TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEKONG BASINA STORY IN THREE PARTSJRP Training – 7 June 2012
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
PART I : WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING TO OUR PLANET?
PART II : WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
PART III : WHAT IS THE MEKONG REGION AND MRC DOING ABOUT IT?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
PART IWHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING TO OUR PLANET?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
ARE WE RUNNING OUT OF WATER?
Over 9 billion people will inhabit this planet by 2050More than 700 million people in 43 countries live below the water stress threshold of 1,700 m3/person/year.By 2025 that figure will reach 3 billion people…..
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
WWW.WATERFOOTPRINT.ORG
What is a ‘Water footprint’?
THERE IS ENOUGH WATER TO DRINK – BUT WATER TO GROW FOOD IS A PROBLEM
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
From Peter Menzel – “Hungry Planet”
WHAT THE WORLD EATS….
Water footprint = 552 m3/cap/yrEnergy Use = 11 GJ/cap/yrCarbon footprint = >0.1 TC/cap/yr
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Water footprint = 1072 m3/cap/yrEnergy Use = 12 GJ/cap/yrCarbon footprint = 0.3 TC/cap/yr
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Water footprint = 1402 m3/cap/yrEnergy Use = 99 GJ/cap/yrCarbon footprint = 8 TC/cap/yr
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Water footprint = 2842 m3/cap/yrEnergy Use = 327 GJ/cap/yrCarbon footprint = 18 TC/cap/yr
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
MEAT CONSUMPTION INCREASES WITH WEALTH
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
GLOBAL VIRTUAL WATER TRADES
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
THERMAL (COAL FIRED)
WIND ENERGYHYDROPOWER
Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/
NATURAL GAS
ENERGY PRODUCTION ALSO REQUIRES WATER
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
High oil prices push countries to divert grain and sugar production into biofuels. This increases food prices and can drive social instability and food shortages. This has global reach, and many countries are opting for food security policies – hence increased irrigation.
A WATER, FOOD AND ENERGY NEXUS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
INCREASED WEALTH ALSO MEANS INCREASED POLLUTION
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
New pollutants which have impacts at very low concentrations like endocrine disruptors POPs and pharmaceuticals are affecting ecosystems and humans. Increased use of soaps and detergents, and modern household appliances increase pollutant loads.
INCREASED WEALTH ALSO MEANS ‘NEW’ POLLUTANTS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
In South Africa…Secondary treatment plus u$ 6 m/a
Tertiary treatment plus U$ 115 m/a
Primary treatment costs are U$ 60 m/a
COSTS OF TREATING WATER TO POTABLE STANDARDS INCREASE
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
ECO
LOG
ICA
L FOO
TPRIN
T – GLO
BA
L HEC
TAR
ES
HOW MUCH SPACE IS THERE ON EARTH TO COPE WITH OUR
DEMANDS?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
THE KEY MESSAGES!!
It is not the number of people on the globe that is the problem, but the number of middle-class people.A water, food and energy nexus will drive water management in the future.Water is likely to become much more of a globally strategic issue.
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
PART IIWHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO
ABOUT IT?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT?
ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIALECONOMIC
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM ProjectFor Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
THE PUBLIC TRUST
PRINCIPLE
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
AVAILABLE
WATER
Time
STORING WATER IN WET TIMES FOR DRY TIMES
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
AVAILABLE
WATER
Time
CHANGING FLOW REGIMES
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
AVAILABLE
WATER
Time
THE MORE STORAGE THE GREATER THE IMPACTS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
STORAGE AND GROWTH?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
World Commission on Dams – on balance the impacts on ecosystems and people are more negative than positive. World Bank Water Sector Strategy – ‘Return to high risk – high value infrastructure’. IWMI, DFID, UN-WWAP, WB – All report positive links between irrigation infrastructure and poverty reduction. Infrastructure can help address the governance challenge (Gavin Quibell).
IS STORAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE THE ANSWER?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
ADDRESSING WATER QUALITY
PRODUCTION
USE
DELIVERY
TRANSPORT
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY SPACEDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY SPACE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCESCENARIO 1
SCENARIO 2
SCENARIO 3
SCENARIO 4
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
“Sustainable Development” is primarily a socio-political construct based on the level of
risk countries are willing to take with development.
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
PROSPERITY WITHOUT GROWTH?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
HAPPINESS WITHOUT WEALTH?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
THE KEY MESSAGES!!
Consistently applying IWRM principles set against agreed sustainable development targets can help us address the challenges.Prosperity without growth impacts & the ‘green economy’ offer new solutions.Carefully transitioning countries from resource-based developing to diversified services-based economies is critical.
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
PART IIIWHAT TOOLS DOES THE 1995 MEKONG AGREEMENT OFFER?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM ProjectFor Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
THE PUBLIC TRUST PRINCIPLETransbound
ary
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
IN 1995….The Governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam signed the;
“Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin” (the 1995 Mekong Agreement)
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Vision: An economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River Basin.
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
The Countries agreed to (inter alia);Cooperate on all fields of sustainable development;A Basin Development Plan;Protect the ecological balance; The reasonable and equitable use of water;Notification and Prior Consultation processes; The maintenance of flows on the mainstream; Prevent, cease and take responsibility for harmful effects; andNotify one another of emergency situations.
THE KEY COMMITMENTS / AGREEMENTS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
1) Best practice guidelines for hydropower development, navigation, flood management and mitigation, irrigation development etc.
2) The 1995 Mekong Agreement – which establishes the MRC.
3) The Procedures.4) The Basin Development Plan / Strategy
THE KEY TOOLS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Procedures on Data, Information Exchange and Sharing (PDIES) - 2001Procedures on Water Use Monitoring (PWUM) - 2003 Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) - 2003Procedures for the Maintenance of Flows on the Mainstream (PMFM) - 2006Procedures for Water Quality (PWQ) - 2011
THE PROCEDURES
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
MEKONG
STORAGE IN THE LMB?
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Jan Feb Mar Apl May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Actual flow
= Surplus water or Development Opportunity Space
SURPLUS WATER FROM THE PMFM??
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Jan Feb Mar Apl May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
A
Trib. 1
Trib. 2
PMFM
Jan Feb Mar Apl May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
B PMFM
50,000 ha
PNPCA PDIES
PWQPWUM
75,000 ha
25,000 ha
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
There are three ‘sources’ of surplus water
Surplus created by the natural variability in flows;Surplus created by storage / hydropower within the LMB; andSurplus created by the operation of the hydropower in China.
SOURCES OF SURPLUS WATER
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Implementing the Procedures together in this way will;
Streamline the PNPCA;Focus the PWUM and PMFM on giving effect to reasonable and equitable use;Prioritize implementation of the Procedures, and the Toolbox; andProvide mechanisms for negotiating bilateral or multilateral arrangements around ‘surplus’ water.
THE BENEFITS
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project
Integrating the Procedures makes them much more than transboundary
safeguards, but makes them IWRM-based tools to support transboundary cooperation and management.
KEY MESSAGES
For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project