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Hundreds of rivers and lakes cross international borders – countries need to commit to sharing the water
A recent UN water conference on co-operation over water resources is an important step, but much more needs to be done, says ALISTAIR RIEU-CLARKE
GO WITH THE FLOW: The confluence of the Ilz, Danube and Inn Rivers

THE Danube River starts in Germany and eventually flows into the Black Sea some 2,850 kilometres and 10 countries later. If Germany were to dam or pollute the river, it could potentially affect nine other countries — and four of their capitals.

The Danube may be the world’s most multinational river, but it’s only one of an estimated 310 rivers and lakes shared between two or more countries, along with 468 underground water sources known as aquifers. 

I recently went to New York to a major UN conference — the first dedicated to water in decades — to try and help strengthen political commitment over these “transboundary” bodies of water.

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