Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 9 of 13 BACK | NEXT I. The Context II. The Need For a Comprehensive Water Policy III. The Policy A. An Overview B. National Policies and Reforms C. Water Resource Management D. Improving Water Services E. Conserving Water F. Promoting Regional Cooperation G. Fostering Participation H. Improving Governance IV. The Policy and ADB's Poverty Reduction Strategy V. Getting the Policy to Work

Water For All: The Water Policy of the Asian Development Bank : III. The Policy

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F. Promoting Regional Cooperation

49. Promoting Understanding. By assisting with water sector assessments in riparian countries, and helping with the exchange of data, ADB will promote awareness and understanding of water resource issues and needs within each country. This will have positive effects on subregional and regional cooperation, and on broader economic development by improving river management for flood control, irrigation and drainage, energy, inland transport, and food. ADB is well positioned to promote both bilateral and multilateral riparian cooperation, through international or regional agreements, alone or in concert with other multilateral agencies, and will respond positively to all requests to do so. Currently, ADB is involved through regional technical assistance programs in supporting the Southeast Asia water partnership as well as the South Asia water partnership in exchanging information and ideas on national water sector reforms. In the Greater Mekong Subregion, ADB is supporting studies that will lead to improved management of the Tonle Sap, an internationally significant wetland area, related to the Mekong River whose resources are shared by six countries.

50. Cutting Across Boundaries. Optimizing water resources will involve transboundary water management. Many rivers are shared by countries, and within countries, by states or provinces. The management of international water resources is an important, unfinished agenda for the region. Based on joint requests from riparian countries, ADB will support joint projects for the planning, development, and management of shared water resources, including the mapping of physical and institutional resources, information sharing, and establishment of a regional legal regime¹⁹ encompassing dispute resolution mechanisms. Given its ability, neutrality, and comparative advantage in providing assistance of this nature, ADB will assist governments to develop collaborative frameworks with riparian stakeholders. These will include an assessment of the downstream impact of any ADB-financed water project, in a river basin context.

51. The development of several major river systems shared by the DMCs such as the Mekong and Ganges-Brahmaputra, is currently suboptimal. Resources are insufficient, as is the understanding of the opportunities and constraints to the development and management of water resources in these river basins, including the benefits of alternative development strategies. The cumulative environmental impact studies of alternative combinations of investment projects are also not available. Strategically, ADB will accord higher priority to the optimization of existing systems. In line with this approach, and subject to joint requests made by governments concerned, ADB will be prepared to help operationalize international arrangements to manage river systems.

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