The Stream, June 27: 71% of Global Population Satisfied with Water Quality

Satisfaction rates with local water quality have stayed consistent for the past five years, with 71 percent of people surveyed worldwide saying that they were satisfied in 2013, according to a newly released Gallup poll. One area of the world where satisfaction rates have not improved is sub-Saharan Africa, where only 50 percent of respondents were satisfied with their water quality.

Drought
Reports from state media say that North Korea is experiencing one of its worst droughts in at least a decade, raising concerns about food supplies, Reuters reported. The country has mobilized military forces and civilians to supply water to fields of rice and other crops.

Persistent droughts pose challenges to food security in Caribbean island nations, prompting the development of more drought-resistant crop varieties, Inter Press Service reported. Other efforts are encouraging the adoption of more efficient irrigation technology, such as drip irrigation.

Mining
A Brazilian judge withdrew the permit for the construction of the largest gold mine in the country, citing concerns about the effect of two major infrastructure projects on indigenous communities in the area, Mining.com reported. The Volta Grande mine project would sit near the massive Belo Monte hydropower dam on the Amazon’s Xingu River, both with the potential to drastically change the surrounding environment and communities.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek