TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS
Political boundaries were not laid down with water resources management in mind. However, as water becomes scarcer and in higher demand from growing populations and economies, judiciously sharing water courses (rivers, lakes, aquifers) and their benefits across these boundaries, whether national or sub-national, is becoming increasingly important.
There is a globally growing body of knowledge and expertise addressing these issues – critical from the point of view of avoiding conflicts over water, while capitalizing on the opportunities for collaboration over shared waters to generate regional cooperation and integration.
This Focus Area supports work to enhance water security and resilience in such settings around the world, in particular through support to integrated participatory Transboundary Diagnostic Analyses and joint Strategic Action Plans. These processes enhance transboundary dialogue and shared generation of knowledge of the water systems (groundwater as well as surface water) through joint fact finding and documentation as well as data collection, harmonization, and sharing.
Expertise and experience in Transboundary Waters
WCI has ample experience from supporting governments and subsidiaries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on transboundary waters, while also engaging in international and global partnership processes related to bringing more attention and investments into transboundary water management.