Your search found 7 records
1 Choudhury, M.; Biswas, S. P.; Shahi, H. N. 2005. Habitat degradation of flood plain lakes of Assam: A great threat to fish industry. Indian Farming, 55(6):14-15, 21.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: PER Record No: H038461)
2 Mirza, M. M. Q.; Ahmad, Q. K. (Eds.) 2005. Climate change and water resources in South Asia. Leiden, Netherlands: A. A. Balkema. 322p.
Climate change ; Water resources ; Water management ; Water availability ; Water demand ; Water supply ; Water policy ; Hydrology ; Models ; Impact assessment ; Rivers ; Discharges ; Glacial lakes ; Flooding ; Drought ; Risk assessment ; Adaptation ; Stakeholders ; Case studies / South Asia / India / Bangladesh / Nepal / Bhutan / Pakistan / Gujarat / Dhaka / Ganges Basin / Brahmaputra Basin / Meghna Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 577.22 G570 MIR Record No: H047179)
(0.35 MB)
3 Rai, S. P.; Young, W.; Sharma, N. 2017. Risk and opportunity assessment for water cooperation in transboundary river basins in South Asia. Water Resources Management, 31(7):2187-2205. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1637-2]
International waters ; River basins ; International cooperation ; Risk assessment ; Water resources ; Water management ; Economic development ; Political aspects ; Evaluation techniques ; Fuzzy logic ; Riparian zones / South Asia / India / Bangladesh / Bhutan / China / Pakistan / Nepal / Afghanistan / Brahmaputra Basin / Ganges Basin / Indus Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048090)
(0.79 MB)
Rapid increases in demand for food and energy as a result of population growth and economic development is placing ever increasing demands on limited water resources in South Asia, and climate change is expected further complicate water resource management. In spite of important reductions in poverty levels in recent decades the region is still home to a very large number of poor whose quality of life is directly affected by the availability and quality of water and water services. A significant fraction of the water resources of the region and a significant fraction of the poor are associated with major Himalayan transboundary rivers, and given growing water demand it is likely that the already significant sensitivity around water cooperation amongst co-riparians will increase. Understanding the risks and opportunities for transboundary cooperation in the river systems in South Asia is thus important for guiding sustainable transboundary basin management in the region. This study refines a novel method for a rapid assessment of these cooperation risks and opportunities and applies it to the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus river basins to test its utility. The method employs a fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique that combines fuzzy logic and an analytical hierarchy process to assess cooperation risk and opportunity in terms of a Risk-Opportunity Index (ROI). The ROI is a function of four composite development variables and three hegemony variables that indicate the various pressures on the basin water resource and the different control strategies riparians could adopt given existing power asymmetries. In the absence of a clear rationale for differential weighting, equal weights were assigned to all seven variables for this application. A “defuzzification” scoring method is used to define compromising, risk-averse and risk-taking variants of ROI for riparian pairs within each basin. Overall, the results for the compromising ROI suggest that the opportunities for bilateral cooperation are highest (and risks the lowest) in the Brahmaputra Basin and the opportunities are lowest (and the risks highest) in the Indus Basin. This overall assessment is consistent with current common perception. Within the basins the compromising ROI values suggest a few instances of high risk and/or low opportunity, as well as an approximately equal number of instances of medium risk/opportunity and low risk/high opportunity. The study demonstrates that the fuzzy synthetic evaluation technique has utility for rapidly identifying potential opportunities for riparian cooperation in transboundary basins, in order to guide dialogue processes and more detailed analyzes. The study also however, reveals some aspects of the method where further refinement would likely yield more reliable assessments of cooperation risks and opportunities. Specifically, further refinements could consider the relative geographic position of co-riparians within a basin, and the relative resource access of different riparians. The method only considers bilateral riparian interactions and not more complex multi-lateral interactions. The results of study may contribute to various ongoing regional and basin dialogues on water cooperation in South Asia.
4 Nasr-Azadani, F.; Khan, R.; Rahimikollu, J.; Unnikrishnan, A.; Akanda, A.; Alam, M.; Huq, A.; Jutla, A.; Colwell, R. 2017. Hydroclimatic sustainability assessment of changing climate on cholera in the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. Advances in Water Resources, 108:332-344. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.11.018]
Climate change ; Hydroclimatology ; Sustainability ; Assessment ; Health hazards ; Infectious diseases ; Cholera ; Stream flow ; Flow discharge ; Forecasting ; River basins ; Models / Bangladesh / Ganges Basin / Brahmaputra Basin / Meghna Basin / Bengal Delta
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048327)
(4.30 MB)
The association of cholera and climate has been extensively documented. However, determining the effects of changing climate on the occurrence of disease remains a challenge. Bimodal peaks of cholera in Bengal Delta are hypothesized to be linked to asymmetric flow of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. Spring cholera is related to intrusion of bacteria-laden coastal seawater during low flow seasons, while autumn cholera results from cross-contamination of water resources when high flows in the rivers cause massive inundation. Coarse resolution of General Circulation Model (GCM) output (usually at 100 – 300 km)cannot be used to evaluate variability at the local scale(10–20 km),hence the goal of this study was to develop a framework that could be used to understand impacts of climate change on occurrence of cholera. Instead of a traditional approach of downscaling precipitation, streamflow of the two rivers was directly linked to GCM outputs, achieving reasonable accuracy (R2 = 0.89 for the Ganges and R2 = 0.91 for the Brahmaputra)using machine learning algorithms (Support Vector Regression-Particle Swarm Optimization). Copula methods were used to determine probabilistic risks of cholera under several discharge conditions. Key results, using model outputs from ECHAM5, GFDL, andHadCM3for A1B and A2 scenarios, suggest that the combined low flow of the two rivers may increase in the future, with high flows increasing for first half of this century, decreasing thereafter. Spring and autumn cholera, assuming societal conditions remain constant e.g., at the current rate, may decrease. However significant shifts were noted in the magnitude of river discharge suggesting that cholera dynamics of the delta may well demonstrate an uncertain predictable pattern of occurrence over the next century.
5 Rammelt, C. F.; Masud, Z. Md.; Masud, A. 2018. The waterways of Tangail: failures to learn from flood-control efforts in the Brahmaputra Basin of Bangladesh. Water Alternatives, 11(1):106-124.
Flood control ; Water management ; Agriculture ; Food production ; Fisheries ; Living standards ; Land ownership ; Irrigation ; Drainage ; Development programmes ; Action plans ; Evaluation / Bangladesh / Brahmaputra Basin / Tangail
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048521)
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol11/v11issue1/422-a11-1-6/file
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048521.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048521.pdf
(0.95 MB) (976 KB)
Traditional non-structural approaches to water management and flood protection in Bengal disappeared almost entirely under colonial and national water planning. The 1950s saw the rise of permanent and centrally regulated infrastructures for flood control, drainage and irrigation (FCD/I). A nationwide Flood Action Plan (FAP) in the 1990s reinforced this structural approach and included as one of its flagships of the FAP-20 component in the Tangail District. While essentially remaining a form of FCD/I, FAP-20 attempted to pay attention to social and ecological concerns. During its implementation (1991-2000), however, FAP-20 became highly controversial on both accounts. Eventually, it was phased out and not replicated elsewhere. Revisiting this particular project is as relevant as ever for several reasons. First, the article shows that its negative impacts are felt long after the project ended. To better understand these impacts, the present article provides a historical and contextual perspective on water governance in Bangladesh. Second, there seems to have been little learning from the FAP-20 experience. The project was not adequately evaluated, and lessons are therefore not assimilated by the design of subsequent water-sector projects (e.g. the Blue Gold plan). The article argues that a thorough evaluation is needed and can provide valuable insights for the development of more adaptive and inclusive approaches to water management.
6 Zhou, Y.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Kumar, S. V.; Arsenault, K. R.; Matin, M. A.; Qamer, F. M.; Zamora, R. A.; Shakya, K. 2021. Developing a hydrological monitoring and sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting system for South and Southeast Asian river basins. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 25(1):41-61. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-41-2021]
Hydrology ; Monitoring ; Forecasting ; River basins ; Precipitation ; Drought ; Indicators ; Soil moisture ; Estimation ; Meteorological factors ; Satellite observation ; Models / South Asia / Southeast Asia / Helmand Basin / Indus Basin / Ganges Basin / Brahmaputra Basin / Mekong Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050187)
https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/25/41/2021/hess-25-41-2021.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050187.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050187.pdf
(4.23 MB) (4.23 MB)
South and Southeast Asia is subject to significant hydrometeorological extremes, including drought. Under rising temperatures, growing populations, and an apparent weakening of the South Asian monsoon in recent decades, concerns regarding drought and its potential impacts on water and food security are on the rise. Reliable sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) hydrological forecasts could, in principle, help governments and international organizations to better assess risk and act in the face of an oncoming drought. Here, we leverage recent improvements in S2S meteorological forecasts and the growing power of Earth observations to provide more accurate monitoring of hydrological states for forecast initialization. Information from both sources is merged in a South and Southeast Asia sub-seasonal to seasonal hydrological forecasting system (SAHFS-S2S), developed collaboratively with the NASA SERVIR program and end users across the region. This system applies the Noah-Multiparameterization (NoahMP) Land Surface Model (LSM) in the NASA Land Information System (LIS), driven by downscaled meteorological fields from the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) and Climate Hazards InfraRed Precipitation products (CHIRP and CHIRPS) to optimize initial conditions. The NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model sub-seasonal to seasonal (GEOS-S2S) forecasts, downscaled using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) General Analog Regression Downscaling (GARD) tool and quantile mapping, are then applied to drive 5 km resolution hydrological forecasts to a 9-month forecast time horizon. Results show that the skillful predictions of root zone soil moisture can be made 1 to 2 months in advance for forecasts initialized in rainy seasons and up to 8 months when initialized in dry seasons. The memory of accurate initial conditions can positively contribute to forecast skills throughout the entire 9-month prediction period in areas with limited precipitation. This SAHFS-S2S has been operationalized at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to support drought monitoring and warning needs in the region.
7 Khanal, S.; Lutz, A. F.; Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A.; van den Hurk, B.; Yao, T.; Immerzeel, W. W. 2021. Variable 21st century climate change response for rivers in high mountain Asia at seasonal to decadal time scales. Water Resources Research, 57(5):e2020WR029266. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029266]
Climate change ; River basins ; Mountains ; Hydrology ; Models ; Time series analysis ; Water availability ; Precipitation ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Rainfall-runoff relationships ; Temperature ; Monsoons ; Discharges / Asia / Amu Darya Basin / Balkash Basin / Brahmaputra Basin / Ganges Basin / Helmand Basin / Indus Basin / Irrawaddy Basin / Mekong Basin / Salween Basin / Syr Darya Basin / Tarim Basin / Yangtze Basin / Yellow River / Tibetan Plateau
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050398)
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2020WR029266
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050398.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050398.pdf
(4.00 MB) (4.00 MB)
The hydrological response to climate change in mountainous basins manifests itself at varying spatial and temporal scales, ranging from catchment to large river basin scale and from sub-daily to decade and century scale. To robustly assess the 21st century climate change impact for hydrology in entire High Mountain Asia (HMA) at a wide range of scales, we use a high resolution cryospheric-hydrological model covering 15 upstream HMA basins to quantify the compound effects of future changes in precipitation and temperature based on the range of climate change projections in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 climate model ensemble. Our analysis reveals contrasting responses for HMA's rivers, dictated by their hydrological regimes. At the seasonal scale, the earlier onset of melting causes a shift in the magnitude and peak of water availability, to earlier in the year. At the decade to century scale, after an initial increase, the glacier melt declines by the mid or end of the century except for the Tarim river basin, where it continues to increase. Despite a large variability in hydrological regimes across HMA's rivers, our results indicate relatively consistent climate change responses across HMA in terms of total water availability at decadal time scales. Although total water availability increases for the headwaters, changes in seasonality and magnitude may diverge widely between basins and need to be addressed while adapting to future changes in a region where food security, energy security as well as biodiversity, and the livelihoods of many depend on water from HMA.
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