New article: Transboundary cooperation in international basins: Clarification and experiences from the Orontes river basin agreement

Transboundary cooperation in international basins: Clarification and experiences from the Orontes river basin agreement: Part 1 and Part 2, by  Georges F. Comair, D.C. McKinney, M.J. Scoullos, R.H. Flinker, G.E. Espinoza, published in  Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier Publishers 2013. 

Part 1 of this article presents the results of a comprehensive institutional study of river basin agreement and conflicts in the Orontes Basin since the 1920s. It  identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the different bilateral agreements between Turkey, Syria and Lebanon and the power balance relation between the co-riparians especially under the current political events.

Part 2 analyzes the water security risks in the Orontes basin shared between Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. A complete description of the watershed’s hydrography and hydrology is presented, and then, using a geographic database, an optimization method is used based on the nine factors of the UN Convention to allocate water equitably between the coriparians. The optimization results show that Turkey and Lebanon could benefit from additional water if new negotiations are initiated. We conclude that the role of Geographic Information System (GIS) in transboundary basins is essential once a multilateral agreement occurs, whereby GIS will assist in data sharing and standardization to evaluate future policy alternatives.

The article is available online at www.sciencedirect.com