RIVER PAPER

River paper

River paper

Introduction

Brahmaputra River basin is emerging as a potential flashpoint for conflict in Asia. The stakes and geopolitics are such that all stakeholders, including the international community, have a vested interest in proactively identifying innovative and cooperative approaches to management of this basin. This papers identifies some of the environmental, geopolitical and stakeholder issues surrounding the Tsangpo River and considers some of the key challenges to holistic transboundary management in the basin. This paper does not attempt to formulate solutions at this very early stage but rather is intended to stimulate stakeholders to undertake further analysis of this region.

Discussion

Formerly, East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being in 1971 and spent 15 years under military rule. While democracy was restored in 1990, the political climate remains volatile.88 It is one of the world's mostly densely populated countries with most of its population living in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Mengha river delta the largest river delta in the world. A recent World Bank report forecasts that Bangladesh's population will grow from 133 million to 220 million by 2050.89 Water issues are critical to Bangladesh and in particular water quality, agriculture, fisheries, navigation, industry and health. The rivers around the nation's capital, Dhaka, are heavily polluted with 10% of all deaths in urban areas attributable to environmental conditions.90 Poverty is widespread and almost half of the population lives on less than one dollar a day. The poorest people depend on the river both for their livelihoods and their health. The fisheries provide nearly 70% of the total annual protein consumed in Bangladesh.91 The World Bank recently concluded, Given the dominant role that water plays in the performance of key economic sectors in Bangladesh, and allowing that economic growth is the single most important factor influencing poverty, it follows that water and poverty are closely related.92 As the downstream riparian, Bangladesh is entirely dependent upon its upstream neighbours for water quality and flow.

Changes in the upper catchments in the Himalayas, including deforestation, land degradation and landslides, as well as the development by upper riparians of flood control infrastructure all contribute to increased flooding and sediment loads in Bangladesh. Flooding is caused primarily from high transboundary flows, internal rainfall and the low level of the country. Erosion is particularly problematic as the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River System has increased in width from an average of 8.3km in 1973 to 11.8 km in 2000.95 Since Bangladesh's independence in 1971, ...