13 Water Conflict

"Nearly 20 million people in China live in areas at high risk of arsenic contamination in their water supplies, according to a study published on Thursday. The Chinese government has labelled arsenic contamination, which it first diagnosed in China in the 1970s, as one of the country's "most important endemic diseases," due to the chronic side effects which include cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. China has been undertaking time-consuming testing of wells but the process could take decades to complete, prompting the researchers of the new study to produce a computer model able to predict which areas would be most likely at risk."

"Freshwater supply and water quality under pressure, warns UN secretary general on International Day of Biological Diversity"

Ban Ki-moon has warned the world is on course to run out of freshwater unless greater efforts are made to improve water security. Speaking on the UN's International Day of Biological Diversity, Ban said there was a "mutually reinforcing" relationship between biodiversity and water that should be harnessed.

For the past two years Iraq, Syria, Jordan and parts of Turkey and Lebanon, have suffered the devastating effects of the worst drought the Middle East has experienced in decades.

Australia and US offer desalination and reverse-osmosis units as severe drought worsens in Pacific archipelago

"Did you know that 3,5 Million people die every year due to the lack of clean drinking water and proper water treatment?! On January the 1st 2013, the United Nations introduced the International Year of Water Cooperation. The access to clean water is a Human Right. Cutting the number of people without access to safe fresh water is one of the Millennium Development Goals. This high appreciation in international agreements has a reasons. Water is crucial for the development in many different sectors: For example, the agriculture sector, the health sector and sometimes even the security sector. How exactly do these relationships work and what are the main problems in the water sector?"

"f the global community is to adequately address water challenges and associated risks, cooperation is imperative"

"More than 400 hydroelectric schemes are planned in the mountain region, which could be a disaster for the environment"

"More than 100 environmental, social and indigenous organisations protested in the Chilean capital, Santiago, this week to demand that the state regain control of the management of water, which was privatised by the then dictatorship in 1981."

"Monsoon season in southern Asia has begun, and in India the rains arrived ahead of schedule, easing drought concerns. Monsoon rains can be disruptive and even deadly, but crucial for the farmers whose crops feed millions of people. Though concerns for flooding are prevalent, the arrival of the rains brings colorful celebrations and relief from the heat every year. -Leanne Burden Seidel (32 photos total)"

"The tanning factory has been accused by local people of dumping dangerous chemicals and causing health complaints"

"As population rises, overpumping means some nations have reached peak water, which threatens food supply, says Lester Brown"

"Lester Brown says grain harvests are already shrinking as US, India and China come close to 'peak water'"

"The algae, which can suffocate marine life, is thought to be caused by pollution from agriculture and industry"

Water storage maps