Transboundary Water Politics In The Developing World

This book examines the political economy that governs the management of international transboundary river basins in the developing world. These shared rivers are the setting for irrigation, hydropower and flood management projects as well as water transfer schemes. Often, these projects attempt to engineer the river basin with deep political, socio-economic and environmental implications. The politics of transboundary river basin management sheds light on the challenges concerning sustainable development, water allocation and utilization between sovereign states. Advancing conceptual thinking beyond simplistic analyses of river basins in conflict or cooperation, the author proposes a new analytical framework. The Transboundary Waters Interaction NexuS (TWINS) examines the coexistence of conflict and cooperation in riparian interaction. This framework highlights the importance of power relations between basin states that determine negotiation processes and institutions of water resources management. The analysis illustrates the way river basin management is framed by powerful elite decision-makers, combined with geopolitical factors and geographical imaginations. In addition, the book explains how national development strategies and water resources demands have a significant role in shaping the intensities of conflict and cooperation at the international level. The book draws on detailed case studies from the Ganges River basin in South Asia, the Orange–Senqu River basin in Southern Africa and the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia, providing key insights on equity and power asymmetry applicable to other basins in the developing world.

This book examines the political economy that governs the management of international transboundary river basins in the developing world. These shared rivers are the setting for irrigation, hydropower and flood management projects as well as water transfer schemes. Often, these projects attempt to engineer the river basin with deep political, socio-economic and environmental implications. The politics of transboundary river basin management sheds light on the challenges concerning sustainable development, water allocation and utilization between sovereign states. Advancing conceptual thinking beyond simplistic analyses of river basins in conflict or cooperation, the author proposes a new analytical framework. The Transboundary Waters Interaction NexuS (TWINS) examines the coexistence of conflict and cooperation in riparian interaction. This framework highlights the importance of power relations between basin states that determine negotiation processes and institutions of water resources management. The analysis illustrates the way river basin management is framed by powerful elite decision-makers, combined with geopolitical factors and geographical imaginations. In addition, the book explains how national development strategies and water resources demands have a significant role in shaping the intensities of conflict and cooperation at the international level. The book draws on detailed case studies from the Ganges River basin in South Asia, the Orange–Senqu River basin in Southern Africa and the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia, providing key insights on equity and power asymmetry applicable to other basins in the developing world.

Bringing contributions by a variety of authors together in one volume is part of an attempt to show that hydropolitics is a growing discipline in its own right. The prevailing definition of hydropolitics is widened to include the elements of scale and range. This is illustrated through a focus on theoretical and legal issues, case studies from Southern Africa and a proposed research agenda. The book is an important addition to the literature on hydropolitics.

Water is both an essential resource and a source of disease and conflict in contemporary Africa. And we begin to learn that far distant processes of consumption and pollution can have their impact on the water systems of Africa: global warming produced by the material culture of the first world threatens the weather systems and very survival of developing countries. In this context, this volume – the product of an expert meeting at Cornell University’s Institute for African Development – traces and tracks the dynamics of the contemporary hydropolitics of Africa. The volume contains a variety of approaches to the study of the organisation of water within Africa ranging from technical essays on water borne diseases, through institutional analyses of the legal and political arrangements around the distribution of water to social policy analyses of the unmet demand for water amongst Africa’s poor. Taken as a whole, the volume provides the reader with a useful reference work on the contemporary hydropolitics of Africa whilst simultaneously providing a lively introduction to a critical and much neglected area of African development policy.

This book focuses on the questions of how best to manage water resources in the face of growing demand. It explores various water management problems encountered by developing countries, with an emphasis on institutional and human factors that affect economic growth.

. . . it will provide a fascinating and stimulating read for researchers, students and academics with an interest in water economics and public policy. Practitioners focusing on water management, sustainable development, water supply and health will also find this book invaluable. CABI Those seeking an informed overview of the social and economic aspects of water issues in developing contexts today would do well to read P.B. Anand s book. Scarcity, Entitlements and the Economics of Water in Developing Countries is extensive covering local, sub-national and international aspects of water scarcity, the human right to water, transboundary water disputes and progress on the Millennium Development Goals. . . It will be of interest to water resource managers, urban water and sanitation policy-makers, international donors, and students of environmental justice, water issues, and development more broadly. . . Anand s book is recommended as useful and interesting reading primarily for its broad range and interdisciplinary approach. Mark Zeitoun, Waterlines In this creative study Anand applies environmental economic tools and concepts to analyze water issues in developing countries. . . The author carefully integrates the poverty, inequality, and development issues of water; and he meticulously discusses the intertwined rivalrous and excludable public good characteristics of water supply. . . Highly recommended. B.F. Hope, Choice The book eloquently illustrates the economics of water and how economics can increase the understanding of topics such as water inequalities and the role of institutions. It convincingly explores and explains water scarcity, supply and demand to demystify water topics. It commendably presents different views and interpretations on contentious water topics such as large-scale dams, transboundary water and privatization of household water supply. In particular, the conceptual framework is helpful in illuminating the interface between water and well-being. The book contains several case studies and water multi-sectors, such as dams, water supply and sanitation and water resources and appeals to a wide readership interested in various water topics and their implementation. Håkan Tropp, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Sweden The author has sought to weave diverse strands of water policy in developing countries into a coherent framework. A multi country database is used to make the point that scarcity is not the absolute lack of water, but the result of policy and management failure. The sustainable access to drinking water, one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as consumer preferences for water supply are illustrated with data from the author s research in Chennai, a chronically water starved Indian city. Resolution of conflict in a river basin is analysed using the case of the Cauvery, an interstate river in India. All these themes are brought together using Sen s Capability approach to highlight the fact that water policy is not a technocratic exercise but a matter of justice and entitlements. Water managers, academicians and civil society groups will benefit from reflecting on the important issues raised by Dr Anand in this book. Paul Appasamy, Madras School of Economics Anand s book discusses in detail the economics of water and how societies deal with this scarce resource. The complexities of water as highlighted in his book have previously been little explored in any standard economic development textbook. Anand presents a fascinating framework on water and well-being by linking water and the capability approach. It is a must read for all those dealing with water issues in particular and development issues in general. Naren Prasad, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Switzerland This is a very thorough analysis of water s critical role as both a basic human need and an economic good. It is unlikely to be surpassed for so

With more than 50 percent of the world's landmass covered by river basins shared by two or more states, competition over water resources has always had the potential to spark violence. And growing populations and accelerating demands for fresh water are putting ever greater pressures on already scarce water resources. In this wide-ranging study, Arun Elhance explores the hydropolitics of six of the world's largest river basins. In each case, Elhance examines the basin's physical, economic, and political geography; the possibilities for acute conflict; and efforts to develop bilateral and multilateral agreements for sharing water resources. The case studies lead to some sobering conclusions about impediments to cooperation but also to some encouraging ones--among them, that it may not be possible for Third World states to solve their water problems by going to war, and that eventually even the strongest riparian states are compelled to seek cooperation with their weaker neighbors.

International organisations such as the World Bank began to intervene in the transboundary water governance of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin in the mid-2000s, and the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) is its most ambitious project in this regard. Yet neither SAWI nor other international initiatives, such as those of the Australian and UK governments, have been able to significantly improve transboundary water interaction between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This book identifies factors that contribute to water conflicts and that detract from water cooperation in this region. It sheds light on how international organisations affect these transboundary water interactions. The book discusses how donor-led initiatives can better engage with transboundary hydropolitics to increase cooperation and decrease conflict over shared freshwater resources. It is shown that there are several challenges: addressing transboundary water issues is not a top priority for the riparian states; there is concern about India’s hydro-hegemony and China's influence; and international actors in general do not have substantial support of the local elites. However, the book suggests some ways forward for improving transboundary water interaction. These include: addressing the political context and historical grievances; building trust and reducing power asymmetry between riparian states; creating political will for cooperation; de-securitising water; taking a problemshed view; strengthening water sharing institutions; and moving beyond narratives of water scarcity and supply-side solutions.