Developing regional collaboration
in river basin management in
response to climate change
WORKSHOP: 16-17 October 2014
Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Background
The Public Sector Linkage
Program (PSLP) - funded by the
Australian Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade - aims
to develop regional collaboration
in South Asia river-management
based on identification of mutual
benefits among riparian states
that are susceptible to impacts of
climate change and human
development on
Himalayan-sourced rivers.
Climate change will affect flows
in major rivers, which support
the well being of more than a
billion people in South Asia. But
impacts will vary regionally due
to changes in rainfall and the
rates of snow and glacial melts.
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Similarly, demand for water is
increasing with population and
with changing water
consumption patterns in major
South Asian cities and with
increasing irrigation needs for
agriculture.
There is therefore a need to
identify shared strategies for
managing both supply and
deman to avoid water resources
shortages and regional conflict.
Bangladesh draws more than 90
percent of its water from
trans-boundary river systems.
The Teesta River supports the
livelihoods of more than 20
million Bangladeshis, but
demand for water - and barrages
on the river - are threatening the
viability of this water resource.
This workshop addressed the
Teesta River basin - a water
resource shared by India and
Bangladesh.
India
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Proceedings
Official Opening
THE HONOURABLE ANISUL ISLAM MAHMUD, MP
Honourable Minister, Ministry of Water Resources,
Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a country among the most exposed
to climate change. As a low country with a large
coastline, it is particularly exposed to sea-level rise
and the catastrophic impacts of cyclones and
storm surge on its populous coastal communities.
It is also exposed, more than most countries, to the
devastating impacts of extreme floods in the wet
season and prolonged droughts in the dry season.
With climate change and wide spread poverty,
Bangladesh must make the best use of its
resources to adapt and prosper.
River basins transcend national and state
boundaries. Rivers are essential to provide
life-saving water and to support agricultural and
emerging industrial economies. Increasing
demand for water - for agriculture,
hydro-electricity, and other forms of power
generation - are creating conditions of extreme
scarcity in some areas. Dams upstream affect the
well-being of communities down-stream. They also
affect vital ecosystem services including water
quality. This in turn affects the health, well-being
and prosperity of Bangladeshis.
How will the some 30 major dams that are planned
for the Teesta affect dry season water availability
for those downstream regions which have
traditionally depended on water from the Teesta?
What mutual benefits can be identified that can
encourage a collaborative response between India
and Bangladesh in water resource management?
As one example, the provision of dry season flows
to Bangladeshi farmers can improve agricultural
production for tradeable commodities to India.
This will improve the economic and social
well-being of both countries. Maintenance of
forested riparian areas in India will reduce
sedimentation, improve water quality and support
vital ecosystem services important to both
countries.
This workshop will focus on the identification of
mutual benefits in the context of changes to
climate, demography, land use, and geopolitics. A
large number of Bangladeshi stakeholders are
represented and many are presenting at this
workshop. The challenge is before us. It is bigger
than just one country and a regional collaborative
solution is required.
A collaborative approach is needed, particularly in
responding to climate change, to urbanisation, and
to demography in the region. I am pleased to note
that Monash University is collaborating with a
number of regional stakeholders among those
states which depend on Himalayan-sourced rivers.
These states include Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, India,
and Bangladesh. It has chosen the Teesta River
along with the Indus and the Koshi as exemplifying
contested trans-boundary rivers important in the
regional economy of South Asia. The Teesta is a
glacially fed river responsive to rainfall in the Indian
state of Sikkim. It joins the Brahmaputra in
Bangaldesh and is a vital source of water for the
dry northern regions of Bangladesh. India and
Bangaldesh have extensive plans for hydropower
and irrigation.
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Introduction
DR PAUL MCSHANE
Monash University, Australia
Common problems preventing regional
collaboration in river basin management include:
Construction of cascade dams in Sikkim include
more than 30 major hydropower projects. Planned
water sharing between India and Bangladesh has
been postponed. Here we focus on the
identification of mutual benefits to encourage
regional co-operation.
•
poor communication and co-ordination among
agencies responsive to water resource
management
Governance and management issues:
the Teesta
•
activities of upstream states will affect the
utility of downstream states
•
climate change requires a co-ordinated
approach among and within states.
DR DOUGLAS HILL
Department of Geography, University of Otago,
New Zealand
We apply two approaches in encouraging regional
collaboration in river basin management:
•
user-friendly integrated models to explore
consequences of alternative policy actions and
of likely climate change scenarios
•
knowledge management for co-ordinating
information exchange among agencies and
stakeholders
The Teesta Basin has been chosen as an exemplar
river basin (along with the Koshi Basin) for South
Asia. It is a contested water resource - shared
between India and Bangladesh. Both India and
Bangladesh have further plans for hydropower and
for irrigation. This creates problems, particularly for
the downstream riparian Bangladesh in managing
dry season flows. But the Teesta does not present
as a bilateral management issue. Within India, state
issues - particularly West Bengal - dominate and
can frustrate regional collaboration. Bangladesh
draws more than 90 percent of its water from
trans-boundary river systems. It is dependent on
effective collaboration with neighbouring states.
More generally, water availability in South Asia has
declined by at least 70 percent since 1950. The
Teesta supports the livelihoods of more than 20
million Bangladeshis.
The Himalayas provide water and support
ecosystem services including provisioning (e.g.
food, fresh water), regulating (e.g. climate),
supporting (e.g. soil, ground water, nutrients) and
cultural services (e.g. recreation, religion).
Regional co-operation in river basin management
has been made difficult because of:
•
a shift from supply-side management to
adaptive management
•
securitisation, sovereignity, and national
politics
•
governance and due process
•
participation and transparency
•
climate change and uncertainty
Historically the predominant approach to water
infrastructure in South Asia has overwhelmingly
focused on the supply side with engineered
solutions, top-down bureaucracy and a
technocratic consultation process. The emergence
of integrated water resource management (IWRM)
has encouraged a shift towards demand
management including recognition of ecosystem
services and benefit sharing mechanisms. The
Teesta Basin presents multi-scalar issues with
international (India/ Bangladesh) and intranational
(Sikkim-Paschim Bangla) issues.
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Collusion between state governments (India) and
private sector companies accompany piecemeal
and ad-hoc planning.
Disputes over the Teesta reflect India’s construction
of the Gazaldoba Barrage upstream of Dalia and
reduction of flow to Bangladesh in the dry season.
A change in the culture of water resource
management needs to occur to facilitate effective
and co-operative regional planning.
Further to this, release of water during the wet
season can cause floods and bank erosion. The
Joint River Commission recognised in 2005 that
‘lean season flows’ in the Teesta will not meet the
needs of both countries and sharing should be
based on shared sacrifices. In 2011, the two
countries were poised to sign agreements on the
Teesta, but the Chief Minister of West Bengal did
not agree to the proposed allocation of 50 percent
of the river’s water.
Water security and India-Bangladesh
challenges and opportunities
MAJOR GENERAL MD ABDUR RASHID (Retd)
Climate change is a complex phenomenon that
affects human life - politics, economiccs, migration,
human rights, development, trade and health.
Climate Change can trigger conflict - instability
that may appear as a cause of humanitarian
disasters and consequences are not restricted by
the political boundaries.
Read the full paper: http://www.monash.edu/
sustainability-institute/assets/documents/
programs-initiatives/natural-resourcesmanagement/majorgeneralrashidpapernrm.pdf
Teesta water sharing agreement and
Bangladesh-India relations
SUFIA KHANOM
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic
Studies, Bangladesh
Water security issues facing the Teesta River reflect
increasing demand for water - principally for
agriculture. The Teesta is a perennial rain and snow
fed river. More than 300 glacial lakes are located in
the Sikkim HImalayas feeding the Teesta. Concerns
over glacial retreat with climate change reflect
concerns that decreasing flows to Bangladesh will
worsen. There are other uses including planned
hydropower dams in Sikkim, the Teesta Barrage in
West Bangal for irrigation, and potential
interlinking of the Teesta to supply water to India.
As water is a state issue in India, the Indian
Government could not proceed without further
consultations with the West Bengal government.
Discussions between the two countries have
largely been technical in nature with little
discussion of social and ecological issues or
stakeholder concerns. Civil society engagement
has also been very limited. Sikkim has considerable
scope for development of tourism, horticulture,
and floriculture. It is therefore likely that water
demand in Sikkim will continue to rise at the
expense of downstream flows to Bangladesh.
Relations among countries in South Asia has been
historically difficult with histories of armed conflict.
As demand for water grows, tension and potential
conflict will continue to develop.
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Trans-national dialogue towards
effective co-basin management of
trans-boundary rivers: learnings from
the Brahmaputra river basin.
SAFA FANAIAN
South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water
Resource Studies (SaciWATERs), Hyderabad, India
Trans-boundary river issues in South Asia are
characterised by:
•
gross inequalities in the temporal and spatial
distribution of water between countries
•
governance is marred by deep-seated distrust,
political tensions and histories of armed
conflict
•
problems compounded by floods, droughts
and earthquakes
•
treaties largely state-centric, technocratic,
exclusionary, and nationalistic hydropolitical
viewpoints
•
ecological alterations, resource degradation
and socio-ecological disruptions largely
neglected
The Brahmaputra river basin exemplifies many of
the issues above. It is a contiguous ecological unit
spreading across four states: China, Bhutan, India
and Bangladesh. Bangladesh as a lower riparian, is
dependent on the management interventions of
the upstream countries. Negotiations and
developments are largely formed by virtue of
position bargaining. China and Inida take a lead
role. The river basin dynamics have not been
looked at holistically in discussions among riparian
states. A track three approach (involving civil
society organisations) offers scope to depoliticise
many of the issues that frustrate effective
collaboration among riparian states. Challenges
include bringing people together, particularly with
track two (government agency) communication.
The Teesta Basin, which involves only two riparian
states, may offer an example of effective
co-operation and trans-boundary river basin
management.
Working towards improved resilience
and adaptive capacity to climate
change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan
Region (Nepal, China, Bangladesh,
Indian and Australia)
DR LANCE HEATH
Australian National University, Australia
This integrated collaborative project seeks to take a
source-to-sink approach to managing climate
change risks. A primary aim is to develop a set of
transferrable processes and options for identifying
local appropriate adaptation responses that
fascilitate and improve resilience and adaptive
capacity building. Different tools and
methodologies will apply depending on location
and circumstances (e.g. urban versus rural).
Our work commenced in the Jhiku Khola
watershed, part of the Koshi River Basin located in
Nepal (Panchkhal). Field surveys, site visits and
participatory workshops have yielded data and
information that has allowed local adaptive
strategies to be identified that are principally
aligned to water resource management in
potential extended dry seasons. This work links
with the parallel Monash University study that is
examining regional collaboration across national
boundaries for the Koshi River Basin.
Both studies engage systemic models to
interrogate causal factors influencing water and
agricultural production. Both studies engage
research and policy agencies in riparian states/
countries to improve understanding of climate
change and the consequences for sustainable
development in vulnerable regions.
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WORKSHOP SESSION: 17 Oct 2014:
Developing a knowledge
management framework for the
Teesta River Basin
Facilitated by: DR JEREMY AARONS
Monash Sustainability Institute & Caulfield School
of Information Technology, Monash University,
Australia
In this workshop, session participants divided into
three small groups. Each group looked at water
resource management decision-making for the
Teesta River Basin at different levels.
The aim of the session was to complete details on
how information relevant to water resource
management in the Teesta is collected and shared.
The session also began mapping the information
flows between key decision-making bodies.
Each group was asked to document:
i. key decision-making bodies relevant to the
Teesta River Basin;
ii. sources of data and information used in
decision-making for the Teesta; and
iii. how decision-making bodies share data and
information for co-ordination and co-operation.
Together the outputs of these three groups feed
into the development of a Knowledge
Management Framework for the Teesta River Basin,
in this case providing detail on decision-making as
it pertains mainly to Bangladesh-based agents
involved with the Teesta.
This initial work will thus need to be supplemented
by further exploration of the national level and
national-local linkages from an Indian perspective.
This activity provides a starting point for
developing a more detailed Knowledge
Management Framework for the Teesta - a broad
systems-level conceptual model of the
decision-making space within which key decisions
relating to river basin management are made.
The first group looked at the trans-national level,
investigating trans-boundary co-operation and
knowledge sharing between key decision-making
bodies in Bangladesh and india.
The second group explored national level
co-operation and knowledge sharing among
Bangladeshi organisations and agencies
(government and other key players).
The third group explored the linkages from
Bangladeshi national level agencies down through
the district level to the community level.
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GROUP 1: TRANS-BOUNDARY
(BANGLADESH-INDIA) CO-OPERATION AND
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
This group identified the key players in
trans-boundary dialogue and cooperation for the
Teesta River Basin. In terms of political cooperation
and coordination the key formal body is the Joint
Rivers Commission (JRC), established in 1972 to
forge cooperation between Bangladesh and India
on river management.
The JRC membership includes political appointees
as well as engineers and other technical experts
and advisers (e.g. involving Bangladesh University
of Engineering and Technology and the Indian
Institute of Technology Guwahati). The JRC
facilitates formal data sharing (e.g. hydrological
data) between its Bangladesh and Indian
counterparts and has played a key role in
negotiating treaties between Bangladesh and
India, including the pending Teesta River
agreement.
Other key players in trans-boundary coordination
include the respective Bangladesh and Indian
government ministries, including the Ministers of
Water, Agriculture, Environment, Fisheries and
Public Health. Within Bangladesh, key bodies
include the Bangladesh Water Resources Planning
Organisation (WARPO) under the Ministry of Water
Resources, which is responsible for nationwide
water resources planning. It also includes the
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the
which is responsible for implementing national
water policy and managing flood control, drainage
and irrigation projects.
Within India, the state ministries of West Bengal
and Sikkim also play important decision-making
roles in regional water policy, irrigation, urban
development and health. West Bengal as the lower
riparian region that directly borders Bangladesh
tends to have a higher stake in trans-national
negotiations acting with “more concerns and a
louder voice”. West Bengal is also significant as the
location of the Teesta Barrage Project. Sikkim as the
upper riparian region has less at stake in
trans-national dialogue and thus tends to be more
relaxed with respect to trans-boundary water
resource negotiations.
A range of technical knowledge institutions in both
Bangladesh and India are involved in data
gathering, research and analysis and provide
technical input and advice to major policy-making
and decision-making bodies:
•
The bilateral India and Bangladesh Joint
Technical Committee (JTC) collects
hydro-morphological data and has a mandate
that includes data collection, database
management and data-sharing responsibilities
•
The Centre for Environmental and Geographical
Information Services (CEGIS) in Bangladesh is a
public trust under the Bangladesh Ministry of
Water Resources (MoWR). CEGIS provides
advice, consulting and training services, and
develops software and data systems - including
GIS systems, satellite and remote-sensing data,
hydrological and river morphology data, and a
range of river modelling tools.
•
The Institute of Water and Flood Management
(IWFM) at Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology (BUET) conducts research and
provides technical expertise to key
decision-making bodies in the area of water
resource and flood management.
•
The India Institute of Technology Guwahati
(IIT-G) located is Assam, India, is a research
institution that also provides technical
expertise including data provision and analysis.
•
Other Indian universities involved in research,
hydrological, geological, and geographical
work that provide technical input and data for
decision-making bodies including Sikkim
University, the University of North Bengal, and
Jadavpur Univerrsity (Kolkota).
•
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) - an
independent, not-for-profit, research institute
based in New Dehli conducts research focused
on energy, environment, and sustainable
development. It also provides technical advice
and support to key decision making bodies.
TERI develops climate change models exploring
issues such as glacial melt and is also working
in the Koshi River Basin (shared by India and
Nepal)
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The group also identified non-government
organisation and donor agencies that operate at
the trans-boundary level and may influence policy
development and contribute to knowledge
generation, and information and data sharing.
The group noted that the importance of donor
agencies in influencing research and policy
development is often under-acknowledged as they
are often missed in stakeholder analyses.
Key donor agencies identified included:
•
The World Bank (WB) who provide support for
development programs, including irrigation
infrastructure such as barrages and dams. They
may also influence national policy.
•
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
•
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
•
The South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI), a
partnership between The World Bank and the
governments of Australia, UK and Norway.
SAWI aims to ‘support countries to improve and
deepen trans-boundary dialogue, enhance the
basin and water resources knowledge base,
strengthen water institutions, and support
investments that lead to sustainable, fair and
inclusive development’.
Key international NGO’s involved in the Teesta River
Basin include the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) who provide
policy-level information and data, and the Asia
Foundation.
GROUP 2: NATIONAL LEVEL COOPERATION AND
KNOWLEDGE SHARING (BANGLADESH)
The second group explored cooperation and
knowledge sharing among national level
Bangladeshi agencies and organisations - including
government agencies and other key players.
This group identified many of the same players as
the first group. However, they explored the roles of
these groups in data sharing and national policy
setting in more detail.
The main Bangladesh government ministry for
water resource management is the Ministry of
Water Resources (MoWR), under which sit
key-policy making bodies, including:
•
The Bangladesh Water Development Board
(BWDB), which collects daily water-level data
down to the district level. It also coordinates
data on the Teesta Barrage and other water
infrastructure.
•
The Water Resource Planning Organisation
(WARPO), which is responsible for water
resource planning.
•
The River Research Institute (RRI), based in
Faridpur. It conducts physical modelling of
rivers (e.g. for operation of the Teesta Barrage)
and provides research services, training and
advice on river bank protection, flood control,
irrigation and drainage structures.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) also
plays a key role in water resource policy. This is
particularly through the Department of
Agricultural Extension, which is responsible for
agricultural coverage and production data sets for
all of Bangladesh, including the Teesta Basin.
The MoA also administers the Soil Resources
Development Institute (SRDI). SRDI collates
national soil data sets and is responsible for
land-use information and agricultural manuals.
Closely connected to the MoA is the Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). This
is a statutory body responsible for irrigation and
agricultural use of water in the northern regions of
Bangladesh (the Barind Tract). The BMDA can
provide agricultural data for this region, including
surface water resources and irrigation.
A number of government-supported trustee
bodies undertake research and provide data,
modelling and technical services for water resource
decision-makers. These are autonomous bodies
with government representation on their
governing boards.
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They include:
•
The Center for Environmental and Geographic
Information Services (CEGIS) Bangladesh. This
group undertakes modelling and provides GIS
data for water resource management. CEGIS are
also involved in setting data standards and are
generally open and flexible with data sharing.
•
The Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) provide
technical services, including data and
decision-support systems relating to flood
control, flood forecasting, irrigation and
drainage, river morphology, salinity and
sediment transport. IMW also provide services
for Environmental Impact Assessments.
•
•
The United Nations World Food Programme
(WFP) and the World Bank (WB) produce a set
of Bangladesh Poverty Maps in collaboration
with BBS. These maps, updated every few years,
document poverty intensity, market
accessibility and education levels down to
Upazilla (subdistrict) levels.
•
The South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) does not
generate its own data but collates available
data into knowledge-bases and conducts data
analysis (e.g. spatial data analysis for GBM
products).
Universities involved in research and data
collection relevant to water resource management
include:
The Bangladesh Institute of Development
Studies (BIDS) is an autonomous public
•
multi-disciplinary organisation that conducts
policy oriented research on development
issues. BIDS generates and provides
socio-economic data for development planning
and policy use.
•
Other organisations that can provide relevant data
for water resource management include:
•
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS),
which provides national census data, including
household data on income and expenditure.
The data is collected every ten years, with the
last census held in 2011. BBS can provide raw
data for research and policy purposes.
•
The Bangaldesh Meteorological Department
(BMD), which provides daily meteorological
data, including temperature, rainfall and
seismology data.
•
The Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) affiliated with the Ministry of Power, Energy
and Mineral Resources. It provides
geographical data relevant to dams, canals and
other water infrastructure.
•
The Bangladesh Space Research and Remote
Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) can provide
remote sensing and satellite data.
The Institute of Water and Flood Management
(IWFM) at Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology (BUET), which undertakes
flood management research.
Dhaka University and the University of Rajshahi,
who conduct socio-economic research and
generate data that can input into policy
development for water resource management.
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GROUP 3: NATIONAL-DISTRICT-LOCAL DATA
SOURCES AND LINKAGES (BANGLADESH)
These sources include:
This group explored linkages from national level
agencies in Bangladesh down to the community
level. They began by outlining the levels of
governance in Bangladesh and then identifying
forms of data and data sources relevant at each
level.
•
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) socioeconomic, demographic, macroeconomic
etc.
•
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD)
- weather data such as temperature and rainfall
at the local, district and national levels
The levels of government from national to village
are:
•
National Government of Bangladesh -->
Division Level -->
Zila Parishad (District Level Administration) -->
Upazila Parishad (Sub-District Level Council) -->
Union Parishad (Village Level Council)
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB),
who collect some data at the local village level,
providing downloadable data on flood, river
erosion and ground water.
•
Department of Environment (DoE), which
provides environmental data, but not much at
the local level
•
Department of Fisheries, which collects local
level data on fish production and fish
biodiversity.
The smallest rural administrative and local
government units in Bangladesh are the Union
Parishad. At this local level there are field officers
working directly with people in communities who
collect primary data using methods such as focus
group discussions. For example, the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE) operates at all levels
from the Division down to Union Parishad level. It
has extensive field offices in local regions. DAE
collect and can provide data on irrigation and
production down to the local level. In general,
coverage of local-level data by individual
researchers is very small.
Most government data sources in Bangladesh only
operate and generate data down to the Upazila
(sub-district) level. In general they do not have
grass-roots level data.
NGOs also operate and collect data at the local
level, working on issues such as local climate
change, agriculture and local livelihoods.
Data is usually collected through a local field office,
then brought together by project officers before
being compiled and synthesised by a head office
into analysis and subsequent policy
recommendation (for example, for input into the
Bangladesh National Adaptation Programme of
Action and the Bangladesh Climate Change
Strategy and Action Plan 2009).
NGOs operating down to the local level in
Bangladesh, include:
•
WorldFish
•
Concern Universal
•
Pali Karma-Sahayak Foundation
•
Young Power in Social Action
•
BRAC Bangladesh
•
International Rice Research Institute
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Knowledge management for
collaborative river basin management
in response to climate change
ABSTRACT BY DR JEREMY AARONS
Monash Sustainability Institute & Caulfield School
of Information Technology, Monash University,
Australia
This project aims to develop a draft knowledge
management framework that builds on assembled
knowledge and information (including traditional
wisdom). It adopts a multi-disciplinary approach,
including socio-economic information and local,
indigenous knowledge. Development of the
framework involves mapping available information
(including traditional wisdom, hydrological
models, regional climate models, land-use
patterns, and agriculture), and docomenting
information sharing pathways (or identification of
barriers to information exchange) among
responsive agencies.
Project outcomes include:
i. Strengthened capacity among agencies
representing riparian states in a knowledge
management approach to collaboration and
coordination; and
ii. Improved information exchange, resulting in a
shared understanding of sustainable water
resource management strategies.
We define Knowledge Management as the
systematic approach to collecting, sharing and
integrating knowledge to inform policy and
support decision making: providing the right
knowledge to the right people at the right time.
Our knowledge management approach to river
basin management focuses on the identification of
benefit sharing as this is considered to be the best
way of encouraging regional collaboration in river
basin management. Current efforts in benefit
sharing demonstrate that there is no
‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Each approach needs to
be tailored to the context and involve a unique mix
of interventions. We adopt an evidence-based
approach, which involves building a benefit
sharing framework from the bottom-up based on
the best available knowledge (and including all
relevant stakeholders).
Our approach initially focuses on cooperation for
data and information sharing, including the
establishment of knowledge networks and
trans-boundary capacity building. The aim is to
build collaborative frameworks for benefit sharing
based on cooperation, negotiation, and mutual
agreement - incorporating shared information
infrastructure (such as data systems, GIS, decision
support tools and warning systems), and systems
for monitoring, evaluation, review and
improvement. For the Teesta River Basin,
establishing an effective knowledge management
framework for benefit sharing ultimately involves
three components:
1. Governance arrangements, including high-level
leadership and coordination, regional
cooperation and an improved overarching legal
and regulatory environment. Developing this
involves undertaking an analysis of current
governance arrangements, exploring the
possibility of a basin-wide governance system,
and developing means for strengthening
diplomatic relations between riparian states.
2. Data and information infrastructure, including
a unified data system (knowledge base), data
sharing arrangements, targeted
decision-support and new integrated tools and
technologies. Building this into the framework
requires undertaking a data and information
audit, establishing a basin-wide data
governance system, and coordination process
between key stakeholders, and data integration
into an accessible knowledge base.
3. A framework for stakeholder participation for
developing integrated solutions. This will
involve primary decision-makers (such as
governments); key stakeholders (such as NGOs,
industry, and water user groups);
mutli-disciplinary experts (such as social and
physical science, engineering, economics and
law), as well as local, traditional and
community-based participation. This requires
the establishment of formal coordinating
bodies and forums; informal networks and
communities of practice; communication,
education and capacity building; developing
bottom-up participatory processes for
community involvement in policy; and
program development.
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Systemic modelling for the Teesta
River Basin
DR TERRY CHAN
Monash University, Australia
We use Bayesian networks to integrate biophysical
and socioeconomic issues relevant to river basin
management. We aim to provide realistic and
simplified systemic overviews that policy makers
can use to evaluate the consequences of various
policy interventions (e.g. water resource allocation
strategies) or of climate change (e.g. on
agriculture). Bayesian networks are useful because
they are:
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based on conceptual cause-effect links;
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relatively simple to build and simplify
complexity;
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graphically based so they can be used by a
range of stakeholders;
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quantitative, allowing prioritisation;
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able to use sparse data;
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able to combine different sources of data (e.g.
expert opinion, modelled data, field data);
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explicitly include uncertainty; and
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flexible and can be changed and updated
easily.
We have started this process for the Koshi River
Basin. We now extend our modelling to the Teesta
Basin. Researchers with regional expertise in
multiple disciplines as well as local field experience
were involved in a facilitated group discussion
around the Teesta River Basin and how systemic
modelling could add value to other work in this
basin. Initial group brainstorming elicited what
local stakeholders value and want to improve,
preserve and protect in the Teesta River Basin;
what the threats are to these values; and how
these threats occur.
water for irrigation, as this is the primary focus of
the region. A secondary focus was water-related
‘beneficiaries/ equity’ and ‘environmental flows’ for
ecosystems in the river channel.
Two focus groups then developed preliminary
conceptual models (see Figures 1 and 2) around
‘water for irrigation’, adding and connecting what
were thought to be the main variables influencing
that central value. For each of those secondary
variables, the main variables that influenced them
were then added and connected, and so on
outward. This included cross linkages with existing
variables as new variables were added.
At each stage, the other values, hazards, threats
(see Table 1), and management actions and
adaptations previously discussed were considered.
It was emphasised that models are simplifications
of reality and there is no one right way to model
such a complex system. Both networks emphasised
the importance of both surface and groundwater
irrigation, and the differences between these. They
also emphasised the importance of accounting for
crop types and agricultural factors.
Specific factors relating to use of groundwater
were also replicated in both conceptual models,
including groundwater quality and the economics
of energy costs (for pumping).
Limited time meant a number of factors were not
satisfactorily linked in to the conceptualisations
(e.g. see floating variables in Figure 2). Next steps
will include ongoing communication with
participants for iterative development of these
conceptual models.
From the shortlist of values (see Table 1), the
primary focus for future work was decided to be
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TABLE 1: Group discussion for systemic understanding of the Teesta River Basin
VALUES
What do the stakeholders value? What do they
want to improve, preserve or protect?
THREATS
What are the threats to this/ these values?
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Equitable/ fair allocation of water
Water for irrigation/ irrigated agriculture
Water for hydropower
Environmental flows to preserve the life of the
river
Transit/ transport
Productivity (E.g. Hh net income)
Livelihoods
Char livelihoods
Provisional services
Regulatory services
Habitat
Flood control
Reliability
Quality
Fisheries
Sediment
Salinity (not as significant in Teesta)
Public health, health services
Erosion
Groundwater table/ piezo levels
Household domestic use of water
Sanitation
Subsistence agriculture
Flood recession agriculture
Cultural meanings and value (especially upper
reaches, Sikkim)
Beneficiaries/ equity
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Changing climate and rainfall
Environmental degradation
Pollution/ contamination (where groundwater irrigation occurs)
Poor governance
Changing support, economics around tube
wells
Changing economics around diesel (current
subsidies)
Reliance on historic surface water irrigation
system
Lack of community capital for pumps
Over-extraction of groundwater
Conflict
Social stress
River engineering projects: diversion/ interlinking, power infrastructure
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FIGURE 1:
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FIGURE 2
Supported by:
For more information, contact:
Dr Paul McShane
Chief Research Officer
Office location: MSI, Building 74, Clayton
Telephone: +61 3 9902 0739
Email: paul.mcshane@monash.edu
www.monash.edu/sustainability-institute