THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS TALKS AGAINST CASTEIST HEGEMONY IN SOUTH ASIA

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS TALKS AGAINST CASTEIST HEGEMONY IN SOUTH ASIA INDIA AGAINST ITS OWN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

PalahBiswas On Unique Identity No1.mpg

Thursday, March 21, 2013

There should be free flow of foreign capital so that the recycled black money based economy enhanced, but rivers like Ganges and Brahamaputra are allowed to flow freely!

There should be free flow of foreign capital so that the recycled  black money based economy enhanced, but rivers like Ganges and Brahamaputra are allowed to flow freely!

Palash Biswas

As the international community celebrates the 20thanniversary of World Water Day, 17 percent of the globe's population still do not have access to clean drinking water. 

It would be world water day next morning and we are engaged in intense water war in south Asia incidentally as ruling hegemonies all over the divided bleeding south Asian geopolitics are either using water as political power or simply misusing water resources in the best interest of foreign capital and MNCs. All big dams creating so much so tension amongst nations and even within the nation, violate environment norms. Specifically, the Himalayan zone which is the main source of water in south Asia is subjected to imminent disaster as big dams have been created here and there obstructing natural flow of the rivers. There should be free flow of foreign capital so that the recycled  black money based economy enhanced, but rivers like Ganges and Brahamaputra are allowed to flow freely.Atom Bombs like Tehri dam is ticking in the Himalayas. On teh other hand, China is obstructing Brahamaputra in Tibet which would convert south Asia in a vast desert. We have water disputes with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. We have water disputes amongst the states just becuase of mismanagement of water resources. The rivers are being sold out to MNCs. Big damd have been stopped the free flow of rivers creating tension across the borders on the on hand, on the other hand aborigin humanscape is subjected to ethnic cleaning. Energy and nuclear energy projects have worsened the situation. Narmada bachao andolan is an example for people`s grievances whereas polavaram dam project is gong to submerge most of the tribal areas all over dandkranya, gondwana and central India. We must address the issue on world water day.

Water cooperation is a foundation for peace and sustainable development. Water cooperation contributes to poverty reduction and equity, creates economic benefits, helps preserve water resources and protect the environment, and builds peace. 

To focus attention on this important subject thecelebrations for World Water Day on 22 March 2013 will take place around the world with the theme of water cooperation.


  1. ater Wars: Why India and Pakistan Are Squaring Off Over Their ...

    www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2111601,00.html
    Apr 16, 2012 – As Pakistan's water shortages worsen, the country's disputes with neighboring India over control of the rivers that straddle their border are ...

  2. Inter country disputes : India and neighbouring countries

    www.voiceofbharat.org/water/intercountrydisputes.asp
    Inter country disputes : India and neighbouring countries. Questions in Parliament March 3, 2011. Whether the Government has taken note of the reported ...

  3. A Crisis to Come? China, India, and Water Rivalry - Carnegie ...

    carnegieendowment.org/...india...water.../54wg
    Dec 25, 2011
    ... river flows to the largest number of countries in the world and itswater disputes with many of those ...
    More by Brahma Chellaney - in 121 Google+ circles
  4. More videos for water conflict India and neighbours »

  5. China plans to divert 5 major rivers raising water conflicts with India ...

    www.350resources.org.uk/.../china-plans-to-divert-5-major-ri...
    Apr 26, 2012 – China is taking control of Asia's water tower. - by Fred Pearce.The country's engineers are damming or diverting the five great rivers that flow ...

  6. The Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India | Water ...

    www.conflicts.indiawaterportal.org/node/11
    These cases have now been published as a book, Water Conflicts in India: A ....agreement with its neighbours on water sharing or resolving disputes, there is as ...
  7. [PDF] 

    Water Issues between Nepal, India & Bangladesh - Institute of ...

    www.ipcs.org/pdf_file/issue/SR95.pdf
    File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
    The Nuclear Safety Culture in India: Past, Present and Future ... between theneighbouring countries of. India ... Ganges Water Conflict, A comparative analysis...

  8. BBC News - Concerns over India rivers order

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17555918
    Mar 30, 2012 – Many of India's past water treaties and agreements with neighbouringcountries Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan have been mired in disputes.

  9. Hafiz Saeed warns of water dispute with India, urges dialogue – The ...

    tribune.com.pk/.../hafiz-saeed-warns-of-water-dispute-with-in...
    Jul 31, 2012 – Hafiz Saeed warns of water dispute with India, urges dialogue ... the border, raising concerns for Pakistan which has taken its neighbours to an ...

  10. IRIN Asia | BANGLADESH: Decades-old water dispute could destroy ...

    www.irinnews.org/.../BANGLADESH-Decades-old-water-disp...
    Sep 20, 2010 – With these ongoing water disputes, Bangladesh is having a hard time pushing back against India - its powerful neighbour that helped ...

  11. Neighbours leave India high and dry for its water supply - The National

    www.thenational.ae/.../neighbours-leave-india-high-and-dry-f...Share
    Feb 1, 2013 – India shares its water generously with downstream neighbours, but China takes a different ... Neither Syria nor Israel benefits in broader conflict ...


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CARROLLTON, Texas – As the international community celebrates the 20thanniversary of World Water Day, 17 percent of the globe's population still do not have access to clean drinking water. Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org) is seeking to reduce the imbalance of those who lack this most basic resource in 14 South Asian countries.

"It is unconscionable that one child dies every 15 seconds from a lack of clean water, while we in the United States spend more than $21 billion on bottled water annually," said K. P. Yohannan, founder and president of Gospel for Asia (GFA). "World Water Day brings focus to the involvement that everyone can have in sharing the globe's most valuable resource."

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating March 22, 1993, as the first World Water Day. This year's 20thanniversary theme is water cooperation.

In the face of a daunting, worldwide task, Gospel for Asia is responding by digging "Jesus Wells" to provide clean water for drinking and cooking in rural areas, villages and even some metropolitan slums. "Jesus Wells" are often the only source of water for many of the 250 million Dalits, the "untouchables" who are forbidden by upper castes from drawing water from nearby central wells.

To date, more than 5,000 "Jesus Wells" exist throughout South Asia through donations by the "haves" who are prompted to action by their concern for the "have-nots." GFA also provides "BioSand" water filters that produce 98 percent pure water for individual families and small communities. Basic hygiene education about clean water and hand-washing is being delivered through its Women's Fellowship ministry.

World Water Day provides an opportunity to highlight staggering facts about water:

  • One in six people does not have access to clean water.
  • 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases, a number approaching the total population of Los Angeles.
  • Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death among the world's children under age five. Around 1.5 million children, nearly one in five, die of preventable diarrhea, which kills more children than malaria, AIDS and measles combined.
  • Globally, women spend 200 million hours a day collecting water. This is a task equivalent to building 28 Empire State Buildings each day.
  • In developing countries, the most common contaminant of drinking water is fecal matter.

In many South Asian villages, residents use the same muddy pools of rain water for bathing, washing their clothes, cooking, drinking and even latrines. In some remote areas, there is no water at all, especially in the drought season, when temperatures rise above 100 degrees.

"The vast majority of the illnesses we see in mobile medical clinics in South Asia are directly related to unclean water," said Dr. Daniel Johnson, medical director of GFA. "A proliferation of myths and a lack of basic hygiene and medical understanding about water needlessly continue to lead people to their own demise."

"Jesus Wells" are often dug near GFA's Bridge of Hope children's centers for the poorest of the poor. The location of the wells acquaints neighbors with the educational opportunities available for their children and builds relationships, even as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman at the well.

"The families benefiting from the priceless gift of clean water are learning of an even greater gift–Jesus' love for them," said Yohannan. "Let's provide for those who are still waiting to have their first glass of clean water."

To learn more about "Jesus Wells" and "BioSand" filters or to celebrate World Water Day by donating, visit www.gfa.org/water.

###

Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org) is a mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of Jesus across South Asia..


http://www.indiawaterportal.org/newsitem

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    Posted by Seetha on March 12, 2013 - 22:03

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  • Conference report: The Anil Agarwal Dialogue on "Excreta does matter", organised by Centre for Science and Environment on 4-5 March 2013 at New Delhi
    Posted by Sumathi Sivam on March 12, 2013 - 15:23

    Where will India get its fresh water in the coming years ? What is the state of the sewage system in the country ? A close examination on these two issues shows that the water and sewage challenge is already grave and could get worse. In the backdrop of this, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, organised a two day conference called the Anil Agarwal Dialogue on "Excreta does matter". The conference took...

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  • Born to fly: A video on the joy of flying in Harike, north India's largest wetland
    Posted by sabitakaushal on March 12, 2013 - 13:20

    Source of video: thenitindas Experience the joy of flying with the water fowls at Harike wetland, Punjab  Harike wetland, a designated Ramsar site has a high density of migratory water fowls. The rich biodiversity of the wetland plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment which serves as a winter home to numerous species of migratory birds, a few of which are globally endangered. In this bird watchers paradise, the video weaves effortlessly the joy...

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  • How have India's flagship development programmes fared ? - Budget briefs on the TSC, JNNURM and MGNREGS by the Accountability Initiative
    Posted by Sumathi Sivam on March 12, 2013 - 11:40

    Government of India's development programmes are aimed to bring in much required inclusive development and pave a way towards an equitable and socially just society. With this motive the Centre had introduced several programmes in social sectors and allocated a fixed amount for achieving the set goals. An analysis on the performance of the programmes shows how far the targets have been achieved, the shortcomings and the steps that are to be taken to strengthen the programmes. Read on to know...

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http://www.indiawaterportal.org/latest

Ironically, Dow Promotes Education and Solutions around World Water Day! Dow chemicals is responsible in Bhopal gas tragedy case!


MIDLAND, Mich., Mar. 21 /CSRwire/ - In celebration of World Water Day, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: Dow) today launched a new digital platform to promote increased understanding of water use and expanded its work to implement clean water technologies around the globe. The United Nations has designated World Water Day 2013 as the International Day of Water Cooperation, and Dow is addressing water challenges and promoting cooperation worldwide in alignment with the Company's 2015 Sustainability Goals, which include environmental protection and creating breakthroughs to global challenges such as clean water access.

"Improving access to clean water requires international cooperation and a better understanding of where and how we can manage distribution with increased efficiency," said Neil Hawkins, vice president, Global EH&S and Sustainability at Dow. "Dow is advancing filtration technology and working with customers, NGOs and governments around the world to identify risks and opportunities that will result in securing more clean water for more people."

Dow's new interactive web tool, H2OME, illuminates everyday items that represent the output of Earth's natural resources and the collective efforts of a cast of millions. From the intense amount of water used to mine copper for pots and pans, to the ultrapure water needed to ensure powerful electronics, this educational tool shows the underlying challenges and progress of water, and why global water cooperation is critical.

Smart Solutions

Dow's commitment to advancing smart water solutions includes reducing the cost of water reuse and desalination by 50 percent through advances in its membrane and component technology:

  • Today, Dow announces a collaboration with Ahlstrom, a high-performance fiber-based materials company to incorporate its high-performance, break-through filter medium into a new set of Dow drinking water purification products that provide excellent pathogen rejection while operating at high flow and low pressure. "Global trends such as population growth and urbanization put pressure on already strained water sources," said Snehal Desai, global business director for DW&PS. "We see a real need for new innovations to expand access to clean safe drinking water in an easy, effective and sustainable way."
  • Through its skills-based volunteerism program, Dow Sustainability Corps, Dow information technology department employees are developing a sustainable solution for Aqua Clara International (ACI) to design and guide the implementation of a new comprehensive data base system for tracking activities in building, maintaining, and monitoring ACI's water purification technologies, and tracking water quality and health/behavior outcomes in Africa and Nicaragua. ACI's flagship product is the Aqua Clara Water Purifier, a highly efficient and inexpensive bio-sand purifier which produces safe and affordable drinking water.

Partners for Change

Dow promotes international water cooperation through strategic partnerships that address water access issues and shortages:

  • In collaboration with Safewater Team, a pilot implementation program to install Hydraid™ BioSand filters will take place in Ghana to demonstrate their effectiveness in producing safe drinking water while educating communities on the value of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. To date, Safewater Team has created Hydraid distribution centers in Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Ghana.
  • Through its collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Dow is identifying cost-competitive ways to address freshwater supply disruption in Texas' Brazos River Basin, where permitted water demand currently exceeds supply 10-20 percent of the year. Collaboration experts recently evaluated wastewater reuse opportunities, land management strategies, technology upgrades and policy incentives.
  • Dow partnered with The World Resources Institute to develop the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, an online tool that allows global evaluation of water stress risks to facilitate coordinated water security planning.

Responsible Operations

  • At Dow's Terneuzen facility in The Netherlands, a process improvement saving 10,000 cubic meters of water every day, and lowering carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons per year, has won multiple awards, including the Environmental Award of the Province of Zeeland in 2007 and the ICIS Award for the most innovative Corporate Social Responsibility project of 2008.
  • In Freeport, Texas, the Company collaborated with the City of Lake Jackson to divert waste water effluent leaving the city's waste water treatment plant to Dow's raw fresh water canal. The water is then treated and used in Dow's operations. Every 40 days of diverting and recycling this effluent when Dow is purchasing water reduces the need to purchase water by one day. The project is expected to save Dow an estimated $20 million over 10 years.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately $57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.


At present, Maharashtra is witnessing a water war within!


The drought in Maharashtra is more a result of the states colossally corrupt and flawed water policy rather than simply monsoon failure, as experts say. But one village in Hiware Bazaar is showing just how a common-sense water policy goes a long way in mitigating acute water scarcity.

Drought-hit farmers struggle to find water in Jalna. But elsewhere in Jalna, it's like an oasis of water. Sprinklers, turned on 24/7 keep the garden inside NCP minister Rajesh Tope's Samarth Cooperative Sugar Factory lush and green. Tope incidentally is also the guardian minister for the Jalna district.

Sugar factories controlled by those like Mr Tope continue to use huge quantities of water for crushing. Experts also ask why the state has encouraged water guzzling crops like sugarcane. 200 kilometres away, a village in the Nagar district has shown how a common-sense water policy can work wonders. Hiware Bazaar was once barren with families migrating regularly for jobs.

Popatrao Pawar, former sarpanch of Hiwre Bazaar, said, "We had nothing, no water for miles. People became alcoholics." Sarpanch in the 90s, Popatrao started the rain harvesting and tree plantation program. Using the state's employmnet guarantee scheme, villagers built bunds and trenches to create a water shed.

In a region where there has been a sustained abuse of groundwater by frenzied digging of borewells, villagers here unanimously in 1994 banned the digging of private borewells. Water intense crops like sugarcane were banned and new cropping patterns were adopted.

Despite the drought, Hiwre Bazaar has had a profitable onion yield and sustained milk collection. But will these lessons percolate to other parched areas?


Alleging that drought in Maharashtra is "man-made", social activist Anna Hazare today said the combine of political apathy and corruption, coupled with unchecked exploitation of water resources, was responsible for parched conditions in the state.

"The drought situation is not natural but man-made as we have exploited our water resources to the maximum possible limits without employing scientific methods of water and soil conservation in many years and the result is for everyone to see," he said.

Hazare was addressing media on the sidelines of inauguration of workshop of Joint Forest Management (JFM) committees under Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Nagpur forest circles.

"Soil and water conservation activities should have been taken up by our successive governments long back but Rs 300–400 crore spent so far only resulted in percolation of money into the pockets of political leaders and ministers instead of percolation of water in the land," Hazare said.

Hailing the concept of Joint Forest Management as the first step towards democracy in real sense and transform village economy, Hazare said, "it was very important with respect to the society and the country in turn".

He alleged that successive governments never took people into confidence before pumping money into unscientific methods and the same has resulted in great depletion of underground water levels.

"The problem would be more severe in next 25-30 years if proper precautions are not taken with immediate effect," Hazare said.

Without naming any political party, Hazare said 'chintan shivirs' (brainstorming sessions) have become a medium to plan election strategy instead of deliberating on issues concerning common people.

"The chintan shivirs of political parties nowadays are not for implementation of works in the interest of people but to gain power in the next election. No political party in the country would bring prosperity in our country if one takes note of their past performance," Hazare said.

The anti-graft crusader said he was disillusioned with the functioning of government and did not want to have any truck with it. "Even severe situation like drought is being politicised," he said.

Continuing his tirade against establishment, the activist said, "political parties have become hubs for converting black money into white, which is evident from the fact that donations up to Rs 20,000 need not be accounted as per the recent policies adopted by parties".

Replying to a query, Hazare said he would not extend his support to any political party or a person including former aide Arvind Kejriwal.

Hazare announced that he would be touring Rajasthan, Punjab and southern parts of Uttar Pradesh as the part of his awareness campaign till the next general elections.


Maharashtra's worst drought in decades is being felt on the pavements of Pune where migrants from drought hit districts are arriving in the hundreds. They come looking for water and jobs and say it's impossible for them to return home.

Daily wage labourers gather every morning in the suburban Pune in search of work. Only a lucky few are picked up by the contractors. The rest earn nothing that day. Kumar Shirsagar, a migrant from Osmanabad, said, "We get work for only two to three days and then the thekedar dupes us and doesn't give us the money. There isn't any water in our villages."

As Maharshtra's water dries up, they have become refugees in their own state, driven by the state's worst drought in four decades. Landowning farmers have now been reduced to labourers on the pavements of Pune. Mahipati Itole, a migrant from Parbhani, says, "After Diwali, the land is barren, so I had to move here. I have 5-acre land. I have studied till class 10 but have no job. There is no work in the village."

Drought is now chronic in many districts of Maharashtra. 26-year-old Suresh has been a construction worker for 10 years, earning barely enough for a daily existence. Ten years ago he owned 3 acres of land in Solapur when drought forced him to migrate. "It was dry there and I had to come here for food. When will the water come, it's been over 10 years now," he said.

Every migrant family has the same story. Laxman Dhotre moved to Pune in 2012 and longs to go back home. "I feel like crying every time I think about my home," he said. His wife added, "I want to go back to our village but we can't. There is no water."

Rents are high even for a small space in Pune. With high prices of essentials, even electricity, Laxman accepts that this new life is not easy.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's appeal not to migrate means absolutely nothing for Suresh and his family. Migrating to an urban area hasn't made a sea of change in their lives but has at least invoked some hope for survival. Most would return to the native places if the government provides water.



World Water Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World Water Day
Observed by All UN member states
Date22 March

World Water Day has been observed on 22 March since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared 22 March as World Day for Water.[1]

This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Observance began in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since; for the general public to show support, it is encouraged for the public to not use their taps throughout the whole day, the day has become a popular Facebook trend.

The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world's water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. Since its inception in 2003, UN-Water has been responsible for selecting the theme, messages and lead UN agency for the World Day for Water.

In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, theWorld Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Day for Water. Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006 and 2009, the UN World Water Development Report was launched on the occasion of the World Water Day. The fourth Report is expected to be released around 22 March 2012.[citation needed]


Water conflict

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Water war" redirects here. For the type of mock combat, see Water fight.

Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups over an access to water resources.[1][2][3] TheUnited Nations recognizes that water disputes result from opposing interests of water users, public or private.[4]

A wide range of water conflicts appear throughout history, though rarely are traditional wars waged over water alone.[5] Instead, water has historically been a source of tension and a factor in conflicts that start for other reasons. However, water conflicts arise for several reasons, including territorial disputes, a fight for resources, and strategic advantage.[6]

These conflicts occur over both freshwater and saltwater, and between international boundaries. However, conflicts occur mostly over freshwater; because freshwater resources are necessary, yet limited, they are the center of water disputes arising out of need forpotable water.[7] As freshwater is a vital, yet unevenly distributed natural resource, its availability often impacts the living and economic conditions of a country or region. The lack of cost-effective water desalination techniques in areas like the Middle East,[8] among other elements of water crises can put severe pressures on all water users, whether corporate, government, or individual, leading to tension, and possibly aggression.[9] Recent humanitarian catastrophes, such as the Rwandan Genocide or the war in Sudanese Darfur, have been linked back to water conflicts.[1]

Contents

  [hide] 

[edit]Causes

According to the 1992 International Conference on Water and the Environment,[10] Water is a vital element for human life, and any human activity relates somehow to water. Unfortunately, it is not a renewable resource and in the future there will be a lot of water problems.[citation needed] Moreover, some people like Allen Hammond, World Resources Institute[citation needed],stated that future wars will be fought for water especially in the middle east.

Water conflicts occur because the demand for water resources and potable water extend far beyond the amount of water actually available. Elements of a water crisis may put pressures on affected parties to obtain more of a shared water resource, causing diplomatic tension or outright conflict.

1.1 billion people are without adequate drinking water;[citation needed] the potential for water disputes is correspondingly large. Besides life, water is necessary for proper sanitation, commercial services, and the production of commercial goods. Thus numerous types of parties can become implicated in a water dispute. For example, corporate entities may pollute water resources shared by a community, or governments may argue over who gets access to a river used as an international or inter-state boundary.

The broad spectrum of water disputes makes them difficult to address. Locale, local and international law, commercial interests, environmental concerns, and human rights questions make water disputes complicated to solve – combined with the sheer number of potential parties, a single dispute can leave a large list of demands to be met by courts and lawmakers.

[edit]Economic and trade issues

Water's viability as a commercial resource, which includes fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, recreation and tourism, among other possibilities, can create dispute even when access to potable water is not necessarily an issue. As a resource, some consider water to be as valuable as oil, needed by nearly every industry, and needed nearly every day.[11] Water shortages can completely cripple an industry just as it can cripple a population, and affect developed countries just as they affect countries with less-developed water infrastructure. Water-based industries are more visible in water disputes, but commerce at all levels can be damaged by a lack of water.

International commercial disputes between nations can be addressed through the World Trade Organization, which has water-specific groups like a Fisheries Center that provide a unified judicial protocol for commercial conflict resolution. Still, water conflict occurring domestically, as well as conflict that may not be entirely commercial in nature may not be suitable for arbitration by the WTO.

[edit]Fishing

Historically, fisheries have been the main sources of question, as nations expanded and claimed portions of oceans and seas as territory for 'domestic' commercial fishing. Certain lucrative areas, such as the Bering Sea, have a history of dispute; in 1886 Great Britain and the United States clashed over sealing fisheries,[12] and today Russia surrounds a pocket of international water known as the Bering Sea Donut Hole. Conflict over fishing routes and access to the hole was resolved in 1995 by a convention referred to colloquially as the Donut Hole Agreement.[13]

[edit]Pollution

Corporate interest often crosses opposing commercial interest, as well as environmental concerns, leading to another form of dispute. In the 1960s, Lake Erie, and to a lesser extent, the other Great Lakes were polluted to the point of massive fish death. Local communities suffered greatly from dismal water quality until the United States Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.[14]

Water pollution poses a significant health risk, especially in heavily industrialized, heavily populated areas like China. In response to a worsening situation in which entire cities lacked safe drinking water, China passed a revised Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law.[15] The possibility of polluted water making it way across international boundaries, as well as unrecognized water pollution within a poorer country brings up questions of human rights, allowing for international input on water pollution. There is no single framework for dealing with pollution disputes local to a nation.

[edit]Classifications

According to Aaron Wolf, et all.[16] there were 1831 water conflicts over transboundary basins from 1950–2000. They categorized these events as following:

  • No water-related events on the extremes
  • Most interactions are cooperative
  • Most interactions are mild
  • Water acts as irritant
  • Water acts as unifier
  • Nations cooperate over a wide variety of issues
  • Nations conflict over quantity and infrastructure

[edit]Response

International organizations play the largest role in mediating water disputes and improving water management. From scientific efforts to quantify water pollution, to the World Trade Organization's efforts to resolve trade disputes between nations, the varying types of water disputes can be addressed through current framework. Yet water conflicts that go unresolved become more dangerous as water becomes more scarce and global population increases.[17]

[edit]United Nations

The UN International Hydrological Program aims to help improve understanding of water resources and foster effective water management.[18] But by far the most active UN program in water dispute resolution is its Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential mission, which is in its third phase, training water professionals in the Middle East and organizing educational efforts elsewhere.[19] Its target groups include diplomats, lawmakers, civil society, and students of water studies; by expanding knowledge of water disputes, it hopes to encourage co-operation between nations in dealing with conflicts.

UNESCO only just recently published a complete map of transboundary aquifers.[20] Academic work focusing on water disputes has yet to yield a consistent method for mediating international disputes, let alone local ones. But UNESCO faces optimistic prospects for the future as water conflicts become more public, and as increasing severity sobers obstinate interests.

[edit]World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization can arbitrate water disputes presented by its member states when the disputes are commercial in nature. The WTO has certain groups, such as its Fisheries Center, that work to monitor and rule on relevant cases, although it is by no means the authority on conflict over water resources.

Because water is so central to agricultural trade, water disputes may be subtly implicated in WTO cases in the form of virtual water,[21]water used in the production of goods and services but not directly traded between countries. Countries with greater access to water supplies may fare better from an economic standpoint than those facing crisis, which creates the potential for conflict. Outraged by agriculture subsidies that displace domestic produce, countries facing water shortages bring their case to the WTO.

The WTO plays more of a role in agriculturally based disputes that are relevant to conflict over specific sources of water. Still, it provides an important framework that shapes the way water will play into future economic disputes. One school of thought entertains the notion of war over water, the ultimate progression of an unresolved water dispute—scarce water resources combined with the pressure of exponentially increasing population may outstrip the ability of the WTO to maintain civility in trade issues[22]

[edit]Notable conflicts

Water conflicts can occur on the intrastate and interstate levels. Interstate conflicts occur between two or more neighboring countries that share a transboundary water source, such as a river, sea, or groundwater basin. For example, the Middle East has only 1% of the world's freshwater shared among 5% of the world's population.[23] Intrastate conflicts take place between two of more parties in the same country. An example would be the conflicts between farmers and industry (agricultural vs industrial use of water).

According to UNESCO, the current interstate conflicts occur mainly in the Middle East (disputes stemming from the Euphrates andTigris Rivers among Turkey, Syria, and Iraq; and the Jordan River conflict among Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestine territories), in Africa (Nile River-related conflicts among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan),[2] as well as in Central Asia (the Aral Sea conflict among Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). At a local level, a remarkable example is the 2000 Cochabamba protests, depicted in the 2010 Spanish film Even the Rain by Icíar Bollaín.

Some analysts estimate that due to an increase in human consumption of water resources, water conflicts will become increasingly common in the near future.[24][25]

During World War One, the Battle of Beersheba (1917) was fought with the expressed intention of securing water resources in Palestine.

[edit]Recent research into water conflicts

Scientists at International Water Management Institute and Oregon State University have recently found that water conflicts are in the minority of issues concerning water use with hundreds of treaties in place guiding benevolent use of water resources between nations. Water conflicts tend to arise as an outcome of other social issues.[26]

[edit]See also

[edit]Further reading

  • Dombrowsky Ines. Conflict, Cooperation and Institutions in International Water Management: an economic analysis. Edward Elgar editions, Great Britain, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84720-341-0
  • UNESCO. Urban water conflicts: An analysis of the origins and nature of water-related unrest and conflicts in the urban context. Published by the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2006
  • Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (Department of Political Science, University of Heidelberg). Conflict Barometer 2007: Crises – Wars – Coups d'Etat – Negotiations – Mediations – Peace Settlements, 16th annual conflict analysis, 2007
  • Murakami Masahiro. Managing Water for Peace in the Middle East: alternative strategies. United Nations University Press, 1995,ISBN 92-808-0858-3
  • Nickum E.James and Easter K.William (editors). Metropolitan Water Use Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific. Westview Press, USA, 1994, ISBN 0-8133-8779-5

[edit]References

  1. ^ a b Tulloch, James (August 26, 2009). "Water Conflicts: Fight or Flight?". Allianz. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b Kameri-Mbote, Patricia (January 2007). "Water, Conflict, and Cooperation: Lessons from the nile river Basin". Navigating Peace(Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars) (4).
  3. ^ Wolf A., et al.
  4. ^ United Nations Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential, accessed November 21, 2008
  5. ^ Peter Gleick, 1993. "Water and conflict." International Security Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 79-112 (Summer 1993).
  6. ^ Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (Department of Political Science, University of Heidelberg); Conflict Barometer 2007:Crises – Wars – Coups d'Etat – Nagotiations – Mediations – Peace Settlements, 16th annual conflict analysis, 2007
  7. ^ [1] Freshwater: lifeblood of the planet, accessed November 21, 2008
  8. ^ Murakami, Masahiro. 1995. Managing Water for Peace in the Middle East: Alternative Strategies, New York: United Nations University Press. Accessed online November 16, 2008]
  9. ^ [2] United Nations Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential, accessed November 21, 2008
  10. ^ ICWE (1992). International Conference on Water and the Environment--Development Issues for the 21st Century, 26–31 January 1992, Dublin, Ireland : the Dublin statement and report of the conference, Geneva, Switzerland, ICWE Secretariat, World Meteorological Organization
  11. ^ [3] Pentland, William. "The Water-Industrial Complex," Forbes, May 14, 2008. Accessed November 21, 2008.
  12. ^ The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press.
  13. ^ Dunlap, William W. The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, Volume 10, Number 1, 1995 , pp. 114-135(22)
  14. ^ 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.
  15. ^ [4] China Daily, Updated February 29, 2008. Accessed November 21, 2008.
  16. ^ Wolf A., Yoffe S., Giordano M., International Waters: Indicators for Identifying basins at risk, PCCP project, UNESCO, 2003
  17. ^ [5] Brooks, Nina. "Impending Water Crisis in China," Arlington Institute. Accessed November 28, 2008.
  18. ^ [6] UNESCO: International Hydrological Programme, accessed November 21, 2008.
  19. ^ [7] United Nations Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential accessed November 21, 2008
  20. ^ [8] UNESCO publishes first world map of underground transboundary aquifers, accessed November 21, 2008.
  21. ^ Morrisette, Jason J. and Douglas A. Borer. "Where Oil and Water Do Mix: Environmental Scarcity and Future Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa." Parameters, Vol. 34, Winter 2004 pp 94-96.
  22. ^ Morrisette, p. 99
  23. ^ Sutherland, Ben (March 18, 2003). "Water shortages 'foster terrorism'". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  24. ^ "Worldwide battle for water (video)". BBC. August 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  25. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7959814.stm%7Cpublisher=BBC |date=2008-08-19 |accessdate=2009-03-26
  26. ^ Promoting cooperation through management of trans-boundary water resources, Success Stories, Issue 8, 2010, IWMI

[edit]External links

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