Hydropolitics:Global experiences in

transboundary river basins

Ana Elisa Cascão - SIWIPresentation to Euphrates-Tigris Training Programme Stockholm, 18 May 2010

Structure of the Presentation

First Part• Water everywhere?• What is Hydropolitics?• Water and Conflict• Water and Power

Second Part• Water and Cooperation• How to operationalise cooperation• Examples worldwide• Exercise • Final discussion

Wat

er e

very

whe

re?

Freshwater

Wat

er e

very

whe

re?

Surface water

Groundwater + Surface Water

Small water...

HYDROPOLITICSHYDROPOLITICS

big politics!

Most of the ‘small water’ is transboundaryMost of the ‘small water’ is transboundary

Hydropolitics: is there a definition?

What can we see in this picture?

PowerWater

Control

Merowe Dam, Sudan

HYDROPOLITICS:‘who gets what water, when, where and how?’

Water: a complex resource...Water: a complex resource...Natural resource Social resource

Economic resource Cultural resource

Political resource

Water: a complex resource...Water: a complex resource...

Water: can be source of conflictWater: can be source of conflict

Quantity

Infrastructure

Quality

Joint manageme

nt

Hydropower

Border issues

Irrigation

Flood control

...

Conflictive Events by Issue AreaConflictive Events by Issue Area

Water sharing/allocation is a main source of conflict!Water sharing/allocation is a main source of conflict!

Wolf et al. 2003

Sharing the Jordan River Basin + Aquifers Sharing the Jordan River Basin + Aquifers

Who gets what water, when, where and how?

• 5 riparians: Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine

• Unequal allocation and utilisation of water resources

Phillips 2007

Jordan Valley: Example of Water conflictJordan Valley: Example of Water conflict• Several conflict events (militarised/armed)/Very limited cooperation

• Asymmetric power relations among riparians

• Jordan Basin: Extreme case of water-related conflict

Asymmetric Power RelationsAsymmetric Power Relations

Geography Material power

Bargaining power

Ideationalpower

4 PILLARS OF POWER

Framework of Hydro-Hegemony Zeitoun and Warner 2006

GEOGRAPHICAL POWERGEOGRAPHICAL POWER

Riparian Position:• Downstream• Midstream• Upstream

Geographical Advantages:• Contribution to river flow• Potential for water utilisation• Suitability for hydraulic infrastructure

MATERIAL POWERMATERIAL POWER

Economic development

Military power

Political stability and influence

BARGAINING POWER:BARGAINING POWER:in interstate relations and negotiationsin interstate relations and negotiations

WHO CONTROLS THE NEGOTIATIONS?

WHO CONTROLS

THE AGREEMENTS?

WHO CONTROLS

THE NUMBERS?

WHO CONTROLS

THE AGENDA?

WHO CONTROLS

THE LEGITIMACY?

WHO PLAYS BETTER WITH

INTERNATIONAL LAW?

WHO HAS ACCESS TO

INVESTMENT?

IDEATIONAL POWER: IDEATIONAL POWER: Power to influence perceptionsPower to influence perceptions

Asymmetric Knowledge

SanctionedDiscourse

Incentives

Playingwith time

Silent

Diplomacy/Cooperation

Asymmetric power in MENA river basinsAsymmetric power in MENA river basins

EGYPTSUDANETHIOPIA + Equatorial countries

Geography

Geography

GeographyMaterial

power

Material power

Material power

Bargaining power

Bargaining power

Bargaining power Ideational

power

Ideationalpower

Ideationalpower

ISRAEL

Bargaining power

Ideationalpower

JORDAN

Geography

Material power

Bargaining power

Ideationalpower

PALESTINE

GeographyMaterial

power Bargaining power

Ideationalpower

GeographyMaterial

power

Lower Jordan River BasinLower Jordan River Basin

Nile River BasinNile River Basin

How do we move from a situation of How do we move from a situation of conflict to cooperation?conflict to cooperation?

Cooperation continuumCooperation continuum

Sadoff and Grey in Andersen, 2005

Indus Mekong Rhine Orange Senegal

How to operationalise cooperation?How to operationalise cooperation?

Water AgreeementsWater Agreeements

• Formal negotiations (bilateral or multilateral)

• Can be specific or a framework

• Based on principles or needs

• Can [or not] include water allocations

• Might focus on benefits (e.g. related to hydraulic project), instead of the water itself

Jordan-Israeli Peace Agreement (1994)

Egypt-Sudan Water Agreement (1959)

SADC Shared Watercourse Systems Protocol (2001)

Convention of the Niger Basin Authority (1980)

Agreements by Issue Area Agreements by Issue Area

River Basin OrganisationsRiver Basin Organisations

River Basin OrganisationsRiver Basin OrganisationsOMVS (1972)OMVS (1972)

LCBC (1964)LCBC (1964)

NBA (1980)NBA (1980)

ORASECOM (2000)ORASECOM (2000)

ZAMCOM (2004)ZAMCOM (2004)

LIMCOM (2003)LIMCOM (2003)

OKACOM (1994)OKACOM (1994)

CICOS (1999)CICOS (1999)

LVBC (2005)LVBC (2005)

NBI(1999)NBC ( ? ) NBI(1999)

NBC ( ? )

TPTC (2002)IncoMaputo (?)

TPTC (2002)IncoMaputo (?)

Joint projects and joint managementJoint projects and joint management

JOINT

Bilateral

Multilateral

Examples of bilateral joint projectsExamples of bilateral joint projects

Maguga Dam Maguga Dam – Incomati River(South Africa/Swaziland)

Itaipu Dam Itaipu Dam – Paraná/La Plata River(Brazil/Paraguay)

Bi-national initiativeHydropower & Irrigation

Two agreements (1992): Joint Water Commission + Joint Development of Water Resources (7 dams)

Consultation: Tripartite Agreement (incl.Mozambique)

KOBWA: Komati Basin Water Authority

Bi-national project and ownership( 50%/50%)Hydropower mainly (+++)

Agreement (1973): Itaipu TreatyNo Consultation: Argentina (La Plata)

Agreement (1979): Tripartite Agreement

ITAIPU Binacional

Senegal River Basin:Senegal River Basin:Multilateral joint management & projectsMultilateral joint management & projects

• 4 riparians: Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, [Guinea]

• Well-established Senegal River Basin Organisation (1972)

• Goals: shared development, joint governance and conflict management

• Jointly planned and owned infrastructures

• Shared costs and Shared benefits

• Water and socio-economic development (food security, hydropower, navigation, etc)

• Senegal Basin: good example of transboundary water cooperation

Manantali Dam - a joint project:shared benefits and shared costs

‘Making the pie bigger’:Generating and sharing regional benefits

TWO-Analysis,SIWI 2008

Positive-Sum Outcome:All could get a bigger ‘share’ of the pie

Hydropower Production and Trade

Agricultural Production

Environmental Services

“A focus on sharing the benefits derived from the use of water, rather than rather than the allocation of water itself, provides far greater scope for identifying

mutually beneficial cooperative actions”

(Sadoff and Grey 2005)

Nile

Thanks!ana.cascao@siwi.org