As recent discussions at COP28 showed, water is increasingly important on the global security and climate agenda. Yet cross-border river governance still remains one of this century's most pressing concerns and an often overlooked geopolitical issue.
Amid continued climate change impacts and geopolitical uncertainties, water and water-related challenges are already notably severe. While Asia is home to more than 50% of the global population, it has less freshwater -- 3,920 cubic metres per person per year -- than other continents, aside from Antarctica. One of the most important regions is the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas, which provide a significant water flow from China to continental Asia. This reaches over 1.35 billion people through 10 of Asia's major rivers.
Asia is already facing an uphill battle. It does not help that interconnected factors -- population growth, socioeconomic development, hydropower projects, and competing water needs (between agricultural, industries, and household purposes) -- within countries and across regions strain shared freshwater resources in Asia. Climate change intensifies extremes by influencing water availability and use patterns. With the region becoming more susceptible to floods, droughts, and disasters, the worsening of a water resources imbalance could heighten water insecurity and tensions in and across countries.
Limited cooperation and poor domestic water management further exacerbate challenges, causing a "tragedy of the commons" scenario whereby competition supplants regional cooperation. For governments and policymakers, it becomes harder to make informed, long-term decisions concerning transnational river basins, inadvertently fuelling water-related inter and intra-state conflict concerns.
Water management intertwines with pressing national security issues -- energy and food security, state rivalries, and territorial and border disputes. The notable absence of cooperation at a regional level, combined with limited bilateral agreements, amplifies the need to address these challenges in Asia through a multifaceted approach.
To achieve this, countries must put cooperation over conflict to develop sustainable water management strategies, promote dialogue, and implement effective policies across all levels of government.
At a regional level, countries could establish regional water cooperation frameworks or strengthen existing ones to foster cooperation and trust-building among river basin countries, along with basin-wide recommendations. Such measures could also address shared water challenges and goals, thereby reducing concerns of water-related tensions. For downstream countries, this presents opportunities to speak up about concerns and encourage further collaboration, such as multilateral dialogues, potentially paving the way to create a common river management framework to benefit all countries.
The sharing of hydrological data in real-time is another consideration, as they help raise awareness in river basin countries of upstream and downstream developments, simultaneously enabling timely responses to water-related challenges (such as drought or water pollution).
However, it is not enough to address water challenges on a regional level. Countries must do this at a national level, too. In addition to carefully managing hydropower resources and the substantial implementation of water demand management measures (such as water-efficient appliances, smart water meters, and leakage detection technology), including reducing non-revenue water for more efficient and equitable water usage, alongside long-term investments in infrastructure and technology.
As part of this, countries should consider implementing alternative water supply systems (such as harvested rainwater and highly treated wastewater). Given that they can be treated to the World Health Organization's drinking standards, alternative water supply systems can also enable governments to improve water security by ensuring a more reliable and consistent water supply, thereby lessening dependence on shared cross-border rivers.
To help reduce competition between uses in countries, water-efficient agriculture practices should be encouraged, where possible. Agriculture is the biggest water-consuming sector and one of the leading causes of water pollution. As water-related challenges in agriculture (such as drought) can lead to food insecurity, economic stress, and domestic/regional instability, the use of agricultural technologies (such as drip irrigation) could improve water use efficiency in agriculture, thereby reducing its water demand.
In addition, governments must re-evaluate policies aimed at achieving food self-sufficiency or encouraging food exports, where necessary, against the water impacts. For some countries, rather than relying on water transfer projects to produce food domestically or for export, international trade can increase global food availability and reduce regional and domestic water stress.
To support these efforts, legislation and governance, including national water plan strategies, are also necessary to promote responsible water use and efficiency alongside sustainable water management practices in industries and households. To further emphasise the importance of managing water resources efficiently, public awareness and education campaigns foster a sense of responsibility towards water use and raise awareness about the importance of water.
Regional and national efforts are needed by all countries to ensure long-term water security and regional stability, and now is the time to do so.
Genevieve Donnellon-May is a research associate at the Asia Society Policy Institute and the Asia Society Australia. She holds an MSc from the University of Oxford and a BA (Hons) from the University of Melbourne.