Hi Vanessa

 I forgot to add Kenneth Pomeranz's recent work on this: “The Great Himalayan Watershed: Agrarian Crisis, Mega-Dams  and the Environment.”  Short version published in New Left Review 58 (July/August 2009), pp. 5-39; longer version published in The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, July 27, 2009

best wishes

Doug

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From: Douglas Hill
Sent: Friday, 9 August 2013 8:09 a.m.
To: Vanessa Lessa; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: The Power of Water and the strategic importance of Tibet

Hi Vanessa

I agree this is a topic of emerging importance. On China's domestic water politics, see Andrew Mertha's China’s Water Warriors: Citizen Action and Policy Change (Cornell University Press, 2008).

While you will no doubt come across a lot of references to Brahma Chellaney's Water Asia's New Battleground (Georgetown University Press), I personally think that his work tells us as much about about how hawks in India's security community think about China as it does about the emerging situation over water in the Tibetan Plateau.Katherine Morton (ANU) has started to look at these questions in earnest, although I am unsure which specific piece would be best for your purposes. My own stuff, which is mainly from the South Asian side of the Himalayas, but reflects on China's emerging role, includes Hill, D.P. (2013) 'Trans-boundary Water Resources and Uneven Development: Crisis in and beyond contemporary India' South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol 36 No. 2, pp. 243-257 and Hill, D.P. (2012) Alternative Institutional Arrangements: Managing Transboundary Water Resources in South Asia' Harvard Asia Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 61-66.

Hope this helps

Doug

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From: A forum for critical and radical geographers [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Vanessa Lessa [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, 9 August 2013 3:09 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: The Power of Water and the strategic importance of Tibet

Dear all,

I am a student at SOAS University of London, majoring in International Politics of East Asia; it is my intention to explore the significance of water in Asia, focusing on its importance for China and taking into particular account the strategic geopolitical role of Tibet.

I intend to investigate Chinese domestic water problems (mainly pollution and scarcity), and the approach of China’s government to face these problems (damming and diverting rivers). It is also my aim to look at trans-boundary water issues, taking into particular account Mekong River (China-SEA internationals questions) and Brahmaputra River (China-India disputes) examples.

It is in regards of these two issues that is my intention to introduce Tibet strategic importance. Named “the Third Pole" or “Asia's Water Tower”, Tibet has become of vital importance for the PRC as a source of fresh water.

My intention is to demonstrate that apart from the other strategic roles of Tibet (f.i. geopolitical, natural resources, internal stability and tourism) water is now the fundamental reason why China needs Tibet.

Chinese rapid economic growth and the growing Western demand are challenging today’s Chinese environmental situation (together with the global environmental situation), this is why China’s only two options in order to keep on developing along with improving its water issues could only be: embrace the sustainable developmental path or hold tight on Tibet.

I was wondering if anyone could help me suggesting some academic sources that could give me the right direction over the topic.

Regards,

Vanessa