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Water Scarcity in Asia
August 7th, 2008
Via The Jakarta Post, an interesting discussion of water scarcity in Asia. While the focus is on China (as we have discussed previously in this blog), it offers some dramatic insight into recharge vs. depletion rates in other Asian nations: “…Although the Olympics have swung the focus of international attention to China’s many achievements and […]
Read more »Conflict, Cooperation, and the New ‘Great Game’ in the Kura-Araks Basin of the South Caucasus
August 7th, 2008
As recently highlighted by the Water SISWEB, the Kura-Araks Basin of the South Caucasus may be the scene of conflict, cooperation, and a new ‘Great Game’ over water in Central Asia. As the article notes: The Kura-Araks river basin, the largest in the South Caucasus, is an international catchment with five countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, […]
Read more »Water – Energy Links in Central Asia
August 1st, 2008
A second excellent piece from the Brookings Insitution details Central Asia’s opportunities and challenges to make better and more efficient use of it water resources, both by investing in large water storage and hydropower capacity and by more efficient utilization of water, especially in irrigation use. As the article notes: “…A visit to the site […]
Read more »Serious Regional Water Crisis Looming: Central Asia
August 1st, 2008
A highly informative piece recently published by Brookings examines the current and coming water ‘crisis’ facing Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan, Mongolia and the Western most province of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The article details the complicated dance between the region’s countries, with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan upstream […]
Read more »India: Water Conflicts “Are The Most Vexing”
August 1st, 2008
As recently reported in The Times of India, fears are growing that India’s water crisis is likely to get more complex and lead to more interstate conflicts if prompt measures are not taken to tackle the problem. As the article notes: “Conflicts over water are the most vexing changes the country is facing,” said D […]
Read more »Positive Water Politics: South Africa and Botswana Work Together
August 1st, 2008
From the Sunday Standard, news that Botswana and South Africa recently extended their bilateral relations by signing a cross boarder water agreement, aimed at improving the living standards of the people of the two southern African states. As the article notes: “…The two countries, which share a long border, are signatories to two shared river […]
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