What governance initiatives are necessary to protect transboundary water concerns?

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The ownership of the waters of a river system flowing through several jurisdictions can give rise to many administrative and water use problems.

What governance initiatives are necessary to protect transboundary water concerns? Who is responsible for stewardship of transboundary waters?

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2 Answers

  1. The water resources in the world are diminishing due to construction activities on account of rapidly increasing population and development activities. The land belonging to natural water streams like rivers and their tributaries is being used for construction activities interfering with free flow of rain water in catchment areas and natural water streams resulting in availability of less and less water in rivers and their tributaries and dams. I have written an article on this issue and suggested steps to be taken to protect natural water resources. My article is available at linkedin boxnet file 3. Catchment areas and their preservation - https://www.box.net/shared/eekh40dmim . In trans-boundary disputes, it is suggested existing uses by any country should be protected. The present and future requirement of water for different uses like domestic, agriculture, industrial, electricity generation, navigation and other uses should be assessed by an independent tribunal and discussed with all relevant stakeholders. The member states should agree on the award of the tribunal. Thereafter a commission on the pattern of Mekong river commission should be constituted to have maximum utilization of river water and river valley development and solve day to day problems in proposing and implementing the the river valley development.

  2. “Water is today’s issue. It is the oil of this century — not a question.” - “Water is the world’s most critical resource”. - “More vital than oil, water sustains life, and thus the global food chain. Water sustains industry, and thus the global economy”. We need to find ways to establish financing/funding of joint-ventures with government-corporations-stakeholders to provide water to many countries that are now or will be in “critical and desperate” situations because of lack of “good water”. This has global implications for our survival, economic sustainability and peace on earth. We are working to integrate global business,government, church and finance to build new business model and platform of delivering "low cost pure water with clean energy" in support of building and maintaing sustainable economies can creating "customers" for global economy. Pure water is more profitable than gold, oil and diamonds….. wd