Let Me Flow: Bosnians Wage War on Mini Hydropower Plants

Via Terra Daily, a report on Bosnian tensions over run-of-river hydropower plants: Looking out over the clear cascades of the Neretvica river in the heart of Bosnia, Safet Sarajlic says he is ready to spill his blood to defend the waterway from a hydropower project threatening its vital ecosystem. In a country criss-crossed by hundreds […]

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Hydropower In Asia: Water Torture?

Via The Economist, a look at how China – if it won’t build fewer dams – could at least share information with farmers and fisherman in downstream countries: Rivers flow downhill, which in much of Asia means they start on the Tibetan plateau before cascading away to the east, west and south. Those steep descents provide the […]

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Lake Victoria’s Surging Water Levels Threaten Hydro Dams

Via Reuters, a report on how Lake Victoria’s surging water levels threaten hydro dams: Lake Victoria’s water levels have surged to their highest level in more than half a century after about eight months of relentless downpours, posing a threat to Uganda’s hydropower plants, the country said on Friday. The east African country relies almost entirely […]

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The Australian Coal Industry Uses Enough Water For Over 5 Million People

Via The Conversation, an article on the watergy impact of coal-fired power: Water is a highly contested resource in this long, oppressive drought, and the coal industry is one of Australia’s biggest water users. Research released today, funded by the Australian Conservation Foundation, has identified how much water coal mining and coal-fired power stations actually use […]

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Hydropower Along the Mekong Continues to Threaten the Future of the River

Via Future Directions International, a report on watergy impact of the future of the Mekong River: Thailand plans to raise its concerns about erratic flows in the Mekong at the next meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the organisation that monitors the longest river in South-East Asia. In December, the MRC warned that flows in the Mekong could […]

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Cambodia Struggles To Keep The Lights On Due To Water Scarcity

Via The Asia Times, a report on Cambodia’s struggles with power supply due to water shortages: Cambodia is racing to prevent a new spate of power outages, similar to the unexpected rolling blackouts suffered earlier this year that caused untold damage to the economy. Prime Minister Hun Sen warned in November that water levels at […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
As the scarcity of water and energy continues to grow, the linkage between these two critical resources will become more defined and even more acute in the months ahead.  This blog is committed to analyzing and referencing articles, reports, and interviews that can help unlock the nascent, complex and expanding linkages between water and energy -- The Watergy Nexus -- and will endeavor to provide a central clearinghouse for insightful articles and comments for all to consider.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy.  Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation.  He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”