SOC450 Cross Border Water Resources Questions

Getting Thirsty

Water  covers 75% of the earth’s surface. Most of it contains high  concentrations of salt and is unusable to developing countries for  consumption or irrigation purposes because desalination is too  expensive. Consequently, when a water source like a major river  originates in one country and flows into another, the shared water  source could become an issue of national security. (For example, if one  country dams or diverts a shared river for irrigation purposes, it could  reduce the amount of water flowing downstream to the second country). 

For  this week’s discussion, think of the enduring disputes taking place  between Jordan and Israel (Jordan controls the headwaters of the Jordan  River as it flows into Israel); Turkey and Iraq (Turkey controls the  Tigris and Euphrates Rivers before they enter Iraq); and between  Ethiopia and Sudan and Egypt (Ethiopia controls the flow of the Nile  River before it enters Sudan and Egypt). What concerns do these  downriver countries (Israel, Iraq, and Egypt/Sudan) have over freshwater  access?