Professor Upendra Gautam, Kathmandu, Nepal

Rivers origin and flow:

Both the northern and southern basins of Himalayan Asia are fed by the rivers originating in the Himalaya, the abode of snow.

The Himalayan Mountains are the source of life and livelihood for the people of South Asia and China.

Whether it is Brahmputra (Yarlung Zangbo Jiang), Mahakali-Karnali-Koshi-Gandaki, rivers of Indus System, or Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng), each of them is linked to the Himalaya Mountains on the extended Xizang (Tibet)-Qinghai Plateau, and flow south and northward.

While Brahmputra, joined by Ganga in Bangladesh, consists of China, the Republic of India (RoI) and Bangladesh in the basin, the Ganga, originating in the base of the Himalayas in the RoI, has Mahakali-Karnali-Gandaki-Koshi rivers flowing from Nepal as the major tributaries and includes Nepal, the RoI and Bangladesh on the waterway.

Like Nepal, Bhutan river system is in a similar situation vis-à-vis the Brahmputra waterway.

The Indus System of Rivers shares its basin with China, the RoI and Pakistan. Yangtze has China in the basin.
On a country basis, Nepal with a third of the Himalayan mountain range including the eight highest peaks has a significant portion of the globally available 3 percent of the freshwater (remaining 97 percent being salt water) in the Himalayan glaciers.

From Nepal’s point of view, the river basins/waterways in the south of the Himalaya, can be categorized into three distinctive geographic systems: i) Western, ii) Southern and iii) Eastern.

The Western system consists of the Indus waters.

The Southern one along with the Ganga has Mahakali-Karnali-Koshi-Gandaki; and the Eastern system includes Brahmputra.

Given the natural endowment link that the rivers have with the Himalayan mountains and the consequent bond they have with the life and livelihood of the Chinese and South Asians, in-depth spatial knowledge and comprehensive seasonal as well as temporal understanding of the Himalayan mountains along with clear river basin boundary delineation should have long ago been a priority agenda to promote them as the headwater conservation center.

Instead, rivers are often treated with sheer unilateral bias, without due cognizance to their spatial niche, seasonal character, recharging ability, and ecology.

Water insecurity:

More than a data, logic or a prediction, increasing water scarcity and variability in the service areas of the Himalayan Rivers is a living reality, aggravating a sense of water insecurity.

This reality in fact acquires much more dangerous dimension when power politics, further instigated by climate change phenomena, is played out for one’s water security at the cost of others.

The situation in the Ganga dependent areas of Rajshahi and Kushtia in Bangladesh visited in the 4th week of April last, for example, spoke critically of this insecurity.

Perhaps water is the only most essential natural element, which is inter-dependent in its dynamic existence and adapts integrally to a local ecological setting.

Factual understanding of the nature and behavior of rivers, therefore, conditions equitable allocation, sustainable use and management of water in areas-whether upstream, mid stream or downstream-of a river.

The basic issue of water insecurity needs to be revisited not only because areas of water stress and scarcity are increasing, but also because the international relations are increasingly being used for power politics; and peaceful co-existence is abandoned for colonialist intervention.

Geo-political approach: 

Water insecurity in a Himalayan river basin/waterway is a techno-natural problem accentuated by the complexity of civilization-changes in land use pattern, growth of population, and disruption in self-correcting and healing indigenous knowledge and practices of inter-dependent water management system.

This insecurity in the changed context therefore asks for a geo-political understanding and cooperation at the inter-national level for fair resource access.

Understanding and cooperation can neither be imposed nor manipulated over a long period time.

However, understanding and cooperation by coercion seems to be a tool at the hand of power politics and associated water dynamics insensitivities in the region.

Partisan politics is usually exploited to serve a power game.

Nepal’s experience informs us that any understanding and cooperation on Himalayan river water enforced by force and coercion would produce agreements in the paper but it would not be able to respect equality and mutually enhance confidence between the parties.

A geo-political approach to river water does not mean agreeing to variable standard in international river relations. It, on the other hand, means unwavering recognition of and commitment to the principle of peaceful co-existence in international river relations.

It is a pre-requisite for a mutually just relation.

In partisan politics, principle of peaceful co-existence may be seen being only as virtual, but in these days it can not be more than real in international river relations, -irrespective of any riparian status, power status, degree of political stability or regime change alternative.

To be open towards this approach, the countries in the Himalayan river basin/waterway must be independent in their decision making-a condition that takes them out of any colonial mindsets and coercive power politics.

Goal:

The goal of geo-political approach to the Himalayan river system is to try to realize a harmonious society both at the national and international levels, with capability of sustaining essential source of life and livelihood security for our future generations.

Such an approach to the Himalayan rivers must be critically supported by i) appropriate local civilizational climate adaptation knowledge and management practices and ii) advances in river science and technology.

Operational instruments:

To realize this goal, and implement the geo-political approach to the Himalayan rivers, we need the following operational instruments: i) help neighbor policy based on peaceful co-existence, ii) independent national decision making and cooperative riparian diplomacy, iii) a climate-conscious cooperation mechanism of the countries on the Rivers whereby conservation in the Himalaya, feasible and appropriate water diversion and storage in the mid-Mountain with clear ownership of the resource and definite benefit sharing and utilization mechanism at the point of the end-use are taken care of for the mutual benefit of the larger population on a defined river course.
A step forward can be establishment of a Himalayan commission on major rivers.

This step may be initiated in the beginning at the people-to-people level.

But there must also be a commission with a para-statal status constituted by the member-states from their competent agencies.

Recognizing the principle of peaceful co-existence in river relations in the Himalayan region, these commissions, using their comparative advantage, will facilitate priority work of preparing and recommending operational procedures for determining value addition to water, cost and benefit sharing, multi-dimensional implications arising out of the natural flow modifying river schemes and associated solutions. Sustainable use and management of Himalayan river. 

Such a perspective may provide a solution to successfully build appropriate and feasible storages in Nepal to address the larger water insecurity in the region.
Bottom-line: 
To further a geo-political approach to the Himalaya Rivers, we have to collectively qualify and raise our ability to learn to co-exist peacefully and then enhance understanding for cooperation.

There is a saying; Ivory does not grow on a jackal. Similar to it in Bangla may be Gorar Dim. This workshop as a temple of learning can help us better qualify and be more capable in mutually understanding and cooperating with one another on the Himalayan Rivers.

George Bernard Shaw was more than correct when he said, “Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous.” War on water is easier, and in no way a big deal.

# An old article published in the larger interest of the readers both within and without.
Thanks the distinguished author: Upadhyaya.