GREENWATCH. Quenching the world’s thirst

Water is the ultimate asset that permeates everyday life of all living things on Earth. But for a resource so critical, we have paid remarkably little attention to its sustainability. Most of us continue to live in denial about the impending freshwater shortage crisis.

For policymakers and governments, the task of ensuring water security is daunting as water knows neither political borders nor economic boundaries. Nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries that share river and lake basins. An existing 286 transboundary lake and river basins account for an estimated 60 per cent of global surface waterflow.

In addition, about 300 transboundary aquifer systems sustain about 2 billion groundwater-dependent people worldwide. Since these transboundary basins and aquifers link populations of different countries, they create hydrological, social and economic interdependencies between societies.

And because these bodies provide water for people, food, energy, ecosystems and support incomes and livelihood of billions of people worldwide, they become vital for economic development, poverty reduction and the attainment of Millennium Development Goals and future Sustainable Development Goals. Hence, it takes more than an individual country or government to tackle the issue even if considering long-term national interest.

As the global population continues to rapidly grow, urbanise and prosper, it will continue to demand more surface and ground water. The need for cooperation between the major water-use sectors — agriculture, industry, energy, navigation and water supply and sanitation — has never been more urgent.

Adding to this complexity are the pressures exerted by climate change on national and transboundary water resources, marked by changing temperatures and precipitations patterns, resulting in increased fluctuations in water availability and water quality. Climate change will further magnify regional differences in the world’s natural resources and assets, with the poor disproportionally affected.

An integrated ecosystems approach and balancing competing water uses across sectors and countries can be a driver for transboundary cooperation that dramatically improves development outcomes for all stakeholders. Opportunities go well beyond the direct benefits to river, aquifer, lake, wetland and related ecosystems as well as adjacent estuaries, coastal areas and seas. Transboundary water management thus can contribute to enhanced international trade, economic development, food security, political security, poverty alleviation and regional integration.

We have many examples where transboundary cooperation has worked beautifully. The largest groundwater resource in the world, Guarani Aquifer, is shared by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

With the help of multiple stakeholders including governments, private sector, civil society, regional academic research groups and international organisations, presidents of these four countries signed the Agreement on the Guarani Aquifer in 2010 — making this freshwater resource the first large aquifer in the world to have a cooperative framework for securing long-term water supply.

Similarly, countries around the Senegal River Basin are integrating environmental and other use considerations into basin-wide water management. Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal signed the Senegal River Water Charter in 2002 which establishes principles for guiding water resources management and allocation among the states in an integrated manner.

Political will, trust and commitment from governments, at all levels, are prerequisites for successful transboundary water management. Countries can only deal with potential transboundary impacts and conflicting interests through increased cooperation, adequate legal and institutional frameworks, joint approaches to planning and sharing of benefits and costs.

We urge the thousands that have gathered at the World Water Forum to pay particular attention to the importance of transboundary cooperation on surface and ground water and its conjunctive management. To effectively manage water, the world must think and act like water: devise solutions without borders and be brave enough to chart an alternate course of action.

The writer is the CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility. Originally published in Korea Herald

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