The Stream, December 21: Lawsuit Over Oil Spills In Niger Delta To Proceed

The Global Rundown

A lawsuit brought by farmers in Nigeria against the Royal Dutch Shell oil company will continue in the Netherlands following an appeals court ruling. South Africa’s capital city is imposing water restrictions, and the United States government is asking states in the Colorado River Basin to find solutions to a shrinking Lake Mead. Government officials in Chennai, India, are proposing to finance projects to resettle families living too close to rivers and waterways. Coal mining in Indonesia is polluting waterways and farms, according to farmers. Indonesia is expecting heavy rains, floods, and landslides next year due to La Nina.

“There are 6,000 kilometers of Shell pipelines and thousands of people living along them in the Niger Delta. Other people in Nigeria can bring cases and that could be tens of billions of euros in damages.”–Geert Ritsema, Friends of the Earth Netherlands director, on a decision by a Dutch appeals court that will allow farmers in Nigeria to pursue a lawsuit against the Royal Dutch Shell oil company in the Netherlands. (Guardian)

By The Numbers

50,000 families Number living along the Adyar and Cooum rivers in Chennai, India, that government officials are hoping to relocate to alternative housing. Encroachment on waterways has been blamed for the severity of the city’s recent flooding. The Hindu

30 percent Chance of Lake Mead falling below a level of 310 meters (1,020 feet) in the next five years if climate change is taken into account. The U.S. Department of the Interior urged states in the Colorado River Basin to take action to keep the lake from declining to such low levels. Arizona Daily Star

20 percent Water savings goal that Cape Town, South Africa’s capital, hopes to accomplish by imposing water restrictions beginning January 1. News 24

Science, Studies, And Reports

Heavy rains, floods, and landslides are set to increase in Indonesia during 2016, according to the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. La Nina, a global weather phenomenon linked to El Nino, is expected to drive the stronger precipitation patterns. Reuters

On The Radar

The coal mining industry in Indonesia, which has increased production five-fold since 2000, is harming rice harvests and aquaculture production through wastewater runoff and acid mine drainage, according to farmers. Large tracts of land, especially in Borneo, are being set aside for coal mining. Yale Environment 360

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