International Water Disputes

Abstract

The challenges facing water resources world-wide stém from a multitude of factors, including the steady increase in population, urbanization, environmental degradation, and industrialization. Those challenges are compounding water shortages, and in turn, resulting in steadily increasing international disputes over water. Such disputes are getting more complex and novel, involving not only states, but also legal entities, corporations, and individuals against other states. The claims now go beyond the traditional water quantity issues, and involve water quality, border lines across boundary rivers, and water rights issues. The settlement institutions have expanded considerably and now include varied international and national tribunals, as well as third and fourth parties. This article reviews and discusses those novel claims, claimants and dispute settlement institutions, and analyzes emerging trends in this area.

Keywords:

• boundary rivers
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
• International Court of Justice
• NAFTA
• neutral expert
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
• prior appropriation
• thalweg
• water debt