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The Greening of Water Law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment

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The Greening of Water Law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment The greening of water law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100, Kenya Tel: +254-(0)20-762 1234 Fax: +254-(0)20-762 3927 Email: [email protected] web: www.unep.org UNEP promotes environmentally sound practices globally and in its own activities. This report is printed on paper from sustainable forests including recycled fibre. The paper is chlorine free, and the inks vegetable-based. Our distribution policy aims to reduce UNEP’s carbon footprint. The greening of water law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment UNEP United Nations Environment Programme WATER IN CRISIS i The Greening of Water Law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment ISBN: 978-92-807-3108-8 Job Number: DEL/1310/NA Produced by UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions Director of Publication: Bakary Kante Project Coordinator: Arnold Kreilhuber Image Credit: Painting by Putthanun Mingmalairuk, Thailand, 4th Prize Winner, 15th UNEP Tunza International Children’s Painting Competition Design and Layout: Jennifer Odallo, UNON Publishing Services Section, Nairobi Printing: UNON Publishing Services Section, Nairobi — ISO 14001:2004-certified The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributing organizations or individuals. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part or in any form of educational or non-proper services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. All referenced websites and internet sources have been verified as of August 2010. ii THE GREENING OF WATER LAW Acknowledgements his publication was developed by the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions of the United Nations Environment Programme T(UNEP) in cooperation with the International Water Law Project. It was drafted and edited by Prof. Gabriel Eckstein, Professor of Law at the Texas Wesleyan University and Director of the International Water Law Project. Mr. Stefano Burchi, Executive Chairman of the International Association for Water Law, Ms. Maaria Curlier, Development Director of the Aquatic Resources Conservation Group, and Prof. Richard Kyle Paisley, Director of the Global Transboundary International Waters Research Initiative at the University of British Columbia, provided important contributions and suggestions to the draft. UNEP is also pleased to acknowledge the cooperation with UNESCO- IHP1 in the review and finalization of this publication and particularly Ms. Raya Stephan, Water Law Specialist at UNESCO-IHP, for her invaluable additions and improvements to the draft. Ms. Lara Ognibene and Mr. Arnold Kreilhuber, both legal officers at the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions of UNEP, undertook and oversaw a final critical review and consolidation of the draft. Ms. Sarah Muchiri provided administrative and secretarial support. 1 UNESCO – International Hydrological Programme is UNESCO’s international scientific cooperative programme in water research, water resources management, education and capacity-building. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii List of Acronyms CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CMS Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species DALYs Disability-adjusted Life Years EIA Environmental Impact Assessment GWD Groundwater Directive IGRAC International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre IIL Institute of International Law ILC International Law Commission MDGs Millennium Development Goals MEAs Multilateral Environmental Agreements POPs Persistent Organic Pollutants SADC Southern African Development Community UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO-IHP United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — International Hydrological Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme WFD Water Framework Directive WHO World Health Organization iv THE GREENING OF WATER LAW Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................iii List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................iv Foreword .............................................................................................................................vii Executive Summary .............................................................................................................ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................xiii Chapter 1: Water in Crisis: of People and the Environment .............................................. 1 Chapter 2: The Foundations for a Greening of Water Law .............................................. 25 Chapter 3: The Integration of Environmental Considerations into International Water Law ............................................................................................................................ 35 1. Equitable & reasonable utilization ........................................................................... 39 2. No significant harm .................................................................................................. 43 3. Pollution prevention and abatement ....................................................................... 47 4. Environmental impact assessment ........................................................................... 54 5. Protection of ecosystems .......................................................................................... 58 6. Minimum instream or environmental flows ........................................................... 64 7. The unique situation of transboundary aquifers .................................................... 66 8. Case Studies: .............................................................................................................. 69 (i) The Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses in the Southern African Development Community .............................................................................. 70 (ii) The Law of Transboundary Aquifers .............................................................. 73 (iii) The UNECE Watercourses Convention ................................................................80 Chapter 4: The Integration of Environmental Considerations into National Water Law .....83 1. Environmental criteria in water permits and licenses ............................................. 86 2. Pollution prevention and abatement ....................................................................... 90 3. Environmental impact assessment ........................................................................... 94 4. Prioritization of water allocations for environmental purposes ............................ 96 TABLE OF CONTENTS v 5. Minimum instream or environmental flows ........................................................... 98 6. Reserved Waters ...................................................................................................... 103 7. Controlling groundwater exploitation to ensure their ecosystem support function ................................................................................................................... 105 8. Water rights trading ................................................................................................ 108 9. Ecosystem or environmental services payments ................................................... 111 10. Protected water areas and zones ............................................................................. 114 11. General environmental perspective ....................................................................... 115 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 120 vi THE GREENING OF WATER LAW Foreword ne of the central challenges facing many governments, communities and Ocompanies is how to bring sustainability to the management of freshwater resources in order to meet the needs of a growing global population while sustaining flows to the ‘ecological infrastructure’ that often supplies that water in the first place. Freshwater resources are among the 11 sectors being addressed under UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative which are central to the delivery of resource- efficient, 21st century economies within the goal of sustainable development. They also form a central pillar in The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) which UNEP hosts and which dovetails with the Green Economy work. Transforming laws and policies to reflect the multiple benefits of more intelligent freshwater management will be among the keys to addressing the challenges and realising the opportunities. This publication, The Greening of Water Law: Managing Freshwater Resources for People and the Environment, cites many examples at both the national and international level that others may wish to consider. Namibia’s Water Resources Act requires consideration of environmental effects during the application for water abstraction and effluent discharge permits. The Act also empowers the country’s
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