Nor any drop to drink

By The Economist online | BEIRUT

THE southern provinces on Lebanon's border with Israel fare worse than the rest of the country by most measures. Water is one thing in short supply. Swathes of fertile farming land sit idle. Officials say the lack of water is partly to blame for the region's underdevelopment. While Lebanon as a whole has water in abundance, the south's rivers are shared with Israel which gets the lion's share. This is nothing new, but a new study has sketched out the extent of the imbalance for the first time.

Rivers that straddle borders have long caused tensionns in the Middle East. International law says that the useable water should be divided into "equitable and reasonable" portions according to such factors as population. But this directive is often overruled by bilateral agreements. These are lawful but often outdated—and the more powerful country usually gets the better deal.