BLOG
The Thirsty Dragon: Drought In China Leaves Nearly 6M Lacking Water
August 7th, 2013
Via UPI, a report on China’s water crisis: A drought has left nearly 6 million people without water in 13 provincial-level areas in China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs reported Monday. About 4.3 million of the 5.95 million people affected by the drought, which has continued since mid-June reside in Guizhou and Hunan provinces, the […]
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 »The Thirsty Dragon: China Coal-Fired Economy Dying Of Thirst As Mines Lack Water
July 26th, 2013
Via Bloomberg, a look at China’s watergy challenge: At first glance, Daliuta in northern China appears to have a river running through it. A closer look reveals the stretch of water in the center is a pond, dammed at both ends. Beyond the barriers, the Wulanmulun’s bed is dry. Daliuta in Shaanxi province sits on […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Water Challenge – Implications for the U.S. Rebalance to Asia
July 25th, 2013
Via Council on Foreign Relations, a report on Elizabeth C. Economy’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, discussing China’s water scarcity challenge and its potential to destabilize the region: How China manages its water resources over the next five to seven years has profound implications not only for […]
Read more »Asia’s Unstable Water Tower: The Politics, Economics, and Ecology of Himalayan Water Projects
July 21st, 2013
Again via the July 2013 issue of Asia Policy, an interesting article by Kenneth Pommeranz: Asia’s ten largest rivers by volume—including the Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra (which becomes part of the Ganges), and Indus—originate in the Himalayas or on the Tibetan Plateau and collectively serve 47% of the world’s population. Inadequate or unreliable water supplies pose […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Upstream Advantage in the Great Himalayan Watershed
July 21st, 2013
Via the July 2013 issue of Asia Policy, a comprehensive look at water security in the Himalaya region.  As the journal examines, the scramble for control of natural resources to support economic and population growth, combined with the uncertain effects of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau, is raising tensions in Asia over Himalayan water […]
Read more »