CE 397 Transboundary Water Resources
COURSE OVERVIEW
Issue - Availability of adequate supply of acceptable quality water In a world of plentiful water resources
No competition and tension over development, protection and use of water
Decisions made on a unilateral basis to meet national objectives
Effects on downstream countries largely ignored. In our world
Decisions made by consultation, negotiation, information sharing, and cost allocation among countries sharing a limited resource
Domestic and international politics, national priorities, and skewed perceptions of the costs, benefits and risks of different actions considered in reaching multilateral agreements on the use, protection and development of transboundary water resources
International River Basins
Water in the International Arena
We continuously read about the threat of "water wars" in the press, where one country is likely to use military force to achieve its objectives of water use.
Several international groups have warned of the threat of a "water crisis" looming in the coming century.
Several area of the world are regularly mentioned as having tense negotiation over shared river basins: Jordan, Ganges-Bramaputra, and Tigres-Euphrates.
In US, shared water resources with Canada and Mexico are now under increased scrutiny and negotiation resulting from the environmental side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In EU, multiple water “directives” are being implemented across 25 nations.
Course Objectives
Planning, policy, and development of water resources in an international setting Water rights and international water law, Economic analysis International development goals and institutions
Transboundary waters - water sources shared among several nations
Course focus Countries with developed, transitional, and developing
economies using extensive case studies for several basins.
Course taught in participatory, seminar style Students take a very active role
Specific Objectives
Understand: Context of international and international water
resources issues and their relation to engineering planning and design, economic development and regional security.
Advantages and limitations of international water agreements and how they affect water resources development, especially in transboundary situations.
Planning and management decision-making processes in selected basins of the world.
Literature in international water resources planning and development.
Housekeeping
Prerequisites Graduate standing
Text Elhance, “Hydropolitics”
Homework Readings and selected writing assignments. See “Student Performance Standards”
Exams None
Grading (Participation: 30%; Writing: 70%) A >= 90, B >= 80, C >= 70 See “Student Performance Standards”
Global Water Resources
Only this portion is renewable
saline (salt) water: 10 to 100g/L (34g/L)brackish water: 1 to 10g/Lfreshwater: <1g/L
Global Water Cycle
Principal sources of fresh water for human activities
Global Water Availability
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Withdrawal (km3/yr)
Population (million)
Population and Water Use
global freshwater use is ~4000 km3/year~10% of the renewable supply (44,800km3/year)
Global Water Withdrawal & Consumption
Global Water Use
INFORMATION ON GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES L’vovitch, 1974, “World water resources and their
future”. Based on water balance approach and drawing on a large amount of information on stream flow gathered from around the world, it proposed a table of water resources by country, including water resources generated in the country and flows from neighbouring countries
Shiklomanov (1997, 1998 and 2000) provides the most up-to-date sources of information on water resources at regional and continental level
World Resources Institute (2000) provides the most recent systematic information about water resources at country level. http://earthtrends.wri.org/
Typical domestic water use
100-600L/person/day (high-income) 50-100L/person/day (low-income) 10-40L/person/day (water scarce)
Differences in domestic freshwater use: Piped distribution or
carried Number/type of appliances and sanitation
Water Stress Index
Based on human consumption and linked to population growth
Domestic requirement: 100L/person/day = 40m3/person/year
Associated agricultural, industrial & energy need: 20 x 40m3/person/year
Total need: 840m3/person/year
Water Stress Index
For moderately developed countries in arid zones, renewable freshwater resources below 1,000 m3/person/year results in chronic water scarcity impeding development and harming human health
Water scarcity: <1000 m3 /person/year chronic and widespread freshwater problems
Water stress: <1700 m3 /person/year intermittent, localised shortages of freshwater
Relative sufficiency: >1700 m3 /person/year
Water Stress (m3/person/year)
Water Stress (withdrawal as % of available)
Water Crisis?
Predictions of water stress are based on population projections
What does the global figure (10% use of renewable freshwater) fail to represent? Spatial distribution of water resources Temporal distribution of water resources Distribution & pattern of water use Quality of water resources
Water Crisis?
2000: 75% of population lives in countries using >20% of supply
2025: 33% of population will live in countries using >60% of supply
What is the problem with using such a large proportion of supply? assumes no other value or use of freshwater
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