CE 397 Transboundary Water Resources COURSE OVERVIEW.

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