With reference to one or more examples, explain how

conflicts of interest can occur in management of water

resources in trans-border river basins. Assess the success
of the strategies adopted to resolve them.
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Introduction:
River channel management is an attempt to harmonise and
balance the various enterprises which humans have imposed on
natural environment for our own benefit. Use of river as a shared
water resource, damming and pollution are possible causes of
conflit on interests between upstream and downstream riparian
states. To prevent such conflicts, political, economic and
environmental response are being taken. Notwithstanding the
various responses taken, the tension between riparian states has
worsened why? What is the context? and the conflict over the
quantity and quality of water is expected to grow, to the extent
that hydro wars may occur. Therefore, I believe that the
responses are effective to only a small extent. (change according
to qn)
Why? Substantiate with weighing criteria what are the
yardsticks you would use to determine success
Causes of conflict:
Rewrite the topic sentence to answer the question directly. This
sentence sounds more like an overview. River as a shared water
resource can be a cause of conflict between different riparian
states. River basins are transborder in nature and flow across
different political boundaries. The upstream riparian states tend to be
at a more advantageous position as their actions have far-reaching cons
equences on the downstream riparian states. As population and develo
pment pressures increase, every riparian state demands more water for
consumption, irrigation and more. It is difficult to come up with an agre

eable terms on how to share the water fairly.this is the topic

sentence. Move it up
Damming in uppper riparian states may be a source of conflict. This
sounds like an example driven paragraph. More of different uses
of water resources right? Some want to dam the river, others
want it for irrigation etc Dams hold back seasonal peak flows for distri
bution during low-water periods, help in flood control and enable hydro
electric power production. However, dams have negative impacts. The a
rea upstream the dam becomes permanently drowned and farmland is i
nundated for farmland downstream. Dams built in warm climates lose s
ubstantial water to evaporation. Reservoirs in South-Western USA loses
4 metres of water yearly. Also, sedimentation can reduce the effective c
apacity of a reservoir, shortening dam's lifespan. Moreover, sediment de
privation downstream may decrease agricultural productivity in downstr
eam riparian states. For instance, after four dams were built on the upp
er course of the Mekong River in China, water quality deteriorated, as it
did not carry organic wastes such as clay, in the downtream states such
as Vietnam, which rely on the water for rice cultivation, hence affecting
their livelihood. You should provide a comparative analysis rather
than list these case studies separately
Pollution of river by sediments, toxins, plant nutrients and others can be
a cause of conflict. Worldwide, erosion is estimated to add 75 billion to
nnes of sediment each year to rivers. Once polluted, river waters are har
d to be reclaimed or purifed. The possibility of polluted water making its
way across international boundaries, especially into poor countries, is a c
ause for concern as it may lead to epidemics.so what is the main point
here? So far you have been very descriptive.
(underlined are more important points!)
Environmental response:
P: Environmental cooperation is an environmental response taken to pre
vent disputes between riparian states.

Where is your evaluation? How may this be successful and to

what extent?
Exp: Environmental cooperation is related to the state's vulnerability to
environmental damage and the cost of mitigating damage. The upstrea
m states usually have low vulnerability, due to its export of environment
al problems downstream, and a high cost to mitigate damages. These m
ake them less willing to comply to the terms suggested as environmenta
l cooperation.
Eg: The Colorado River Compact does not adress any environmental con
cerns at all. Are you sure? Where is the evidence for such a strong
and absolute statement? Actually it has done quite well. The Meko
ng River Navigation Improvement Project, which aimed to promote grea
ter levels of cooperation between China and the lower riparian states, h
as been delayed due to environmental concerns raised. What
concerns? However, no solution has been proposed for the presumed e
nvironmental damage.why? so far still NAQ
Ev: Altough some riparian states are barely starting to consider the envir
onmental consequences of their actions for sustainable development, ot
her concerns such as economic development are placed at a higher prior
ity. Also, it can be seen that only the lower riparian states are concerned
about the environmental damages as they are the ones who suffer direc
tly from the damage. NAQ. Successful or not?
L: The upper riparian states who have more power in negotiation and ar
e only minimally concerned about the environmental consequences of t
heir actions, making the environmental response largely ineffective. I
dont even know what are these env responses that have been
rolled out by MRC you didnt mention

Political response:
P: Through political negotiations, treaties and commissions that
aim to promote the equitable use of water resources are made.

However, such strategies have limited effectiveness. Why? No

substantiation
E: International treaties only enhance legal security and reduce
the probability of water disputes arising between states. However,
it will not prevent all disputes between states that share water. So
what is your weighing criteria? No link between this para and the
subsequent para on case studies.
Eg: The Mekong Commission consists of the four downstream
states Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. However, although
it is a long-standing commission with regular dialogues, it has
limited effectiveness as upstream states, China and Myanmar are
unwilling to join the Commission. Hence as China is the major
player due to its already built 4 dams and plans for 4 more,
Chinas absence is a significant blow to the Commissions
effectiveness. The Xiao-Wan dam in China, for example, and the
other 3 dams built since 1993, were built without consultation of
downstream states- clearly the downstream states interests were
not considered, giving rise to conflict of interest as China wants to
build more dams to harness hydroelectric power to satisfy
growing energy needs from its growing population while the
downstream states rely on the silt content of the river to fertilize
and replenish their deltas for farming and also upon the river for
fish.
So what is your point? Successful or not? If so why, if not why?
Ev: Yet, dams, a significant management form were built without
proper communication and cost-benefit analysis between states is
an indicator of how the Commission is effectively a toothless tiger.
You are evaluating the commission here instead of the response
itself which is an international water treaty. Furthermore, legal
agreements may be unclear or outdated in the face of new
challenges and conflicts that arise.so what? Certainly all hope is
not lost for the Mekong Commission- recently, China and
Myanmar have been more willing to participate in talks as a

dialogue partner, which although it may not be binding, is still a

form of recourse for downstream states to a very small extent.
You sound contradictory
L: Political response is largely ineffective (rephrase to suit Qn), as
the formulation of treaties or commission involves negotiation and
require states to find compromises among different interests. So
what? Doesnt explain why the response is ineffective However,
individual riparian state especially the upper riparian states who
have locational advantage are unwilling to compromise and often
choose to opt out or not be part of the treaty or commission .
In this case, the weighing criteria here that determines relative
effectiveness is the inclusivity of all riparian states
Economic Response:
P: Economic cooperation, as a response to trans -border conflicts,
can come about due to perceived benefits such as to enable
better management of the watershed ecosystem, such as
formulating better flood mitigation methods how does this relate
to economics?, better erosion and sediment management
strategies or wetlands and biodiversity conservation this is an
environmental response. (need one reason in topic sentence) so
what is the response?
E: Secondly, efficient and cooperative management and
development of shared rivers yield major benefits from the river,
such as increased food and energy production in terms of
hydropower and even economic integration. Thirdly, cooperation
lessens tensions between competing riparian states , result in
increased political stability which in turn can reduce costs in
managing the river. NAQ on relative success
Eg: As countries are able to gain mutual economic benefits
through sharing of technology and water resources, they are more
willing to compromise and work with each other. For instance
under the 1994 Peace treaty signed by Israel and Jordan, they
agreed to a more equitable distribution of the Jordon River Water.

Israel agreed to give Jordan 50,000,000 cubic metres of water

each year and for Jordan to own 75% of the water from
the Yarmouk River (largest tributary of Jordon River). Both
countries could develop other water resources and reservoirs and
agreed to help each other survive droughts. Israel also agreed to
help Jordan use desalination technology in order to find additional
water. You should only stick to two case studies max
Ev: The 1994 Peace treaty serves as a model for the resolution of
other hydrological disputes in the region.
L: Economic response in the form of economic cooperation is
effective in resolving possible conflicts between riparian states as
economic development is of the highest priority for many
countries. Countries are more willing to cooperate as they are
able to gain more economic benefits without having to deal with
disputes with other states.
*Note to Ye Eun: its kind of impossible to write about negative
point about economic response, the only one I can find is
economic dominance (Egypt on Kenya, economic and political
embargo), but it is like a one-liner, and no evidence to back up.
So, if in essay, just write as counter ya?

Conclusion
In conclusion, although strategies for river management are
effective in that they help to reduce the extent by preventing
conflicts from escalating into hydro wars, they are limited in
effectiveness. The ideal situation would most likely to be for
countries to agree on sustainable and equitable water
management but the vested interests are often too high such that
this mammoth task is difficult to achieve. Question is on success
not effectiveness
No substantiation, no weighing critiera.