Memo #32
Richard Paisley
Cooperation is crucial to manage rivers that flow across national borders. States along the Mekong River – and their 70 million inhabitants – depend on the cooperation of their upstream neighbour, China.
Water, energy, and agricultural issues are inextricably linked to management of the more than 260 international watercourses and countless international aquifers that cross political boundaries. Watersheds are complex systems to manage at the best of times. Unfortunately, few international watersheds (even those with treaties) are managed with the degree of cooperation that has been called for under the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention.
Greater cooperation and joint management of transboundary water is needed to meet the challenges of increased demand, pollution, and climate change. This is particularly important for parts of Asia where development and growth are proceeding at unprecedented rates. The Mekong, Han, Salween, Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Indus Rivers are all areas where conflict over water resources could take place.
States that reside downstream along the Mekong River (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam) have put forward a cooperative agenda for management under the 1995 Mekong Agreement. China, which resides upstream along the Mekong, has not participated. The Chinese portion of the river, which they call the Lancang, supplies up to 40% of the total water to the lower Mekong during the dry season. Although China has shared some information, such as hydraulic data, it is seen as being unilateral and self-interested. A series of dams built on the upper Mekong has observers, residents, and states concerned.
Since 2005, China has shown a greater interest in discussing issues with the lower Mekong states and the Mekong River Commission (MRC). In 2006, discussions with the MRC Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Cogels, involved improving the navigation in the upper reaches of the river to boost trade and share the MRC’s technical expertise in using computerized tools and modelling.
The importance of promoting cooperation and transparency in water management cannot be understated for the 70 million inhabitants of the lower Mekong.
About the Author:
Richard Paisley is a Director, Global Transboundary International Waters Governance Initiative, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia.
Links:
- Map of the Mekong River
- Good Practices and Portfolio Learning in GEF Transboundary Freshwater and Marine Legal and Institutional Frameworks (The Transboundary Water Initiative and the Institute of Asian Research)
- Dams in China Turn the Mekong Into a River of Discord, YaleGlobal Online, July 2009