IRLN=International River Law Network & IWRF=International Water Rights Forum

Model

        We propose our basin rights model to have three parts: nature rights for the river’s ecosystem; human rights for the basin population, and water rights for each basin country. That is the basic platform for facilitating different stakeholders. Therefore, we use this formula:

                 B=N+H+W; where

                     B= Basin rights;

                     N=Nature rights of river;

                     H=Human rights of individual water needs;

                     W=Water rights for basin states.

        Then, in order to calculate N, H and W, we assume that:        

                     B=Whole discharge of the basin;

                     ∆x = Country x's contribution rate;

                     P=the amount of the basin population; then:

                     N=B∗10% (arid basin);

                     Or,  N=B*20% (semi-arid basin);

                     Or,  N=B*30(humid basin)

        Accordingly, human rights to water can be calculated by the following formula:

                     H=P∗1000 m³/cap/yr (arid basin);

                     Or, H=P*1300 m³/cap/yr (semi-arid basin);

                     Or, H=P*1700 m³/cap/yr (humid basin);

        The whole basin rights can be seen as the discharge of all of the basin water, so the whole water rights for all the basin states can be calculated as:

                     W=B-N-H(whole basin)

        But the beginning of the international river negotiation is to calculate the water rights quota for each basin state, not the whole. So, for each basin state X’s water quota we can calculate by:

                      F(X)=HX+W∗∆x.

        Without taking into account the seasonal differences of water requirement for each individual river, the water quota calculated using this formula could be used as an initial platform for international water negotiation. This is a highly flexible structure, as the frequency (monthly, seasonally, annually) and location of discharge measurements can be determined by the negotiating parties.