Transboundary water management in Africa: challenges for development cooperation

Abstract

"In the past the joint use of transboundary rivers was often seen as entailing major security-related conflict potentials. In the late 1980s and particularly during the 1990s blaring headlines like 'Water Wars,' 'Water More Precious than Gold,' or 'Water Seen as Fuel for Military Conflicts' drew the public's attention to potential or existing use conflicts along transboundary water bodies. Rising consumption and the asymmetrical hydropolitical relations between countries fuelled the assumption that water shortages would just about inevitably lead to violent conflict. A much-cited example was conflict among the riparian countries along the Nile and Euphrates- Tigris; the relations between the riparian countries of Southern Africa were likewise seen as a potential source of conflict." (excerpt). Contents: Lars Wirkus, Volker Böge: Transboundary water management on Africa's international rivers and lakes: current state and experiences (11-102); Axel Klaphake, Olivia Voils: Cooperation on international rivers from an economic perspective: the concept of benefit-sharing (103-172); Malte Grossmann: Cooperation on Africa's international waterbodies: information needs and the role of information-sharing (173-236); Erik Mostert: How can international donors promote transboundary water management? (237-288); Waltina Scheumann, Susanne Neubert: Recommendations on development cooperation in transboundary water management (289-319).