WEST AFRICA: Shared River Basins, Common Problems

Nigeria and Niger, in West Africa, are neighbouring states. But the two countries have more than a border in common; they are also share a number of river basins that are under threat, and the responsibility for conserving them.

CHILE: Aymaras Vow Mining Co. Will Restore Wetland

The Aymara community of Cancosa on the Chilean Altiplano region of Tarapacá, bordering Bolivia, will spare no effort in its struggle to rehabilitate a wetland dried out by the Cerro Colorado Mining Company (CMCC), an affiliate of the Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton company.

RWANDA: A Difficult Trade-Off to Protect Lake Kivu

Sylvestre Munyalibanje has been accustomed to farming in the Rwandan district of Rutsiro, on the shores of Lake Kivu. But now, he's facing the end of an era.

ENVIRONMENT: Learning to Live With the Mekong’s Floods

A Vietnamese academic has developed a small following over the past two years for his views about the waters that inundate the Mekong delta. The seminars he attends ends with participants wanting to know more.

ENVIRONMENT: China – New Promoter of Mega Dams

China is emerging as a new backer of massive dam projects around the globe, giving rise to fears for pristine natural resources and the cultural heritage of river peoples.

Q&A: In Benin, “People Exploit What They Want, As They Want”

For many people, the importing of tomatoes is probably not a topic of great fascination. But then, they're not Sylvestre Fandohan.

WORLD WATER DAY: Wars, No, Conflicts, Yes

The idea of water wars to follow soon in the wake of oil wars has been around as another doomsday scenario for a while. But a dismissal of the scenario as something that has not materialised, and will not, has meant also an under-rating of the potential for conflict that continues to float around water sharing.

WORLD WATER DAY: Nile Bounty Not Enough to Supply Egypt

Over the course of the 1990s, grave warnings were occasionally aired about the role of water in Middle Eastern power politics. In 1991, former Egyptian foreign minister Boutros Boutros- Ghali, shortly before he was appointed UN secretary-general, ominously predicted that "the next war in the region will be over water."

WORLD WATER DAY-KENYA: Holes in the Legal System, Leaks in the Pipes

Kenya's capital, Nairobi, takes its name from a Maasai word meaning "place of cool waters". In parts of the city, however, this term is less descriptive than ironic - as demand for water is outstripping supply.

WATER DAY: The Danube May Never Be Blue Again

Austrian composer Johann Strauss wrote the Blue Danube waltz in 1867, but 140 years later the waters of the river are not quite blue, and no one is sure they will be again.

Q&A: “We Want to Take Control of Our Water”

In a State of the Nation address delivered in February, South African President Thabo Mbeki said his country had "already achieved the Millennium Development Goals in respect of basic water supply, with improvement of access from 59 percent in 1994 to 83 percent in 2006."

WATER DAY: Key Development Goals Stagnating

Halfway to 2015, the year when the globally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are supposed to be reached, the crisis in water and sanitation as well as in water resources management remains among the great human development and environmental challenges.

DEVELOPMENT-BURKINA FASO: Small is Beautiful, But Big Has Its Place

An impressive crop of sweet potatoes, yams, cabbages, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes has spelt a good season for Burkinabé farmer Amadou Diallo, who attributes his success to a nearby water storage tank.

WATER DAY: Thirstier World Likely to See More Violence

A strong link between droughts and violent civil conflicts in the developing world bodes ill for an increasingly thirsty world, say scientists, who warn that drought-related conflicts are expected to multiply with advancing climate change.

ENVIRONMENT: The Niger River in Intensive Care

Stretching over more than 4,000 kilometres, the Niger is West Africa's longest river, and greatly threatened in the country of the same name by environmental degradation that is causing the water course to silt up.

HEALTH-BURKINA FASO: Wells and Toilets Make Bad Neighbours

Alexis Kaboré, a resident of the suburb of Pissy in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, is not connected to the potable water network of the National Office of Water and Sanitation (Office national de l'eau et de l'assainissement, ONEA): he simply can't afford to do so on his salary, even though the costs of the link have come down.

ENVIRONMENT-WEST AFRICA: The Arteries of the Niger River Clogged

The Niger river snakes through nine countries in West Africa before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. It is an epic 4,200 kilometres in length, provides sustenance to millions of people - and has trouble brewing at its source.

KENYA: Oldest National Park Confronts Industry and Urban Sprawl

For people who arrive at the international airport in Nairobi, Kenya's fabled wildlife can be glimpsed almost immediately, in the Nairobi National Park which borders the airport. Driving out of this facility en route to the city, there's a chance of sighting black rhino, zebras and giraffe: just some of the many species that inhabit the park.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Zambezi Plan’s Problems Not Unique

While the recent stakeholders' conference on the Zambezi River Basin saw many good intentions expressed, it also served as a reminder of the persistent challenge posed by weak co-operation between Southern African states.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: States Against Zambezi Current

Seventy percent of the Zambezi river's hydropower potential remains untapped because stakeholder countries have failed to ratify an agreement as the first step towards activating this potential.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Zambezi Stakeholders to Take Action

Stakeholders in the Zambezi River Basin are holding their annual meeting this week with the aim of matching their needs with a commitment to action.