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Hydropower Construction Heightens Political Pressure Along Mekong River
August 30th, 2019
Via Circle of Blue, a report on plans by Laos to build big hydropower dams on the Mekong River which are seen by many villagers, the region’s environmental organizations, and some officials in neighboring countries as making a mockery of the river’s natural beauty and its central value as a source of fish, irrigation, and […]
Read more »Mekong River Strikes Another Record Low
August 20th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, a report on the Mekong’s plight: In recent weeks, the Mekong River, one of the world’s longest and largest rivers, which has been under peril due to a confluence of development, demographic, and geopolitical pressures, has been at its lowest levels in a century. Dams upstream are holding back much needed water amid […]
Read more »Water Insecurity in Southern Iraq Presents Problems for Government
August 15th, 2019
Via Future Directions International, an article on Four million people in the southern Iraqi province of Basra are water insecure, despite the Shatt al-Arab (formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers) flowing through the region. For many years, factors such as reduced water flow, sea water intrusion, pollution and mismanagement of the waterway, […]
Read more »US Warns Dams Give China ‘Control’ of Mekong River
August 5th, 2019
Via Terra Daily, a report on recent U.S. government officials remarks about China’s ‘control’ of the Mekong river: China is taking control of the flow of Southeast Asia’s most important river through a dam-building “spree”, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Wednesday, as water levels along the Mekong reach record lows. The famous waterway starts […]
Read more »Pakistan: The Indus Water Treaty And The Hydro Politics
August 4th, 2019
Via Eurasia Review, commentary on the Indus Water Treaty and water politics in Pakistan and beyond: The Islamabad Policy Research Institute sponsored a round table Conference on 17th July on the subject of “Managing Hyphenated Climate and Water Challenge: A case study of Pakistan under the National Dialogue Series. The National Dialogue Series was initiated by […]
Read more »Death on the Nile Haunts Ethiopia’s Rebirth
August 4th, 2019
Via Bloomberg, a detailed look at the unusual death of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s Chief Architect and some of the internal/external politics around the project: The day Simegnew Bekele was found dying at the wheel of his Toyota Land Cruiser in central Addis Ababa—doors locked, engine running and a bullet wound to his head—he […]
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