Management of Interstate/International River Basins in a Multidimensional Society

The majority of the world's river basins do not adhere to political, geographical or human-imposed boundaries. Even in a large country such as the United States, where many large rivers cross state boundaries, each state may have different needs and requirements. The degree of uncertainty between expectations of varying interest groups becomes even more pronounced when a river crosses an international boundary. For example, the needs of upstream riparian residents may be completely different than those of downstream residents. In many cases, the countries may work out a reasonable solution to these difficult problems. Overall, it is prudent for all the concerned entities, states, and/or countries to follow some basic concepts and principles to develop a solution that is acceptable to all parties. The present paper outlines several such concepts and principles for management of large rivers such as the Kankakee and Mississippi Rivers in the United States, and the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Asia. A procedure also will be outlined to develop a reasonable, acceptable solution for integrated management of large river basins. River managers and engineers should keep in mind several points: each river basin is unique; river management must benefit people in the basin; priorities of various users may be differ; a basinwide institutional framework must be implemented; concepts and ideas must be developed for total river basin management; water in all forms must be shared among people in the basin; human health and environmental needs must be an integral component; and, finally, any and all management options must incorporate monitoring and data collection for use in the ultimate concept of "adaptive management."