River Basin Management

River Basin Management

Building Knowledge for Change

SAWI Overview

SAWI Objective

Promote better water management within and between South Asian countries, emphasizing regional cooperation and adaptation to climate change

Goal of poverty alleviation and sustainable, equitable growth

Process Inter-disciplinary, inter-sectoral and inclusive

Building and balancing: New knowledge

Information-based multi-stakeholder dialogue

Strategic, sustainable investments

SAWI: Three level portfolio

Regional• Seven countries with rivers of the Greater Himalayas• Shared and common resources & challenges

Basin level• Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus• Basins crossing boundaries within countries

National• Water resources management (policy advice, capacity, knowledge)• Water resources development (infrastructure)

Why cooperate

The bottom line:

The choice between cooperation & conflict will depend upon perceptions of their relative benefits

Countries cooperate when they believe it is in their interest

1 2

Country 1’s National Agenda

Country 2’s National Agenda

1 23

Cooperative Agenda ‘3’

Benefits Motivate

Cooperation

Input from Claudia Sadoff

The benefits of cooperation

What is “Benefit Sharing”

Focus on sharing benefits, rather than water Negotiating around the benefits derived from the multiple uses

of water

Rather than focusing on physical water allocation (which is ‘zero sum’)

Focus on structuring the distribution of benefits (& costs)

Exploring a range of benefit sharing mechanisms

Generate a range of alternative benefit (re)distributions

Input from Claudia Sadoff

The Benefits of Cooperation

Improved productivity, flood & drought management

Improved ecosystem sustainability, conservation & water quality

Policy shift to cooperation & development

Broader regional cooperation & integration

Type 1: Environmental

Increasing Benefits To the river

Type 2: Economic

Increasing Benefits From the river

Type 3: Political

Decreasing Costs Because of the river

Type 4: Indirect Economic

Increasing Benefits Beyond the river

Sadoff & Grey, 2002

But, if there were to be regional cooperation …

Assessing

environmental

benefits; their social impact

Direct financial benefits

Cost of bilateralism vs. multilateralism

Impact on

agriculture,

poverty alleviati

on & genderKnowledge Gaps

Factors that multiply benefits…

Led by multiple stakeholders

Transboundary research programs

Higher water use efficiency

Internal regulator for

water

Enhance agricultural efficiency

The bothersome questions

Is there more than one ‘knowledge’? Whose knowledge? How is such knowledge generated, documented and communicated? Is it a complex problem with multiple views, knowledge and truths? Dominant discourse (if any) versus others

Who are the decision-makers? Why are they not collaborating? What is their knowledge base? What drives them to do what they are doing? Why would they collaborate? What would make them do it?

In South Asia, all decisions at political level … Is the government a complex entity or a single entity?

What is the process?

Govt-led & People-

fed

People-led

Govt-led

Moving strategically

Creation of a vision For elites, by elites, of elites? Or of the masses? Multiples visions with common threads?

Conviction From “us versus them” to “WE” From dividing waters to multiplying benefits

Emotional & pragmatic issues Is our reasoning only rational? Do emotions play a role in achieving regional cooperation?

Do we have a “Champion” or “Champions”?

Directions as we move forward

A larger process of deliberations, consultations and communication

Multiple role of media Audience Influencer Information creator

Switch the discourse to national/strategic interest within people’s interest?

Not enough of “what” is known; much less of “how” is evident

How to include government in the civil society’s discourse? But who does all this?

Key role by influencers

Media advocacy

Civil society

programs

Think tanks

Track 2 diplomacy

Process

Change

Collaboration

Communication

Knowledge

generation

The way forward

Cooperation across the three “I”s

i •

Institutions •

• Agencies, capacities, dialogues, networks, reforms

I

• Information •

• Modeling, knowledge bases, research

I•

Investments •

• Water infrastructure, information/ hydromet systems

Input from Claudia Sadoff

Thank you

[email protected]+91 11 4147 9454