BLOG
Southeast Asia’s Last Major Undammed River In Crisis
October 27th, 2016
Via Third Pole.net, a look at the Salween River (that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea), where China has suspended dams upstream but the Myanmar government is pushing ahead with Chinese backed dams downstream, despite environmental costs and cheaper alternatives: From the snow-capped mountains of Tibet, the Salween rushes through steep gorges […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon and Parched Tiger: Strategic Implications of China’s Dam Building Spree In Tibet
October 25th, 2016
Via India’s Institute for Defense Studies, interesting commentary on the strategic implications for India of China’s dam building activities in Tibet: Recent reports have pointed to China blocking the Xiabuqu tributary of the Yarlung Zangpo River (Tibetan name for Brahmaputra) for a dam project. The 195-km long Xiabuqu originates at Bainang and joins the Brahmaputra […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Is China Seeking To Make A Weapon of Water?
October 13th, 2016
Via the Daily Mail, a look at China’s regional water ambitions: China’s cutting off the flow of a Brahmaputra tributary is just the latest example of its emergence as the upstream water controller through a globally unparalleled hydro-engineering infrastructure centred on dams. Earlier this year, Beijing itself highlighted its water hegemony over downstream countries by […]
Read more »Vietnam’s Angst As China and Laos Dam the Mekong
October 13th, 2016
Via Mongabay, a detailed look at whether – given Laos’ aspirations to become the “battery of Asia” and Chinese dam builders intentions to make it so – Vietnam’s Mekong Delta will survive: Left: The Mekong River and its watershed. Right: The lower Mekong basin. This is the second article of an in-depth, four-part series […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: Should India Turn The Tap Tight On Indus Water?
October 8th, 2016
Via Eurasia Review, a look at the potential for India to use the Indus for political reasons against Pakistan: Ever since the Uri misadventure carried out by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, India has put in cold storage the policy of “strategic restraint” and declared an all-out offensive against Pakistani deep state encompassing the political, diplomatic and economic […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: In a Possible Signal to India, China Diverts a Tributary of the Brahmaputra River
October 5th, 2016
Via Future Directions International, a look at China’s recent decision to block a tributary of the Brahmaputra River: On 22 September, an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson suggested that New Delhi could unilaterally revoke the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) that governs water sharing arrangements between India and Pakistan. The Indian Government met to review the treaty […]
Read more »