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Chapter content

Overview of hydrological cycle; human intervention on hydrologic cycle; Global water stock; water availability on earth; Water on Bangladesh context; Water and sustainability; international events focusing on IWRM

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References K. B. Sajjadur Rashed, 2011, Water Resource Management with

examples from Bangladesh. A H Development Publishing House. Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mei Xie, 2006. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Introduction to Principles and Practices, Africa Regional Workshop on IWRM, Nairobi, Oct. 29-Nov. 2006

Mohammad Karamouz, Ferenc Szidarovszky, Banafsheh Zahraie. 2003 Water resources systems analysis, CRC Press, Florida, USA

Ashim Das Gupta, Mukund Singh Babel, Xavier Albert & Ole Mark, 2005, Water Sector of Bangladesh in the Context of Integrated Water Resources Management: A Review , Water Resources Development, Vol. 21, No. 2, 385398, June 2005

Peter h. Gleick, 1998. Water in crisis: paths to sustainable water use, Ecological applications, 8(3), 1998, pp. 571579

Muhammad Mizanur Rahaman, Olli Varis & Tommi Kajander, 2004 EU Water Framework Directive vs. Integrated Water Resources Management: The Seven Mismatches Water Resources Development, Vol. 20, No. 4, 565575, December 2004

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Hydrologic cycle

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Hydrologic cycle The path water

takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again.

Water is recycled this way so we do not run out.

Important process Evaporation Condensation Precipitation Runoff Infiltration

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Water Reserves on the Earth

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Global water cycle 1400 million cubic km.

Although water seems to be abundant on the planet, 97% of the Earths water is seawater, making it unfit for most human uses.

Of the remaining 3%, 87% is inaccessible, either locked in polar icecaps or in deep underground aquifers.

Thus, only 0.4% of all of the water on earth is in a form that is usable and accessible by human beings

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Total Water Supply in Different Continents

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Distribution of water resources vs population

Continent Population % Water %

North America 8 15

South America 6 26

Europe 13 8

Africa 13 11

Asia 60 36

Australia/ oceania < 1 5

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The Current Water Picture Out of all renewable freshwater that reaches land by

precipitation, most returns to the atmosphere via evapo-transpiration, while the remainder is available as runoff.

Thus, while only 8% of total renewable freshwater is being used directly by humans, it is estimated that 54% of accessible annual runoff is currently withdrawn, with higher figures in water-scarce areas.

The scarcity of water is being noticed in much of the world.

More than two billion people in 40 countries live in river basins under water stress, where per capita supply is less than 1,700 m3 per year.

Folkenmark Indicator

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The Current Water Picture

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Global population increased by a factor of three during the 20th century, while water withdrawals increased by a factor of seven (GWP 2000)

Almost all current and projected countries with less than 2000 m3 annual per capita freshwater availability are located in Africa, the Middle East, and South-east Asia .

Water and Bangladesh in a Regional Context

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About 8% of the catchment areas of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers are within Bangladesh, whereas 62% are in India, 18% in China, 8% in Nepal and 4% in Bhutan.

Thus, Bangladesh has to drain water from an area twelve times its size.

The Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) between India and Bangladesh was established in 1972.

The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in December 1996 for a 30-year period, allows Bangladesh to receive a certain amount of water during the dry season (JanuaryMay) according to an agreed formula.

The treaty also has provision to come up with Water Sharing Treaties and Agreements for other 53 common rivers.

However, note that the Teesta Agreement signed earlier in 1983 was never put in practice and remains on paper.

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Water Problems in Bangladesh The monsoon is a key element to understand the rainfall pattern in

Bangladesh. Annual rainfalll average 1400 mm in the Ganges/Padma basin, 2100 mm in the Brahmaputra/Jamuna basin and 4000 mm in the Meghna basin.

Floods and River erosion are of major concern in Bangladesh. Sedimentation reduces navigability and drainage capacity and may

affect land productivity. Drought is another commonly occurring in the dry season only. Cyclones are usual in the Bay of Bengal and have devastating effects

on the country. Groundwater is the main source of water for domestic, industrial

and irrigation supplies. the major groundwater problem is arsenic contamination.

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Water available in Bangladesh

Cross border annual flow 1053 BCM

Local rain fall 149 BCM

Ground water source 21 BCM

Total ground water resource 1223 BCM

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BCM Billion Cubic Meter

In dry season, transboundary river diminish to only 159 BCM

Human intervention in water cycle Atmospheric phase

Cloud seeding- undesirable litigation and legal disputes between two areas

Weather modification Catchment / watershed phase

Contour ploughing Runoff phase

Ganges Kobadak Barrage and Teesta barrage Kaptai dam, flood protection embankment

Ground water phase Dhaka city

Maritime phase Desalinization in the middle east Oil and gas exploration Maritime shipping spills oils

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Water and sustainability Water is not only essential to sustain life, but it also

plays an integral role in ecosystem support, economic development, community well-being, and cultural values.

Unsustainable water use can develop in two ways: through alterations in the stocks and flows of water

that change its availability in space or time and through alterations in the demand for the benefits

provided by a resource, because of changing standards of living, technology, population levels, or societal mores.

Water availability is affected by both natural and anthropogenic factors, including climatic variability and change, population growth that reduces per capita water availability, contamination that reduces usable water supplies, physical overuse of a stock.

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Sustainability criteria for water planning Gleick et al. (1995)

A basic water requirement will be guaranteed to all humans to maintain human health.

A basic water requirement will be guaranteed to restore and maintain the health of ecosystems.

Water quality will be maintained to meet certain minimum standards. These standards will vary depending on location and how the water is to be used.

Human actions will not impair the long-term renewability of freshwater stocks and flows.

Data on water resources availability, use, and quality will be collected and made accessible to all parties.

Institutional mechanisms will be set up to prevent and resolve conflicts over water.

Water planning and decision making will be democratic, ensuring representation of all affected parties and fostering direct participation of affected interests.

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international events focusing on IWRM The evolution of IWRM in the international

agenda follows: United Nations Conference on Water (Mar

del Plata 1977) International Conference on Water and

Environment - Dublin 1992 Second World Water Forum & Ministerial

Conference (The Hague 2000) International Conference on Freshwater

Bonn 2001 World Summit on Sustainable Development -

Johannesburg 2002 The Third World Water Forum - Kyoto 2003

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United Nations Conference on Water (Mar del Plata 1977)

Its goals were to assess the status of water resources; to ensure that an adequate supply of quality water was

available to meet the planets socioeconomic needs; to increase water use efficiency; and to promote preparedness, nationally and internationally, so as to avoid a water crisis of global dimensions

before the end of twentieth century. The conference approved the Mar del Plata Action Plan,

which was the first internationally coordinated approach.

the Brundtland Commission Report (WCED, 1987), the concept of sustainable development in international policy, hardly addressed the issue of water

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International Conference on Water and Environment - Dublin 1992

the Dublin Principles (ICWE, 1992) are: Fresh water is a finite, vulnerable and essential

resource, which should be managed in an integrated manner.

Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels.

Women play a central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water.

Water has an economic value and should be recognized as an economic good, taking into account affordability and equity criteria

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Second World Water Forum & Ministerial Conference (The Hague 2000) With its theme, From Vision to Action,

the Forum brought together a wide array of documents addressing visions produced and structured by the World Water Council.

The key issues raised: Privatization Charging the full cost for water services Right to access Participation

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International Conference on Freshwater Bonn 2001

The first key is to meet the water security needs of the

poor. Decentralization is key. The local level is where national

policy meets community needs. The key to better water outreach is new partnerships. The key to long-term harmony between nature and its

neighbours is cooperative arrangements at the water basin level, including across waters that touch many shores. IWRM is therefore needed to bring all water users together to share information and make decisions.

The essential keys are stronger, better performing governance arrangements

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World Summit on Sustainable Development -Johannesburg 2002

Developing IWRM and water efficiency plans by 2005 for all major river basins of the world.

Developing and implementing national/regional strategies, plans and programmes with regard to IWRM.

Improving the efficiency of water usage. Facilitating the establishment of public-private

partnership. Developing gender sensitive policies and

programmes. Involving all concerned stakeholders in all

kinds of decision making, management and implementation processes.

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The Third World Water Forum - Kyoto 2003 A ministerial declaration on a range of water

issues, including water resource management, safe drinking water and sanitation, water for food and rural development, water pollution prevention and ecosystem conservation, as well as disaster mitigation and risk management.

The forum again recommended IWRM as the way to achieve sustainability regarding water resources.

The ministerial declaration also vowed support to enable developing countries to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals.

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Millennium Declaration Goals for 2015

1. Halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty

2. Halve the proportion of people suffering from hunger

3. Halve the proportion of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation

4. Enrol all children in primary school

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1. Achieve universal completion of primary school

2. Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education

3. Reduce maternal mortality ratios by three-quarters

4. Reduce under-five mortality rates by two-thirds

5. Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

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