The water wars

[auroraglacialis]

Just have seen a TV documentary on the coming water wars. It seems that especially Cina, India and Pakistan start to militarize the regions near the Himalaya in the past years. And I did not hear of this one before, but it is insane:
The Sino-Indian Water Divide - Brahma Chellaney - Project Syndicate

The most dangerous idea China is contemplating is the northward rerouting of the Brahmaputra river, known as Yarlung Tsangpo to Tibetans, but which China has renamed Yaluzangbu. It is the world’s highest river, and also one of the fastest-flowing. Diversion of the Brahmaputra’s water to the parched Yellow river is an idea that China does not discuss in public, because the project implies environmental devastation of India’s northeastern plains and eastern Bangladesh, and would thus be akin to a declaration of water war on India and Bangladesh.

Nevertheless, an officially blessed book published in 2005, Tibet’s Waters Will Save China , openly championed the northward rerouting of the Brahmaputra. Moreover, the Chinese desire to divert the Brahmaputra by employing “peaceful nuclear explosions” to build an underground tunnel through the Himalayas found expression in the international negotiations in Geneva in the mid-1990s on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). China sought unsuccessfully to exempt PNEs from the CTBT, a pact still not in force.

The issue now is not whether China will reroute the Brahmaputra, but when. Once authorities complete their feasibility studies and the diversion scheme begins, the project will be presented as a fait accompli . China already has identified the bend where the Brahmaputra forms the world’s longest and deepest canyon – just before entering India – as the diversion point.

[Empty Glass]

Yikes, my inner pessimist is getting way too much to eat right now.

I can only imagine this situation will get worse as the changing climate reduces the Himalayan snowpack, affecting the amount of water that anyone gets out of the region.

[applejuice]

It's already happened in my city: 2000 Cochabamba protests - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After a decade, prices have duplicated those of 2000 and nothing really improved. Social Control just didn't work here. Funds were always available disregarding the economic performance of the water administrator.

[Dognik]

The problem won`t be a lack of water, but the lack of pure water, beacuase of all the waste and trash which is getting more and more!

[auroraglacialis]

Of course "water" in these context is synonymous with "usable water". Otherwise there are few countries that really lack water. Though if rivers really dry out like in that scenario in India, it actually really is about lack of any water at all. Same with depletion of aquifers which also means that there actually is less water available for real.

By the way there is a recording of the documentaries I mentioned available on filesonic - I assume it is legal because it was on free noncommercial german public television, but as I am not sure, I will not post links publicly.

[Aquaplant]

Aside from captain obvious, there's not really much to say here.

Now where did I put that stillsuit...