The Stream, April 17: Iran’s $1.5 Billion Water Transfer Project

Iran has launched a $US 1.5 billion project to divert water from the Caspian Sea to the country’s central desert, Associated Press reported. The project loosely reminds of China’s proposed Bohai pipeline to transport water from the Bohai Sea to dry areas in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.

Could a new method of waterless fracking — which uses propane instead of water — sidestep the shale gas drilling ban in the state of New York?

An official report prepared for the British government has advised ministers to allow hydraulic fracturing for shale gas in Great Britain, the Guardian reported.

TIME Magazine tries to peel back the layers of India and Pakistan’s long-standing water tensions. Why are the two countries squaring off over their rivers and what are the prospects for resolution?

The dry spell in England could last into next year, the Guardian reported, citing the U.K. Environment Agency. Government officials have started planning with businesses, farmers and water companies for a long-term water shortage that could be disastrous for wildlife, the landscape and agriculture.

South Africa needs to invest whopping $US 72 billion in its water infrastructure, water services, and water conservation and demand management in the next decade to avert a water crisis, Mail & Guardian Online reported, citing the country’s Minister for Water and Environmental Affairs.

Take a look at the 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize recipients, and revisit Circle of Blue’s interview with the Asia winner, Ma Jun, who directs China’s Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

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