62
votes
Accepted
Why can water not be transferred within California?
First point: farmers who sell their water aren't farmers anymore. Both cash crops and livestock are water-intensive, and while farmers could shift to more water-friendly activities (away from nuts, ...
- 76.4k
25
votes
Why can't the UK water companies go bankrupt?
The basic fact about companies on the point of bankruptcy is that they are unable to pay their debts. The reason for this is simple and worth putting in bold:
There is no more money.
So what happens ...
- 124k
23
votes
Accepted
How could Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages?
How can Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages in the
long run?
Enter into a treaty with India, that is binding and effective on both parties, governing the matter, and/or
Build ...
- 88.3k
16
votes
Can countries use cross-border rivers to pressure neighbouring countries?
Yes
You asked if countries can "pressure" other countries with river management. Of course they can. There is a wide range of possible behaviour that is allowed but not required between ...
- 116k
15
votes
Why can't the UK water companies go bankrupt?
They present two options
There is a third option: Let the old water company go bankrupt and keep the service intact
This is known as the "good bank, bad bank" solution, and it's a form of ...
- 251
13
votes
How could Bangladesh protect itself from Indian dams and barrages?
Conflicts between nations that seem unable to solve them on their own can sometimes successfully be addressed by international mediation. The idea is that a neutral arbiter would lend more credibility ...
- 10.8k
11
votes
Why can't the UK water companies go bankrupt?
Part of the issue is that, unlike most private business companies, a water company is never truly insolvent. It can raise rates and has a de jure or de facto monopoly over an essential good, so the ...
- 88.3k
8
votes
Can countries use cross-border rivers to pressure neighbouring countries?
Blocking or diverting rivers is not an easy task, being outright impossible if the river is big. The water still has to go anywhere, and if it doesn't flow to your neighbour country it will flood ...
- 3,221
7
votes
Why can water not be transferred within California?
Part of this seems to just be that the PDF you are referencing is out of date (last updated March 21st, it is now May 10th) and part of it seems to be that the application requires a public comments ...
- 1,239
6
votes
Accepted
Is there an international law in regards to the ownership of a river that is located in multiple countries?
I think you are mixing several issues here.
If an international border runs through/along a river, where is it? Is somebody on the river in both countries at once?
When one country owns one bank of ...
- 116k
6
votes
Accepted
How does California define essential agriculture?
This is badly framed question from a political perspective. California prides itself (or at least its farming communities do) for providing 1/4 of the (domestically produced, I assume) food for the US ...
4
votes
Accepted
Is the Federal government (Bureau of Reclamation etc.) legally required to provide any compensation if it diverts a river [in Western US]?
It has happened. "[T]he claimants were entitled to recover damages [from the United States] under the Reclamation Act if they could establish their rights under the state law."
Water and ...
- 36.6k
4
votes
Why can't the UK water companies go bankrupt?
Interest rates exist to compensate for the occasional bankruptcy. And I see no reason why Thames Water should not or could not go bankrupt. What one probably should do is mentally separating the daily ...
- 9,832
4
votes
Accepted
Can countries use cross-border rivers to pressure neighbouring countries?
Perhaps the most (in)famous case of intentional pressure of this kind was the Jordan River Headwater Diversion Plan.
In 1964, Arab League officially adopted the plan to divert the major tributaries of ...
- 1,136
4
votes
Has California considered reimbursement for reclaimable water runoff?
The downstream users of the water would reimburse the upstream users.
Californians are probably extremely unlikely to consider this over their first-in-use, first-in-right system/doctrine because of ...
2
votes
Can countries use cross-border rivers to pressure neighbouring countries?
The Indus Water Treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan gives Pakistan rights over the three rivers Indus, Jhelum & Chenab. Time and again whenever the situation between the two countries ...
- 662
2
votes
Why can't the UK water companies go bankrupt?
Generally speaking, decision-making about a private company providing public good services, in this scenario water utility company servicing very large population, will in my opinion include several ...
- 1,191
2
votes
What is the intent of urban irrigation restrictions in California?
Oh, I dunno, maybe the intent is to save water? What water you say?:
Lawns, which have been especially singled out as water wasting culprits, are estimated to use about 40% to 60% of landscape ...
- 92.7k
1
vote
Accepted
Which politicians are driving residential lawn bans in California?
Partial answer to narrow down the potentially relevant politicians:
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of fourteen cities, eleven municipal water districts, and ...
- 88.3k
1
vote
Has California considered replacing water subsidies with direct agricultural subsidies?
Has California considered replacing water subsidies with direct
agricultural subsidies?
Calling this a "water subsidy" misunderstands the situation, even though that is the net economic ...
- 88.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible