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The Nile…Under Threat
November 12th, 2012
Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times, an interesting look at how poor African capitals are increasingly challenging Cairo for the Nile’s water, without which Egypt’s economy would wither and die: Overwhelmed by cascading economic and political problems since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, this nation teeters from within even as it biggest threat may lie […]
Read more »Central Asia’s Looming Conflict Over Water: The Upriver Countries
November 12th, 2012
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), a detailed look at how two of Central Asia’s poorest countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are attempting to leverage one of their few geographic advantages — control over the headwaters of two major regional rivers — to build new hydropower dams. The proposed dams, which were originally drawn up by the Soviet […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Scarcity Of Water & Land Shifts Geography of Food Production & Irrigation Networks to China’s Northeast
November 11th, 2012
Courtesy of Circle Of Blue, a report on how rich land, ample water, and dogged persistence turned China’s virgin northeast into the nation’s breadbasket: Farmers harvest corn near Tongliao in Inner Mongolia. China, the world’s largest nation and second-largest economy, is pursuing grain production with a single-minded purpose. On the south side of the two-lane […]
Read more »Laos Presses Ahead With Mekong Dam Project
November 11th, 2012
Courtesy of The New York Times, an article on Laos’ dam ambitions: Ignoring criticism that a huge hydroelectric dam could irreparably damage the ecology of the Mekong River, the government of Laos said on Tuesday that it was pushing ahead with the multibillion-dollar project, the first dam to be built on the lower portion of […]
Read more »In Southeast Asia, Big Dams Raise Big Concerns
November 11th, 2012
Courtesy of the Council On Foreign Relations, an interesting article on dam tensions in Asia: A view from upstream of Malaysia’s Bakun dam, in the inland of the eastern state of Sarawak on Borneo island, December 11, 2003. These past few weeks have not been good ones for large dam projects in Southeast Asia. […]
Read more »Landmark U.S. Water Pact With Mexico Could Boost Lake Mead
November 11th, 2012
Via the Las Vegas Review Journal, a report on a recent agreement over Colorado River flows: After years of negotiations, the United States and Mexico have struck a deal that could keep more water in Lake Mead and help improve water efficiency and the environment south of the border. The landmark five-year agreement would allow […]
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