SAJC Cluster 1 Lecture 8 Notes (Transboundary Water Resources)

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 8_2024/pg 1 Lecture 8 Managing Resources (II): Transboundary Water Resources KEY QUESTION: How do we manage conflicts over transboundary water resources? With the completion of this lecture, attached readings and tutorial, you should be able to discuss: - transboundary nature of rivers that are shared by multiple countries - conflicts between countries sharing transboundary water resources due to negative impacts of the actions of one country on another - varying success of strategies to manage conflicts over transboundary water resources Lecture Outline 8.1 The transboundary nature of rivers: Definition and occurrence 8.2 Factors that contribute to conflict over transboundary water resources 8.2.1 Quantity of water Box 1: How China turned off the tap on the Mekong River 8.2.2 Quality of water Box 2: Pollution in River Danube Basin 8.2.3 Environmental impacts 8.3 Strategies to manage conflicts over transboundary water resources 8.3.1 International Water Agreements (Treaties) (a) What is a water agreement? (b) Why are water agreements difficult to set up and enforce? 8.3.2 Transboundary water cooperation 8.4 End note: Will we go to war over water? Box 3: International cooperation over water far outweighs conflict Readings: (1) The Mekong Agreement and the Mekong River Commission (2) The Israeli-Jordan Water Agreement (3) The Aral Sea Basin Project by GEF The Mekong River runs through six countries, with China being the uppermost riparian state. China’s recent construction of multiple dams has in various ways affected its lower stream riparian neighbours, especially water supply. This cartoon hints at the power relations at play among these countries.

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 8_2024/pg 2 8.1 The transboundary nature of rivers: Definition and occurrence • While flowing in its natural course, a river may not necessarily follow state boundaries. • Transboundary rivers and river basins are shared by two or more countries to support the lives and livelihoods of vast numbers of people across the world. Countries that adjoin or may directly influence a river and its basin are referred to as riparian. • There are more than 260 transboundary lakes and river basins in the world, and collectively cover almost half the Earth’s surface (see Table 1 and Fig. 1). Sound management is essential, especially in areas vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and where water is already scarce. • Table 1 highlights the predominance of transboundary river and lake systems within the developing world. Although the majority of international water bodies are shared by only two countries, there are nine river basins and lakes which cut across more than six cou