China is water-scarce. With a per capita water availability of 2259 cubic meters in 2002, China�€™s water resources are barely enough to sustain its massive population of over 1.3 billion. Compared to this in 2002, the United States, with its population of just over 300 million, had a per capita water availability of approximately 10,837 cubic meters per year. Aiding China�€™s water-scarcity is the appalling state of its rivers; rivers like the Yangtze, Mekong, Yellow etc. that originate from the Tibetan Plateau, are all under threat due to numerous reasons like climate change, pollution, over-extraction etc. One of the main threats to the Yellow River, also known as the Huang He, is from desertification. 

It seems an almost poetic irony that the Middle East, a region rich in one of the world�€™s most coveted commodities of today, is also grossly deficient in one of the world�€™s most coveted commodities of tomorrow. About two-thirds of the world�€™s known crude-oil reserves lie under the MENA (Middle East and North Africa), yet it is the most water-scarce region in the world, housing 12 of the 15 most water-scarce countries. The oil-rich GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) nations, in particular, lack adequate freshwater availability. Countries like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia yield annual per-capita freshwater resources of approximately 100 cubic meters; the internationally recognized minimal amount of water required per person per year is 1,000 cubic meters.

The inception of water resource planning in Bangladesh took place within the broad framework of Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation (FCDI) programs in the 1960s. A number of water-related development projects were initiated and successfully completed through the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and the Master Plan Organisation (MPO) (now known as the Water Resource Planning Organisation). Around 74 per cent of the population has access to water from improved drinking water sources (Fact Sheet ADB 2008). 

The facts are these: Water scarcity is a real and looming threat; while several countries are already below the dreaded 1700 m3 per capita water availability mark, many others are quickly approaching it; most international NGOs have predicted that the worst affected will be those already marginalised, the sick, and the poor, the children and the women. When discussing the various fallouts of water scarcity, such as its impacts on food security, human health, the global economy and its potential to induce conflict, the one fallout that is rarely discussed is the kind that is suffered by women. Which is probably why during the discussion of water resources management strategies, women are almost never consulted. And this has proven to be a serious mistake.

Sundeep Waslekar writes on the qualities that define a great nation.

Society is like a human being. Unfortunately, society of today is rather diseased. While some of the diseases are life threatening, none of them are terminal- yet. If diseases can be cured in a manner that they do not recur, we will have a healthy society based on human values. But if the disease persists in even a small part of the world, the human society cannot be said to be healthy.

The last eight years have seen the meteoric rise of Pakistan from virtual political obscurity to a nation caught in the unfortunate tussle for power and legitimacy between the government and those that dare to challenge its existence. The rise of an indigenous Taliban coupled with the entrenchment of local and international terrorist organisations has meant that Pakistan has willingly or unwillingly �€“ the point is debatable �€“ taken on the unenviable position of being the �€œmost dangerous place on earth�€. Yet, the fact of the matter is that a significant number of Pakistanis have been thrust into a daily existence of which they want no part. One such group is the country�€™s Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from the tribal areas and the frontier province. Forced to flee their homes when conflict between the army and militants engulfed the area, these people have been �€“ cheated by the government; forgotten by their countrymen and; marginalised by the international community. Yet their importance to Pakistan is unmistakable and must be recognised if the country is to achieve some semblance of stability in the long term.

Russia is standing at the precipice of an opportunity to regain its geopolitical influence in the eastern European neighbourhood. The conditions are just right: anti-government protests are on in Georgia and Moldova; Ukraine�€™s most powerful leaders, former allies, are now dueling with each other for power; and the US is interested in seeking Russia�€™s help for NATO operations in Afghanistan.