Water Utilisation Programme
The Water Utilisation Programme (WUP) aims to improve water management and ensure mutually beneficial water use in the Lower Mekong River Basin while maintaining the basin’s ecological balance. The seven-year time frame for this programme (2000-2006) allows sufficient time for the member countries to develop basin-modelling capabilities, and to discuss and negotiate agreements on a set of procedures governing water use.
Three of these procedures (on data and information exchange and sharing; notification, prior consultation and agreement, and procedures for water use monitoring) have already been signed during the period 2000 to 2003.
The year 2004 saw the WUP team make good progress towards developing
the technical basis for and drafting of a procedure on the maintenance
of flows on the Mekong mainstream. The flow procedure requires
the member states to cooperate in the maintenance of: acceptable
minimum monthly flows in the dry season; acceptable natural
reverse flow of the Tonle Sap during the wet season; and to
prevent peak flows greater than occur naturally.
The technical basis for the flow procedure is being developed under the MRC's Integrated Basin Flow Management (IBFM) activities. Beginning in 2005, the IBFM activities will commence a programme of flow assessments based on evaluation of the environmental, social and economic beneficial uses of the river.
Among other achievements during 2004: