NILE STATES

All African countries through which the water of the river Nile flows, can hope to coordinate sharing of one of Africa's greatest resources. The 10 nations - Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Zaire, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi and Tanzania - recently appeared to put aside political differences at Cairo, Egypt, in an effort to seek a us $100 million aid for 21 projects.

The Philippines

The much vaunted upgradation of the porous water supply system of the Manila metropolitan water and sewerage systems (mwss), suffered a setback due to a lawsuit that pointed out "serious inconsistencies" in one of the bids. According to the giant privatisation plan, two 25-year concessions to operate and upgrade the water distribution system for Manila's 10 million people would be awarded, without increasing water prices beyond the inflation rates.

Let peace flow like water..

THIS is a carefully researched study of the extent of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the Jordan river waters. The subject has been examined in a non-partisan manner not only in the context of its historical'setting, but also of the dimensions of problems in water sharing between all countries situated in the Jordan river basin - including Lebanon, Syria and Jordan - in terms of quantity as well as quality.

Waterfront Cauvery

THE dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu regarding the distribution of the Cauvery river water in the winter of 1995, had become a constitutional crisis, Early this year, the Narasimha Rao government appointed a three- member panel which was expected to submit a report to the Centre after assessing the crop pattern and stress in the Cauvery basin and the delta(Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 18).

Cauvery: manage demand, not supply

OCCAMISM and chicanery marked the latest in the annual ritual of the Cauvery dispute, with the Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, ordering Karnataka to release six thousand million cubic feet (TMCF) of water to Tamil Nadu immediately at the Supreme Court's behest.

The water war

THERE seems to be a full in the storm over the Cauvery river water distribution issue between the riparian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This appears to hinge not so much on the needs of either of the states for water, as on political mileage that the Centre and the respective state governments would be able to derive from the issue, faced with the forthcoming general elections in India.

Much ado over the Nile

THE Egyptians are ready for battle to protect what they consider their nature- al right over the river Nile. The threat comes from neighbouring Sudan, which shares the river and has declared its plans of blocking it. The Nile travels 6,695 km from its remotest headstream in Burundi to the Mediterranean Sea. Faced with rapidly growing populations, not only Sudan but several other Central African countries that once ignored Nile are seeking to tame the river. "There is quite simply not enough water in the Nile basin for

That sinking feeling

The human body is 80-odd per cent water, a few per cent bone and gristle -- and the rest, neurosis. beings are highly dependent on water for their bodily, agricultural, domestic and industrial needs. But the ubiquitousness of water has detracted from its worth -- it is a human failing that what is easily available is taken for granted.

Parched future

Panama is reeling under a water shortage crisis that can attain monumental proportions in future, if the largescale environmental degradation resulting from indiscriminate commercial logging is not controlled. Since 1990, water has been rationed and hydro-power supplies have been reduced.

Probing farmers' potential

The draft irrigation management policy prepared by the Central Water Commission aims to boost agricultural yield in places where the water potential exceeds the land potential, through self-management by farmers.