>> hello, and welcome to " global 3000." access to water is one of the burning issues of our time. 2013 is the year of international water cooperation. more of that is urgently needed. here is why. water tensions is threatening relationships with its neighbors. changing borders, how the changing course of rivers is affecting the lives of people in central america.

why it is more than a question of religious beliefs in india. from ancient egypt to this day, the nile has provided a lifeline to untold numbers of people. the blue nile covers -- carries most of the nation's water. it merges with the white nile before reaching egypt. dating back to colonial agreements with britain, it needs to be consulted before the river is upstream tampered with. one of the largest dam projects is a milestone, but it threatens egypt with more frequent droughts. we sense a water conflict in the making. >> in the old -- ethiopian highlands lies the source of the ethiopian nile. monks have lived on the lakes islands for more than thousands of years.

their life on the island is surrounded by water. they say the lake water is healing. >> we use the water for things in daily life. it has healing powers. the water helps many ailments. >> wildlife around the lake is still intact. sometimes, even forest elephants find its way to it sure during the dry season. at that time of year, the blue nile falls are just 40 meters wide. increased water use also contributes to the reduced water flow. a dam at the source regulates the volume water passing through. intense work continues on a new mega-dam on the blue nile.

parts of ethiopia are still in need of development. there are few paved roads or sources of electricity. the people in the south of the country will soon be connected to the electricity grid and the network of roads. they are self-sufficient. until now, their link to modern technology has been cell phones. >> there is no electricity. a walk for four hours to charge my phone. we have to get water from far away, too. >> in rural areas, they have the least access to clean water. the government has ambitious liens. it wants to make ethiopia at the biggest producer in all of africa. investors are more likely to come if the necessary infrastructure is already in place.

large coffee companies emerge as soon as large water and electricity supplies emerge. a major part of the plans is currently africa's largest looking site, the ethiopian renaissance dam. this engineer is responsible for construction. the vast expanse, covering 500 square kilometers, is due to be filled with water, water that will be taken from the blue nile. every few months, he has to answer questions about the project from investors and the media. ethiopian citizens have to contribute one-month salary to the cost of building the mega- dam. the world bank dropped out as the main lender for the project because it ethiopia failed to secure deals with energy companies in neighboring countries.

others have been put off by protests in egypt. they fear that when the dam is finished, not enough water will get through to them. ethiopia has to come up with the 3.6 billion euros it self. the project relies on the support of citizens. >> after completion, it would be down here. we are progressing on the right side of the river. we can temporarily divert the flow water. >> close to the border with sudan, work continues on the largest dam in africa.

work continues as it reaches the mediterranean. 6000 employees are working to move huge masses of earth. soon, that number will double to 12,000, people working in three shifts a day to complete the project by 2017. >> we need power. in the short term. because, as you have already seen the country, there are a lot of development and works that are coming. for him, the dam is the solution to many of his country's problems. it could help to create jobs and battle poverty, but only if the rest of the funding for the mega project comes in. >> the world bank is backing a corporation agreement that would

bind all nile states to use its waters in a sustainable way. so far, it has not been signed. from africa to central america where there is a river that is a source of contention between panama and coast arica. the last structures of land switched nationalities. we visited the farmers that have seen their entire plantations move to another country. >> this river straddles the border between coast arica -- costa rica and panama. this region spent weeks without rainfall. the past few days, there have been far too much.

>> it has changed a lot. the water level rises very quickly and falls very quickly, too. it did not used to be like that when it rained. the water level was stable, at least for a few days. we also have a huge problem with soil erosion. >> the indigenous people live on the river. pedro is a conservationist who wants to help guard against the effects of climate change. >> d4 station has led to -- deforestation has led to the slopes being eroded. that means the soil is very loose and the river bank has destabilized even more. >> the journey upstream takes

another hour. the downfall sets in. the water level rises once again. it is a nightmare for this farmer. his banana plantation is on this side of the river. this forms a natural border with panama. after every flight, the river takes a different route, meaning that some of his land moves into panama. >> after the last big flood, the river changed its course. now, most of my 40 hectares of land is over there. almost all of it is on the other side. since then, i have had to work on other and anna plantations to make money. my family has lost almost everything it has owned. >> on this day, the local costa

rican environmental ministry has opened up an environmental campaign supported by the international union for the conservation of nature. students from panama and costa rica plant trees together. it will take years before the roots hold back the soil. until then, cooperation is the word of the day. >> this is a wonderful example of by national cooperation. the river is partly in panama, hartley and costa rica. both countries have to understand affects the other. what happens in panama affects costa rica. what costa rica does affects cap -- affects panama. we have to plan for the future. >> officially, the two countries have been cooperated --

cooperating for 20 years. she would like to see that cooperation continue. >> the difference with the last row graham is we are trying to apply it to farmers at a local level and at a national and bi- national level. this bridge takes people to the other side and the community directly aside. there, an environmental organization has set up a committee. currently, it only works with farmers from panama. it gives them advice on how to protect their crops against floods. francisco's lands were destroyed by a mudslide. he is now planting various fruit trees instead of single crops or raising livestock. that way, the unpredictable climate cannot ruin all of his crops.

>> the change worked well with other farmers. i saw how it worked with them. i can get the same positive results on my own land. >> up the river, pedro is with the people of the tribe. he's been advising the farmers for the past 18 months. today, he is meeting with school children, the farmers of tomorrow. following heavy rains, almost 80% of their cocoa plants have been attacked by fungi. he explains to the children how they can protect their plans against fungi. plants with natural defenses are grafted onto the old cocoa tree.

>> they live in harmony with nature here. they have to learn how to use the land more effectively. we are preparing them to cope with the effects of climate change. they can use the traditional crops from the region. >> with climate change getting worse, people here can expect rains and floods to become even more unpredictable. as they adapt to the changing environment, they will not have to leave their land. we have already explored many ways to bring life to people without electricity. sometimes, the solution to a big problem is much simpler than anyone would have ever imagined. a new

series explores such ingenious ideas. we would like to introduce you to london designers that managed to think straight during a complex challenge. they got 3000 euros through funding online and they took their prototypes to asia and india for testing in small villages. meet mark and jim. >> the charity challenged us. we ended up designing a radical new form of lighting. we set out to design a light that could replace the damaging kerosene lamps used in most areas of africa. it would carry

a battery and be recharged with a solar panel. the more the project progressed, the more the opportunity for a radical approach. the village investment is returned within three months of being free from the cost of kerosene. from then on, it saves them money. our new light is powered by gravity. what it takes to lift a weight 10 next half an hour of light. it is delivered in a durable fabric bag which when filled with rocks, sand, or earth provides the weight required to power it. we have designed a gravity light to power other things as well i k reading light or a radio. -- as well as a reading light or radio.

>> houses made of tires, muscle power generators, lamps made of plastic bottles, simple ideas that could make lives easier. what about you? do you have a bright idea over know of somebody who does? then write to us and tell us about your invention. >> we look forward to that. 500 million indians are vegetarians. that is more than a third of india's population that does not eat meat. mostly for religious or social reasons. that is good news for the environment. production of meat causes pollution.

attitudes towards food that reach far into the past may hold some lessons for the food supply chains of the future. we went to the heart of indian vegetarianism. >> the bridegroom has followed tradition i writing a course. nobody in india apart from vegetarians would mind being served horsemeat. meat from cows is a very different matter. in hinduism cows are sacred animals. a guru says that it is best not to eat any meat. he is 91 yourself and is fit as a fiddle. he is a vegan. many indians reject me for religious regions.

he is a follower of a philosophy that for bits him from harming any living creature. >> if we live with a vegetable, plant-based food, there is no room for disease. his granddaughter brings him his texts. he spends half the year in the u.s. where he teaches. his teachings are finding a growing number of followers in germany very he has heard of the horsemeat scandal in europe. >> being vegetarian meaning just to be cautious in life. if it is moving, it has blood, it has cells, it has hearing, it wants to live. i want to live. only the vegetable, which are growing.

>> the guru says that a vegetarian world would be a more peaceful place. hitler was a vegetarian. it was not a matter of conviction. his doctor told him not to keep meat. vegetarians give this meat market a wide berth. so would many europeans. there are some serious hygiene issues to contend with. at least you know which kind of meat you are buying very no unidentifiable frozen chunks of meat like the ones you might find in a tv dinner. we take a look at the kitchen. what benefits does the vegetarian community offer? >> unconsumed meat thrown on the road. it was stinking.

for vegetarians, the smell is not acceptable. when cooking is going on next door, we close the doors. >> he shows us which houses have vegetarian residents. we are in the district of mumbai that is now free from meat. anyone who buys or rents a home here has to commit himself to a vegan terry and lifestyle. whether anyone checks up on them is another matter. she is a member of parliament. >> these are potatoes that i have dug up from my own garden. more people in india are eating meat. >> more people in india eat meat because of television channels. at any given time we have about

14 food channels. every one of them is all meat. it is almost as if you are old- fashioned to be a vegetarian. give it another 10 years. maybe not. >> the horsemeat scandal in europe -- >> if you eat a cow, you would eat a horse. it does not matter what you eat. i.e. chicken -- i eat chicken. if you eat meat, you eat a dead body. if you are there -- it's cruel. it's going to be dog.

what difference does it make? >> this environmentalist is a concerned vegetarian. one thing that concerns her is the large number of sacred cows and the huge quantities of methane gas are a huge issue in the global debate on climate change. >> and now we take a tour of a global living room in new zealand. they enjoy having their grandchildren visit the home where they live within hearing distance of the sea. they provide us with a quick tour through their living room.

>> hi, welcome to our home. come in. this is my husband george. this is our living area. we designed our house so that we could all be involved with our family if they came to stay and visit. we have table and chairs that are big enough for most of our family. we have another couple of chairs to sit around. these canvas pictures of our children and families. the grandchildren, we love them to bits and we have them out here to write the motorbikes and go down to the beach.

this here is part of a tree. it is the gum. it is one of the tallest trees in the forest. we have the forest about 40 miles north of here. >> that's the sea roaring. sometimes when it is colder it is quite pronounced and quite a lot louder.

talking, eh? >> i hope you enjoyed your visit here as much as we enjoyed having you. we might see you again sometime. see you. bye. >> if you would like to see this unique living room tour once again or to see any of our reports, you can find today's program online. you can also join us on facebook. thanks for watching. you're not forget to join us again. same time, same place, seven days from now. goodbye.

>> i am committed to achieving stability in our homeland. we cannot be intimidated. >> the interim president of egypt to his critics. mass protests are scheduled for friday. >> welcome to al jazeera. billions of dollars in debt, detroit becomes the largest city in u.s. history to file for bankruptcy. greece and