Part of the www.disputedwaters.com project. This is a collection of all online images related to the Colorado River from the Disputed Waters project.

Part of the www.disputedwaters.com project. With this series of Aerial photos of the uses and abuses of Colorado River Water we won the second prize in the 'Zilveren Camera' photo contest in the category Foreign documentary.

Part of the www.disputedwaters.com project. The Colorado River delta has hardly seen any Colorado water in the past 30 years. The 1.5 million acre feet of water that the USA delivers across the border into Mexico is completely used by cities like Tijuana and Mexicali. The majority, though goes into the irrigation of the vast agricultural area that covers the northern part of the delta. The line of agricultural fields slowly moves northwards though due to an increasing salinity of the area.

Part of the www.disputedwaters.com project.

Part of the www.disputedwaters.com project. Agriculture is the main industry in the Mexicali valley that straddles the vast Colorhttp://www.photoshelter.com/img/BS.com/BS.com.ClickEdit/save.gifado River delta. The 1.5 million acre feet of water that the USA delivers across the border into Mexico is used to water these fields and to supply the major cities Tijuana and Mexicali. The delta itself has hardly seen any Colorado water in the past 30 years. The line of agricultural fields slowly moves northwards due to an increasing salinity of the area.

Egypt is at the end of the Nile River and uses most of its water. Throughout millennia it has been the lifeline of his desert country. But a growing population and climate change are forcing the country to redesign the way it feeds its people.

The life of traditional fishermen, cattle herders and wildlife is in danger if the Jonglei Canal is constructed.

When the fish is gone The small-scale fishing industry of Cambodia and southern Vietnam, sustained by the waters of the Mekong River has for centuries supported a population of tens of millions of Asians. In recent years the fish populations have declined dramatically: between 40 and 60 percent. Many blame the Chinese for constructing several dams in the upper reaches of the Mekong. The dams seem to affect the seasonal monsoon floods that provide nutrients for rice fields and habitat for young fish throughout the region. Reduced flood levels prevent wetlands, the nurseries of most fish in the river, to submerge. Rice fields miss out on their annual flood, forcing the farmers to increase the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Climate change, explosive population growth and overfishing are other contributing causes. The Mekong river was until recently one of the very few undeveloped major rivers in the world. But the riparian countries are quickly catching up following the rapid economic development of the region. The question is if the governments will be able to avoid making the same mistakes that ruined ecosystems in other major river systems. An interregional advisory body, the Mekong River Commission recently celebrated a small victory when it managed to postpone the construction of the big Xayaburi dam in Laos. But the fishermen on the Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia and in the Vietnamese Mekong delta wonder how long their way of life will survive.