Hydropolitics TWM Global2010 (III)

Ana Elisa Cascão - SIWI

Presentation to TWM Global 2010

Maputo, Mozambique

HYDROPOLITICS (III): Water and Cooperation

How to overcome the deadlock?

Way forward?

Riparian A Riparian B

Deadlock

Deadlock

COO

PERA

TIO

NCooperation among equals

?

Riparian A Riparian B

Riparian A Riparian B

COOPERATION

?

Cooperation among riparians with asymmetric power

NILE RIVER BASIN:My water, Your water, Our water?

EGYPT

9 UPSTREAM RIPARIANS

Sharing the Nile water resources

UN Water Convention (1997):Principle of Equitable and Reasonable Utilisation of water

New Nile Agreement

Egyp

t

Ethi

opia

Negotiating water treaties: ‘what is in there for me?’

Nexus – Water, Law... and Politics

WATER LAW...POLITI

CS

NEGOTIATIONS OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATER LEGAL AGREEMENTSARE HIGHLY POLITICISED PROCESSES:

• Equitable and reasonable utilisation is difficult to operationalise• Asymmetric power might be an obstacle

• Negotiations on volumetric water allocations are highly problematic• “Water-sharing” might not be the best approach

Water-Sharing vs. Benefit-Sharing?

Benefit-Sharing Approach

Benefits to to

the river

Benefits from from

the river

Benefits because because

of the river

Benefits beyondbeyondthe river

BENEFITS OF COOPERATIONBENEFITS OF COOPERATION

Environmental Social Economic Political

Sadoff and Grey 2002, 2005

“A focus on sharing the benefits derived from the use of water,rather than the allocation of water itself,

provides far greater scope for identifying mutually beneficial cooperative actions”

‘Making the pie bigger’:Generating and sharing regional benefits

TWO-Analysis,SIWI 2008

Positive-Sum Outcome:All could get a bigger ‘share’ of the pie

Hydropower Production and Trade

Irrigation Development

Water Cooperation: example from the Senegal Basin

Who gets what water, when, where and how?

• 4 riparians: Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, [Guinea]

• Well-established Senegal River Basin Organisation (1972)

• Goals: shared development, joint governance and conflict management

• Jointly planned and owned infrastructures

• Shared costs and Shared benefits

• Water and socio-economic development (food security, hydropower, navigation, etc)

• Senegal Basin: good example of transboundary water cooperation

Manantali Dam - a joint project:shared benefits and shared costs

Identify cooperative or joint cooperative or joint projects

in your river basin

EXERCISE 2: ‘Making the pie bigger’

?

? ?

?

?

How can the benefitsbenefits be shared

among the riparian states?

How can the costscosts be shared

among the riparian states?

Thanks for your attention!ana.cascao@siwi.org

HYDROPOLITICS (III)

* Hydropolitical Cooperation is possible

* ‘Water-sharing’ (water allocation) is a difficult political process

* ‘Benefit-sharing’ can be an alternative paradigm