Via Third Pole, an interview on the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996, which is due to expire in 2026: The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996. The 30-year treaty was the culmination of decades of negotiation, and specifies the minimum level of water flow to […]
Read more »Via Eureka Alert, notice of a new study on the Asian Water Towers: The Third Pole centered on the Tibetan Plateau is home to headwaters of over 10 major Asian rivers. These glacier-based water systems, also known as the Asian Water Towers, will have to struggle to quench the thirst of downstream communities despite more […]
Read more »Via Outpost Magazine, a look at some of the glaciers feeding the Ganges river: Berinder and Karin are hidden under their loads with only their legs peeking out, pulling them relentlessly onward and upward. Our scattered porter team is a ragged line, coloured bulbs weaving in and out of rocks and ice, disappearing and then […]
Read more »Via Asia Times, a report on how groundwater input to the Ganges River has declined by 50% during the summer over recent decades, a dwindling flow that could severely affect the availability of water for irrigation and cause potential declines in food production: A study forecasts that in the absence of interventions, groundwater contribution to Ganga […]
Read more »Via the Global Water Forum, an article on China’s and India’s transboundary river policies: Hydro-hegemons are states which assert power over other riparian states in a shared river basin. In Asia, both China and India are hydro-hegemons. China is the upstream riparian on many of Asia’s most important international rivers, including the Mekong, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, […]
Read more »Via Future Directions International, an article on the potential for tension over water and food in South Asia: Key Points Water scarcity is predicted to affect 1.8 billion people by 2025, many of whom will be from across Asia. The headwaters of most of Asia’s major rivers are located in Tibet, giving China a significant […]
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