Your search found 93 records
1 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2016. IWMI Annual report 2015. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 28p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2016.208]
Sustainable development ; Flood control ; Farmers ; Harvesting ; Gender ; Women's participation ; Wetlands ; Dams ; Malaria ; Water resources ; Water management ; Climate change ; Agriculture ; Financing ; Investment ; Wastewater ; Rural development ; Poverty ; Living standards ; Hydropower ; Health hazards / South Asia / India / Myanmar / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047672)
(1.37 MB)
2 Matthews, N.; McCartney, Matthew. 2018. Opportunities for building resilience and lessons for navigating risks: dams and the water energy food nexus. Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, 37(1):56-61. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.12568]
Hydropower ; Ecosystem services ; Resilience ; Dam construction ; Energy ; Food security ; Income ; Decision making ; Environmental impact ; Social impact ; Flooding ; Rivers ; Case studies / Africa / Asia / Zambia / Lao People's Democratic Republic
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048124)
After a hiatus through the 1990s and the early part of this century, rising energy demand, new private sector financing options and countries pursuing food security, modernization and economic growth have spurred a new era of large dam development. Currently an estimated 3700 dams are planned or under construction globally (Zarfl et al., [2015] 77, 161–170). Many of the challenges faced in the context of the water-energy-food nexus are brought into sharp focus by large dam construction. Dams can safeguard food production, provide an important source of income and relatively cheap electricity, and can have direct and indirect benefits for poor people. Too often, however, they have created significant and poorly mitigated environmental and social costs (WCD, [2000] London: Earthscan Publications Ltd). Adverse impacts on ecosystem services caused by dam construction can have profound implications for the health, resilience and livelihoods of the poor. This article explores the challenges facing decision makers with regards to building resilience and navigating risk within the water-energy-food nexus and dams. It draws from two progressive case studies, one in Africa and one in Asia, to highlight lessons learned from nexus approaches including the need for meaningful participation, transparency in decision making, and valuing ecosystem services. The case studies examined contain relevant lessons for global agreements including the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement because unlike the Millennium Development Goals, they are expected to address interlinkages and tradeoffs across the nexus. The implications of the increasing trend of public private partnerships to finance, build, and operate hydropower dams is discussed. The article concludes by demonstrating that although mitigating impacts across the nexus and social-ecological resilience presents challenges and requires overcoming complexity, the need to tackle these is greater than ever.
3 Yang, Y. C. E.; Wi, S. 2018. Informing regional water-energy-food nexus with system analysis and interactive visualization – a case study in the Great Ruaha River of Tanzania. Agricultural Water Management, 196:75-86. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.10.022]
Water supply ; Energy generation ; Hydropower ; Food production ; Water deficit ; Irrigation efficiency ; River basins ; Stream flow ; Hydrology ; Models ; Uncertainty ; Policy ; Evaluation ; Economic aspects ; Case studies / Tanzania / Great Ruaha River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048513)
(5.19 MB)
In sub-Saharan Africa, water resources are scarce and subject to competing uses – especially for agricultural production, energy generation, and ecosystem services. These water intensive activities in the Usangu plains and the Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, present a typical case for such water competition at the water-energy-food nexus. To decipher the coupled human-nature interactions in the Great Ruaha River basin and effectively communicate the results to non-technical practitioners, the water-energy-food nexus competition in the system is simulated using an advanced water system modeling approach and findings are visualized via interactive web-based tools (Data-Driven Document, D3) that foster fuller understanding of the findings for both practitioners and stakeholders. Our results indicate that a combination of infrastructural and procedural measures, each acceptable from a social and economic perspective, and understanding that zero flows cannot be totally eliminated during dry years in the Ruaha National Park, are likely to be the best way forward. This study also reveals that the combination of improvements in irrigation efficiency, cutbacks on proposed expansion of irrigated lands, and a low head weir at the wetland outlet, significantly reduces the number of zero flow days (i.e., increasing ecosystem function), resulting in positive effects on agricultural sector from limited (if any) reduction in rice crop yields. These upstream measures are all relatively cost efficient and can combine to free-up resources for other economic activity downstream (i.e. more stable hydropower production).
4 Hogeboom, R. J.; Knook, L.; Hoekstra, A. Y. 2018. The blue water footprint of the world’s artificial reservoirs for hydroelectricity, irrigation, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation. Advances in Water Resources, 113:285-294. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.028]
Water footprint ; Reservoirs ; Water supply ; Water use ; Domestic water ; Industrial uses ; Energy generation ; Hydropower ; Economic value ; Water scarcity ; Irrigation water ; Flood control ; Fisheries ; Recreation ; Evaporation
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048603)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030917081730307X/pdfft?md5=0240d00c778e084c0930514eadfa10a4&pid=1-s2.0-S030917081730307X-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048603.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048603.pdf
(2.00 MB) (2.00 MB)
For centuries, humans have resorted to building dams to gain control over freshwater available for human consumption. Although dams and their reservoirs have made many important contributions to human development, they receive negative attention as well, because of the large amounts of water they can consume through evaporation. We estimate the blue water footprint of the world’s artificial reservoirs and attribute it to the purposes hydroelectricity generation, irrigation water supply, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation, based on their economic value. We estimate that economic benefits from 2235 reservoirs included in this study amount to 265 × 109 US$ a year, with residential and industrial water supply and hydroelectricity generation as major contributors. The water footprint associated with these benefits is the sum of the water footprint of dam construction (<1% contribution) and evaporation from the reservoir’s surface area, and globally adds up to 66 × 109 m3 y-1. The largest share of this water footprint (57%) is located in non-water scarce basins and only 1% in year-round scarce basins. The primary purposes of a reservoir change with increasing water scarcity, from mainly hydroelectricity generation in non-scarce basins, to residential and industrial water supply, irrigation water supply and flood control in scarcer areas.
5 Arfanuzzaman, Md. 2018. Economics of transboundary water: an evaluation of a glacier and snowpack-dependent river basin of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Water Policy, 20(1):90-108. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2017.071]
International waters ; River basins ; International cooperation ; Conflict ; Economic aspects ; International agreements ; Water demand ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Flow discharge ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Natural resources management ; Ecosystem services ; Ecological factors / India / Bangladesh / Hindu Kush Himalayan Region / Teesta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048714)
(0.37 MB)
The Himalayan rivers are recognized as a reliable source of water supply in the countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Increasing need for food and energy for the growing population of the HKH region has stimulated water harvesting from the transboundary rivers and triggered water conflict, environmental degradation and socio-economic turmoil among the riparian nations. Teesta is one such mighty trans-Himalayan river flowing through India and Bangladesh and is recognized as a basin where there is increasing tension between these two nations. Due to upstream interventions including barrage, dam and hydropower construction, the lower riparian region of Bangladesh faces acute water stresses, which hamper the agricultural, fisheries and livelihood activities of the river-dependent communities and impede the economic prosperity of the greater north-west region. The study provides a robust outline of the transboundary nexus between India and Bangladesh, and identifies upstream intervention-induced economic loss and ecological deterioration in the lower Teesta basin. To encourage water collaboration between the riparian states, the study estimates the benefit of transboundary co-operation for the larger socio-economic prosperity and environmental sustainability in the Teesta basin of the Himalayan region, which is decidedly applicable to similar basins in the HKH region and the rest of the world.
6 Drechsel, Pay; Hanjra, Munir A. (Eds.) 2018. Wastewater for agriculture, forestry and aquaculture - Section iv. In Otoo, Miriam; Drechsel, Pay (Eds.). Resource recovery from waste: business models for energy, nutrient and water reuse in low- and middle-income countries. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.548-774.
Wastewater treatment ; Wastewater irrigation ; Agriculture ; Forestry ; Aquaculture ; Business models ; Resource recovery ; Cost recovery ; Supply chain ; Wood production ; Fruit products ; Water reuse ; Composting ; Industrial wastewater ; Market economies ; Sewage sludge ; Household wastes ; Solid wastes ; Sanitation ; State intervention ; Waste water treatment plants ; Socioeconomic environment ; Environmental impact assessment ; Suburban areas ; Household wastes ; Deserts ; Arid regions ; Semiarid zones ; Risk reduction ; Fish feeding ; Public-private cooperation ; Partnerships ; Municipal wastes ; Hydropower ; Greenhouse gases ; Emission reduction ; Carbon dioxide ; Health hazards ; Private sector ; Private investment ; Freshwater ; Farmers ; Domestic water ; Deltas ; Urban areas ; Downstream ; Aquifers ; Case studies / Egypt / Tunisia / Morocco / Bangladesh / Ghana / Jordan / Iran / Spain / Mexico / India / Cairo / Ouardanine / Monastir / Mirzapure / Kumasi / Amman / Mashhad / Barcelona / Bangalore / Llobregat Delta
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H048676)
(6.99 MB)
7 Drechsel, Pay; Danso, G. K.; Hanjra, Munir A. 2018. Viability gap funding (As Samra, Jordan) - Case Study. In Otoo, Miriam; Drechsel, Pay (Eds.). Resource recovery from waste: business models for energy, nutrient and water reuse in low- and middle-income countries. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.642-655.
Wastewater treatment ; Hydropower ; Biogas ; Carbon dioxide ; Emission reduction ; Market economies ; Business models ; Supply chain ; Socioeconomic environment ; Environmental impact ; Case studies / Jordan / Amman
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H048684)
(1.19 MB)
8 Mulat, A. G.; Moges, S. A.; Moges, M. A. 2018. Evaluation of multi-storage hydropower development in the upper Blue Nile River (Ethiopia): regional perspective. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 16:1-14. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.02.006]
Water resources development ; Energy generation ; Hydropower ; Reservoir storage ; Dams ; Water levels ; Irrigation water ; Water demand ; River basins ; Development projects ; Models / Ethiopia / Sudan / Egypt / Eastern Nile River Basin / Abbay Blue Nile River / Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam / High Aswan Dam
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048755)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581817302185/pdfft?md5=1dbe941e65a64c8c59c11e70d1fa5664&pid=1-s2.0-S2214581817302185-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048755.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048755.pdf
(1.04 MB) (1.04 MB)
Study region: Eastern Nile River Basin (Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt).
Study focus: This study aims to understand the future water development perspective in the Eastern Nile region by considering the current water use situation and proposed reservoirs in the upper Blue Nile (Abbay) River basin in Ethiopia using a simulation approach. The study was carried out by using a monthly time step and historical ensemble time series data as representative of possible near future scenarios. Series of existing and proposed cascaded water development projects in the upper Blue Nile were considered in the study.
New hydrological insights for the region: The results indicated an overall energy gain in the Eastern Nile region increases by 258%. The upstream country Ethiopia can generate as much as 38200 GWh/year of Energy while the energy production in Sudan increases by 39%. The cascaded developments integrated with existing water resources systems have a performance efficiency of above 92%. This study was an indicative analysis of the potential benefit of upstream Nile development without significantly affecting existing development in the Nile Basin. Further scientific analysis in this direction would help the Nile countries to reach a water use agreement.
Study focus: This study aims to understand the future water development perspective in the Eastern Nile region by considering the current water use situation and proposed reservoirs in the upper Blue Nile (Abbay) River basin in Ethiopia using a simulation approach. The study was carried out by using a monthly time step and historical ensemble time series data as representative of possible near future scenarios. Series of existing and proposed cascaded water development projects in the upper Blue Nile were considered in the study.
New hydrological insights for the region: The results indicated an overall energy gain in the Eastern Nile region increases by 258%. The upstream country Ethiopia can generate as much as 38200 GWh/year of Energy while the energy production in Sudan increases by 39%. The cascaded developments integrated with existing water resources systems have a performance efficiency of above 92%. This study was an indicative analysis of the potential benefit of upstream Nile development without significantly affecting existing development in the Nile Basin. Further scientific analysis in this direction would help the Nile countries to reach a water use agreement.
9 Kiptala, J. K.; Mul, Marloes L.; Mohamed, Y. A.; van der Zaag, P. 2018. Multiobjective analysis of green-blue water uses in a highly utilized basin: case study of Pangani Basin, Africa. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 144(8): 1-12. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000960]
Freshwater ; Water use ; Water users ; River basins ; Reservoir operation ; Hydrological factors ; Models ; Water resources ; Water management ; Water productivity ; Hydropower ; Water balance ; Economic aspects ; Stream flow ; Catchment areas ; Ecosystems ; Rainfed farming ; Cropping patterns ; Supplemental irrigation ; Irrigated farming ; Biomass ; Crop yield ; Case studies / Africa / Pangani Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048785)
The concept of integrated water resource management (IWRM) attempts to integrate all elements of water resources. Different tools are developed to assist in developing sound IWRM plans. One such tool is multiobjective analysis using an integrated hydro-economic model (IHEM). However, IHEM mainly deals with the optimization of river flow (blue water) in a river basin. This paper linked a distributed model of green water (landscape water uses) in the upper catchment with mainly blue water uses in the lower catchment of the Pangani Basin. The results show that agricultural water use has the highest water productivity and competes with all other objective functions in the catchment. The generation of firm energy competes with the downstream ecosystem requirements. The integrated study shows that improving rainfed cropping through supplementary irrigation has comparable marginal water values to full-scale irrigation but are much higher compared with hydropower. However, hydropower has more benefits if used in conjunction with the environment. The methodological approach has increased the understanding of trade-offs between green and blue water uses that are highly interdependent in African landscapes.
10 Hagos, Fitsum; van Rooijen, Daniel; Haileslassie, Amare; Yehualashet, H.; Indries, H. 2018. Investigation of the modalities for an innovative financing mechanism for participatory natural resource management in the Bale Eco-region, Ethiopia. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 36p. (IWMI Working Paper 181) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2018.215]
Natural resources management ; Environmental policy ; Participatory approaches ; Financing ; Payment for ecosystem services ; Legal aspects ; Stakeholders ; Hydropower ; Water supply ; Water institutions ; Forest management ; Deforestation ; Carbon stock assessments ; Watershed management ; Community involvement ; Urban areas ; Soil erosion ; Farmers’ income ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Dam construction ; Market economies ; Land degradation ; Reservoirs ; Land use / Ethiopia / Bale Eco-Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H048874)
(903 KB)
This study reviewed the status of natural resources and the driving forces for change, as well as past and ongoing approaches in natural resource management at the watershed scale in Ethiopia. First, we reviewed established environmental policy tools and the legal and policy framework, and determined whether innovative financing mechanisms are working in other areas with a similar context. We undertook stakeholder analyses and mapping to identify key stakeholders, and to assess their possible roles in the implementation of a sustainable financing mechanism for watershed rehabilitation. We also determined whether opportunities exist for financing mechanisms involving hydropower and urban water supply in payments for ecosystem services (PES), and the global community in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in the context of the Bale Eco-region. The study identified major constraints to designing an appropriate financing mechanism. Finally, the study drew important conclusions and key policy implications that are relevant for Ethiopia and perhaps other areas in a similar context.
11 Jaramillo, L. V.; Stone, M. C.; Morrison, R. R. 2018. An indicator-based approach to assessing resilience of socio-hydrologic systems in Nepal to hydropower development. Journal of Hydrology, 563:1111-1118. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.05.070]
Hydropower ; Energy generation ; Social aspects ; Hydrology ; Resilience ; Assessment ; Indicators ; Water resources ; Water stress ; Water scarcity ; Rivers ; Reservoir storage / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048881)
(1.12 MB)
Resilience is essential to the integrity of socio-hydrologic systems, especially when faced with stress caused by natural hazards and economic development. Nepal has seen both in recent years. The objective of this study is to construct and implement an indicator-based approach to assess socio-hydrological systems with new metrics to evaluate the influence of hydropower development. We adopted a conceptual framework in which resilience is a relative complement of vulnerability and dependent on adaptive capacity. The framework has eight vulnerability parameters: water variation, water scarcity, water exploitation, water pollution, natural capacity, physical capacity, human resource capacity, and economic capacity. Hydropower development was incorporated into a modified resilience framework to explore the socio-hydrological impacts. This holistic approach revealed that although hydropower development contributes to water stress, it can also increase adaptive capacity. In addition, this study strengthened the argument for indicator-based approaches to evaluating socio-hydrologic systems, particularly when evaluating hydropower development, which impacts numerous economic and hydrologic systems. This type of framework is particularly needed in developing countries, such as Nepal, where water resource development is rapidly increasing and changing traditional socio-hydrologic systems.
12 Ligtvoet, W.; Bouwman, A.; Knoop, J.; de Bruin, S.; Nabielek, K.; Huitzing, H.; Janse, J.; van Minnen, J.; Gernaat, D.; van Puijenbroek, P.; de Ruiter, J.; Visser, H. 2018. The geography of future water challenges. Hague, Netherlands: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. 103p.
Water management ; Water stress ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Weather hazards ; Climate change ; Drought ; Flooding ; Disaster risk management ; Water pollution ; Wastewater treatment ; Drinking water ; Public health ; Sanitation ; Nutrients ; Energy generation ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Food production ; Crop yield ; Fuel crops ; Ecology ; Aquatic environment ; Ecosystems ; Freshwater ; Biodiversity ; Economic development ; Urbanization ; Migration ; Conflicts
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048887)
http://www.pbl.nl/sites/default/files/cms/publicaties/pbl-2018-the-geography-of-future-water-challenges-2920.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048887.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048887.pdf
(27.70 MB) (27.7 MB)
13 Mpandeli, S.; Naidoo, D.; Mabhaudhi, T.; Nhemachena, Charles; Nhamo, Luxon; Liphadzi, S.; Hlahla, S.; Modi, A. T. 2018. Climate change adaptation through the water-energy-food nexus in southern Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(10):1-19. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102306]
Climate change adaptation ; Water resources ; Water management ; Energy resources ; Food resources ; Food security ; Nexus ; Sustainable development ; Communities ; Agricultural production ; Sanitation ; Public health ; Economic aspects ; Nutrition ; Hydropower / Southern Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048960)
(883 KB)
Climate change is a complex and cross-cutting problem that needs an integrated and transformative systems approach to respond to the challenge. Current sectoral approaches to climate change adaptation initiatives often create imbalances and retard sustainable development. Regional and international literature on climate change adaptation opportunities and challenges applicable to southern Africa from a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus perspective was reviewed. Specifically, this review highlights climate change impacts on water, energy, and food resources in southern Africa, while exploring mitigation and adaptation opportunities. The review further recommends strategies to develop cross-sectoral sustainable measures aimed at building resilient communities. Regional WEF nexus related institutions and legal frameworks were also reviewed to relate the WEF nexus to policy. Southern Africa is witnessing an increased frequency and intensity in climate change-associated extreme weather events, causing water, food, and energy insecurity. A projected reduction of 20% in annual rainfall by 2080 in southern Africa will only increase the regional socio-economic challenges. This is exacerbating regional resource scarcities and vulnerabilities. It will also have direct and indirect impacts on nutrition, human well-being, and health. Reduced agricultural production, lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and clean, sustainable energy are the major areas of concern. The region is already experiencing an upsurge of vector borne diseases (malaria and dengue fever), and water and food-borne diseases (cholera and diarrhoea). What is clear is that climate change impacts are cross-sectoral and multidimensional, and therefore require cross-sectoral mitigation and adaptation approaches. In this regard, a wellcoordinated and integrated WEF nexus approach offers opportunities to build resilient systems, harmonise interventions, and mitigate trade-offs and hence improve sustainability. This would be achieved through greater resource mobilisation and coordination, policy convergence across sectors, and targeting nexus points in the landscape. The WEF nexus approach has potential to increase the resilience of marginalised communities in southern Africa by contributing towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 13).
14 Hecht, J. S.; Lacombe, Guillaume; Arias, M. E.; Duc Dang, T.; Piman, T. 2019. Hydropower dams of the Mekong river basin: a review of their hydrological impacts. Journal of Hydrology, 568: 285-300. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.10.045]
Hydropower ; Dams ; Reservoir storage ; Water storage ; Water demand ; River basin management ; Hydrological factors ; Ecosystems ; Food security ; Living standards ; Downstream ; Mainstreaming ; Tributaries ; Energy generation ; Renewable energy ; Sedimentation ; Climate change ; Land cover change / China / Myanmar / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Thailand / Cambodia / Vietnam / Mekong River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048985)
Hydropower production is altering the Mekong River basin’s riverine ecosystems, which contain the world’s largest inland fishery and provide food security and livelihoods to millions of people. The basin’s hydropower reservoir storage, which may rise from ~2% of its mean annual flow in 2008 to ~20% in 2025, is attenuating seasonal flow variability downstream of many dams with integral powerhouses and large storage reservoirs. In addition, tributary diversions for off-stream energy production are reducing downstream flows and augmenting them in recipient tributaries. To help manage tradeoffs between dam benefits (hydropower, irrigation, flood control, domestic water supply, and navigation) and their consequences for livelihoods and ecosystems, we review observed and projected impacts on river flows along both the Mekong mainstream and its tributaries. We include the effects of diversions and inter-basin transfers, which prior reviews of flow alteration in the Mekong basin have largely neglected. We also discuss the extent to which concurrent changes in climate, water demand, and land use, may offset or exacerbate hydropower-induced flow alteration. Our major recommendations for assessing hydrological impacts in the Mekong and other basins undergoing rapid hydropower development include synchronizing and integrating observational and modeling studies, improving the accuracy of reservoir water balances, evaluating multi-objective reservoir operating rules, examining hydropeaking-induced flow alteration, conducting multi-dam safety assessments, evaluating flow indicators relevant to local ecosystems and livelihoods, and considering alternative energy sources and reservoir sedimentation in long-term projections. Finally, we strongly recommend that dam impact studies consider hydrological alteration in conjunction with fish passage barriers, geomorphic changes and other contemporaneous stressors.
15 Lebel, P.; Lebel, L.; Singphonphrai, D.; Duangsuwan, C.; Zhou, Y. 2019. Making space for women: civil society organizations, gender and hydropower development in the Mekong region. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 35(2):304-324. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2018.1425133]
Gender ; Women's participation ; Empowerment ; Civil society organizations ; Hydropower ; Development projects ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Partnerships ; Negotiation ; Awareness raising / Cambodia / China / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Myanmar / Thailand / Vietnam / Mekong Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049091)
(0.75 MB)
Large-scale hydropower development disrupts local livelihoods and resource access. Adverse impacts are often greater for women than men, but also large for children, the elderly, poorer households and ethnic minorities. Burdens of resettlement often fall disproportionately on already disadvantaged individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how international, national and local civil society organizations (CSOs) have addressed gender in hydropower development in the Mekong Region. Four CSO orientations are distinguished: communitarian, environmentalist, knowledge-based and feminist. Common activities of CSOs were to share information, to expand participation and to mobilize development. The extent to which these activities were promoted and appear to be making space for women depended on the types of CSOs and women and men targeted or otherwise involved.
16 Lebel, L.; Lebel, P.; Manorom, K.; Yishu, Z. 2019. Gender in development discourses of civil society organisations and Mekong hydropower dams. Water Alternatives, 12(1):192-220. (Special issue: Farmer-led Irrigation Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investment, Policy Engagements and Agrarian Transformation).
Civil society organizations ; Gender analysis ; Women in development ; Men ; Empowerment ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Living standards ; Rights based approaches ; Human rights ; Environmental effects ; Strategies / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Vietnam / Cambodia / Thailand / Myanmar / China / Mekong Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049112)
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/for-authors/486-a12-1-12/file
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049112.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049112.pdf
(1.30 MB) (1.30 MB)
'Gender in development' discourses are used to justify interventions into, or opposition to, projects and policies; they may also influence perceptions, practices, or key decisions. Four discursive threads are globally prominent: livelihoods and poverty; natural resources and the environment; rights-based; and managerial. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been vocal in raising awareness about the adverse impacts of large-scale hydropower developments on the environment, on local livelihoods, and on vulnerable groups including women. This discourse analysis first examines how CSOs engaging in hydropower processes in the Mekong Region frame and use gender in development discourses, and then evaluates the potential of these discourses to empower both women and men. Documents authored by CSOs are examined in detail for how gender is represented, as are media reports on CSO activities, interview transcripts, and images. The findings underline how CSOs depend on discursive legitimacy for influence. Their discursive strategies depend on three factors: the organizations’ goals with respect to development, gender, and the environment; whether the situation is pre- or post-construction; and, on their relationships with the state, project developers and dam-affected communities. The implications of these strategies for empowerment are often not straightforward; inadvertent and indirect effects, positive and negative, are common. The findings of this study are of practical value to CSOs wishing to be more reflexive in their work and more responsive to how it is talked about, as it shows the ways that language and images may enhance or inadvertently work against efforts to empower women.
17 Bharati, Luna; Bhattarai, Utsav; Khadka, Ambika; Gurung, Pabitra; Neumann, L. E.; Penton, D. J.; Dhaubanjar, Sanita; Nepal, S. 2019. From the mountains to the plains: impact of climate change on water resources in the Koshi River Basin. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) 49p. (IWMI Working Paper 187) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2019.205]
Climate change ; Climatic data ; Water resources ; Water balance ; Water yield ; Water availability ; Mountains ; Plains ; River basin management ; Soil analysis ; Soil water balance ; Calibration ; Spatial distribution ; Hydropower ; Precipitation ; Evapotranspiration ; Temperature ; Rainfall ; Monsoon climate ; Catchment areas ; Hydrological data ; Impact assessment ; Models ; Flow discharge ; Runoff ; Land use ; Seasonal variation / China / Nepal / India / Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049130)
(8 MB)
The Koshi Basin, spread across China, Nepal and India, is perceived as having high potential for hydropower and irrigation development, both seen as ways to promote economic development in the region. This paper quantifies and assesses the past and projected future spatial and temporal water balances in the Koshi Basin. Results show that precipitation and net water yield are lowest in the transmountain region and the Tibetan plateau. The values are highest in the mountain region, followed by the hills and Indo-Gangetic Plains. Approximately 65% of average annual precipitation is converted to flows, indicating high water availability. Actual evapotranspiration is highest in the Indo-Gangetic Plains region due to the presence of irrigated agriculture and a few forested mountain watersheds. As most of the water from the mountain and hill regions eventually flows down to the plains, the mountain and hill regions in Nepal are important for maintaining agriculture in the plains in both Nepal and India. Results from the flow analyses indicate the high temporal variability of flows in the basin. The frequent occurrences of both high- and low-flow events demonstrate the existing vulnerability of the region to both floods and droughts, leading to a very risk-prone livelihood system. Climate change projections show an increasing trend in precipitation and net water yield for most of the basin, except the transmountain region. Therefore, it is important to consider the climate change impacts on water resources in future planning.
18 Geheb, K.; Suhardiman, Diana. 2019. The political ecology of hydropower in the Mekong River Basin. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 37:8-13. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.02.001]
Hydropower ; Political aspects ; Ecology ; River basins ; Socioeconomic environment ; International waters ; Decision making / Southeast Asia / Myanmar / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Thailand / Cambodia / Vietnam / Mekong River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049147)
Hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin is occurring at a rapid, though controversial pace, pitting a variety of stakeholder groups against each other at both intranational scale and international scale, and affecting state relations across scales. In this paper, we explore the narratives surrounding hydropower development in this basin, while referring to the concept of hydrosocial cycles as the central tool in our analysis. These look at the processes of socio-political construction of nature, viewing water as a medium that conveys power, and thus sources of both collaboration and conflict. While the Mekong hydropower narratives do, indeed, attempt to conflate the massive regulation of hydrological systems with large-scale social and economic ambitions, they are also intended to obscure a widespread and systemic effort to control and alienate the region’s waters via engineering at multiple scales.
19 Suhardiman, Diana; de Silva, Sanjiv; Arulingam, Indika; Rodrigo, Sashan; Nicol, Alan. 2019. Review of water and climate adaptation financing and institutional frameworks in South Asia. Background Paper 3. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 110p. (Climate Risks and Solutions: Adaptation Frameworks for Water Resources Planning, Development and Management in South Asia) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2019.204]
Water resources development ; Water demand ; Water availability ; Water quality ; Water management ; Water supply ; Water institutions ; Water scarcity ; Water governance ; International waters ; Climate change adaptation ; Flooding ; Drought ; Rainfall ; Economic situation ; Financing ; Funding ; Costs ; Landscape ; Decision making ; Planning ; Energy resources ; Food security ; Food production ; Hydropower ; Surface water ; Groundwater depletion ; Integrated management ; Population growth ; Poverty ; Climate-smart agriculture ; Domestic water ; Cooperation ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Government agencies ; Risk management ; Irrigation systems ; Coastal area ; Stakeholders / South Asia / Sri Lanka / Nepal / Bangladesh / India / Pakistan / Afghanistan / Bhutan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049186)
(1.55 MB)
20 Wilmsen, B.; Adjartey, D.; van Hulten, A. 2019. Challenging the risks-based model of involuntary resettlement using evidence from the Bui Dam, Ghana. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 35(4):682-700. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2018.1471390]
Development projects ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Resettlement ; Planning ; Risks ; Reconstruction ; Models ; Villages ; Living standards ; Landlessness ; Unemployment ; Conflict ; Social aspects ; Case studies / Ghana / Bui Dam / Bui Hydropower Project / Dokokyina / Akanyakrom
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049204)
(1.40 MB)
The Impoverishment, Risks and Reconstruction (IRR) model is arguably the most significant conceptualization of involuntary resettlement to date, strengthening the praxis of the major international financial institutions. Even so, resettlement remains synonymous with impoverishment. While commonly attributed to the failure of governments to properly implement resettlement plans, this article finds that the assumptions embedded in the IRR model are contributory. Based on interviews and focus groups at the Bui Dam resettlement in 2016, the model is useful for identifying material losses, but fails to illuminate more complex social fragmentation, extra-local dynamics and relationships of power.
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