Register of International Rivers comprises international river and lake basins that form a substantial portion of the earth's water resources, available for human use and consumption. This Register is prepared by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs for sessions of the Economic and Social Council's Committee on Natural Resources. This book is divided into seven sections that comprise separate river basins communicating directly with the final recipient of the water, including oceans, closed inland seas, and lakes. It includes all the world's separate basins shared by two or more countries and in some cases most of the basin area is confined to one country and only a small part of it extends to one or more countries. All data are organized according to five major continental divisions: Africa, North and Central America, South America, Asia, and Europe. Two categories of tables are prepared for each major continental subdivision. One is a list of countries sharing river basins with other countries, while the other is a list of rivers and lakes forming international boundaries and showing the approximate length of the boundary waters.
'Employing a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between states and nonstate actors, Tun Myint develops a convincing account of the evolution of governance systems for the Rhine and Mekong river basins. In the process, he not only adds to our knowledge of water management at the international level but also deepens our appreciation of the various roles that nonstate actors play in international environmental governance.' – Oran Young, University of California, Santa Barbara, US 'Comparative studies of great river systems and the politics of their regulation are rare. Far rarer still are comparisons of this historical depth, analytical sophistication, attention to local detail and to the contingencies that make breakthroughs possible. Tun Myint's study of the Rhine and Mekong will inspire and inform future studies of both river and environmental politics.' – James C. Scott, Yale University, US 'This is a must read for scholars and water governance practitioners as it addresses the underexploited role of non-state actors and local citizens in the field of international water governance. The book fills in this knowledge gap by offering an inspiring refinement of the theory of polycentricity. Evidence is found by well written and attractive in depth case studies dealing with the international clean up of the Rhine and the construction of the Pak Mun Dam in the Mekong basin.' – Carel Dieperink, Utrecht University, The Netherlands 'This superb analysis of water governance in the Rhine and Mekong river basins should be read by everyone interested in the challenges of international water management.' – Thomas Bernauer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland This important book employs the theory of polycentricity, a system with several centres as an analytical concept to explain the multilayered international environmental governance of river basins. It introduces a new methodological framework to deconstruct and investigate the dynamics of citizens, states and non-state actors in world politics via the context of river basin governance. The methodology is tested through in-depth field-based case studies, illustrating how local citizens and industries in the Mekong and Rhine river basins participate in transnational environmental governance at both local and international levels. Tun Myint expertly presents both a methodology and theory to conceive polycentricity of world politics as a major intellectual milestone in theorizing world politics. Providing nuanced details of cases showing the challenges and feasibilities of incorporating multiple actors into a governance framework, the book provides careful analysis into the power of non-state actors. This book will prove insightful for scholars and postgraduate students in international relations, international development, global environmental governance, and international business administration. It will also prove an invaluable resource for practitioners and policymakers.
'Conflict and Cooperation on South Asia's International Rivers' traces the development of international water law. This book focuses on the hydro-politics of four countries in the South Asia region: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. It analyzes the problems that these countries have encountered as riparians of international rivers and how they have addressed these problems. In particular, this study reviews the treaty regimes governing the Indus River basin, the Ganges River basin, and the Kosi, Gandaki, and Mahakali river basins. Each of these regimes is described in-depth, with special attention devoted to the main problems each of these treaties sought to address. The authors also review the treaty experience and offer observations on bilateralism and multilateralism.
Kalpakian tests the dominant assumption that water disputes cause violent conflict between states and other actors in world politics. Using case studies from arid regions to bias the effort towards this assumption, he finds that issues related to identity have been the real source of conflict in the river basins studied. This essential volume: - challenges conventional assumptions about water and conflict - displaces the state as the sole actor in violent conflict - reveals the link between conflict and identity This book invites the reader to address the complexity in the relationships binding peoples and states in an international river basin.
This book by a renowned environmental lawyer and scholar proposes a regime scheme that is not only based soundly on existing treaties concerning access rights to fresh water, but also on the human rights of persons dependent on rivers and lakes for water and food. Focusing on the Tigris-Euphrates basin, which is shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, Professor Elver explores the transnational arrangements among these three countries for the allocation of river resources. The author clearly exposes the potential for conflict, and sets forth the role that international law can play in resolving such conflict and protecting the human rights of local populations. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.
This book asks under which conditions cooperation is in the interest of the riparian countries sharing international waters, and how institutions must be designed to realize potential gains of cooperation.
This fifth volume in the Permanent Court of Arbitration/Peace Palace Papers series reproduces the work of the 6th International Law Seminar held at the Peace Palace on November 8, 2002. The Seminar's distinguished panelists and participants focused on the settlement of international disputes over that most essential of natural resources water. They explored a range of questions: Which settlement mechanisms are most promising in the field of transboundary freshwater disputes? Is adjudication a suitable method of apportioning water rights which are vital not only to human life, but to the agriculture and industry of every nation on the planet? Given the need for "win-win" solutions to most water disputes, are negotiation and regional cooperation the only realistic and viable methods for settling them? What is the potential role of conciliation, mediation, good offices and other ad hoc mechanisms? This volume also contains the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, a multilateral framework treaty dealing with transboundary freshwater, which provides a variety of tools (such as the submission of disputes to fact-finding commissions) for the peaceful resolution of water disputes.
Water scarcity and the use of international river system resources can not only cause international conflict but can also bring about peace and co-operation. This book looks at the current stresses and likely future scenarios.
Economic development, population growth and poor resource management have combined to alter the planet’s natural environment in dramatic and alarming ways. For over twenty years, considerable research and debate have focused on clarifying or disputing linkages between various forms of environmental change and various understandings of security. At one extreme lie sceptics who contend that the linkages are weak or even non-existent; they are simply attempts to harness the resources of the security arena to an environmental agenda. At the other extreme lie those who believe that these linkages may be the most important drivers of security in the 21st century; indeed, the very future of humankind may be at stake. This book brings together contributions from a range of disciplines to present a critical and comprehensive overview of the research and debate linking environmental factors to security. It provides a framework for representing and understanding key areas of intellectual convergence and disagreement, clarifying achievements of the research as well as identifying its weaknesses and gaps. Part I explores the various ways environmental change and security have been linked, and provides principal critiques of this linkage. Part II explores the linkage through analysis of key issue areas such as climate change, energy, water, food, population, and development. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of the value of this subfield of security studies, and with some ideas about the questions it might profitably address in the future. This volume is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. With contributions from around the world, it combines established and emerging scholars to offer a platform for the next wave of research and policy activity. It is invaluable for both students and practitioners interested in international relations, environment studies and human geography.
If water resources are to be distributed efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively in this rapidly changing world, then it is clear that current water management practices are no longer feasible. Innovative approaches are required to meet the increasing water demands of a growing world population and economy and the needs of the ecosystems supporting them. New approaches have to be employed at global, national and local levels. In Rethinking Water Management, a new generation of water experts from around the world examine the critical challenges confronting the water profession, including rainwater and groundwater management, recycling and reuse, water rights, transboundary access to water and financing of water. They offer important new perspectives on the use, management and conservation of fresh water, in terms of both quantity and quality, for the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors, and show how a new set of paradigms can be applied to successfully manage water for the future. Caroline Figueres is Head of the Urban Infrastructure Department at UNESCO-IHE Water Education Institute in The Netherlands. Cecilia Tortajada is Vice President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico and Vice President-elect of the International Water Resources Association. Johan Rockström is Water Resources Expert at UNESCO-IHE.
