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Why An Afghan Dam May Set Back Peace
August 7th, 2013
Via the Christian Science Monitor, an article on a $200 million Afghan dam project will divert water from Iran: The water that grows western Afghanistan’s fresh produce, sprinkles its town parks with shade-giving trees, and slakes the thirst of war-weary Afghans, is becoming a point of tension with nearby Iran as a large dam under […]
Read more »Global Water Shortages Grow Worse But Nations Have Few Answers
August 2nd, 2013
Via Scientific American, some sobering thoughts on the global water crisis: As we have been hearing, global water shortages are poised to exacerbate regional conflict and hobble economic growth. Yet the problem is growing worse, and is threatening to deal devastating blows to health, according to top water officials from the U.S. State Department and […]
Read more »Hydropower In Tajikistan: Folie De Grandeur
July 30th, 2013
Courtesy of The Economist, an interesting look at Tajikistan’s plans to build the world’s tallest dam: ON A bluff above the river Vakhsh, Rogun’s ramshackle square boasts at least four billboards featuring Tajikistan’s president, Emomali Rakhmon, and his aphorisms, such as “Rogun is the bright future of Tajikistanâ€. Rogun is both a town, some 100km […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Mega Water Diversion Project Begins Testing
July 30th, 2013
Via The Guardian, an updated report on the status of China’s south-north diversion project: When it is completed, it will be one of the world’s biggest feats of engineering. China’s South-North Water Diversion Project, initially a vision of Mao’s, will take water from the south of the country to the arid northern region, including the […]
Read more »Securing The Himalayas As The Water Tower Of Asia
July 26th, 2013
As reported in the July 2013 issue of Asia Policy, a look at the critical environmental importance of the Himalayas: The crucial role of mountains as the creators and providers of large volumes of freshwater and as the natural storage site of this vital ecosystem service attracted the special attention of world leaders after the […]
Read more »Climate Change And Water Security In The Himalayan Region
July 26th, 2013
As noted in the July 2013 issue of Asia Policy, a look at how climate change may impact water security in the Himalaya region: The hydrological system of the Himalayan region, upon which some 1.5billion people depend, is under enormous stress. Expected changes in water availability could threaten the region’s agricultural economies, place pressure on […]
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