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Transboundary River Management
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Transboundary River Management

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 726

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carl Grundy-Warr

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Interests: transboundary environmental geopolitics; the geopolitics of the Mekong Basin; hydropower and contested water resources; political geographies and ecologies of development and environment; hydro-social relations in the Tonle Sap and Lower Mekong Basin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The management of transboundary rivers is a crucial issue for sustainable development. Transboundary river basin management is complex in scale and scope, raising multiple overlying political, social, and ecological issues. These include international relations between states sharing river basins, geopolitics between states across scales and places, power imbalances and uneven development, water-energy-food security, cultural politics, and international law. Transboundary river management relates to the effectiveness and deficiencies of existing treaties, agreements, and mechanisms, as well as the role of regional organizations in promoting cooperation and resolving conflicts. Additionally, the collaboration between states, enterprises, and international institutions profoundly impacts water resource management, particularly regarding infrastructure investment and financial incentives. Equally significant is the role of non-governmental organizations in advocating equitable water distribution environmental protection, and facilitating dialog between governments and communities. Within transboundary river basins, it is vital to consider the influence of grassroots movements on policy formulation and the contributions of community participation and indigenous ecological knowledge to sustainable management practices. In terms of water governance, there is a need to study the adaptability of decision-making frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and accountability mechanisms. Water-related policies can significantly impact social relations, identities, and power dynamics among different communities, thus affecting the management of transboundary rivers.

This Special Issue delves into transboundary river basins' management systems and governance mechanisms, analyzing the complex interactions among states, enterprises, and society from multiple institutional, social, and environmental perspectives. It aims to provide theoretical and practical references for policymakers, scholars, and water resource managers, helping all parties better understand and address the challenges of transboundary river governance and thereby contributing wisdom and experience to the sustainable management of global water resources.

Dr. Carl Grundy-Warr
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transboundary rivers
  • transboundary river management and contested water resources
  • transboundary institutions and forms of governance
  • transboundary river geopolitics and international relations
  • hydro-social relations and water resources
  • the role of NGOs, social movements, and civil society in transboundary river systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 2545 KiB  
Article
Application of Decision Support Systems to Water Management: The Case of Iraq
by Hayder AL-Hudaib, Nasrat Adamo, Katalin Bene, Richard Ray and Nadhir Al-Ansari
Water 2025, 17(12), 1748; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17121748 - 10 Jun 2025
Abstract
Iraq has faced escalating water scarcity over the past two decades, driven by climate change, upstream water withdrawals, and prolonged economic instability. These factors have caused deterioration in irrigation systems, inefficient water distribution, and growing social unrest. As per capita water availability falls [...] Read more.
Iraq has faced escalating water scarcity over the past two decades, driven by climate change, upstream water withdrawals, and prolonged economic instability. These factors have caused deterioration in irrigation systems, inefficient water distribution, and growing social unrest. As per capita water availability falls below critical levels, Iraq is entering a period of acute water stress. This escalating water scarcity directly impacts water and food security, public health, and economic stability. This study aims to develop a general framework combining decision support systems (DSSs) with Integrated Comprehensive Water Management Strategies (ICWMSs) to support water planning, allocation, and response to ongoing water scarcity and reductions in Iraq. Implementing such a system is essential for Iraq to alleviate its continuing severe situation and adequately tackle its worsening water scarcity that has intensified over the years. This integrated approach is fundamental for enhancing planning efficiency, improving operational performance and monitoring, optimizing water allocation, and guiding informed policy decisions under scarcity and uncertainty. The current study highlights various international case studies that show that DSSs integrate real-time data, artificial intelligence, and advanced modeling to provide actionable policies for water management. Implementing such a framework is crucial for Iraq to mitigate this critical situation and effectively address the escalating water scarcity. Furthermore, Iraq’s water management system requires modifications considering present and expected future challenges. This study analyzes the inflows of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from 1933 to 2022, revealing significant reductions in water flow: a 31% decrease in the Tigris and a 49.5% decline in the Euphrates by 2021. This study highlights the future 7–20% water deficit between 2020 and 2035. Furthermore, this study introduces a flexible, tool-based framework supported by a DSS with the DPSIR model (Driving Forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, and Responses) designed to address and reduce the gap between water availability and increasing demand. This approach proposes a multi-hazard risk matrix to identify and prioritize strategic risks facing Iraq’s water sector. This matrix links each hazard with appropriate DSS-based response measures and supports scenario planning under the ICWMS framework. The proposed framework integrates hydro-meteorological data analysis with hydrological simulation models and long-term investment strategies. It also emphasizes the development of institutional frameworks, the promotion of water diplomacy, and the establishment of transboundary water allocation and operational policy agreements. Efforts to enhance national security and regional stability among riparian countries complement these actions to tackle water scarcity effectively. Simultaneously, this framework offers a practical guideline for water managers to adopt the best management policies without bias or discrimination between stakeholders. By addressing the combined impacts of anthropogenic and climate change, the proposed framework aims to ensure rational water allocation, enhance resilience, and secure Iraq’s water strategies, ensuring sustainability for future generations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transboundary River Management)
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23 pages, 3861 KiB  
Article
Evolution and Mechanism of Intergovernmental Cooperation in Transboundary Water Governance: The Taihu Basin, China
by Ganlin Xia and Cunkuan Bao
Water 2025, 17(11), 1582; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111582 - 23 May 2025
Viewed by 352
Abstract
Transboundary water governance faces persistent challenges due to mismatches between natural hydrological boundaries and political administrative boundaries. This study examines the evolution and mechanisms of intergovernmental cooperation in the Taihu Basin (1987–2024), addressing how cooperation forms, evolves, and sustains amid conflicting priorities. Using [...] Read more.
Transboundary water governance faces persistent challenges due to mismatches between natural hydrological boundaries and political administrative boundaries. This study examines the evolution and mechanisms of intergovernmental cooperation in the Taihu Basin (1987–2024), addressing how cooperation forms, evolves, and sustains amid conflicting priorities. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed 106 policy documents, government reports, and stakeholder interviews to map governance stages, cooperation networks, and policy themes. Results reveal three phases in transboundary water governance in Taihu Basin: (1) a centralized hierarchy (1987–2007) dominated by vertical mandates; (2) a hybrid stage (2008–2018) with rising horizontal cooperation driven by crisis responses like the 2007 cyanobacteria outbreak; and (3) a networked stage (2019–2024) integrating diagonal mechanisms that bridged hierarchical gaps and scaled grassroots innovations. Key findings show diagonal relations reduced bureaucratic delays, enabling bottom-up practices like joint river chief systems to become regional policies. While grounded in the Taihu Basin context, this study provides a compelling case of institutional coupling that may inform governance in other transboundary basins, where vertical authority, horizontal reciprocity, and diagonal experimentation coexist dynamically. This study offers a model for balancing administrative fragmentation and ecological integrity, emphasizing adaptive networks over rigid hierarchies. These insights provide a feasible solution approach for addressing transboundary water resource governance challenges in similar institutional environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transboundary River Management)
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