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Urgent Talks Over The Euphrates
July 22nd, 2009
Via Terra Daily, a report that Iraq’s water resources ministry is seeking urgent talks with neighbouring Turkey and Syria after the flow of water in the Euphrates river fell by more than half in less than a month. As the article notes: “…The ministry is aiming for “an urgent meeting with ministers and experts from […]
Read more »Parched Earth: A Dwindling Euphrates Hinders Iraq
July 14th, 2009
Courtesy of The New York Times, an in-depth look at how water issues affect the relationship between Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. As the article notes: “…The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria; a two-year drought; and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river […]
Read more »Trickle Down From The Last Straw
July 13th, 2009
Courtesy of Climate Progress, some additional thoughts on the regional chaos that may emerge in South Asia if the Kashmir glaciers in the Himalaya continue to melt. Since we blogged earlier about Stephen Faris’ original report in Foreign Policy that focuses focusing on Pakistan’s unsustainable dependence on Kashmiri waters – a dependence that only exacerbates […]
Read more »Water Fight?
July 6th, 2009
Via Canada’s Macleans’ magazine, an interesting article on the likelihood of forthcoming water fights over an increasingly scarce resource: Every few days, another farmer commits suicide in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, the agricultural heartland. Many, according to Australian evolutionary biologist Tim Flannery, haven’t had any water in almost four years—in places, the allocation of irrigation water […]
Read more »Iraq Wants More Than Turkey Leftovers: Sharing the Eurphrates & Tigris Rivers
July 6th, 2009
Via Terra Daily, a report that – after years of wrangling – Turkey last month increased the water flow of the Euphrates River into Iraq by 50 percent, helping to boost agricultural harvests. As the article notes, despite this increase, Iraq: “…wracked by a decadelong drought and a rundown agricultural sector, still faces a chronic […]
Read more »Water Woes For Failing States: The Last Straw In South Asia?
July 4th, 2009
Via Foreign Policy, a sobering look at the likely impact that water shortages will have upon already tense relations between India and Pakistan. As the report notes, the Kashmiri water crisis has the potential to plunge South Asia into chaos: “…When it comes to the stability of one of the world’s most volatile regions, it’s […]
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