The downstream effect
World Water Week is taking place from September 1-6, putting the focus on the issue of water cooperation worldwide. DW takes a look at some success stories and challenges involved in sharing fresh water between nations.
Flowing between nations
Water knows no boundaries. Rivers, lakes and underground aquifers span political and cultural borders. Around the world, 276 river basins are shared between countries – the Danube river basin in central Europe spans 18 nations. What happens upstream has a profound effect on the livelihoods of those downstream. Water cooperation means the use of these waterways is managed for the benefit of all.
The need for cooperation
One third of the world’s people live in countries with moderate to high water stress, with 783 million people lacking access to clean water. However, the United Nations says trans-boundary waters can prove to be a source of cooperation rather than conflict. Nearly 450 agreements on international waters were signed between 1820 and 2007.
Wastewater a threat
While water knows no borders, neither does pollution. According to the UN, in developing countries up to 90 percent of wastewater flows directly into rivers, lakes and coastal zones, such as in the Tawi river here in India. This threatens the health and food security of the people and animals living there. Worldwide, 85 percent of used water is not collected or treated.
Sharing the Jordan
The Jordan River and its tributaries flow through Israel, Jordan, Syria and the West Bank. Due to a lack of cooperation between them, the once mighty river is now depleted and polluted. Up to 90 percent of its water has been diverted by channels, dams and reservoirs. The NGO Friends of the Earth Middle East is now working on a restoration plan to save the ecosystem.
When borders are fluid
The river Sixaola forms the border between Costa Rica and Panama. With extreme weather caused by climate change, it is seen an increase in heavy floods and mudslides, which have changed its course, altering the countries’ borders. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is helping communities on both sides of the river adapt to the changes and mediate climate conflicts.
Blocking ‘fish highways’
There are warnings a 400-megawatt hydropower dam, now under construction on Cambodia’s Se San river, will impact regional food security. The river is a vital breeding ground for migratory fish in the lower Mekong Basin and the dam will block it. It could add up to losing about 200,000 tons of fish, a vital protein source, and impact on people’s livelihoods in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.
Damming the Nile
Ethiopia has begun a giant hydroelectric dam project on the Blue Nile, a major tributary to the Nile River. Downstream, there’s concern in Sudan and especially Egypt that a reduction in river flows will turn part of its arable land back into desert. Experts disagree on what impact the dam will actually have on Egypt, but there is no denying the political tensions it has caused in the region.
Drought demands care
In Australia, the states of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, must cooperate to manage the Murray-Darling Basin, the country’s most important source of fresh water. 70 percent of its water is used for irrigation, but the region is vulnerable to drought. If the basin is not properly managed, worldwide food exports are at risk. The area is highly significant to Australian aboriginies.
Cross-border cooperation
Since 2000, the United States and Mexico have had a joint agreement to work together to coordinate the use and sanitation of the rivers in their border area, including the Rio Grande and Tijuana. Both governments have helped support at least 51 drinking and wastewater infrastructure projects in Mexico, a combined investment of almost 465 million US dollars.