A comparative review of decision support tools routinely used by selected transboundary River Basin Organisations

Abstract

As human pressures on water resources increase, the data and decision support (DS) tools used in the governance, development and management of transboundary rivers are likely to become increasingly important. There are no universal, standardised selection processes or designs for these tools, and so it is up to individual River Basin Organisations (RBOs) to decide what to include in their capacities. This desktop study provides a broad comparative analysis of the suites of DS numerical modelling tools developed and utilised by five intergovernmental transboundary RBOs that advise their member states in the management of their shared water resources: the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission; the Orange-Senqu River Commission; the Nile Basin Initiative; the Zambezi Watercourse Commission; and the Mekong River Commission. These DS tools were reviewed against the information required to enable the kinds of comprehensive assessments of proposed basin management and development plans defined in their respective agreements, which include not only hydrological parameters, but also environmental and social considerations. A review of the model development timelines showed that prior to 2000, little capacity existed in modelling of hydrological, ecosystem, and social components of the river, but that these gaps have been addressed in recent years.