Search

Models are widely used to research hydrological change and risk. However, the power embedded in the modelling process and outcomes is often concealed by claiming their neutrality. Our review shows that in the scientific literature relatively little attention is given to the influence of models on development processes and outcomes in water governance. At the same time, an emerging body of work offering critical insights into the political implications of hydrological models and a nuanced understanding of their application in context has begun to flourish. Drawing on this work, we call for power-sensitive modelling which includes the following considerations: take a holistic approach to modelling beyond programming and coding; foster accountability; work towards just and equitable water distributions; be transparent about the expectations and choices made; and democratise modelling by giving space to and being mindful of representations of multiple bodies of knowledge and multiple stakeholders and by incorporating marginalised people and nature into the modelling process. Our call should not be understood as a suggestion to do away with modelling altogether, but rather as an invitation to interrogate how quantitative models may help to foster transformative pathways towards more just and equitable water distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes how practices in water diplomacy, and in particular in international water negotiations, are gendered and with what effects. We conduct a comparative analysis of three intergovernmental decision-making forums on international rivers: the Nile Technical Advisory Committee, the Chu-Talas Water Commission, and the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. These three cases demonstrate how gender is relational and creates situations in which gendered norms and values are strengthened, challenged, and changed, and sometimes used strategically to gain more power. In addition, two specific dynamics were observed: first, aligning with gendered stereotypes, confrontational practices in water negotiations are perceived as masculine and cooperative ones as feminine. Second, women’s participation in negotiations leads to both male and female negotiators adapting their behavior, resulting in a tendency towards less openly confrontational dynamics in more gender-balanced settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To avoid negative societal implications from water management actions, the complex interrelations between water and conflict need to be understood. Assessment of such links in complex adaptive systems, characterized by various factors which mutually influence each other, is challenging. This paper explores how the use of participatory methods can support the identification of water-related conflict risks in one such complex adaptive system: the Inner Niger Delta in Mali. We find that participatory analysis not only facilitated the identification of systemic risks in a complex adaptive system, but also shapes the perceptions of these interlinkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of data and models in transboundary water governance. It emphasizes the importance of timely, relevant, and reliable data for effective water management. The article discusses the challenges of collecting and sharing data across institutional boundaries and highlights the potential of new data collection methods, such as remote sensing and artificial intelligence. It also examines case studies from different regions of the world to illustrate the complexities and lessons learned in using data and models for transboundary water cooperation. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for communication, stakeholder engagement, and transdisciplinary approaches in water governance. [Extracted from the article]

As the number of studies on remote sensing data for water management and governance increases, few articles reflect on their application in practice. This article shares learnings from the application of Water Accounting Plus (WA+) in a federal river basin in India. WA+ was applied to the Cauvery basin to contribute to solving transboundary water-sharing issues by providing a source of transparent data obtained through reproducible methods. By analysing how WA+ results and methodology were received, we show how data and models are also political and question the assumption that more data automatically lead to more equitable decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most people on this planet are under the age of 35. They have been raising their voices in discussions on climate change in recent years, while this is well documented, their roles in water cooperation are not. Drawing on examples from desk research, an online survey, and action research alongside young water leaders, this article seeks to map out various ways young people engage in water conflict and cooperation. This paper contributes to literature on water leadership by recognizing the fluid and adaptive roles of young people in water conflict and cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water cooperation and diplomacy processes often rely on the tools and capacities that academic and research institutions can offer. However, groups of scientific experts in the field of water cooperation and diplomacy are often small and relatively discrete, suggesting that greater sharing of knowledge and interconnection of expertise could generate further impetus for development of this important theoretical and applied academic field. With this understanding, a network of academic institutions working on water diplomacy and cooperation called Universities' Partnership for Water Cooperation and Diplomacy was established in 2018, and the same year it was presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This opinion article discusses the role that academic and scientific institutions play in water diplomacy and cooperation, and reflects on the contribution that partners of the Universities' Partnership can jointly make to further the cause of water cooperation and diplomacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study is to strengthen the analytical purchase of the term water governance and improve the utility of the concept for describing and analyzing actual water distribution processes. We argue this is necessary as most writing on water governance is more concerned with promoting particular politically inspired agendas of what water governance should be than with understanding what it actually is. We believe that water governance at heart is about political choices as to where water should flow; about the norms, rules and laws on which such choices should be based; about who is best able or qualified to decide about this; and about the kind of societal future such choices support. We identify distributions—of water, voice and authority, and expertise—as the empirical anchor and entry-point of our conceptualization of water governance. This usefully allows foregrounding questions of equity in water governance discussions and provides the empirical foundation for a meaningful engagement with the politics of water governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]