Water Resources Management - Practices of Irrigation and On-farm Water Management - page 184

dispute. With the completion of the Ataturk Dam in 1990, Turkey is in a piv-
otal position to influence downstream flow of the river. Potentially, the dam
could benefit all countries within the basin by reducing the variability of the
river's natural flow.

5.5.3.3 Upstream and Downstream Relationship

The relationship between upstream and downstream states is usually the principal
root cause of water conflicts in the management of international river basins. While
water is a resource flowing from one place to another, it carries the impact of human
intervention between places. Furthermore, the variability in time of water quantity
adds complexity in the management of international water resources and confusion
to the perception of changes from human intervention. This is typically true when
a river flows between areas of different climatic conditions, such as dry and wet
regions of a river basin. Depending on the relative importance of the impact of the
changes on the economic and social conditions, water conflicts may develop from a
bilateral issue into a river basin problem.

5.5.4 Analysis of Causes of Conflicts in Water Management

Conflicts in water management can be seen from the point of view of a management
system which consists of three key spheres:

• Wa t er

• Economic

• Political

In view of the complexity of the social and economic development processes, con-
flict management forms a prominent feature in the efficiency and productivity of the
water sphere. In this sphere, conflicts are often affected by problems in the economic
and political sphere. In essence, problem in any one sphere may lead to conflicts or
disputes in the other two spheres.
Freshwater stocks are finite in global quantity, uneven, and highly restricted in
terms of accessibility. A scenario based on current demographic and consumption
trends shows that rapidly accelerating pressure will lead to significant global-scale
problems. About 40% of the world's population live in shared fresh water basins,
crossing political, ethical, and other boundaries. Multilateral environmental agree-
ments constitute only one form of legal instrument for dealing with trans-boundary
freshwater issues, and others must also be promoted and employed at various levels.
The economic and political factors are treated as separate driving forces.
Although these factors have a strong interaction with the key factors affecting the