TRANSBOUNDARY WATER USE ACT

Transboundary Water Use Act
A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.


Category: Environmental

Industry Affected: All Businesses

Proposed by: Anime Daisuki

Description: The World Assembly,

NOTING that certain surface water and groundwater resources, such as rivers and lakes, water basins, and aquifers are transboundary among nations.

CONCERNED that abuses committed by one nation on transboundary water resources could detrimentally affect the environment, economy, and well-being of neighboring nations.

AWARE that abuses may include, but are not limited to: Damming or diversion of rivers for irrigation or hydro-electric power generation, overtapping of aquifers, and discharge of urban wastes, industrial byproducts, and storm waters into rivers and lakes.

Hereby,

1) DEFINES, for the purpose of this Act, “Transboundary Water Resources” as water resources which are situated in part in different nations.

2) FORMS the Joint Water Resources Management Panel (JWRMP) to establish sustainable water use policies, cooperation protocols, and other regulations necessary to protect transboundary water resources,

3) ADOPTS the following articles to ensure that transboundary surface and groundwater resources are managed in-common and used sustainably.

Member nations shall:

Conserve, improve, and use transboundary water resources responsibly;

Mitigate any downstream hazards caused by upriver human activity;

Agree not to overtap, divert or dam transboundary water resources if the action causes significant harm to neighbouring nations;

Adopt measures to eliminate pollution from agriculture or industrial activities entering transboundary rivers and groundwater basins;

Ensure future development carried out on or near transboundary water resources will not cause lasting, adverse change to them; and

Allow neighbouring member nations to monitor the progress made in mutually agreed joint-implementation programs.

4) DIRECTS member nations to resolve disputes on transboundary water issues bilaterally or multilaterally, failing which, allows member nations to refer the dispute to JWRMP for arbitration with the consent of all parties involved.

5) CLARIFIES that member nations may:

Trade water rights so long as doing so is not detrimental to the public welfare or conservation goals; and

Enact more stringent environmental and water conservation laws than those stipulated by JWRMP.

6) AFFIRMS the importance of international cooperation and requests member nations cooperate with non-member nations on issues stated herein.