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Did Vietnam Just Doom The Mekong: Dam Diplomacy and the Geopolitics of the Mekong
November 30th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, an article on a recent policy reversal on Mekong dams that has put Hanoi’s credibility – and the river’s fate – on the line: The recent decision by a Vietnamese oil company, Petrovietnam, to invest in a huge dam close to the much-loved World Heritage Site in Luang Prabang, Laos, has caused confusion […]
Read more »Water Could Limit Our Ability to Feed the World
November 26th, 2019
Via World Resources Institute, a report on how water scarcity may limit our ability to feed the world: To feed the world, we need to pay more attention to water. To nourish a growing global population, we’ll need to produce 56% more calories by 2050, while dealing with increasing climate-driven water risks like droughts and competition over […]
Read more »Water Shortage and Unrest In Iraq
November 25th, 2019
Via Global Risk Insights, a report on the link between water shortages, politics, and unrest in Iraq: Around 70% of Iraq’s water comes from sources outside of its territory, predominantly originating in Turkey and Iran. Since 1975, the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers from Turkey into Iraq has declined by 80%. Over 80% of Iraq’s current water […]
Read more »Water Dispute Between Malaysia and Singapore
November 20th, 2019
Via Future Directions International, a report on the domestic concerns driving the water dispute between Malaysia and Singapore: Earlier in November, Malaysia renewed calls for Singapore to co-operate in revising a 1962 water supply agreement. According to Malaysia’s Natural Resources Minister, Xavier Jayakumar, the water reserve margin in the state of Johor has fallen to four per […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: India’s Water Supply Agency Declares Chennai Water Secure
November 20th, 2019
Via Future Directions International, commentary on a recent declaration that Chennai is water secure: Chennai, the capital city of the southern Indian province of Tamil Nadu, experienced its worst water crisis in 30 years in 2019. It draws most of its water from four reservoirs that are usually filled by the annual monsoon. The 2018 monsoon brought […]
Read more »Water Wars?
November 20th, 2019
Courtesy of The Economist, a graphical look at the incidence of water conflict over the years: THE FORECAST that future wars will be fought over water has been made long enough for it to become both a platitude and subject to doubt. Demand for water has surged because populations have grown and rising prosperity has enabled […]
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