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The Thirsty Dragon: The Dams of Chongqing
April 3rd, 2012
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a look at China’s plans to build more dams along the Yangtze: Mapmakers and geologists divide the Yangtze River, the third largest in the world, into three sections: China’s mighty “Mother River” begins in the Tibetan plateau, slowly gathering strength as it meanders through a relatively barren expanse of rock and […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: Proposal To Link Rivers Sparks Concern In Neighboring Countries
April 3rd, 2012
Via The BBC, an article on how a supreme court order in India asking the government to link more than 30 rivers and divert waters to parched areas has sparked concerns in neighbouring countries. As the report notes: “…Bangladesh says it would be hardest hit because it is a downstream country to two major rivers […]
Read more »Yemen: Being Sucked Dry
March 29th, 2012
Via Reuters, a look at Yemen’s increasingly desperate water situation: With a belch of acrid, greasy smoke and a jolt that shakes its moorings, the pump on Yemeni water farmer Jad al-Adhrani’s plot of land roars to life, and the race to squeeze the last drop of water out of Yemen’s parched earth resumes. Gesturing […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Behind Myanmar’s Suspended Dam (3)
March 29th, 2012
Courtesy of China Dialogue, part three of the series on the Myitsone dam: Members of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and many other Kachins – including former communists – are confused or angry about China’s role in the region’s history. The Myitsone dam is just a flashpoint for those feelings. The sentiment I heard repeatedly […]
Read more »Water: New Weapon Of Mass Conflict?
March 29th, 2012
Via The Hindustan Times, an article reflecting upon a classified US report that listed India’s three major river basins — Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra —among the world top 10 water conflict zones in ten years from now. “…The report based on National Intelligence Estimate on water security said the chances of water issues causing war […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Behind Myanmar’s Suspended Dam (2)
March 29th, 2012
Courtesy of China Dialogue, further reporting on the background to Myanmar’s recent decision to shelve a China-funded hydropower plant on the Irrawaddy River. As the article notes: Everything I heard in Myanmar pointed to a failure to consult as the key issue in the furore surrounding the Myitsone dam. As Brother Kunsang of the Kachin […]
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