Transboundary Water Resource Management

Abstract

The Volta Basin is a West African watercourse encompassing six riparian states, some of the most impoverished nations in the world. The basin region has recently been plagued with devastating parasitic diseases, floods, droughts, and water shortages. As the global temperature begins to shift, the rainy seasons in the basin have become more sporadic and intense, leading to both flooding and droughts. Recent deluges have spurred conflicts between states, springing from accusations of dam letting without prior notification. The inundations left thousands homeless and destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland. These extreme weather events are projected to increase in occurrence and severity due to climate change, which will also cause sea level rises, elevated regional temperatures, and decreased annual rainfall. The cumulative effect of these imminent environmental stressors will likely cause extreme water stress, food shortages, economic duress, and, ultimately, transboundary conflict between the riparian states relating to shared water resources. In the face of impending climate change disasters and water shortages, the basin states must take swift and immediate action to avoid their continued status as perpetual victims. Transboundary water resource management has been nonexistent within the basin until recently. In 2007, the Volta Basin states signed and subsequently ratified a convention, the purpose of which is to promote social and economic growth within the region and to effectively manage the Volta River and its tributaries. This instrument was the first and most important step in creating a cooperative effort for the basin’s water resource management. Unfortunately, the treaty is severely lacking in many of its substantive and procedural obligations. If these states take swift and immediate action within their transboundary water management program created by the new treaty, the basin states may prevail in