Managing Shared Basins:

Managing Water – Inside and OutThe Practical Aspects of Transboundary Water

March 7th, 2018

LEAD Pakistan

Speaker Profile

2

Simi Kamal

Senior Group Head - Grants Operations

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund

3

People want more regular plentiful

water - without - borders now and

don’t want to wait for

conservation, stewardship or

shared responsibility.

Major Global Water Perspectives

4

Controlling & managing water in thecontext of demand for energy & food

Balancing the equation between water-for-food, water-for-energy and water forother uses

More energy requirement for exploitinggroundwater, as surface water is affectedby pollution and effluents

Geographic and transboundary dimensions of

resource conflicts in Indus Basin

5

Upper & lower riparian issuesacross countries and withincountries

Tension between agricultural and industrial sectors

Encroachment upon water bodies and conserved lands

Geographic and transboundary dimensions of

resource conflicts in Indus Basin

6

‘Transboundary’ dimensionsactually try to defygeography and fail

Major Dilemma -Attempts to manage IndusBasin in bits & pieces hasmeant that full potential islost and there is clamoring ofcompeting interests

Indus Basin Shared by Four Countries

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Model of Indus Waters Treaty

8

9

India

Pakistan

The Indus - The Treaty (1960)

Source: Pakistan’s Water Economy: Running Dry, Report, The World Bank, November 8, 2005, pg8

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Key Lessons of the Indus Water Treaty

Physical and political boundaries and political stance can create international water conflicts

Power inequalities may delay the process of negotiations

Positive, active and continuous involvement of a third party is vital in helping to overcome conflict

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Key Lessons of the Indus Water Treaty

Coming to a table with financial assistance can provide sufficient incentive for a breakthrough in agreement

Sensitivity to each party’s particular hydrologic concerns is crucial in determining the basis of negotiations for a successful resolution

In particularly difficult politicized conflict situation, a sub-optimal solution may be the best option

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‘Transboundary’ Water Management within Pakistan

Trans-boundary

Nature

River crosses 4 provinces. Dispute mainly

relevant to 2 provinces

Political

Situation

Four semi-autonomous provinces (and some areas

administered by federal government), with federal

government having primary responsibility for water

resources management (surface water)

Management

Responsibilities

After several failed attempts, provinces finally

referred power to the federal government to

intervene in provincial river sharing matters. Indus

River System Authority (IRSA), Ministry of Water

and Power and Water and Power Development

Authority (WAPDA) operate on the federal level to

manage water resources in Pakistan

Sharing

Arrangement

Inter-provincial agreement: 1991 Indus Water

Accord

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Provincial

Boundaries

and Main

Rivers in

Pakistan

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Water Accord 1991Based on:

• 114.35 MAF per year

• 3 MAF estimate for un-gauged canals

• Varies from year to year and is normally less than 114.35 MAF

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Division Among Provinces

10 MAF provision for downstream flow for Sindh, but is not

released each year

Punjab

55.94 MAF

Sindh

48.76 MAF

KP

8.78 MAF

Balochistan

3.87 MAF

Total

114.35 MAF

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Indus Basin Irrigation

System

Source: Hasan 2005, quoted in Pakistan’s Water Economy: Running Dry, Report, The World

Bank, November 8, 2005, pg 4

Gomal River

Kurram River

Kabul River

Tarbela

Reservoir

ChashmaReservoir

Indus River

Jhelum River

Chenab River

Rav

i R

iver

Sutl

ej R

iver

Arabian Sea

Nee

lam

R

iver

Kala Bagh Reservoir(proposed)

ManglaReservoir

Sehwan Reservoir(Proposed)

Thal

Can

al

Thalreservoir

(proposed)

JinnahBarrage

RasulBarrge

L.C

.C.

West

(Jhan

g)

L.C

.C.

East

(Gugera)

U.C

hen

abIn

ternal

BR

BD

Intern

al

C.B

.D.C

U. D

epalp

ur

L. D

epalp

ur

L.B

.D.C

U.

Pak

pattan

Fo

rdw

ah

Eastern

Sad

iqia

Dera G

hazi K

han

Muzaffa

rgarh

KotriBarrage

SukkurBarrage

GudduBarrage

TaunsaBarrage

TrimmuBarrage

SidhnaiBarrage

BallokiBarrag

e

MaralaBarrage

KhankiBarrag

eQadirab

adBarrage

SulemankiBarrage

IslamBarrag

e

Chen

abJh

elum

WarsakDam

Ran

gp

ur

Can

al

C.R

.B.C

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Province-wise Irrigated Area

Sindh

14%NWFP

5%

Punjab

77%

Balochistan

4%

Source: Kamal S, Presentation on “Sharing the Resources of River Basins: International Agreements and National

Arrangements

(Indus Basin, Ganges Basin and Lake Biwa/Yodo River Basin)” South Africa, August 2009

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a. Australia

Replace-

ment

Interest

Efficien

tO & M

Financial

Requirements Who pays

Taxpayers

Users

Excess

man-

power

O & M

Replace-

ment

Interest Taxpayers

Taxpayers

Taxpayers

Users

Users

No one

b. Pakistan

Financial

Requirements Who pays

The Financing of Water Services in PakistanSource: Pakistan’s Water Economy:Running Dry, Report, The World Bank, November 8, 2005, pg59

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Criteria/Method used to Determine Shares for the

Different Parties

The Indus Waters Accord of 1991 established the following:

Defined entitlements of

different provinces to a share of

available water

Set a minimum flow requirement of

water into the sea

Ensured that all provinces gained from surpluses or

loss from shortages in supply

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Key Lessons of the Indus Water Accord

Water sharing between provinces can become highly politicized and intractable, where real concerns of stakeholders are not addressed

Focus needs to shift from supply- oriented to demand- oriented ways of overcoming water distribution problem

Downstream riparian rights have to be implemented

Comprehensive water law is essential

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The politics of water in Pakistan is still built

around access to river water for traditional

methods of irrigation, that does not disturb

the status quo of feudal land relations

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Groundwater – the Forgotten Part of the Equation

• The Indus basin also has fresh groundwater reserves of about 55 MAF

• Groundwater now accounts for half of all on farm irrigation requirements (supplementing the 34 MAF of surface water that actually gets to the farm lands )

• Conjunctive use of surface and ground water has been hailed as a giant step forward

• Presently more than 500,000 tube wells in the Indus basin area

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Water Balance

All sources of water must be considered when allocating water for defined regions and ‘trans-water’ situations

Those areas that have groundwater, snowfall and rainfall should have reduced share from surface water

Surface water and ground water must be licensed and valued for productive use

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Water Policy Framework

• National Water Policy (latest draft 2017)

• ‘Citizens’ Water Policy (Hisaar Foundation 2016)

• The Pakistan Water Resources Strategy (Ministry of Water and Power, 2002)

• Ten Year Perspective Plan (Planning Commission, 2001)

• Vision 2025 (Water and Power Development Authority, 2001)

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Water Policy Recommendations

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Strengthening National Security through Trans-

boundary Cooperation on Shared Water

Resources

Concentrated effort to shift the paradigm of thinking about trans-boundary water resources management from competing for scarce resources to one of cooperation and benefit sharing

Working on Indus Basin Treaty with India

Exploring the potential of developing a treaty with Afghanistan to share the Kabul River

Exploring cooperation with China on Indus

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Demonstrating Leadership

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Government needs to get serious,

provide clear leadership and put up a

well-resourced permanent water

commission (that could be an

empowered existing water institution or

a new one) led by people of integrity

and knowledge that can deliver the

intent of rational use of water in

Pakistan.

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Responsibilities for Action at Federal Level

Ensuring physical sustainability and integrity ofrivers, water bodies, catchment areas, groundwaterand coastlines

Protecting the integrity of the Indus basin

Expanding scope of IRSA - Implementing watersharing (based on all sources of water) amongprovinces and regions

Building infrastructure

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Responsibilities for Action at Federal Level

Implementing regulations

Designing investment and financing mechanisms

Developing national conservation plans andcampaigns

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Responsibilities for Action at Provincial

Level

Developing provincial water policy

Managing and maintaining infrastructure

Running irrigation and drainage systems insustainable and equitable manner

Allocating water for each district and getting waterto each district as per this allocation

Making the provincial Irrigation and DrainageDepartments financially autonomous

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Responsibilities for Action at City Level

Managing municipal water in sustainable andequitable manner

Developing novel and pervasive systems forharvesting and storing water

Ensuring water supply for household, industrial,municipal and recreational purposes

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Responsibilities for Action at Local Level

Managing local water for all its uses, insustainable and equitable manner

It is essential that a well-resourced, autonomous,empowered and functioning local government is inplace to deliver the intent of this policy

Questions?