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Why An Afghan Dam May Set Back Peace
August 7th, 2013
Via the Christian Science Monitor, an article on a $200 million Afghan dam project will divert water from Iran: The water that grows western Afghanistan’s fresh produce, sprinkles its town parks with shade-giving trees, and slakes the thirst of war-weary Afghans, is becoming a point of tension with nearby Iran as a large dam under […]
Read more »Hydropower In Tajikistan: Folie De Grandeur
July 30th, 2013
Courtesy of The Economist, an interesting look at Tajikistan’s plans to build the world’s tallest dam: ON A bluff above the river Vakhsh, Rogun’s ramshackle square boasts at least four billboards featuring Tajikistan’s president, Emomali Rakhmon, and his aphorisms, such as “Rogun is the bright future of Tajikistanâ€. Rogun is both a town, some 100km […]
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 »How Yemen Chewed Itself Dry
July 24th, 2013
Via Foreign Affairs, an interesting report on Yemen’s water crisis: In a little over a decade, Sana’a, Yemen, may become the world’s first capital to run out of water. Failed governance and environmental mismanagement share some of the blame for drying up the city. But there is also a more surprising culprit: a national addiction […]
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