Engineering Cooperation?

Abstract

Introduction Different water resources are shared among neighbouring nations worldwide, as water does not recognize any (political) boundaries. This fact has led to conflict and cooperation between neighbouring states over the management of such water resources. To manage these resources in a way that it prevents conflict and promotes cooperation, a wide range of expertise is required. It is the objective of this study to investigate the possible contributions that water experts can bring to the promotion of water cooperation. These objective was achieved by a combinations means of literature study and interviews. Water conflict and cooperation It was identified that the causes of conflict and cooperation over a shared water resource can be grouped into two dimension, drivers and indicators. Drivers are events over shared water resources that generate potential conflict. While indicators are factors that strongly-influence whether the potential conflict will become an actual conflict, or even become an actual cooperation. Results Water experts can contribute to the promotion of water cooperation by influencing drivers and indicators. These contributions can diminish, or even, counteract the potential conflicts generated by the drivers. Also, they can create a more cooperative indicators. These contributions include: • To open and maintain communication lines; • To raise public awareness; • To build confidence; • To exchange and jointly collect data; • To develop and propose potential solution; • Act as an independent party; • Capacity building; • To inform decision makers. In order for these contributions to effectively impact the drivers and indicators, the water experts need to overcome barriers that may dampen the positive impacts of their contributions, or may even cause counterproductive impacts. Such obstacles range from the ones that are inevitable, attached to the complex nature of the water conflict and are beyond water experts’ grasp, to those that are avoidable. Some of such barriers are: • Insensitivity to political and social context; • Inter-disciplinary and inter-level communication; • Different analysis method; • Credibility of water experts. Conclusions and recommendations To overcome those barriers water experts are recommended to stay modest, closely collaborate with experts from other fields and to give extra effort on understanding the local public, the decision makers and the non-technical aspect of the issue. By doing so the (technical) solution that water experts will become more acceptable by those parties. Also, this will enable water experts to see whether their involvement will lead to an equal (and desirable) cooperation for all riparians. Finally, it recommended for universities, as the preparer of the future water experts, to try to make their students realize that in order to be effectively and ethically involved in a transboundary water management, and to promote water cooperation, having the technical knowledge is not enough. Further, universities also advised to provide supporting training upon the request of the future water experts.