Sharing Benefits in Transboundary Rivers: An Experimental Case Study of Central Asian Water-Energy-Agriculture Nexus

Abstract

Cooperation in transboundary river basins is challenged by the riparian countries' differing needs for water use. This is the case especially in Amu Darya Basin in Central Asia, where upstream Tajikistan is building the Rogun Hydropower Plant (RHP) to increase its energy security, while the downstream countries oppose the plant due to the feared negative impacts to their irrigated agriculture. Several experimental scenarios illustrate how the concept of benefit sharing could be used as a framework to investigate these water-energy-agriculture linkages in a transboundary context. Using a hydro-economic model, we investigate the economic benefits of various scenarios emphasizing agricultural and/or energy production, thus benefiting the riparian countries uniquely. Subsequently, we discuss how benefit-sharing arrangements with different forms of compensations could be used as a mechanism to facilitate transboundary cooperation. Our results indicate that several scenarios have a potential to increase the total energy-agriculture benefits in the basin. Yet, agreeing on the actual benefit-sharing mechanism between the countries poses special challenges as each may require countries to give up some of their anticipated maximum potential benefits. The presented scenarios provide a potential starting point for debates over benefit-sharing arrangements across countries needing to address the water-energy-agriculture nexus.

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus and the Transboundary Context: Insights from Large Asian Rivers

“…This provides a foundation for an illustrative comparative nexus analysis for three regions centred around selected transboundary Asian river basins. Based on this analysis as well as the relevant findings from the other articles published in this Special Issue [17,21,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33], we then discuss what the nexus means in the specific context of transboundary river basins, noting the implications that transboundary context bring to nexus approaches, and vice versa.…”

“…Going forward, successful management of the nexus in Central Asia and its transboundary rivers depends on fostering trust and cooperation, revitalisation and capacity building within public sector organisations [28,73], shared understanding of limits (e.g., environmental needs and water availability) and norms (e.g., contractual obligations) [27], and agreeing on compromises that maximise total benefits across the water-energy-food nexus rather than national benefits that often focus on one of the nexus sectors alone [29] (Figure 3). …”

Essentials of Endorheic Basins and Lakes: A Review in the Context of Current and Future Water Resource Management and Mitigation Activities in Central Asia

“…The planned Rogun dam on the Vakhsh River, a tributary of the Amu Darya River, is a water resources conflict hot spot in the region. The dam will provide upstream Tajikistan with hydropower, while the downstream countries fear that it could negatively impact their irrigated agriculture [99,110]. In addition, tensions between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are not uncommon as the water storage infrastructure providing water to Uzbekistan is located in Turkmenistan [100,111].…”

Bridging Glaciological and Hydrological Trends in the Pamir Mountains, Central Asia

“…The same is true for the Bartang River basin north of the Gunt basin, which drains the entire Tajik South-East Pamirs before receiving the meltwaters of the Central Pamirs and the southern drainage of the Fedchenko area. The Vakhsh River feeds the Nurek dam and the future Rogun dam [47] (located west, outside of the river basin shown in Figure 1) and is therefore of high importance for Tajikistan's energy and water supply [48]. It drains the most glaciated areas of the Pamirs, including Fedchenko glacier, and further receives the waters from the southern Tien Shan and Alay, including Abramov glacier (No.…”