Increased water demand and water use conflicts occur in many countries in Asia, and licensing mechanisms, water allocation, and water rights have become regular challenges. Unfortunately, the extensive interest on these topics is in stark contrast with the relatively few successful experiences so far in the region.
Water rights and water allocation are of particular interest to the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO), which was established to share knowledge and build capacity for integrated water resources management (IWRM) in river basins throughout Asia as well as to strengthen river basin organizations' capacity and effectiveness in promoting IWRM and improving water governance.
NARBO considers the thematic workshops on these subjects as among its priority activities for 2006-2007. Four workshops were planned for the calendar year—the first workshop held in Viet Nam in December 2005 focused on identifying country situations and issues on water rights and water allocation; the second workshop held in Manila in June 2006 focused on uncovering causes of the issues; and the third workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2006 focused on reviewing and enhancing the findings from the first two workshops and identifying improvements and solutions.
This fourth workshop on water allocation and water rights focused on the preparation of a report with a high-quality action plan that takes into account the results of the first three workshops. It was hosted by the Japan Water Agency.
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The objectives of the thematic workshops were to
- share information on current water rights and allocation status and challenges of participating countries.
- identify possible actions and recommendations to address the challenges and improve the situation in participating countries.
The objective of the fourth workshop is to finalize an action program for addressing water allocation and water rights issues.
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The workshop was designed for NARBO members and experts working at the national and/or river basin water management agencies in Southeast Asia that have particular exposure to water allocation and water rights issues. Participants from the first three workshops attended to ensure continuity of the discussions.
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The workshop was held at the Japan Water Agency in Saitama, Japan.
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