Via Global Dialogue, a look at the need for Bangladesh and India to talk about sharing water on two major rivers, the Teesta and Ganges. But experts on both sides say much depends on political consensus and the right atmosphere for negotiations Bangladesh’s ruling party, the Awami League, started its fourth consecutive term in government this year with a promise to cooperate with India, Nepal and Bhutan and ensure equitable water sharing. In an election manifesto released at the end of 2023, party president and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her gover ..read more

Via Dialogue Earth, an article on how – after 50 years – the treaty on Brazil and Paraguay’s shared dam is up for renewal. A deal is close, but frictions and questions for the future remain: As Paraguay’s new president Santiago Peña took office in 2023, another milestone was being reached at the nation’s eastern border with Brazil. The bilateral agreement that created the mammoth Itaipu dam – the world’s third-largest hydropower station, shared by the two countries – reached its 50th anniversary, triggering a renegotiation of its terms. This deadline, agreed with Brazil half a cent ..read more

Via Yale e360, a look at the Mekong which – facing increasing land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and flooding linked with development – has Vietnam committed to changing its approach to managing the Mekong Delta. New initiatives call for retrofitting dikes and dams to restore flood regimes, using nature as a guide. We depart from Can Tho, the bustling heart of Vietnam’s Mekong River delta, before sunrise, heading south to an aquaculture farm in coastal Cà Mau province. The farm, I’m told, showcases how farmers in the delta are preserving scarce freshwater during the intensely hot dry seas ..read more

Via UNDP, an announcement of a new initiative related to groundwater in the Horn of Africa: A new initiative called the Africa Groundwater Access Facility (GaFa) has been launched today to address water scarcity affecting millions in the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa is a region characterized by significant water scarcity, resulting from a combination of factors including limited surface water, heavy reliance on inconsistent rainfall patterns, rapid population growth leading to overexploitation of water resources, and increasing climatic variability.  This scarcity transcends en ..read more

Via Tasnim News, an article on the pending operationalization of the Qiz Qalasi Dam, the largest joint water project between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan: The chief executive of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Regional Water Company said the Qiz Qalasi Dam, the largest joint water project between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, will become operational in the coming days. The construction operation of the dam, which is the most important project in the northwest of the country, has been completed and it will be inaugurated in the coming days in the presence of Iranian President Ebra ..read more

Via NPR, a podcast on how Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty: In Western Colorado, towns and farms are banding together to pay a hundred million dollars for water they don’t intend to use. Today on the show, how scarcity, climate change and a first-dibs system of water management is forcing towns, farms and rural residents to get spendy. The post How Colorado Towns Are Trying To Get Some Water Certainty appeared first on ..read more

Via Terra Daily, a report on the drought stress adding to the tragedy of Myanmar’s displaced citizens: Zay Yar Tun fills his truck with water for delivery to refugees in the parched hills of war-ravaged eastern Myanmar, where a heatwave is adding to the misery of life in displacement camps. Under a roof of plastic sheets in one of the camps in Kayah state, Augusta waits for the 10 gallons that must cover her family’s drinking, cooking and washing needs for the next three days. More than 123,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Kayah by the conflict unleashed by the military’s 20 ..read more

Via Inside Climate News, a report on a historic deal that will help the tribe raise money for infrastructure and services for its members while the water could ease the drought in the Southwest: Against a backdrop of the Colorado River, members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes watched Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Amelia Flores, the tribe’s chairwoman, sign a historic agreement on April 26 that asserts the tribe’s right to lease portions of their allocation of the river’s water to users away from the tribal land. The agreement between the tribe, the I ..read more

Via Fair Observer, an article on the impact that climate change is having upon water supplies in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The winter of 2023–2024 was the driest on record, with major cities in the region such as the summer capital of Srinagar recording their hottest winter in 18 years. With the world projected to become even warmer, the challenge will be finding long-term solutions to deal with the impact of climate change. The Himalayas span 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) across South Asia. The region is home to over 50 million people and provides water to 2 billion people in a r ..read more

Via BorderReport, an article on the growing impact of water scarcity in south Texas and north Mexico: The South Texas border town of Mission is known as the “Home of the Grapefruit.” But the sight of grapefruit, lemon and orange groves could soon be no more as water scarcity is beginning to affect the citrus industry here significantly, and other Rio Grande Valley towns and communities are having to adjust because of Mexico’s inability to pay the United States water it owes. So far, Mexico has paid barely one year’s worth of water in the current five-year water cycle, which ends in October 20 ..read more