Water Rights

Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California

The farms served by the Central Valley Project, the country's largest irrigation system, get about 20 percent of California's water supply.

U.S. to Pay Farmers In Calif. Water Flap

The Bush administration agreed yesterday to pay California farmers $16.7 million to compensate for water the government held back to preserve two imperiled fish species in the early 1990s, a pact that some legal experts said will make it harder for the federal government to protect endangered species.

Water Pacts Give State's Growers New Profit Stream

The Bush administration plans this month to begin signing contracts that will position Central Valley farmers to reap substantial profits for decades by selling water to the state's expanding metropolitan areas.

Private Sector Still Eyeing to Own Every Drop

Privatization of water resources is on the rise in Asia, but this for-profit trend is failing to provide more people with clean and safe drinking water, according to this commentary. Cities like Osaka, Phnom Penh, and Penang, where water distribution is publicly managed, fare much better than, for example, Jakarta and Manila, where private firms run the water system, Anil Netto writes. Inter Press Service News Agency (3/22)

Ex-UN chief warns of water wars

Former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali has warned of the potential for conflict over dwindling water resources throughout Africa and the Middle East, particularly in the Nile basin where Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania all compete for water resources. Boutros Ghali has also highlighted the importance of water resource management in the Middle East peace process, and urged the World Bank to play a leading role in settling disputes and ensuring fair distribution. BBC (2/2)

Gorbachev Calls for Global Treaty Making Access to Water and Basic Sanitation a Human Right

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is expected to call for the world's first comprehensive treaty defining water as a basic human right during a keynote speech scheduled for this week to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The former Soviet agricultural official has called for greater political action in addressing water shortages worldwide, and recently told reporters that current levels of funding are "scandalous." Environmental News Network/Associated Press (4/18)