Basin Water Allocation Planning
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GIWP United Nations © [ Cultural Organization Basin Water Allocation Planning Principles, Procedures and Approaches for Basin Allocation Planning Part of a series on strategic water management Basin Water Allocation Planning Principles, Procedures and Approaches for Basin Allocation Planning Robert Speed, Li Yuanyuan, Tom Le Quesne, Guy Pegram and Zhou Zhiwei About the authors environmental policy issues in China and India. Tom has published a number of reviews of water management and environmental issues, including work on Robert Speed is director of Okeanos Pty Ltd, a consultancy company specializing water allocation, environmental flows and climate change. Tom holds a Masters in water resources policy and strategy. Robert has 15 years experience in and PhD in economics. environmental and water policy and management, with an expertise in water resources planning, the implementation of environmental flows, and river health Guy Pegram is the managing director of Pegasys Strategy and Development assessment. Robert has qualifications in science and environmental law. He has based in Cape Town, South Africa, with 25 years professional experience in worked professionally in Australia, China, India, Ecuador, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, the water sector. He is a professionally registered civil engineer with a PhD in and Laos. water resources planning from Cornell University and an MBA from University of Cape Town. He has worked extensively on strategic, institutional, financial Li Yuanyuan is Vice-President, Professor, and Senior Engineer of the General and organisational aspects related to the water sector within SADC, Africa Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design at the and globally. In particular he has been actively involved with water resources Chinese Ministry of Water Resources. He studied hydrology and water resources institutional and policy reform processes in various African countries, and has in Chengdu University of Science and Technology. His research fields include been extensively involved in strategic basin planning, institutional and legal water resources mechanisms, the interaction between human activities and processes for both national and transboundary river basins. water resources, water resources system analysis and planning, water ecology and environment protection. He has led at the national-level many water resources Zhou Zhiwei is Division Deputy Chief of the General Institute of Water Resources surveys, the development of water resources strategies, comprehensive water and Hydropower Planning and Design at the Ministry of Water Resources. He is resources planning activities, policy formulation, and management activities, as a senior engineer with a master degree in hydrology and water resources from well as international programmes. He is widely published on water-related topics. Tsinghua University. His main fields of work include water resources analysis, water resources planning, water resources allocation, water resources policy and Tom Le Quesne is a Senior Policy Advisor at WWF-UK. Tom works on water policy management. He is also involved in many international cooperation programmes. and sustainability issues across the WWF Network, including work in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. This has included a particular focus on water and Citation Health and Environmental Flow in China Project. WWF and GIWP would like to extend their thanks to HSBC, AusAID and ADB for their support for this project. R. Speed, Li Y., T. Le Quesne, G. Pegram and Z. Zhiwei (2013) Basin Water Allocation Planning. Principles, procedures and approaches for basin allocation planning, Disclaimer UNESCO, Paris. The opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily Acknowledgements reflect the views and policies of WWF, GIWP, UNESCO and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. This book has been drafted as part of an extended dialogue that took place between 2009 and 2012, between a team of international experts led by the World WWF, GIWP, UNESCO and ADB do not guarantee the accuracy of the data included Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and a Chinese policy team led by the General Institute in this publication and accept no responsibility for any consequence of their use. of Water Resources and Hydropower Planning and Design (GIWP), Ministry of Water Resources, People’s Republic of China. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term ‘country’ in this document, WWF, GIWP, UNESCO and The international team included Guy Pegram (Pegasys Strategy and Development, ADB do not intend to make any judgements as to the legal or other status of any South Africa), Gabriel Azevedo (Odebrecht, Brazil), Gerry Galloway (University territory or area. of Maryland, United States), Paul Sayers (Sayers and Partners, United Kingdom), Robert Speed (Okeanos Pty Ltd, Australia), Daniel Gunaratnam (United States), WWF, GIWP, UNESCO and ADB encourage printing or copying of information for Doug Kenney (University of Colorado, United States), Tom Le Quesne (WWF, United personal or non-commercial use with proper acknowledgment of WWF, GIWP, Kingdom) and Ma Chaode (WWF, China). The team from GIWP has been led by UNESCO and ADB. Users are restricted from reselling, redistributing or creating Professor Li Yuanyuan (GIWP), and has included Shen Fuxin (GIWP), Li Jianqiang derivative works for commercial purposes without the express, written consent (GIWP), Zhou Zhiwei (GIWP), Huang Huojian (GIWP), Wen Kang (Nanjing Hydraulics of WWF, GIWP, UNESCO and ADB. Research Institute), Wen Lei (McGill University), Chen Yiwei (GIWP) and Guan Yuhui (GIWP). The ‘People’s Republic of China (PRC)’ is recognized as the official country name under ADB publication standards and guidelines. For the remainder of In addition to the lead authors and team members described above, this book has this document, though, the name “China” will be taken to represent the terms benefited from contributions by Gavin Quibell, Pegasys Strategy and Development, ‘People’s Republic of China (PRC)’ as per UNESCO publication guidelines. South Africa (Chapters 1 and 4), Barbara Schreiner, Pegasys Strategy and Development, South Africa (Chapter 4), Jim Binney, MainStream Pty Ltd, Australia ISBN 978-92-3-001158-1 (Chapters 7 and 11) and Jane Catford, Melbourne University, Australia (Chapter 10). Reviews of Chapter 10 were provided by Scott Spencer (Australia) and Angela Copyright Arthington (Griffith University, Australia). An anonymous reviewer provided valuable © Asian Development Bank, GIWP, UNESCO, and WWF-UK, 2013 comments on an earlier draft. All rights reserved. The following people have contributed to the layout, figures and final editorial of the book: Karis McLaughlin, Alicia Doherty (WWF-UK), Ian Denison, Shahbaz Khan, Alain Michel Tchadie, Martin Wickenden, Aurelia Mazoyer (UNESCO) and Susan Curran (copy editor). Principal funding for the project has been provided by HSBC through the HSBC Climate Partnership. Additional funding support for publication has been provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Writing of Chapter 10 on environmental flow assessment, and publication costs, were supported by funding from the Australian Agency for International Development, AusAID, as part of the River 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As water scarcity has increased globally, water allocation plans ▶ A better balance between rights to take water and and agreements have taken on increasing significance in protection of the environment: in recognition of the resolving international, regional and local conflicts over access natural limits of river systems and the need to protect to water. While objectives and approaches have evolved over natural infrastructure. This has included both improved time, ultimately water resources allocation has fundamentally assessments of environmental water requirements (see remained the process of determining how much water is below) and more detailed assessments of water demands available for human use and how that water should be shared for human use, including appropriate levels of efficiency. between competing regions and users. This book considers ▶ Sophisticated, risk-based environmental flow modern approaches to dealing with these issues at the basin assessments: in recognition of the importance of the scale, particularly through the allocation of water amongst flow regime for maintaining freshwater ecosystems and administrative regions. the services and functions that rivers provide to human A number of related challenges that developed towards communities. the end of the twentieth century have led to a significant ▶ A better understanding of the value of water and the evolution in basin allocation planning. These challenges have demands of water users: in recognition of the central – included: and often limiting – role that water plays in the economy ▶ growth in water abstractions and the diverse range of water users and their differing ▶ basin ‘closure’ and the lack of availability of more sites for needs. water infrastructure ▶ Greater flexibility in theway water is allocated: in ▶ growth and change in the economy, leading to a wider recognition of the significant uncertainty associated with variety of water users with different water demands changes in climate, economies and demographics, and ▶ the decline of freshwater ecosystems and the loss of river the need for water allocation systems to respond to