Home > International > Americas > A Drop of Life
A Drop of Life
By Hector G. Ramos Samanez, Peru
One of the biggest crises in the world is one we hear very little about: water scarcity. And since fresh water is necessary for survival, not having adequate amounts of it poses a very serious issue.
Part of the problem, according to the United Nations, is that 80% of the world's communities do not have satisfactory water delivery systems in place and approximately 40% of the world's population struggles to have enough water to meet their basic daily needs.
"Not only does a history of territorial differences make it difficult for these countries to work together, but current political conflicts have made it difficult for fresh water to be delivered to the 60 million people who need it for survival." -Hector G. Ramos Samanez
While plenty of people have conducted environmental studies that grapple with this dilemma, little headway has been made. It seems that these studies require political cooperation in order for any solution to take affect. The real concern here is that hydro-political solutions need to take place as soon as possible.
Nowhere is this environmental issue more of a political logjam than in the South Asian region where water from the Mekong Basin is shared by six nations -China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Not only does a history of territorial differences make it difficult for these countries to work together, but current political conflicts have made it difficult for fresh water to be delivered to the 60 million people who need it for survival.
Further complicating matters is the fact that these six riparian states are under five types of governments - China and Vietnam are socialist, Cambodia and Thailand have democratic monarchies, Myanmar is a military junta and Laos is a communist country.
For almost 40 years, international organizations tried to develop the Basin, but little has been accomplished. The Asian Development Bank offered financial aid necessary for the river to become economically more productive and the United Nations Development Program conducted logistics studies on how resources could be distributed. Still political tensions seem to supersede the welfare of the people who depend on the existence of the Basin for fresh water.
Even though no concrete resolution is at hand, the Mekong River Commission, (MCR) established in 1995, represents a step forward in the way of regional action and support. Regrettably, this Commission only includes representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. China and Myanmar are only invited to annual meetings.The MCR blames China for most of the political problems that have stymied resolution. Because China is upstream it controls 25% of the Mekong's flow. Myanmar, on the other hand, is only interested in developing the northwestern region that directly affects its shores. Until MCR can bring all of the nations on board and stop dividing the river up into upper and lower basins no constructive progress will be made.
The need for countries to share fresh water supplies is not a new issue and workable solutions have been negotiated in the past. While not perfect, the US and Mexico have a 100 year old agreement to share the water supply from the Colorado and Rio Grand/Bravo basins that is still operative today. Although Mexico is concerned that the water it receives from upstream is of bad quality and its share of the supply is smaller every year, it complains quietly. In part this is because of another mutual agreement, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) that provides Mexico with economic opportunities that benefits the country.
On the other side of the world, economic and political clout has little impact on how the lion's share of water is distributed. Egypt, the strongest economic and political power in the region, has little power over the 10 other riparian nations that share the water resources of the Nile Basin. Egypt is located downstream from the mouth of the waterway. Yet cooperation amongst these nations will need to occur since it is expected that Egypt will double its population by 2025 causing severe strains on the water supply.
What seems clear is that there is a role for international organizations to mediate struggles over sharing water resources if the countries themselves are unable to do so. But it's also important for people around the world to recognize that there is a limited supply of water and as such we need to save water whenever possible. Every time, we take a shower, brush our teeth, wash the dishes, use the laundry machine, or water our plants, we are reducing the supply of water not only for our future but also for the 40% of the world's population that does not have enough water to live everyday.
