This book presents a novel examination of transboundary water governance, drawing on global case studies and applying new theoretical approaches. Excessive consumption and degradation of natural resources can either heighten the risks of conflicts or encourage cooperation within and among countries, and this is particularly pertinent to the governance of water. This book fills a lacuna by providing an interdisciplinary examination of transboundary water governance, presenting a range of novel and emerging theoretical approaches. Acknowledging that issues vary across different regions, the book provides a global view from South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, with the case studies offering civil society and public managers concrete situations that indicate difficulties and successes in water sharing between bordering countries. The volume highlights the links between natural resources, political geography, international politics, and development, with chapters delving into the role of paradiplomacy, the challenges of climate change adaptation, and the interconnections between aquifers and international development. With rising demand for water in the face of climate change, this book aims to stimulate further theoretical, conceptual, and methodological debate in the field of transboundary water governance to ensure peaceful and fair access to shared water resources. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of water resource governance from a wide variety of disciplines, including geography, international relations, global development, and law. It will also be of interest to professionals and policymakers working on natural resource governance and international cooperation.

International organisations such as the World Bank began to intervene in the transboundary water governance of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin in the mid-2000s, and the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) is its most ambitious project in this regard. Yet neither SAWI nor other international initiatives, such as those of the Australian and UK governments, have been able to significantly improve transboundary water interaction between India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This book identifies factors that contribute to water conflicts and that detract from water cooperation in this region. It sheds light on how international organisations affect these transboundary water interactions. The book discusses how donor-led initiatives can better engage with transboundary hydropolitics to increase cooperation and decrease conflict over shared freshwater resources. It is shown that there are several challenges: addressing transboundary water issues is not a top priority for the riparian states; there is concern about India’s hydro-hegemony and China's influence; and international actors in general do not have substantial support of the local elites. However, the book suggests some ways forward for improving transboundary water interaction. These include: addressing the political context and historical grievances; building trust and reducing power asymmetry between riparian states; creating political will for cooperation; de-securitising water; taking a problemshed view; strengthening water sharing institutions; and moving beyond narratives of water scarcity and supply-side solutions.

This volume assesses the nexus of gender and transboundary water governance, containing empirical case studies, discourse analyses, practitioners’ accounts, and theoretical reflections. Transboundary water governance exists at the intersection of two highly masculinised fields: diplomacy and water resources management. In both fields, positions are mainly held by men, and core ideas, norms, and guiding principles that are presented as neutral, are both shaped by men and based on male experiences. This book sheds light on the often hidden gender dynamics of water conflict and cooperation at the transboundary level and on the implicit assumptions that guide research and policies. The individual chapters of the book, based on case studies from around the world, reveal the gendered nature of water diplomacy, take stock of the number of women involved in organisations that govern shared waters, and analyse programmes that have been set up to promote women in water diplomacy and the obstacles that they face. They explore and contest leading narratives and knowledge that have been shaped mainly by privileged men, and assess how the participation of women concretely impacts the practices, routines, and processes of water negotiations. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of water governance, water diplomacy, gender, international relations and environmental politics. It will also be of interest to professionals and policymakers involved in supporting gender mainstreaming in water cooperation. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

This book examines the role legal rules play in the resolution of disputes in transboundary river basins. When states fail to resolve disputes over shared water resources, many cast such failures on inadequate or ineffective legal rules. With this view in mind, this book examines the role that legal rules do, and can, play in aiding the peaceful settlement of disputes and furthering cooperation between different parties. Building on the interactional theory of law, this book formulates three analytical frameworks: the effect of norm-generating processes, the effects of water-related agreements and/or arrangements in the basins, and the effect of international water. It uses these frameworks to assess the role of law in the processes of cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes on transboundary river basin by drawing on four illustrative case studies: the Jordan River Basin, the Nile River Basin, the Mekong River Basin, and the Indus River Basin. In doing so, this book presents a unique perspective on the multi-functional role of legal rules in those processes. Tapping into the global discussion on water security and water-related conflicts, this book stimulates readers to explore broader or interdisciplinary perspectives for understanding water-related issues. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in water resource management, water law, environmental politics, conflict resolution, and sustainable development more generally.

China and its neighbours face a series of water security issues, in which international law plays a vital role. Paramount to both policymakers and researchers in the field of water law, the current status of transboundary water cooperation schemes and how these operate in China is of global significance. Grounded in international experience, this comprehensive volume provides readers with an up-to-date overview of current international transboundary water resource sharing policies and practices, including detailed case studies at both domestic and international levels. The authors discuss existing international laws, treaties, and principles that may stimulate transboundary water cooperation and dialogue, and then analyse a number of international experiences with treaties in North America, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. They take stock of China’s water resource issues, legal practices and options, examine case studies of China’s southern shared rivers, and explore some innovative approaches to cooperative management of shared waters within China. The articles in this book were originally published in the journal Water International.

This book examines how the on-paper hydropower boom impacts the safe and fair access to water and energy in emerging economies. The global hydropower boom is largely made up of small hydropower plants located in emerging economies, but a lack of funding, over-ambitious planning, and corruption have halted the production of these projects. Describing this state as the ‘on-paper’ hydropower boom, this book shifts attention to the hydrosocial problems arising from hydropower projects that remain on paper. It examines how these proposed but unbuilt projects can lead to disruptions in the control and governance of water resources and increase the international dependence of emerging countries due to deep problems in their sustainable development planning and how all this can affect both ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. In doing so, it critically examines the dominant discourses on energy security and sustainable development, emphasises the extent to which the effects of global imperialism are at play, and examines the effects of international power relations in the hydrosocial context and their implications for perpetuating international relations of dependency. Further, this book provides a unique perspective on the global hydropower boom by highlighting that although the global hydropower boom largely remains on paper, it can still have a significant impact on human–water systems. Contributing to the debate on hydrosocial relationships, each chapter offers an insightful examination of the social, cultural, and political interactions that humans have with water and uses these insights to provide a nuanced understanding of the challenges and issues associated with on-paper plans. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of water politics, water governance, political ecology, corruption and environmental economics, as well as sustainable development policymakers.

Desalination is to the water industry what renewables are to the electricity sector. However, unlike renewables, the former is being deployed in a quiet revolution away from public glare. This book provides a holistic view of desalination, highlighting the important role this technology can play in providing safe access to water across the globe. It describes the context for this technology to flourish in the coming decades. It discusses the pressures on freshwater resources and the key role the desalination industry plays as it moves from a good-to-have provider today to a must-have mainstream water solution in the future. The book explores the vital elements of the desalination industry, including the winning technologies and how further technological developments will reduce costs and increase deployment into new areas. It also addresses the energy used and the key environmental issues of carbon dioxide emissions and brine waste production. Using a series of country case studies, the book illustrates how desalination can supplement natural water resources in different environments and for different purposes, and how it is supporting domestic and economic activity. Providing a forward-thinking assessment, the book considers developments over the next 30 years as climate change impacts become even more apparent. This book will be of great interest to those working to alleviate water scarcity and improve water security. It will also be of interest to those in water resource management, water policy and regulation, water science, and environmental engineering.

Increasingly the Middle East and its growing population face a highly complex and fragile security system. The rich deposits of natural resources, such as oil and gas, suffer from a strained renewable resource base that includes water and arable land. This leads to water scarcity, desertification, and land degradation. Increasing population, industrialization, and urbanization put more and more demand on the food supply. Energy insecurity may not be generally associated with the Middle East, but the countries in the eastern Mediterranean part have been traditionally vulnerable to it as their fossil fuel endowments have been low. Another issue is the large-scale temporary labor migration and the large number of forced migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The book analyzes these emerging security challenges in a comprehensive and systematic manner. It draws national and regional security issues into both the global security and human security perspectives.