klingbeil r groundwater-governance

Nanor Momjian

GIS Expert, Water Resources SectionSustainable Development and Productivity Division

(SDPD)

Legal Issues and the ESCWA-BGR Inventory on Shared

Water Resources in Western Asia as a Knowledge Base for

Transboundary Cooperation

Workshop

Scaling-up Integrated Natural Resource Management, furthering knowledge on groundwater resources

management and strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation systems in the GEF MENARID program

UNESCO-IHP, ICARDA, IFAD - Beirut, Lebanon 16-18 June 2014

Ralf KlingbeilRegional Advisor Environment and Water Sustainable Development and Productivity Division

(SDPD)

Outline

Transboundary Aquifers

Overview of Global and Regional Legal Instruments

Shared Groundwater – Transboundary Aquifer Systems

“Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia”

Examples:

Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer System

(South): Rub’ al Khali

Saq-Ram Aquifer System (West)

Sub-Regional studies and agreement

Examples:

Kuwait

Jordan River Basin Dialogue

Outlook and Conclusion

2 July, 2014 www.escwa.un.org 2

Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic

Transboundary Aquifers

Re

dra

wn b

y U

N-E

SC

WA

-BG

R, 2

01

3 b

ased o

n P

uri

an

d A

rno

ld 2

00

2


1966Helsinki Rules

1997 UNWatercourse Convention

2014 Entry into Force

1992 UN ECEWater

Convention

2003 UN ECE Amendment

1998 SADCWater Protocol

2000 SADCRevised Water

Protocol

2000 EU WFD 2006 EU GW Dir

2008 UN GA Law of TBAs

2011, -13, -16 UN GA Reviews

2010 AMWC Res for Drafting AWC

Annual AMWC Reviews

Overview Global and Regional

Legal Instruments


Legal Framework for Shared Water in the Arab Region –

“Arab Water Convention”

Preparation of Draft Text for Legal Framework, Cooperation of

• UN ESCWA

• Centre of Water Studies and Arab Water Security

• supported by ACSAD, BGR Germany

Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) Resolutions

• Res. No. 20, Second Session, Cairo - 2 Jul 2010

• Res. No. 37, Third Session, Cairo - 15 Jun 2011

• Res. No. 56, Fourth Session, Baghdad - 29 May 2012

• Res. No. 71, Fifth Session, Cairo - 06 Jul 2013• Res. 71 of Exec. Bureau of AMWC - 29 Jan 2014

• Fourth Consultative Meeting, Ministries of Water and Foreign

Affairs, Cairo - 28-29 Apr 2014

Legal Framework for

Shared Water in the Arab Region


Inventory of Shared Water Resources in

Western Asia

INVENTORY OF

SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA


The Inventory is…

the first UN-led effort to take

stock of the region’s shared

surface and groundwater

resources in a comprehensive,

systematic and standardized

manner.

Key Themes:

• Hydrology, hydrogeology

• Water resources development

and use,

• Agreements and cross-border

management efforts.

Objectives:

• Identify, and document the state

of shared water resources and

their use

• Improve the knowledge base

and facilitate information

access

• Create awareness and

stimulate informed dialogue

within and between riparian

countries

• Support regional processes

towards improved dialogue and

cooperation over shared water

resources


Western Asia — Overview



Western Asia — Work Process


A total of 22 shared aquifer

systems and 6 shared river

basins were identified.

9 chapters on shared surface

waters and 17 chapters on

shared aquifer systems, each

following a standardized structure

and methodology.

624 pages of detailed information

with 60 new maps and over 200

figures, tables and boxes.


Western Asia — Content

ww

w.w

ate

rinvento

ry.o

rg


ww

w.w

ate

rinvento

ry.o

rg

Inventory - Chapter Features - Groundwater


Shared Water Resources in Western Asia

Cenozoic EraUmm er Radhuma-Dammam

Aquifer System (North): Widyan-

Salman

Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi

Arabia

Umm er Radhuma-Dammam

Aquifer System (Centre): Gulf

Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi

Arabia

Umm er Radhuma-Dammam

Aquifer System (South): Rub’ al

Khali

Oman, Saudi Arabia,

United Arab Emirates,

Yemen

Neogene Aquifer System (South-

East), Dibdibba-Kuwait Group:

Dibdibba Delta Basin

Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi

Arabia

Neogene Aquifer System (North-

West), Upper and Lower Fars:

Jezira Basin

Iraq, Syria

Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System:

Wadi Sirhan Basin

Jordan, Saudi Arabia

Basalt Aquifer System (South):

Azraq-Dhuleil Basin

Jordan, Syria

Basalt Aquifer System (West):

Yarmouk Basin

Jordan, Syria

Coastal Aquifer Basin Egypt, Israel,

Palestine

Jezira Tertiary Limestone Aquifer

System

Syria, Turkey

Taurus-Zagros Iran, Iraq, Turkey

ww

w.w

ate

rinvento

ry.o

rg


Shared Water Resources in Western Asia

Mesozoic and Paleozoic ErasAnti-Lebanon Lebanon, Syria

Western Aquifer Basin Egypt, Israel,

Palestine

Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer

System (North): Sakaka-Rutba

Iraq, Saudi Arabia

Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer

System (South): Tawila-

Mahra/Cretaceous Sands

Saudi Arabia, Yemen

Saq-Ram Aquifer System (West) Jordan, Saudi Arabia

Wajid Aquifer System Saudi Arabia, Yemen

ww

w.w

ate

rinvento

ry.o

rg


Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer

System (South): Rub’ al Khali


Umm er Radhuma – Dammam Aquifer

System (South): Rub’ al Khali

Co

mp

iled b

y E

SC

WA

-BG

R b

ase

d o

n U

N-E

SC

WA

and

BG

R, 1

99

9

Co

mp

iled b

y E

SC

WA

-BG

R b

ase

d o

n R

izk

and A

lsh

arh

an

, 2

00

8; M

inis

try

of R

egio

na

l M

unic

ipalit

ies a

nd

Wa

ter

Re

sou

rce

s in

Om

an, 2

00

5


Saq Ram Aquifer System (West)

Example:

Saq-Ram Aquifer System

(West) – ‘Disi’ Aquifer

• approximate exploitability

• groundwater development

2 July, 2014 15


Saq Ram Aquifer System (West)

Agricultural Statistics

Example: Water Use

Remote Sensing Studies

Als

ha

rha

ne

t a

l.,

20

01

.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www.waterinventory.org

contact:

[email protected]

United Nations Economic and Social

Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

P.O. Box 11-8575

Beirut, Lebanon

INVENTORY OF

SHARED WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN ASIA

mailto:[email protected]

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)

Assistance in field of shared groundwater & aquifers

– KISR / ESCWA Workshop Shared Groundwater

Aquifers in GCC Countries, April 2014,

– ESCWA Presentation “Recent Developments at Global

and Regional Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers

with a Focus on Arab Gulf Countries”,

– Support and technical inputs to develop research

proposal on shared groundwater aquifers between

Kuwait and neighbouring countries,

Further activities envisaged

– Assistance in review of research proposal,

– Backstopping and advice through participation in

advisory committee.

Transboundary Aquifer Research cooperation

between Kuwait and neighbouring countries

ww

w.w

ate

rinvento

ry.o

rg



ESCWA Requested by Palestinian Water Authority (PWA)

Based on ESCWA - BGR Inventory of Shared Water

Resources in Western Asia (2013)

UN ESCWA facilitated riparian dialogue, cooperating under

1997 UN Convention on Non-Navigational Uses of

International Water Courses

Addressed themes: Hydrology and hydrogeology,

historic development of water use and options for

further cooperation between riparian

First meeting: Amman, April 2014

Jordan River Basin Dialogue

Conclusions and Outlook 1/2

Water is included in

every

agreement/dispute

for it is involved in

many sectors (food,

energy..)

Understanding the benefits

of cooperation for each

riparian and focusing on

shared benefits (protection

of shared water resources)

rather than divided water.

Global and regional legal

frameworks for cooperation

are developing to also

address transboundary

aquifers

The lack of accurate

data (spatial extent of

Aquifer System

boundary) hampers

joint water resources

management.

Sharing

agreements need

to take into

account historic

& prior use

There is not a single

agreement on shared

groundwater resources in

the region at the Aquifer

System level.


Groundwater plays an

important role in surface

water basins, a link

which is often

overlooked.

A new thinking is required to

deal with large regional

aquifer systems from a shared

perspective.

Aquifer Management unit does

not equal to the entire Aquifer

System

It is already too late to

save some shared

waters

ESCWA BGR Inventory

useful to improved

understanding of shared

groundwater between

countries in the region.Further joint

transboundary research

cooperation can be

developed with a focus

on win-win solutions for

all parties.

The Groundwater in the

region is largely non-

renewable & aquifers are

rapidly being depleted.


Conclusions and Outlook 2/2

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www.waterinventory.org

contact:

[email protected]

Thank you for your attention!

United Nations Economic and Social

Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

P.O. Box 11-8575

Beirut, Lebanon

Nanor Momjian

GIS Expert, Water Resources SectionSustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD)

Ralf KlingbeilRegional Advisor Environment and Water

Sustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD)

mailto:[email protected]

klingbeil r groundwater-governance

Education