GANGA 58th Issue | Page 5

iii ) Groundwater over-drafting leading to diminished agriculture iv ) Overuse and pollution of water reserves harming biodiversity v ) Regional conflicts over scarce water resources , sometimes resulting in warfares
. SPECIAL FEATURE : - River Nile II There are 11 countries that share the water of River Nile , namely Burundi , DR Congo , Egypt , Eritrea , Ethiopia , Kenya , Rwanda , South Sudan , The Sudan , Tanzania and Uganda . Most of the countries are very poor . All Nile countries regard development of the river as key to achieving future development success . There has been various attempts by Nile Basin countries to cooperate on the management and development of the shared Nile Basin water resources . ‘ Undugu ’ was formed during 1983 to 1992 the focus of which was on the establishment of a Nile Basin Economic Community . This was later followed by the Technical Cooperation Committee for the Promotion of Development and Environmental Protection of the Basin ( TECCONILE ) in 1993 . However , all these initiatives were affected by a lack of inclusivity . Above all , these efforts did not anchor cooperation efforts in a comprehensive institutional setting and through a Shared Vision Objective . The countries came together and for the first time in the Basin ‘ s history established an all-inclusive , neutral and basin-wise , a transboundary institution , Nile Basin Initiative ( NBI ). Over the years , the NBI has , among other things , focused on activities aimed at assisting Member States to achieve their development objectives , with a number of remarkable achievements . Since 1999 , Nile Basin countries have overcome centuries of mistrust , a difficult colonial legacy and challenges of access to and use of the shared waters of the Nile to build a unique trans-boundary institution . This major achievement marks a significant departure from earlier unilateralism and represents a profoundly different kind of approach involving collective dialogue , broad consultation , joint planning and ultimately collective action to develop the river system for all peoples of Nile Basin . The core functions of the NBI are to : 1 . facilitate basin-wise cooperation ; 2 . promote basin-wide water resources planning and management and 3 . promote cooperative water resources development and investment . Consideration of trans-boundary dimensions in national plans for water resources
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Integrated River Basin Management Society