Download - 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