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Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Context of Global Environmental Change: The Case of Bhutan Himalaya

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Managing Water Resources under Climate Uncertainty

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Abstract

The transboundary Himalayan Rivers flowing through Bhutan to India and Bangladesh constitute an enormous asset for economic development in a region which contains the largest number of poor people in the world. However, the rapid retreat of Himalayan glaciers has made South Asia vulnerable to a variety of water-related natural hazards and disasters such as floods, landslides, and glacial lake outbursts. As a result, the region is increasingly experiencing water-related stress such as a decline in freshwater supplies for drinking and agriculture purposes. International cooperation in transboundary water resources management could help to reduce such impacts. The objectives of this paper are to (a) illustrate water resources and their management as strategic cooperation for regional development, (b) appraise how cooperation between concerned countries can be successful in using water resources as an engine for economic growth, and (c) elaborate on climate change and its impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people in Bhutan and beyond. This paper also presents recommendations for possible areas of cooperation with a focus on water resources management in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna basin.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan, Lobesa, Punakha, Bhutan

    Om N. Katel

  2. Centre of Mountain Ecosystem Studies, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China

    Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

  3. World Agro-Forestry Center, East Asia Node, Kunming, China

    Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

  4. Department of Economics, Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan, Kanglung, Bhutan

    Ngawang Dendup

Authors
  1. Om N. Katel
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  2. Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt
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  3. Ngawang Dendup
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Om N. Katel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Water Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand

    Sangam Shrestha

  2. Food Engineering & Bioprocess Technology, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Thailand

    Anil K. Anal

  3. School of Env., Res. and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, City, Thailand

    P. Abdul Salam

  4. The Netherlands Ntl. Committee IHP-HWRP, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Michael van der Valk

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Katel, O.N., Schmidt-Vogt, D., Dendup, N. (2015). Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Context of Global Environmental Change: The Case of Bhutan Himalaya. In: Shrestha, S., Anal, A., Salam, P., van der Valk, M. (eds) Managing Water Resources under Climate Uncertainty. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10467-6_13

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