256-Inter-Basin Water Transfers Feasibility Analysis and Ethical Assessment.

Abstract

Since the ancient civilizations, Inter-Basin Water Transfers (IBWT) have been implemented to supply urban areas and/or irrigated districts lacking of adequate local water resources. As a consequence of growing water demands for municipal, tourist, agricultural and industrial uses, large-scale inter-basin water transfers have been proposed to implement integrated water planning in several countries. However, the increased public awareness on ecosystems protection and sustainable development often leads to environmental and political controversies or conflicts which delay or even stop the process of implementing the proposed IBWT. This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed to facilitate an objective decision on the choice of an IBWT also with respect to other supply alternatives. Such a framework includes a list of hydrological, economical and environmental criteria derived from some general principles of social and environmental ethics. In particular, the specific principles are: (i) inter basin solidarity aimed to supply uses with higher priority established on the basis of human rights and equity, independently of their location, (ii) subsidiarity among different levels of government, able to resolute possible disputes and founded on public participation to the decision process; (iii) sustainable development for both basins based on inter-generation equity, (iv) minimization of impacts on environment and ecosystems founded on an anthropocentric ethical option enlarged to consider also a biocentric point of view.