Sher Ali

Transboundary river basins face water stress exacerbated by data scarcity and political instability, and most allocation models require ideal conditions that ordinarily do not exist. This study operationalizes Water Diplomacy Theory (WDT) for data-scarce, conflict-prone basins through quantifiable allocation rules—a critical gap as 310 transboundary basins worldwide face similar challenges. We address: (1) How can a four-stage allocation framework reduce basin-wide water stress under varying Institutional Capacity (IC), Data Transparency (DT), and Stakeholder Inclusion (SI)? (2) What treaty provisions achieve bindingness under upstream-downstream power asymmetries? (3) How does this framework advance beyond existing models in equity, efficiency, and adaptive capacity? We synthesize Water Diplomacy Theory with Hydro-political Security Complex Theory to construct a novel four-stage framework: initial allocation with ecological floors, conditional reallocation triggers, interannual water banking, and satellite-verified compliance. Drawing on 14 treaty precedents and 30-year hydrological data for the Salween River, we embed these rules in an open-source water banking model. Results demonstrate that increasing IC from low to high reduces basin-wide water stress by 34% (±7%, 95% IC) under drought conditions. Stakeholder Inclusion decreases allocation conflicts by 52%. Water banking outperforms priority rules by 23% across climate scenarios. Cooperation becomes self-enforcing when IC exceeds 0.55. The novelty and contribution to existing literature our study provides are: (1) first operationalization of hybrid commons-to-treaty transition with 85.7% empirically grounded clauses; (2) evidence that binding cooperative treaty design is achievable in weak-state contexts through institutional design; and (3) a portable template for data-scarce conflict-affected basins.

Freshwater is unquestionably the most crucial resource essential for the sustenance and advancement of humankind. This invaluable entity surpasses all societal, economic, and environmental domains, consequently rendering it a ubiquitous good. Globally, it has been estimated that the industrial sector employs approximately 20% of the available freshwater. The principal aim within the industrial domain is to maximize production efficiency, rather than prioritizing the enhancement of water conservation and efficiency. Research suggests that a favorable association exists between the monetary investments made in technological improvements for industrial water treatment and reuse and a profitable return on investment that is sustained over a prolonged duration. This could plausibly explain the dearth of willingness exhibited by some corporations in dedicating resources to this vital issue. The objective of this study is to explicate the notion of sustainability concerning water management that can be operationalized in the context of Pakistan, while delving into the latest advancements in the sphere of sustainable management practices. This research endeavor shall serve as an instructive source for executives, entrepreneurs, and vested parties in various industrial domains to propel their endeavors toward sustainable practices while simultaneously achieving optimization and surpassing the benchmarks set by national regulations and international establishments. This investigation has illuminated the imperative of executing an all-encompassing water management strategy that incorporates the ecological, financial, and societal dimensions as the essential constituents of viability in industrial water utilization. This work ought to possess a worldwide scope, bearing in mind the ubiquitous character of industrial practices in the epoch of globalization.

Involuntary displacement caused by the construction of large hydropower projects has disastrous consequences due to poor planning, government institutional capacity limitations, and a lack of involvement of local communities in the development planning process. As a result, significant synergy among major stakeholders is critical for implementing long-term livelihood projects in affected areas. In this context, the study will critically investigate the relationships of significant players who have been involved in mitigating the risks of poverty linked with the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project’s affected people. The Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan (WAPDA) collaborates with major stakeholders such as project NGOs and international financial institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to develop sustainable livelihoods restoration initiatives such as Employment Opportunities, Improved Resettlement and Social Inclusion, Social Mobilization, Integrated Regional Development Plans, Advocacy, and Land Compensation. The study found that the outcomes of these implemented strategies provided support in preventing poverty and considerably imparted sustainable livelihood options to affected communities.

This study aimed to find out the consumer satisfaction from private transport services in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. For this purpose primary data was collected through structured questioner. Questioners were distributed to 450 targeted samples in the study area. Four hundred and twenty-nine questioners were successful filled from respondents. Different fifteen variables were identified from literatures which determine consumer satisfaction. As the nature of the dependent variable i.e. satisfaction is binary (categorical variable: Yes/No). Therefore, all the information’s collected analyzed through Probit-regression technique. Four different models were estimated to investigate different factors affecting consumer satisfaction individually and collectively. Out of fifteen variables nine variables are founded statistically significant. Significant variables were Quality of Vehicles, Cleanness of Vehicles, Availability of Seats, Driver Skills, Rout Characteristic, Waiting Time, Time Taken to reach destination, Regulatory Services and Frequency of Vehicle. All these variables contributed positively with consumer satisfaction. Sub factors of the timeliness were strongly relation with satisfaction level compare to other factors. Mean value of SERVQUAL dimensions showed that customers are dissatisfied from transport services. Consumers are dissatisfied at a large extent in district Peshawar and feel hesitation during traveling. Such tension and frustration during traveling affect adversely efficiency of the consumer. To avoid such dis-comport and increase in social welfare of the society which is the foremost objective of every government. Therefore, government should intervene in private sector transport and ensure suitable policy for the future perspective.