'Treat(y) our rivers': A cooperative international river basin management effort incorporating ecosystemic and economic parameters

The world today faces both natural and anthropogenically induced water scarcities that threaten basic human needs of drinking and food production. More importantly, it threatens the very systems that support it—the riparian ecosystem. Supplies are not keeping pace with increasing demand and when abundant, gross mismanagement has lead to wastage and scarcities. Furthermore, when freshwater systems transcend political boundaries, it can lead to further complications.;Treaties over non-navigational freshwater uses fall short in their response to a holistic ecosystemically and economically managed watershed. This thesis suggests a four-pronged ecosystemic approach that includes biological, physical and chemical parameters that form the very lifeline of any freshwater system, as well as anthropogenic interactions with these parameters. It also suggests introducing economic measures and incentives, and demand management in addition to traditional engineering options. This could take the form of regulatory and non-regulatory methods. Regulatory measures would consist of enacting laws in all riparians, providing for water rights, effective pricing, allowing for trading of water, and imposing some restrictions on the trades so as not to unduly disadvantage any user. These conservation mechanisms must go hand-in-hand with extensive outreach and education.;These two main themes are applied to the Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin in South Asia. The countries in this basin are today ripe for a cooperative, collaborative, and integrative effort. The proposed regime advocates the use of a multilateral approach that includes all stakeholders i.e. the participation of and collaboration between governmental and non-governmental entities to address the ecosystemic and economic efficiency issues facing this over-stretched and highly fluctuating freshwater system. The thesis describes how an international freshwater management approach should be structured through a three-tiered Regional Watershed Council, Urban and Non-Urban task groups at the international and intranational level, and finally Issue-based task groups in each of these sectors in each riparian country. This model allows for increased contact and exchanges between stakeholders. A regional watershed approach, through a treaty, will improve the welfare of the people, improve their quality of life, and keep the value of the resource and the ecology around it in perspective.