The Role of River Basin Organizations
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Achieving Sustainable Integrated Water Resources Management in Mongolia NO. 138 JUNE 2020 ADB BRIEFS KEY POINTS Achieving Sustainable Integrated • Addressing Mongolia’s water security challenges requires a Water Resources Management strong institutional system at national and regional levels. in Mongolia: The Role of River At the regional level, river basin organizations (RBOs) Basin Organizations have the key responsibility of implementing effective interventions based on integrated water resources Mingyuan Fan1 management (IWRM). Principal Water Resources Specialist • RBOs are primarily East Asia Department tasked with preparing Asian Development Bank and implementing river [email protected] basin management plans, protecting water resources, promoting habitat conservation, and ensuring MONGOLIA AND ITS WATER RESOURCES SYSTEM effective water use. However, restricted autonomy, limited Mongolia is the 19th largest country and the second-largest landlocked country in the financial resources, and lack world.2 With a land area of 1.56 million square kilometers and a population of 3.2 million of professional capacities in 2018,3 Mongolia has a population density of around two persons per square kilometer, are major constraints to the making it the most sparsely populated fully sovereign country in the world. The country functioning of RBOs. comprises 21 administrative divisions called aimags (provinces), and each aimag is composed of smaller units known as soums (districts). • Significant communication gap between the line Up until 1990, the centrally led government attended to water management in ministries, local governments, Mongolia based on 5-year state planning. As a result of the democratic revolution in the and the RBOs also poses early 1990s, this centrally led approach was largely abandoned under the assumption an important challenge as that markets could take care of the water management tasks. However, this did not RBOs have to deal with happen, and many water systems collapsed or are in poor condition. It took some time several aimag (provincial) before the government realized this and took action to reinstate water management in governments within their the country as a government task.4 river basin. • The next step in the development of a decentralized IWRM is 1 This brief draws heavily from the results and recommendations of two assessment reports prepared to push the RBOs into by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Mongolia’s water sector. ADB. 2017. Country Water Security Assessment of Mongolia. Consultant’s report. Manila (TA 8855-MON); and M. Fan and becoming drivers of E. van Beek. 2020. Overview of Mongolia’s Water Resources System and Management: A Country Water sustainable IWRM. Security Assessment for Mongolia. Manila: ADB. 2 The Embassy of Mongolia to the Swiss Confederation, and the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva. Geography and Climate. 3 Government of Mongolia, National Statistics Office. Mongolian Statistical Information Service (accessed 4 April 2019). 4 Government of Mongolia, Ministry of Environment and Green Development. 2013. Integrated Water Management Plan: Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar. ISBN 978-92-9262-244-2 (print) ISBN 978-92-9262-245-9 (electronic) ISSN 2071-7202 (print) ISSN 2218-2675 (electronic) Publication Stock No. BRF200175-2 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/BRF200175-2 ADB BRIEFS NO. 138 At present, the water system is in a state of change as Mongolia’s ESTABLISHING THE RIVER socioeconomic structure transforms from a weak rural economy to BASIN ORGANIZATIONS a fast-developing mixed economy characterized by rapid growths in urbanization, industrialization, and mining. Since 2004, the Increasing water security requires efficient water institutions Government of Mongolia took several actions to reinstate the at both national and regional levels. Since water crosses institutional system on water resources management. In 2005, the administrative borders, cooperation is needed between regional Water Authority was established and the first principles of river administrations. The preferred management unit for water basin management were laid down in a Water Law, including the is a river basin. Hence, an important element of a strong and introduction of a water use fee. In 2010, Parliament adopted a new integrated institutional system is the establishment of river basin National Water Program (the 2010 Parliament Resolution No. 24) organizations (RBOs) for the identified 29 river basins (Map 2), and decided that it will be implemented in two stages: an intensive based on international best practice. RBOs work in parallel development phase 1 (2010–2015) and a stable development with each other and have the key responsibility to implement phase 2 (2016–2021). Among the strategic goals of the water effective interventions at regional level, thereby paving the way program were strengthening water resources management, for the decentralization of water management and facilitating the regulating and promoting the effective use of water resources, and involvement of citizens in water management. improving the legal environment for the management of water resources and water bodies. In 2012, the Water Law was revised RBOs are relatively young organizations in Mongolia since the to better regulate water use and exploration. The revision clearly country was divided into 29 river basins only in 2010 by the Order stipulates the categorization of water resources, the tasks for of the Minister of Environment and Tourism. There are currently rational water management, and the procedure for the issuance 21 operational RBOs, the first of which was established on the Tuul of water use permits. Subsidiary legislations were also adopted to River Basin in 2012. Each RBO consists of an operational group of define river basins and to provide guidance on the development 5–12 water professionals (that make up the RBA) along with the of river basin management plans and the establishment of river representatives from government, stakeholders, and water users basin authorities (RBAs) and river basin councils (RBCs) as the (that make up the RBC). These newly established RBOs will need country’s key institutional system for water resources management. time to become fully operational and effective. The law also specifies that the Ministry of Environment and Green Development—now Ministry of Environment and Tourism The main function of the RBOs is to implement effective water (MET)—is the main central government organization responsible management based on IWRM, with two fundamental tasks: for water resources management. preparing river basin management plans for each river basin, and supporting the implementation of these plans. The RBOs Mongolia faces considerable challenges to achieve water security are responsible for protecting the water resources, ensuring by meeting the demands of socioeconomic development while effective water use, and promoting habitat conservation. The ensuring the environmental integrity of its water systems. This RBAs coordinate water-related activities in their basin at national, includes, in particular, the urban center of Ulaanbaatar and the regional, and intersector levels; while the RBCs promote local water provision of water to mining activities in the Gobi Desert, but governance through a transparent and participatory approach. also in other regions where actions are needed. The capital and largest city, Ulaanbaatar, is home to approximately 47% of the total The RBC is a nongovernment organization composed of 31–45 population, which makes Mongolia a highly urbanized country members, equally representing the following three sectors: (74%). The water supply of Ulaanbaatar depends on upstream (i) public administration and parliaments, (ii) nongovernment groundwater sources of the Tuul River Basin (Map 1). This relatively organizations and local communities, and (iii) water users from small basin alone supports about 50% of the country’s population. the industry and agriculture sectors. In 2018, MET approved For achieving long-term sustainability and security of water amendments to the RBC guideline to extend existing RBCs to resources, a strong and integrated institutional system is needed a river basin multistakeholder platform. Recently, 24 river basin for the country. These institutions are needed to implement multistakeholder platforms were established all over the country. integrated water resources management (IWRM), including the development of water resources plans and the enforcement of Under the Country Water Security Assessment technical regulations; and to facilitate the operations of government-owned assistance project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the water investments, among others. Government of Mongolia, the performance of the 21 operational RBOs has been assessed through benchmarking.5 Specifically, the RBOs’ functioning of their mandates was evaluated against 14 key performance indicators, which were rated from 0 (worst) to 4 (best). The figure on page 5 shows the present scores and the targets the RBAs have set for themselves in 2020. The benchmarking methodology of the Network of Asian River Basin 5 ADB. 2014. Technical Assistance to Mongolia for Country Water Security Assessment. Manila (TA 8855-MON). 2 Achieving Sustainable Integrated Water Resources Management in Mongolia Map 1: Natural Water Resources System in Mongolia 96o 00'E 111 o 00'E MONGOLIA NATURAL WATER RESOURCES SYSTEM Khovsgol