for supporting transboundary water management decision making in the region.

Border Water: The Politics of U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Water Management, 1945–2015, By Stephen Paul Mumme

Border Water: The Politics of U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Water Management, 1945–2015, By Stephen Paul Mumme

Open-access remote sensing data for cooperation in transboundary water management

ABSTRACT Open-access remote sensing products provide data for transboundary water management. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the applications, uncertainties and implications of these remote sensing data products in the context of transboundary water management. Focusing on different stages within the transboundary cooperation continuum, we delineate the potential role and application of remote sensing data at the various stages of this cooperation. Despite the uncertainties and capacity requirements for data acquisition, processing and interpretation, we argue that remote sensing broadens opportunities to monitor, assess, forecast, track or validate compliance in transboundary basins, thereby challenging traditional notions of water data exclusivity.

Examining the Accuracy of Using a Single Short-Term Historical Flow Period to Assess the Nile’s Downstream Water Deficit from GERD Filling: A Technical Note

Increasing water and energy demands, hydroclimatic fluctuations, damming, and usage rights disputes present major challenges in managing transboundary rivers worldwide. Of particular interest is the Eastern Nile River Basin (ENRB), which is subject to broad debate over which modeling approach should be applied to resolve the disparities in transboundary water management among the river’s riparian nations, under increased upstream damming. Several studies have simulated the downstream High Aswan Dam (HAD) storage change during the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) filling under different hydrological conditions. However, their findings diverge regarding the impacts of GERD filling on HAD storage, especially when considering a specific, naturalized, historical 10-year period to represent the average flow condition used, as a benchmark for assessing potential downstream impacts. Our extended analysis of the Nile flow historical records demonstrates that considering a single historical 10-year period to simulate the downstream water budget, as performed in Wheeler et al. (Nat Commun 11:5222, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19089-x), widely communicated to policymakers as a robust proof that GERD filling will not generate a deficit at HAD under average flow conditions, is inconclusive as it strongly depend on the selection of the historical inflow period, due to the river high interannual flow variability. Our simulation results of 20 average/near average historical flow periods in Wheeler et al. (Nat Commun 11:5222, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19089-x)’s datasheet indicates that 60% of them generates a downstream water deficit ranging from 0.5 to 14.5 BCM under the same modeling conditions and filling policy. Therefore, considering the simulation results of multiple flow sequences is crucial for accurately reflecting the impact of the Nile’s high interannual flow variability on downstream water deficit assessments, thereby settling the disparities in transboundary water management forecasts for the impacts of GERD filling and operation.

Vízgazdálkodás – Ghána

Having a tropical climate, Ghana experience high rainfall per year making water resources abundant in the country. The major water resources in the country include; lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and groundwater. Unfortunately, the management of these water resources by ensuring there is sufficient water of adequate quality for drinking and other benefits has been a challenge to government institutions responsible for the planning and execution of policies to manage and sustain these resources. The three major management problem are pollution, flood, and drought. The Government of Ghana in 2022 uses key tracker and indicator as an innovative way of monitoring the progress made in the country’s effort to address menace of illegal mining that pollute water resources in Ghana (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, 2023). Dam safety Regulation LI 2236 of 2016 was established as an innovative way safeguarding dams to prevent flooding (WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION, 2021). Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and consultants use treated sludges and waste water for nursing vegetable seedlings, flash flood forecasting app for detecting early flood warning, using technology to recycle carwash water for re-use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) together with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) through the Capacity Building Initiative for transparency (CBIT) project was aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of Ghana climate ambitious reporting programme for climate action and support (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, 2023). Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) a project of World bank, The Sahel groundwater Initiative by CIWA, Transboundary water management in Africa by European union and other initiatives seeks to assist Africa including Ghana with innovation ways in realizing the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) which calls for ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The government and the institutions responsible for safe guarding the water resources must invest in innovative methods in managing this great resource.

Integrating Open-Source Datasets to Analyze the Transboundary Water–Food–Energy–Climate Nexus in Central Asia

In today’s intrinsically connected world, the Water–Food–Energy–Climate Nexus (WFEC Nexus) concept provides a starting point for informed and transparent decision-making based on the trade-offs and synergies between different sectors, including aquatic ecosystems, food security, energy production, and climate neutrality. The WFEC Nexus approach is particularly applicable in regions requiring transboundary water management, such as Central Asia. Unfortunately, this region with unevenly distributed water resources—consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—is characterized by data scarcity, which limits informed decision-making. However, open-source geodata is becoming increasingly available. This paper aims to fill Central Asia’s WFEC Nexus data gap by providing an overview of key data. We collected geodata through an integrated survey of stakeholders and researchers, stakeholder consultation, and literature screening. Sixty unique datasets were identified, belonging to one of six thematic categories: (1) climate, (2) hydrology, (3) geography and topography, (4) geomorphology, (5) ecology, and (6) anthropogenic uses. For each dataset, a succinct description, including a link to the online source, is provided. We also provide possible applications of using the presented datasets, demonstrating how they can assist in conducting various studies linked to the WFEC Nexus in Central Asia and worldwide.

Border Water: The Politics of U.S. –Mexico Transboundary Water Management, 1945–2015 by Stephen Paul Mumme (review)

Border Water: The Politics of U.S. –Mexico Transboundary Water Management, 1945–2015 by Stephen Paul Mumme (review)

Reservoir operation impacts on streamflow and sediment dynamics in the transboundary river basin, Vietnam

AbstractHuman interventions activities around the world, particularly reservoir operation, have dramatically altered hydrological and sediment regimes in most of the major river basins. In the Mekong River, specifically the Upper Srepok River Basin (USRB) which is a main tributary of the river basin connected to the Mekong Delta's rice bowl and the Tonle Sap Lake's top inland fisheries, there are increasing concerns about the impacts of cascade reservoir operations on downstream streamflow and sediment budgets. Previous studies estimating impacts either relied solely on observed data or did not verify simulations of regulated streamflow. Using a process‐based hydrological model calibrated and validated for both natural and regulated streamflow in the USRB, it was found that the monthly hydrological changes were up to ±20% compared to pre‐dam periods at the most downstream station bordering between Vietnam and Cambodia (i.e., Ban Don station). The basin also experienced a slight decrease (less than 2%) in annual streamflow. Additionally, average and peak suspended sediment concentration decreased significantly in both of the annual and seasonal periods. At the Ban Don station, sediment loads were reduced 140 thousand tons/year (i.e., 15%) compared to pre‐dam period. Most of the changes in streamflow and sediment budgets in the basin were driven by the Buon Tua Srah reservoir, which had the highest degree of regulation in the basin. Therefore, integrated and transboundary water and sediment management, particularly at Buon Tua Srah reservoir, needs to be developed for the sustainability of the river basin.

Estimates of Sudan’s historical water withdrawals from the Nile

Lacking reliable information on water withdrawals in the Nile Basin poses a major challenge for efficient water management. The annual amount of water withdrawn from the Nile in Sudan has been a notable research gap, with implications for various aspects. In the current research, we employed three methods to estimate the historical water withdrawals of Sudan from the Nile. These methods are based on (i) closing water balance by using river discharge and evaporation losses from surface water bodies, (ii) estimating incremental evapotranspiration through satellite information, and (iii) accounting for water needed for domestically-produced agricultural commodities. The results indicate that Sudan's water withdrawal from the Nile has increased substantially over the last decades. The highest magnitude of water withdrawal was observed during the last decade (2011–2020). Depending on the method used, this estimate ranged, on average, between 16.0 ± 2.2 km3 and 17.8 ± 1.3 km3. Given Sudan’s ambitious plans to expand the irrigated croplands horizontally, this upward trend in water withdrawal is likely to continue. To cope with the expected limitation in water resources, Sudan should adopt a vertical development pathway in the agricultural sector that prioritizes enhancing water use efficiency and improving crop productivity. The current research findings have immediate and far-reaching implications for the mode of development in the water and agriculture sectors in the country and transboundary water management.

A New Framework of 17 Hydrological Ecosystem Services (HESS17) for Supporting River Basin Planning and Environmental Monitoring

Hydrological ecosystem services (HESS) describe the benefits of water for multiple purposes with an emphasis on environmental values. The value of HESS is often not realized because primary benefits (e.g., food production, water withdrawals) get the most attention. Secondary benefits such as water storage, purification or midday temperature cooling are often overlooked. This results in an incorrect evaluation of beneficial water usage in urban and rural resettlements and misunderstandings when land use changes are introduced. The objective of this paper is to propose a standard list of 17 HESS indicators that are in line with the policy and philosophy of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and that are measurable with earth observation technologies in conjunction with GIS and hydrological models. The HESS17 framework considered indicators that can be directly related to water flows, water fluxes and water stocks; they have a natural characteristic with minimal anthropogenic influence and must be quantifiable by means of earth observation models in combination with GIS and hydrological models. The introduction of a HESS framework is less meaningful without proper quantification procedures in place. Because of the widely diverging management options, the role of water should be categorized as (i) consumptive use (i.e., evapotranspiration and dry matter production) and (ii) non-consumptive use (stream flow, recharge, water storage). Governments and responsible agencies for integrated water management should recognize the need to include HESS17 in water allocation policies, water foot-printing, water accounting, transboundary water management, food security purposes and spatial land-use planning processes. The proposed HESS17 framework and associated methods can be used to evaluate land, soil and water conservation programs. This paper presents a framework that is non-exhaustive but can be realistically computed and applicable across spatial scales.

Testing the Predictive Power of Hydro-Economic Supply-Side Input–Output Models Under Different Water Availability and Economic Conditions Over Time in a Transboundary River Basin

Although the temporal transferability of input–output (IO) models has been examined before, no study has investigated the impacts of changing water availability conditions over time, e.g., due to climate change, on the predictive power of water-inclusive IO models. To address this gap, we investigate the performance of inter-regional supply-side input–output (ISIO) models that incorporate precipitation and water intake under varying climates over time in a transboundary water management context. Using the Saskatchewan River Basin in Western Canada as a case study, we develop four ISIO models based on available economic and hydrological data from years with different climatic conditions, i.e., two dry and two wet years. Accounting for price changes over these years, our findings indicate that the joint impact of changes in water availability and economic structural changes on economic output can be considerable. The results furthermore show that each model performs particularly well in predicting the economic output for similar climatic years. The models remain reliable in predicting economic outputs over several years as long as changes in water availability are within the range observed in the water-inclusive base year ISIO model.

Cooperative Governance of Transboundary Water in Greater Mekong Subregion: Challenges in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation

Rivers not only provide the most basic water resources but also pertain to national strategic resources with crucial implications. When it comes to international relationships, transboundary water management is a major topic under discussion. Nowadays, numerous riparian countries worldwide are involved in the issue of transboundary water governance. Better cooperative governance of transboundary water among countries could facilitate economic progress and enhance sustainable development. This paper took Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as a case study, analyzed challenges in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and put forward prospective solutions to address these problems in the hope of deepening the cooperation in managing the shared water resources within the river basin and further providing potential support for worldwide major river basin cooperative governance. By employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper found that current challenges for cooperation in the GMS are mainly: disputes over benefit distribution among countries upstream and downstream, different utilization of water resources and complex coordination, and multi-player games in the GMS.

Transboundary Water Governance Scholarship: A Critical Review

Governing and managing the allocation and use of freshwater has always been a complex and fraught undertaking. The challenges to effective and equitable management have been exacerbated by rising pressures on supplies caused by such drivers as population growth, urbanization and climate change. Moreover, vast quantities of water straddle international and other boundaries—four-fifths of the world’s largest river basins and hundreds of aquifers span such borders. This further complicates management and governance, which is subject to disparate legal, political, administrative, financial, cultural and diplomatic conditions. Recognition in the literature and in practice of ‘transboundariness’ dates to the 1970s and has grown since. The authors trace the evolution of transboundary water scholarship and identify five framings used in transboundary water governance and management: conflict and cooperation; hydropolitics; hydrodiplomacy; scale; and disciplinary approaches. Transboundary water management initiatives can be viewed through three broad strands: interventions, advancements in governance strategies and democratization of data and information for strengthening science–policy interaction. The authors close with a discussion of future directions for transboundary water governance and management, emphasizing the need for additional research on how to deal with climate-related and other mounting challenges.

The impoverishment of political discourse and legal rights in transboundary Teesta water management

AbstractBangladesh has consistently claimed an equitable distribution of Teesta river water sharing. However, it consistently has a lower use and share than India. This qualitative article investigates the issues to the unresolved Teesta water agreement which challenges to transboundary water management between the two riparian countries. The political debates between India and Bangladesh and how riparian water rights are understood in light of the international law are the scope of this article. This article also uses and exemplifies global empirical pieces of evidence to relate to the case of Teesta water sharing. In the findings, this article highlights a new quest of water diplomacy for sustainable Teesta water sharing. These questions are discussed and debated throughout the article. The methodology of this article is confined to two sources: primary data from international conventions, laws, regulations, and court judgments; and secondary data, which are gathered from journals, newspapers, websites, periodicals, dissertations, research reports, and other documents related to the research topic. The descriptive and suggestive nature of the qualitative data analysis method has been highlighted.

Win–win Strategies for Transboundary Water Management During the GERD Operating Stage

The list of challenges associated with the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Resistance Dam (GERD) now includes global concern over climate change. Due to their inability to reach a legally enforceable agreement on how to address watershed degradation and water quality, riparian nations are already experiencing peace and security issues. A win–win strategy seeks to develop collaborative solutions to transboundary water management problems while maximizing the benefits for both parties. This paper aims to develop, evaluate, and analyze win–win transboundary water management strategies during the operating stage of GERD. Using value engineering (VE), functional analysis system technique (FAST), and life cycle cost (LCC), the optimal win–win strategy is determined. The study uncovered four distinct value options for various win–win strategies. According to the study results, the third win–win strategy is the most effective way to help both upstream and downstream nations retain peace, as it seeks to encourage riparian countries to collaborate by: i) developing cooperative regulatory policy; ii) switching to renewable energy supported by GERD; and iii) reducing water loss. This study advances our understanding of the topic by providing policymakers with a tool to: i) evaluate win–win strategies for managing transboundary water; and ii) incorporate the added value and functionality into policies regarding transboundary water management.