ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes options for the shape and structure of transboundary water cooperation that are specifically tailored to issues and conditions in the Shire catchment – shared between Malawi and Mozambique. It explores how issue-responsive institutional development at a subbasin scale can be complemented and coordinated with basin-wide approaches led by Zambezi Watercourse Commission. The chapter reviews international literature and experience to identify institutional mechanisms that respond to the issues. Creation of a joint committee for flood control is the most frequently used mechanism for responding to floods at a transboundary level. These committees often have an inclusive mandate to facilitate implementation of some or all of the institutional tools available for dealing with floods. Joint action-oriented mechanisms for coping with floods included only one instrument: to jointly construct, operate and maintain flood-control infrastructure based on a suitable cost-sharing principle.
