The Stream, July 30: Costa Rica Considers Water-System Overhaul

The Global Rundown

In Costa Rica, several former presidents voiced support for legislation reforming the country’s water system. Nepal’s rice fields are suffering as drought stops farmers from planting, while drought-hit farmers in Canada can expect to receive financial relief from two major banks. Sinkholes are a growing problem along the Dead Sea coast in Israel.

“They have on a few occasions given us about a week’s notice, including the sinkhole that wrecked the highway. But there is nothing we can do with the information other than to send teams out, fill in each new hole with dirt and fix the damage after it occurs.”–Guy Dunenfeld, head engineer for the Tamar regional council in Israel, on the country’s attempts to monitor the formation of sinkholes along the Dead Sea coast. As the Dead Sea shrinks due to reduced water inflows, sinkholes are a growing problem. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

$15.6 billion Estimated amount of money currently loaned to Canadian farmers by the Bank of Montreal and the Royal Bank of Canada. In response to a crippling drought in Western Canada, the two major Canadian banks are willing to waive fees and help farmers secure additional credit to ease their financial burden. Global News

Science, Studies, And Reports

Approximately 80 percent of the rice fields in Nepal’s Mahottari District are still not planted due to poor rainfall, according to the country’s District Agriculture Development Office. The harvest is projected to be so bad that many farmers are migrating in search of better work. The Kathmandu Post

On The Radar

Four former presidents of Costa Rica released a joint video statement this week supporting the Water Resources Act, a piece of legislation first introduced in 2010 to overhaul the country’s water system. The act would close legal loopholes regarding water privatization, set price controls, prioritize water for human consumption, and recognize water access as a human right. ICR News