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Despite Asia's large share of global water resources, and the importance of
its water for sustaining one of the largest agrarian populations in the world,
Asia's trans boundary water resource management regimes are poorly developed.
There are only two working international regimes in South and South-east Asia:
the Mekong and the Indus regimes. The remaining international watercourses in
Asia are used by riparian countries in a self-interested manner, without much
consideration for the interests of other states or for the environment. These
national interests do not often represent the interests and needs of the local
people.
This book is divided into three Parts.
Part I discusses the different contexts of law-making in the industrialized
west and in agrarian societies in Asia, as well as the changing context of
law-making following the emergence of the concept of sustainable development.
Part II discusses the regime of international watercourses.
Part III of the book presents two case studies in Asia: the Mekong and the
Ganges. The main argument is that in the absence of public participation in
decision-making and resource management, the basin states revert to using the
watercourses according to the principles of the classical regime. The result,
so far, has been unsustainable development, environmental degradation and
growing poverty of local user communities.
Preface.
List of Abbreviation.
Foreword.
Introduction.
Part I. The Changing Context of the Law of Non-navigational Uses of
International Watercourses.
Chapter 1. The Historical Context of the Law of Non-navigational Uses of
International Watercourses.
Chapter 2. Asian Community Water Management Practises.
Part II. Continuity and Change in the Law of Non-navigational Uses of
International Watercourses.
Chapter 3. The Classical Law of Non-navigational Uses of International
Watercourses.
Chapter 4. The Impact of the Principles of Sustainable Development on the Law
of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.
Part III. Experiences and Options for Regional Regoime-Building in Asia.
Chapter 5. The Case of the Mekong River Basin.
Chapter 6. The case of the Ganges River Basin.
Conclusion. New Directions in the Law of Non-navigational Uses of
International Watercourses.
Annex I. Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of
International Watercourses.
Annex II. Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development
of the Mekong River Basin.
Annex III. Treaty between the Government of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh and the Government of the Republic of India on Sharing of the
Ganga/Ganges Waters of Farakka.
Bibliography.
Index.