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South Asia’s Hydro-Politics
December 1st, 2014
Courtesy of The Economist, an interesting examination of South Asia’s hydro-politics: IT IS a thrill trekking beside the upper Marsyangdi river in northern Nepal. On view are spectacular waterfalls and cliffs, snowy Himalayan peaks, exotic birds and butterflies. But just where tourists and villagers delight in nature, hydropower engineers and economists have long been frustrated; […]
Read more »Water War Amid Brazil Drought Leads To Fight Over Puddles
November 26th, 2014
Via Bloomberg, a look at the battle between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo over scarce water supplies: Brazil’s Jaguari reservoir has fallen to its lowest level ever, laying bare measurement posts that jut from exposed earth like a line of dominoes. The nation’s two biggest cities are fighting for what little water is left. […]
Read more »Brazil Edges To Brink of Epic Water Crisis
November 24th, 2014
Via The Globe and Mail, a report on Sao Paulo’s worsening water crisis: One of the world’s biggest cities is running out of water. Sao Paulo, a city of 20 million people, could run dry within weeks. The humanitarian and economic cost would be immense. The fiasco should be a global wakeup call for other […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Upstream Dilemma
November 16th, 2014
Courtesy of China Water Risk, a detailed look at China’s international water “reach”: China’s international freshwaters, shared with more than 20 riparian countries (North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan (Kashmir), Afghanistan, India and Vietnam) and autonomous regions, provides the region with a unique opportunity to enhance transboundary cooperation. With the […]
Read more »Amid Terror Attacks, Iraq Faces Water Crisis
November 5th, 2014
Via National Geographic, a report on how the Islamic State’s assault on dams and water systems threatens Iraq’s supply, which was already squeezed by dams in Turkey and Iran: Peshmerga soldiers stand guard at the Mosul Dam in northern Iraq on August 21, 2014. The Kurdish militia and other Iraqi fighters recaptured the dam from […]
Read more »Explaining São Paulo, Brazil’s Water Crisis
November 4th, 2014
Via the World Resources Institute, several maps detailing São Paulo’s water crisis: The worst drought to grip São Paulo, Brazil and neighboring states in 80 years is wreaking havoc on the local population. As of late October, key reservoirs hold less than two weeks’ worth of drinking water. Schools and health centers are closing early, […]
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