We need a paradigm shift from current water development approach to water resources management approach to ensure these objectives and to protect the world's precious water resource. We need to work towards Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which promotes the 'coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems'.

I recall here the remarks made by Jan Pronk in the recently concluded summary of the Conference on "Water for the Poorest', held in November 2003 in Stavanger, Norway. He correctly indicated that 'sound water resources management has become more urgent as water becomes scarcer, its quality declines, environmental and social concerns mount, and the threats posed by floods and droughts are made worse by climate change.'

We are all aware that the South Asian Region shares three common river basins the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. We also know that there is need for fostering effective and efficient water management in general within South Asia and cooperation and partnership between Nepal and Bangladesh in particular. What we require is regional cooperation and good partnership within the region.

About twenty per cent of the world's population live in South Asia. Of this, nearly 40 per cent live in the region of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river system. The territory covered is second only to the Amazon in drainage area and volume of discharge. The three river systems stretch across 16 states of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibet region of China.

Despite its poor socioeconomic status, the region is endowed with considerable natural resources that could be used to foster sustainable economic development. Water could be successfully used as the engine to promote this economic development. With reallocation and redistribution of already available resources, much can be accomplished.

Our approach however has to be based on caution. The availability of adequate quantity and appropriate quality of water for various human uses is likely to be an increasingly significant political and social factor in the coming decades. We have to be aware of various aspects that will impact on developments in our region. While we plan and decide on projects related to agriculture, industrial production and power generation, we also have to be particularly sensitive to the question of increased water contamination. Proper water management will be a challenge for the future. We will have to arrange optimum development and management of this vast natural resource for national and regional benefits. We will also have to overcome selfish interests of political boundaries, perceptional differences and legacies of mistrust.

The region's abundant human and natural potential have to be creatively and co-operatively harnessed to overcome the region's common problems of overpopulation and poverty, floods, droughts and ecological imbalance.

The water resource potential of the GBM region is available to us in general terms. The three rivers constitute an interconnected system with an annual discharge of 1350 billion cubic meters of water and replenishable ground water resource of 230 billion cubic meters. Compared to an annual average water availability of 269,000 cubic meters per square kilometre for the world, the availability in the GBM region is 771,400 cubic meters per square kilometre which is nearly three times the world average. While India and Bangladesh share all the three river systems, Nepal shares only the Ganges and Bhutan and China only Brahmaputra.

We are severely handicapped by recurrent floods which cause damage to life, property and infrastructure. The general flooding pattern is similar in all the three countries, characterised by some 80 per cent of annual rainfall occurring in four to five months of monsoon, often concentrated in heavy spells of several days. Bangladesh being the lowest riparian, bears the brunt of flooding in the GBM region.

On the other hand, owing to seasonal variability of water volume in the GBM river systems, the dry season flows of the GBN rivers, particularly of the Ganges, are inadequate to meet the combined needs of the region. In fact, the reduced flow of the Ganges in the dry season has exacerbated the process of northward movement of the salinity front, thereby threatening the environmental health of the region. This process is also affecting water availability in natural water bodies like ponds, beels and rivulets. The ground water table has also in many areas gone down to alarming levels. This is indirectly putting serious streets on the supply of water for drinking and domestic, municipal, industrial and agricultural uses.

Another factor affecting us is river bank erosion. Large seasonal variations in river flows and the gradual loss of channel depth is causing our banks to erode and river courses to change. Wave action during the high stage is further accelerating the process. This in turn is leading to channel shifting, creation of new channels during floods and bank slumping due to undercutting. The consequence of such a natural vagary has been displacement of population and further economic marginalisation.

This unfortunate scenario is being further compounded because of the enormous amount of sediment load that is carried from the mountains to the plains. The annual sediment load that passes through our country to the Bay of Bengal varies from 0.5 billion to 1.8 billion tons. A large part of this sediment load is being deposited on the floodplain during bank spilling. The process is gradually changing the valley geometry and floodplain topography. It is also reducing the water conveyance capacity and navigability of the drainage channels.

The water quality in the GBM region is also progressively deteriorating due to increased withdrawals for various uses, leaving insufficient flows for dilution of pollutants during lean periods. The increased use of agro-chemicals and the discharge of untreated domestic sewage and industrial effluents into rivers, have aggravated the problem. Owing to the interaction between different types of surface water, pollution of the entire water resource system has now reached alarming proportions.

In addition to the above causes, in Bangladesh, the magnitude of water quality deterioration has been further compounded by salinity intrusion in the south-western region. We have been suffering since the late seventies with this problem which has arisen as a result of drastic reduction of fresh water flows in the Goari river -- the major distributory of the Ganges. The quotient of health hazard has been further enhanced with the additional problem of relatively high concentration of arsenic in certain water supply points in the system.

The situation confronting us today is critical. The absence of adequate measures might eventually have an impact of climate change in the entire GBM region. General Circulation Models have revealed that mean annual rainfall in the north-eastern part of the South Asian subcontinent could increase with higher temperatures. The best estimate scenarios for 2030 is that monsoon rainfall could increase by 10 to 15 per cent. It is believed that increased evaporation resulting from higher temperatures in combination with regional changes in precipitation characteristics has the potential to affect mean runoff, frequency and intensity of floods and drought, soil moisture and surface and ground water availability in the GMB countries. It could also increase the rate of melting of snow in the Himalayas and reduce the amount of snowfall if winter is shortened.

In the event of climate change altering the rainfall pattern in the Himalayas, the effect could be felt in the downstream countries. If the monsoon period is shortened, soil moisture deficits in some areas might get worse, while prolonged monsoons might cause frequent flooding and increase inundation depths. In turn, all these will juxtapose and have a substantial effect on agriculture, fishery, navigation, industrial and domestic water supply, salinity control and reservoir storage and operation. The anticipated sea level rise in the Bay of Bengal would also significantly compound the problem in Bangladesh through coastal submergence and enhanced drainage congestion in the flood plain.

It is clear that we have a challenging situation that requires cooperation from all countries of the GBM region. The geographically interlinked character of the major rivers warrants and integrated regional approach in the care and management of the catchment. It should be our common essential long terms strategy. We need to derive full and multipurpose utility from the Ganges river. Storage dams need to be implemented which would not only control floods but also yield substantial benefits from the development of hydroelectricity and irrigation facilities. Monsoon storage can also augment dry season flow, improve navigation and help maintain the ecological balance of the region as a whole.

It will be rational to start the development of water resources from Nepal, which is located in the upper reaches of the Ganges in the GBM river system. Such projects will not only cater to the needs of Nepal but may also focus on the vast and growing energy market in North India as well as in Bangladesh. The GMB countries could share the costs and benefits of such multipurpose reservoir projects on agreed terms. An inter-country grid would facilitate the integration of different power systems across the region and allow Nepal to export excess hydropower to India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal are co-basins states of the GBM River Basin. There is no reason why the water and land of the zone cannot be developed through cooperation to solve flooding and many other associated problems. An enabling environment can be created in the region with proper political will. This will be of common benefit for the hundreds of millions of people who inhabit this region.

Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador.