Transboundary Water Resources in Southern Africa: Conflict or cooperation?
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Transboundary Water Resources in Southern Africa: Conflict or cooperation?
ANTHONY R. TURTON, MARIAN J. PATRICK AND FRE´ DE´ RIC JULIEN
ABSTRACT Literature suggests a linkage between internationally shared water resources and conflict potential. Anthony R. Turton, Marian J. Patrick and Fre´de´ric Julien examine transboundary water resource management in southern Africa, showing that empirical evidence indicates a propensity to cooperation. They use the Hydropolitical Complex concept to explain why states might choose cooperation over conflict where a critical shared resource could limit future development potential. KEYWORDS hydropolitical complex; water wars; southern African development community; river basin management
Introduction The linkage between natural resources and conflict has become part of the literature on development (Biswas, 1978; Falkenmark, 1989; Starr, 1991; Bulloch and Darwish, 1993; Frey,1993; Betts,1994; Amery,1997; Ashton, 2000, 2002; Diehl and Gleditsch, 2001; Phillips et al., 2006). While this appears at first to be an intuitively correct assumption, experiences from the management of transboundary river basins in southern Africa seem to suggest a different position (Turton et al., 2004;Turton, 2004, 2005).We present the case for a strategic natural resource ^ water ^ that happens to be shared in almost all cases between two or more sovereign states in southern Africa, showing that in this specific set of circumstances, the joint management of such a resource is a driver of cooperation rather than conflict. This case will be presented in light of current empirical studies using the concept of a southern African Hydropolitical Complex (Turton, 2003; Ashton and Turton, 2005, in press) as a possible explanation for the phenomenon.
The current situation One of the unintended consequences of the colonial legacy in Africa is the large number of international river basins that exist. Given that rivers were used to demarcate the borders of countries, these became artificial barriers in the post-colonial era. For this reason, Africa has a large number of international river basins. Of the 263 known international river basins that exist globally (Wolf et al., 2003), 63 are found in Africa (Turton et al., 2005; Ashton and Turton, in press) (Figure 1). Development (2006) 49(3), 22–31. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100269
Turton et al: Transboundary Water Resources in Southern Africa Oued Bon o Naima Guir Daoura Dra Atuii
Medjerda Tafna
k Baraka Senegal
Awash
Lake Chad
Gambia i Geba Corubal Greatt Scarcies c t Scarcies c Little Moa Mana-Morro Loffa St. Paul St.t John Cestos Cavally Sassandra
Gash
Niger Nile
Volta
Juba-Shibeli Cross Akpaa Yao Sanaga Ntem Benito Utamboni Ogooue Nyanga Chiloango
Komoe Bia Tano Mono Oueme
Lake Turkana Lotagipii Swamp Umba Paganii Lake Natron
Congo
Rovuma
Zambezi Cunene Cuvelaii
Pungué
Okavango
Buzi Limpopo
Save Incomati
Orange
N 0
500
1000
Kilometres
Umbeluzii Maputo Thukela
Figure 1: Africa has 63 river basins that cross
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