South Asia / Campaigns

Water is Bangladesh’s blessing and curse. For nearly half the year, the monsoon rains cause the country’s three major rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, and their tributaries to swell. Devastating floods are often the consequence. During the rest of the year, the dry season brings almost no rainfall, and droughts threaten the livelihoods of people and

Sri Lanka has a long history of irrigation and water development projects. For hundreds of years, small dams, canals and water tanks successfully contributed to the nation’s agricultural development and food security .

With 4,300 large dams already constructed and many more in the pipeline, India is one of the world's most prolific dam-builders. Large dams in India are estimated to have submerged about 37,500 square kilometres – an area almost the size of Switzerland - and displaced tens of millions of people. Because of these impacts, and the inequitable distribution of risks and riches

Eight of the ten highest mountain peaks in the world are located in Nepal, a small Himalayan country with a mainly rural population of 26 million people. The country’s three biggest river systems - the Kosi, Gandaki and Karnali - originate in high-mountain glaciers and eventually flow into the Ganges river system.

The abundant water resources and the rivers’ fast flows make Nepal a prime location for hydropower development.

The Indus River basin is the most important yet heavily degraded river system in Pakistan. Ecological degradation in the basin is fast increasing, and threatens the livelihoods of millions who depend on its rich ecosystem.