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When Water Scarcity Leads to Conflict

The Indo-Gangetic Basin, which lies at the foothills of the Himalayas, is one of the areas in the world facing a huge water crisis.

Thursday, August 14 at 7 pm:
Hosted by Hari Sreenivasan

The spring 2014 drought in California drove home the danger that societies face when water supplies run low.  But in places such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, drought doesn't just put a crimp in a comfortable lifestyle, it is often a cause for war.

On this edition of America Abroad, we’ll hear reports from Somalia, Northwest Kenya, South Sudan, and the Sindh region of Pakistan where drought is a relentless part of life and population growth and the increasing pressure for food cultivation are making things worse.  We will examine how access to clean water has become the central reason for local, regional and international conflict and what can be done to stop the bloodshed.