Sharing water resources in gbm region

VOL 23 NO 239 REGD NO DA 1589 | Dhaka, Tuesday, July 12 2016

http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/07/12/146083

Sharing water resources in GBM region M.S.Siddiqui

Water is essential to humans and other life forms even though it provides no calories and organic nutrients. Some can use salt water but many organisms including the great majority of higher plants and most mammals must have access to fresh water to survive. Fresh water is naturally occurring on Earth's surface from rain and glaciers and available mainly through rivers.

Water is essential for agricultural and industrial production and human wellbeing. Securing its reliable supply for key economic areas is critical to achieving economic growth. It is vital to many sectors of the economy such as industry, agriculture, food, hydropower, navigation, transportation, and flood management.

The issues of energy security, agricultural sustainability, and food security within one country are difficult, but regional cooperation can provide win-win solutions. The regional countries such as China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh depend on each other for water and water-related services. For example, 91 per cent of the total river flow in Bangladesh, 34 per cent in India, and 6 per cent in Nepal originate outside the national borders and pass through these countries.

It is said that the Third World War may erupt for water. In other dimension, the recent tension on supremacy over Arabian Seas, China Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal has triggered a major political and military issue involving not only regional countries but also the West is taking a keen interest. The USA has decided to deploy half of its naval power in this region. These neighboring countries have interest in energy security and smooth transportation of goods and services.

The regional countries are often involved in conflict over share of regional rivers. Again management of and investment in water resources often form the basis for broad regional and national development are key issues of regional co-operation.

The common river system of the Ganges (or Ganga), the Brahmaputra (known as Yarlung Tsangpo in China, and Jamuna in Bangladesh), and the Meghna popularly known as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GBM) has connected Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal. This river system originates in the Himalayas and empties into the Bay of Bengal, connects them hydrologically,

biophysically, and environmentally, forming a large natural region.

The economic structure of the region is highly water-dependent. Although endowed with rich water resources, and despite significant recent socio-economic progress, this region remains one of the poorest in the world. The vast majority of the people of the region rely on agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishery for their livelihoods. Agriculture is completely dependent on water and contributes about one-third of gross domestic product (GDP) and provides employment for about twothirds of the rural labour force.

Again, energy, particularly electricity, is essential for industrialisation, economic growth, and poverty alleviation. The GBM region is one of the world's energy-deficit areas, with persistent shortages of energy in all of the countries of the region except Bhutan.

The electricity generated from water is cheapest and renewable among the available processes.

Despite the huge potential, the utilisation of hydropower in the GBM is minimal, particularly in comparison with developed countries which use up to 70 per cent of their hydropower potential (e.g.

Switzerland 70 per cent and Norway 68 per cent). Of the world's rivers, the Brahmaputra is among the largest in hydropower potential but only Bhutan has availed the opportunity. The terrain of the Himalayas also provides excellent opportunities for storage of water for hydropower for use during dry season. In total, the GBM river system is estimated to have about 200,000 MW of hydropower potential, of which half or more is considered to be feasible for harnessing. Hydropower is a renewable and economical source of energy, environment friendly than fossil fuels. The GBM river system offers huge potential for hydropower. Bhutan is a rare exception among developing countries with100 per cent hydro- electricity generation and is an energy-surplus country.

In the recent years, Bangladesh and India have initiated electricity co-operation with supply of about 1,000 MW electricity by the latter to the former and have some electric grid connectivity. This may be extended to the GBM region for electricity generation and distribution. Such an inter-country power grid could facilitate the integration of different power systems and the export of excess hydropower from Bhutan to Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

Similar cross-border grid interconnections are increasing all over the world. Such interconnections already exist in North America, Europe, and southern Africa; they include the Nord Pool among Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and the South African Power Pool consists of 12 countries.

The establishment of power grid networks in our region can promote power trading and optimum use of untapped water resources and increase energy security in the region. At present, Bhutan is exporting electricity only to India but it could export to other countries at a better price through interconnection of regional countries.

Nepal, Bhutan and Seven Sisters of India are landlocked. They are asking for transit facilities from Bangladesh. Water transport has an important role in global trade. The river route can be a best

alternative to other modes of transport. The industrial development of Bhutan, Nepal, and Northeast India is hindered considerably by their landlocked position. The GBM rivers flow into Bangladesh from three directions and merge into a single outlet; they thus constitute a vast water network for transportation. In the past, the GBM served as major arteries of trade and commerce in this region.

India is already enjoying river transit from mainland to Seven Sisters through Bangladesh. The river route may suit access to sea port in Bangladesh for India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Management of floods in the GBM region has strong regional dimension as all the major rivers are trans-boundary. Often, floods generated in one country affect another country, and erosion in one country can deposit sediment in another.

Lower riparian countries are generally subject to runoff from the upper catchment area after heavy rainfall and snowmelt. Because of hydrological and ecological links between upstream and downstream areas in a river basin, trans-boundary cooperation is essential.

Nepal, the most water-rich country, suffers from acute water shortages during dry season owing to insufficient infrastructure and lack of storage facility. A proper regional management plan of water resources is the solution of issues of floods and shortage of water in different seasons. The construction of storage reservoirs in the upstream areas of the GBM is technically and economically feasible provided that such reservoirs are used for hydropower generation, irrigation, and dry season flow augmentation. However, storage alone is not enough. For effective flood management, it is important to develop effective flood forecasting and early warning systems, which are found to be a vital alternative to costly structural measures.

The loss due to floods can significantly minimised by implementing non-structural measures including improvement of flood forecasting and warning system. The existing flood forecasting and warning capacity of the regional countries could be more effective if real-time data could be acquired from upstream areas within the GBM catchment where runoff is generated. In order to do so, these countries need to foster an effective regional cooperation with the other GBM regional countries.

The co-operation for flood management could be: (1) construction of embankments on a selective basis, (2) maintenance of embankments, (3) watershed management at micro and macro levels, (4) land use regulation, (5) soil conservation and afforestation, (6) flood emergencies, (7) disaster management and preparedness, (8) flood forecasting, issuance of warnings and their quick dissemination through signals, (9) change in cropping patterns and (10) a flood-proofing programme.

This region is yet to have water co-operation due to mistrust, traditional mindset and administrative rigidity and narrow nationalist standpoint and get the benefit of huge natural resources. A fair and transparent co-operation of regional water resources is needed to face the challenge of water, food and energy security.

China may take a lead role as a regional big country and having the origin of the GBM. The upstream country has more responsibility to share the water with downstream countries. The economic giant and influential global leader has the responsibility and obligation to address the regional issues of energy and water security, agricultural sustainability, food security and above all regional peace and stability.

This article is based on the writer's presentation at a seminar on regional co-operation in South Asia organised by the 11th China- South Asia Business Forum on June 12 at Kunming, China. shah@banglachemical.com