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The Thirsty Dragon: Amid US Criticism, China Offers Mekong Nations Access to Crucial River Data
October 23rd, 2020
Via The Diplomat, a report on China’s agreement to provide downstream nations access to crucial Mekong River data, a welcome development for downstream nations, but one that underlines China’s strategic hold over the crucial waterway: China has agreed to provide the Mekong River Commission (MRC) with year-round hydrological data, following through on a promise made by Chinese Premier […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water is China’s Greatest Weapon and its Achilles Heel
October 19th, 2020
Via the Harvard Political Review, commentary on China’s water politics: When it comes to flood myths, China’s is not as well known as Noah’s Ark, but just as influential. Legend says that four millennia ago, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers frequently flooded, with devastating consequences for the ancient Chinese. However, salvation arrived when a distant relative […]
Read more »Cross Border Fight Over Water Erupts In Mexico
October 15th, 2020
Via The New York Times, a report on the La Boquilla Dam, which was seized from the government by local farmers amid a water dispute with the United States: The farmers armed themselves with sticks, rocks and homemade shields, ambushed hundreds of soldiers guarding a dam and seized control of one of the border region’s most […]
Read more »Iraq: Kurdish Dam Building Spree Threatens Fragile Water Supplies
October 14th, 2020
Via Future Directions International, a report on how planned Kurdish dams may impact Iraq’s fragile water supply: A proposal to build several dams in Iraqi Kurdistan has sparked concerns that new dams in the region could lead to further water shortages in the rest of Iraq, as well as concerns that the proposed dams could cause significant damage […]
Read more »Mongolia Plans River Diversion As Mining Boom Sucks Gobi Dry
October 14th, 2020
Via Third Pole, an article on Mongolian’ plans to address its water scarcity challenge via river diversion: In school geography textbooks around the world, Mongolia’s Gobi desert is cited as the main example of a cold desert. It occupies almost the entire southern region of the country, covering approximately 350,000 square kilometres. What is less […]
Read more »Afghanistan and Iran: From Water Treaty To Water Dispute
October 14th, 2020
Via The Interpreter, a report on how a dam near completion on the Helmand River in Afghanistan is at the centre of a disagreement over water rights: With an estimated 75 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water annually, Afghanistan is, on paper, a self-sufficient water country. However, the country also “has one of the lowest levels of water storage capacity in […]
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