Upstream Countries

Hello, folks.

Written by a non-native:
"Coping with water scarcity need to stress the upstream countries to stick to its quotas on the basis of international conventions"

Does what in red mean "those countries located or sorrounded by water or those that control the water sources"?

My regards


Ayed

Imagine a great river.
The river flows through many countries.

The sentence seems to suggest that each country involved has a quota, an agreed amount of water the country can remove from the river. Provided every country sticks to its quota, there would, presumably, be water for everyone.

In a situation of water scarcity, if "upstream countries" - countries nearer to the source of the river - take more than their quote, there will not be enough water for countries downstream.

Hello, Ayed. I would consider "upstream countries" to be those countries which sit closer to the source of the water from which the stream flows. If a river flows from north to south, then the "upstream countries" would be north of the "downstream countries". Your idea about "controlling the water sources" is right on target. If some greedy country in the north took too much water, then the southern countries wouldn't have enough water to meet their needs.

PS I'm not surprised to find myself repeating Panjandrum's thoughts on the subject. 👁 Smile :)

My special thanks for our moderator, Panjandrum and Olwman5's clarification and confirmation.

Honestly, I translated "upstream countries" as :
Those countries controlling water sources

I agree, Ayed, that upstream countries could control that water. Water rights are an enduring concern in international relations, and downstream countries often have good reason to worry that they won't get enough water to meet their needs.