Water and Compromise

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency

“Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over.” – Mark Twain
As with any scarce resource, water is valued – and fought over – throughout the world. With exponential population growth, an ever-increasing consumerist class (and all their attendant demands and requirements), and longer, dryer droughts deviling every continent, those fights over water are only going to get more and more extreme.
This week, an editorial by Brahma Chellaney in The Times of India warned about the growing tension in Asia over China’s water resource management. As that editorial points out, with its control over the Tibet plateau, China can direct and impact the flow of several major river systems – rivers depended upon by many countries in Southern and Southeast Asia. Because the region is already facing severe water shortages, Chellaney predicts that Asia will morph into “most likely flash-point for water wars, a concern underscored by attempts by some states to exploit their riparian position or dominance.”
But not all disputes over water are preordained to become international incidents. Case in point, the Mississippi Basin. This week, Arkansas and Missouri announced that the two states have come to an agreement to jointly study ways to protect watersheds and aquifers that share their state boundaries, the status of which will be released in a biennial report by officials from each state. Under the agreement, both states have also pledged to develop quality programs for their shared watersheds.
According to Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, this agreement is designed to avoid the more contentious relationship that currently exists between the state and Oklahoma (including lawsuits filed against Arkansas poultry industry over water use and water quality). By contrast, the Missouri/Arkansas agreement promotes interstate cooperation, by laying the foundation for a systematic approach to prioritizing projects and coordinating monitoring and modeling efforts.
“This is an historic agreement between Missouri and Arkansas,” said Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. “Water quality is critical to jobs, economic growth, our environment, and the quality of life for citizens of both states. Watersheds and aquifers know no state borders, and interstate collaboration is essential to protecting our streams, providing healthy drinking water, and planning for future water needs. Stronger communication today will help avoid conflicts tomorrow.”
For more on China’s water wars, Click Here.