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Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

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Peer-reviewed publication

Advancing collaborative approach for managing water conflicts from sectoral to transboundary scale (SDG 16)

Water is a basic necessity for human survival on Earth and currently, billions of people worldwide live in water-stressed environments. With changing climate patterns, water conflicts are progressively intensifying at various levels, including sectoral, local, and transboundary levels. To ensure a sustainable future, adequate efforts therefore need to be made to minimize conflicts over water. In that context, an integrated and collaborative approach, incorporated within the broader development plans and actions, is imperative for realizing water management targets, as the conventional silo approach in water resource management has been ineffective in resolving the conflicts on water resources. To establish a deeper understanding of this issue, this chapter discusses the wide-ranging causes of water conflicts at different levels and explores the manifold solutions to mitigate them. To realize sustainable water management, this chapter emphasizes that an integrated and collective approach needs to be promoted across sectoral planning, spatial development planning at the urban-rural continuum, and transboundary water bodies management. Toward the end, this chapter also highlights key policy measures for enabling integrated and collaborative approaches in water management, including benefit sharing, assessment of environmental impact, and strengthening institutional coordination from the sectoral to the transboundary level.

 

 

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