As a land-locked state Lesotho is cut off from sea resources and international trade borne of the sea, the country finds itself reliant on South Africa for access to sea ports and the international market. Due to this geographical disposition international legal instruments exist to cushion such states and often bilateral arrangements are drafted (Conca, 2006). These agreements come in the form of treaties with provided the rules, norms and principles and procedures for making decisions also known as regime theory. And since the Lesotho Highlands Water Treaty has been signed in 1986 it is necessary to look into the sustainability of the treaty and the impact it has had. The Lesotho government maintains that this is a crucial treaty for the …show more content…
In line with these concerns of corruption, lack of transparency and accountability a look into the financial and institutional beneficiaries of the project will help ascertain the challenges that may result in development failure (Hildyard, 2005). Hildyard's paper on LHWP what went wrong centers its arguments on the impacts the project has had on the different groups involved that is; the civil society groups, human rights groups, environmentalists and the people directly affected by the project. The hope is to find solutions for Southern Africa and wherever else needed to curb corruption through re-structuring of regulations and proper implementations of those already in place, encourage openness and public participation and scrutiny to enable the sustainable development of the project. Sketchiness was also seen on the side of South Africa when it came to the project funding; international sanctions on the government prevented direct international funding so a work around was created - to set up a trust fund based in London for laundering of funds (Hildyard, …show more content…
He places an emphasis on understanding of conflict; what it is and how this understanding can help to avoid it and come up with counter measures. He looks into the ideologies behind conflict in the implementation of transboudary treaties. His paper gives the causes of conflict and analyses them. From that, those that apply to the case study at hand so that analysis/ solutions can be looked into to improve relations and minimize conflict. When a group of states or riparian states find themselves in a situation where by they compete to attain the water that is shared across their borders they are recognised by the United Nations as water disputes resulting from conflicting interests of water users , private or public and are classified as transboundary water conflicts. Conflicts occur in different intensities and require good governance to be overcome. Poor governance may result in a corruption of an already scarce or low quality water resource resulting in long periods of conflict and potential political tensions and war however undesirable. The following are the causes of the tensions; Tensions and Time Lags: Causes for Concern, The timing of water flow, Water quality problems, Water quantity issues, Water quality issues, Water-related disease, Management for multiple uses and Political divisions. A complicating factor may be the time it takes for a nation to interrupt the planning's of another
Using named examples, assess the potential for water supply to become a source of conflict. (15)
DBQ In places such as India, waterways have always played a huge role in their history. In the past India used to be a huge ship-building country until Britain conquered it, and their reputation dropped. Still, productive oil fields and fisheries are found ways along shorelines, and are actively used for trade. Throughout history, it’s been evident that the usage and control of waterways has economic and political effects on many societies.
What we gained from this research was not a thorough understanding of the legislative measures that governments are taking to provide water to the citizens within their borders. Rather, we learned the general lesson that governments, regardless of their resources or political structure, are not the most reliable or capable entities to provide for human beings
The continued lack of a settlement can be attributed to the conflicting priorities of the various constituencies who use the resource – water is used for consumption, waste disposal, crop irrigation, power generation, industry, recreation, wildlife protection and navigation. In the very near future, there simply won’t be enough Fig. 1. Area for Tri-State Water Compacts
Water governance in this case is not limited to even the state of Georgia’s government to handle despite most of the system traveling through Georgia. Controversy arises
The goal of this paper is intended to provide the legal, political, social, economic, ecological dimensions of water resource policy
“Before the war, I had a very simple childhood…..and that changed very quickly” (Ishmael Beah-Child Soldier). Imagine the life of an American child, then think, what was life like for a child in Sierra Leone in 1991?... Abuse and torture, leaving you breathless. A child soldier who thereafter, lives with the emotional effects of war looking for a pathway to humanity. If he survives, the flashbacks will haunt him, yet he journeys on. Welcome to childhood... in Sierra Leone.
Q1. Briefly describe the complexity of international water use, using the Rhine River or the Aral Sea as an example.
Cameroon is in central Africa, between Guinea and Nigeria, sometimes even called the “hinge of Africa” due to its volcanic activity. Its area in comparison to California is only slightly larger- about 475,000 sq km, which makes this a relatively small country. In terms of boundaries, it has about six countries that border it: the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its terrain is relatively plain, with its coastal plain in the southwest, the dissected plateau near the center, some high mountains westward, and north it has plains.
Economic relations and resource management, 2. Ideology and culture including the way people think about the environment and water rights, 3.political agents like the state, transnational actors and organizations involved in water disputes and trade 4.the transnational social movements which endorse and resist water privatization, and 5.the power relations which engender unequal access to safe water (Bywater, 2008).
Many countries are also highly dependent on water that originates outside their borders; the water diversion provided by dams for countries that are downstream exacerbates an already serious problem. The diversion of river systems is an area of international concern, the nature and extent of such interdependency is already extensive: 145 countries share over 261 international river basin. As demand increases, and as indigenous sources of water become fully utilized or exhausted, the only alternatives are likely to be international (Dolatyar, 2006). Ironically, the very solution of one country's scarcity, plunges another into water shortage, this is the reason why water security is one of the most crucial foreign policy considerations of a globally connected economic and political atmosphere.
(3) Botswana is a landlocked country, which is bordered immediately south by South Africa, north and west by Namibia, north and east by Zimbabwe, and is connected by a narrow strip of land on its northern border to Zambia. On Botswana’s northwestern border, Namibia’s Caprivi Strip separates Botswana from Angola (Angola is Zambia’s western border) (5). The majority of Botswana's population, about 80% or four-fifths, is concentrated in a fifth of the country's territory, which is a narrow, arable strip beside the easternmost Limpopo River (7, p.75). Only about 1% of
Building a nation… Slavery, Independence, Constitution, Military coups to Presidential elections! Senior Enlisted leaders, it is important to know that the freedoms we all prefer comes with a cost of sacrifice, bloodshed, and for some, nation before self for democracy. This essay will discuss the background, government, strategic importance, and future direction of Sierra Leone.
One of the most important yet under-appreciated conflicts in the Middle East is over water resources along the Jordan River. As population and demand for water in the riparian states of Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria have sky-rocketed, water scarcity in the desert region has reached crisis proportions. In response, leaders on all sides have entered into a dialogue, known as "hydro-politics," that has been characterized by an unyielding attitude of political conservatism set against an understanding that regional cooperation is the riparians' surest salvation. The answer lies in a combination of hydro-diplomacy and technology. With the aid of countries and NGOs outside of the regions,
The Don Sahong Hydropower Project (DSHP) puts Laos under pressure. On one hand, the Lao government seeks the opportunity to boost economic growth through producing and selling the electricity. On the other hand, DSHP raises the transboundary concerns. Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam as stakeholders on the Don Sahong Dam have voiced opposition to the development of the dam. This is because the project will block the main channel for fish migration and reducing the number of fish in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) that will threaten the environmental sustainability and fisheries industry. Even though Laos has investigated negative impacts of the DSHP and proposed widening other channels to provide alternative routes, the stakeholders concluded that there is insufficient scientific information available about the alternative routes and the lack of information on possible trans-boundary impacts by the Project (MRC 2014). These challenges clearly display the “wicked problems” because the problems are complex, persistent, decentralized, having multiple stakeholders, evading definitive formulation, and lack if obvious solutions (Howes & Wyrwoll 2012). This essay further suggests the solution for DSPP’s dispute by creating a small dam, conducting further research, forming a treaty. In addition, Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) can be a foundation for better decision-making on sustainable development of all mainstream