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TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEKONG BASIN

TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEKONG BASIN. A STORY IN THREE PARTS JRP Training – 7 June 2012. 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?. PART I

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TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEKONG BASIN

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  1. TRANSBOUNDARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEKONG BASIN A STORY IN THREE PARTS JRP Training – 7 June 2012

  2. 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?

  3. PART I WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE DOING TO OUR PLANET?

  4. ARE WE RUNNING OUT OF WATER? • Over 9 billion people will inhabit this planet by 2050 • More 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…..

  5. WWW.WATERFOOTPRINT.ORG THERE IS ENOUGH WATER TO DRINK – BUT WATER TO GROW FOOD IS A PROBLEM What is a ‘Water footprint’?

  6. Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/

  7. WHAT THE WORLD EATS…. Water footprint = 552 m3/cap/yr Energy Use = 11 GJ/cap/yr Carbon footprint = >0.1 TC/cap/yr From Peter Menzel – “Hungry Planet”

  8. Water footprint = 1072 m3/cap/yr Energy Use = 12 GJ/cap/yr Carbon footprint = 0.3 TC/cap/yr

  9. Water footprint = 1402 m3/cap/yr Energy Use = 99 GJ/cap/yr Carbon footprint = 8 TC/cap/yr

  10. Water footprint = 2842 m3/cap/yr Energy Use = 327 GJ/cap/yr Carbon footprint = 18 TC/cap/yr

  11. MEAT CONSUMPTION INCREASES WITH WEALTH

  12. GLOBAL VIRTUAL WATER TRADES

  13. ENERGY PRODUCTION ALSO REQUIRES WATER THERMAL (COAL FIRED) NATURAL GAS WIND ENERGY HYDROPOWER Source: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/

  14. A WATER, FOOD AND ENERGY NEXUS 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.

  15. INCREASED WEALTH ALSO MEANS INCREASED POLLUTION

  16. INCREASED WEALTH ALSO MEANS ‘NEW’ POLLUTANTS 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.

  17. Primary treatment costs are U$ 60 m/a Secondary treatment plus u$ 6 m/a Tertiary treatment plus U$ 115 m/a COSTS OF TREATING WATER TO POTABLE STANDARDS INCREASE In South Africa…

  18. HOW MUCH SPACE IS THERE ON EARTH TO COPE WITH OUR DEMANDS? ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT – GLOBAL HECTARES HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

  19. 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.

  20. PART II WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

  21. INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT? ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC SOCIAL

  22. For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project THE PUBLIC TRUST PRINCIPLE

  23. AVAILABLE WATER Time STORING WATER IN WET TIMES FOR DRY TIMES

  24. AVAILABLE WATER Time CHANGING FLOW REGIMES

  25. AVAILABLE WATER Time THE MORE STORAGE THE GREATER THE IMPACTS

  26. STORAGE AND GROWTH?

  27. IS STORAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE THE ANSWER? 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).

  28. PRODUCTION DELIVERY TRANSPORT ADDRESSING WATER QUALITY USE

  29. What is sustainable development? RESILIENCE RESILIENCE RESILIENCE RESILIENCE SCENARIO 1 RESILIENCE RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY SPACE SCENARIO 2 RESILIENCE RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY SPACE SCENARIO 3 RESILIENCE RESILIENCE SCENARIO 4 RESILIENCE RESILIENCE

  30. “Sustainable Development” is primarily a socio-political construct based on the level of risk countries are willing to take with development.

  31. Prosperity without growth?

  32. Happiness without wealth?

  33. 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.

  34. PART III WHAT TOOLS DOES THE 1995 MEKONG AGREEMENT OFFER?

  35. For Sustainable Development • Mekong IWRM Project Transboundary THE PUBLIC TRUST PRINCIPLE

  36. 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)

  37. Vision: An economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River Basin.

  38. THE KEY COMMITMENTS / AGREEMENTS • 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; and • Notify one another of emergency situations.

  39. THE KEY TOOLS Best practice guidelines for hydropower development, navigation, flood management and mitigation, irrigation development etc. The 1995 Mekong Agreement – which establishes the MRC. The Procedures. The Basin Development Plan / Strategy

  40. THE PROCEDURES • Procedures on Data, Information Exchange and Sharing (PDIES) - 2001 • Procedures on Water Use Monitoring (PWUM) - 2003 • Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) - 2003 • Procedures for the Maintenance of Flows on the Mainstream (PMFM) - 2006 • Procedures for Water Quality (PWQ) - 2011

  41. STORAGE IN THE LMB? MEKONG

  42. SURPLUS WATER FROM THE PMFM?? = Surplus water or Development Opportunity Space Actual flow

  43. 25,000 ha A PMFM PMFM 50,000 ha Trib. 2 Trib. 1 PNPCA PWQ PDIES 75,000 ha PWUM B

  44. SOURCES OF SURPLUS WATER • There are three ‘sources’ of surplus water • Surplus created by the natural variability in flows; • Surplus created by storage / hydropower within the LMB; and • Surplus created by the operation of the hydropower in China.

  45. THE BENEFITS 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; and Provide mechanisms for negotiating bilateral or multilateral arrangements around ‘surplus’ water.

  46. KEY MESSAGES Integrating the Procedures makes them much more than transboundary safeguards, but makes them IWRM-based tools to support transboundary cooperation and management.

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