The Stream | Water News
The Stream, May 7: Drought Crisis in Africa’s Sahel
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Monday, 07 May 2012 07:30
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Greenland’s glaciers are not speeding up as much as previously thought and may be contributing “significantly less” to sea-level rise, according to new research published in the journal Science, the BBC reported.

Europe
Temperatures in Europe are set to rise between 0.4 degrees and 2.5 degrees Celsius in 2021-2050 compared to the 1960-1990 period, with eastern Scandinavia and southern and southeastern Europe expected to see the biggest increase, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). Look at the EEA maps showing projected changes in temperature and precipitation for this century.

Farmers and environmental groups in Germany are up in arms over plans to deepen the Elbe River, Deutsche Welle reported. Farmers fear their land, some of central Europe’s most productive, will become saline if the river gets dredged to keep up with the ever-increasing size of oceangoing container vessels.

Africa & Asia
Aid agencies warn they are facing a major funding shortage to deal with a food crisis in Africa’s Sahel region, where up to 6 million people need emergency assistance, the Guardian reported. Oxfam has documented Mauritania’s drought crisis in photos.

The water crisis in Asia is like a slow-moving train that is going to crash, Paul Reiter, executive director of the International Water Association, told The Korea Herald.

Sustainability
A major international poll reveals that many sustainability experts fear the Rio+20 Summit will be a wasted opportunity.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, May 4: Thailand Invests In Water
Written by Codi Yeager-Kozacek
Friday, 04 May 2012 08:00
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Asia
Thailand’s biggest private water company plans to invest $US 97 million to improve its water storage and pipeline capacity in order to supply the rapidly growing demand from manufacturers, Bloomberg News reported.

Meanwhile, 50 of Thailand’s provinces have been declared drought-hit areas, according to the Bangkok Post.

Rising sea levels and irregular rains due to climate change will likely endanger rice production in Southeast Asia, with agricultural output in the region expected to decline 10 to 50 percent in the next 30 years if nothing is done, according to the World Bank, National Geographic reported. This article outlines some of the solutions that scientists are exploring.

A drought in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has left 229,000 people with drinking water shortages, according to Xinhua.

Energy
All of Japan’s nuclear reactors will be shut off tomorrow for the first time in nearly 50 years, the Guardian reported. What will this mean for the country’s energy future, and how will it impact the environment?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delayed the release of its draft report linking hydraulic fracturing to water pollution in Wyoming due to a request from the state’s governor, giving the state time to refute the findings, the Associated Press reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, May 3: India’s Water Pollution
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Thursday, 03 May 2012 07:37
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After years of drought, water is again flowing in the Jordan Valley. But questions over who controls the water still divide Palestinian and Israeli communities, MSNBC reported.

Immersing painted idols in rivers and lakes during religious ceremonies in India has caused severe pollution to the country’s waters, according to scientists.

Cambodia has officially asked Laos to immediately halt the construction of the controversial Xayaburi dam in the Mekong River Basin, according to Radio Free Asia.

Water prices will have to rise in parts of the United Kingdom where water is most scarce, a parliamentary committee has recommended, according to the BBC.

The Huffington Post reviews Last Call of the Oasis, an upcoming documentary about water.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, May 2: Great Lakes At Risk From Oil Spills, Study Says
Written by Codi Yeager-Kozacek
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 08:00
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United States
The Great Lakes Watershed is at risk from potential oil spills due to inadequate federal regulations for pipelines, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation and The University of Michigan, UPI reported. In 2010, crude tar sand oil spilled from a ruptured pipe into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River.

Ohio faces a dilemma over whether it will continue to accept hydraulic fracturing wastewater from other states, which may have led to earthquakes, Reuters reported. Last year, nearly 1.9 billion liters (500 million gallons) of wastewater were injected into disposal wells in the state.

Natural gas drillers may not have to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing until after the drilling has already been completed, if a new draft rule is passed by the United States Interior Department, Bloomberg News reported.

Flooding and Climate Change
Heavy rainfall and flooding has damaged 30,000 hectares of crops, destroyed 280 homes and forced 3,700 people to evacuate in China’s Jiangxi Province, according to Xinhua.

Increased flooding and sea level rise due to climate change could greatly impact New Zealand’s coastal communities by damaging infrastructure and affecting drinking water supplies, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Xinhua reported.

There is increasing speculation that the Rio+20 sustainable development conference next month will not deliver adequate green targets, as this week’s informal talks in New York water down major proposals, Reuters reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, May 1: Water Problems Could Hinder India’s Economic Growth
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Tuesday, 01 May 2012 07:42
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India’s flawed water management could hinder its economic growth and political stability, Reuters reported, citing the expert charged with developing the country’s new water resource strategy.

Agriculture & Drought
A shortage of water in India’s Maharashtra state could affect the region’s sugar output unless it receives adequate rains during the June-September monsoon season, The Wall Street Journal reported.

This past April was the wettest in the United Kingdom in a century, according to the country’s Met Office. Yet, the heavy rainfall has not yet made a difference to the drought in many parts of the U.K., which was caused by two consecutive dry winters.

Recurring dry spells, more frequent droughts and leaky irrigation canals are taking their toll on southern Kyrgyzstan’s agriculture, according to EurasiaNet.

Fracking
The Institute of Medicine will examine whether hydraulic fracturing poses health risks in the United States, Bloomberg News reported.

Pennsylvania has lifted the temporary ban on water withdrawals that it imposed following a recent drought, Reuters reported. The water restrictions forced some energy companies to suspend shale gas drilling in April.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, April 30: Budget Cuts at Environment Canada
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Monday, 30 April 2012 07:30
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Federal budget cuts at Environment Canada, the country’s environmental department, have forced the agency to trim some of its wastewater monitoring programs and water conservation efforts, among others, Postmedia News reported.

Tens of thousands of refugees in a South Sudanese camp must be relocated immediately to escape life-threatening water shortages and diseases, the international aid agency Oxfam warned last week, according to Associated Press.

The opening of a 1,300-acre dump for low-level radioactive waste in remote western Texas has raised concerns about water seepage at the site, which sits above the vital Ogallala aquifer, Reuters reported.

What would the massive Gibe III dam project mean for the hundreds of thousands of indigenous Ethiopians and Kenyans living in the Lake Turkana Basin? Yale Environment 360 interviewed a Kenyan activist who’s helping lead a campaign to stop the construction of the dam in Ethiopia.

The Australian government is about to declare drought conditions officially over in the final two areas affected by a decade-long dry spell that also gripped most of the country until recently, the BBC reported. The end of the drought means that the special government subsidies to farmers will also be withdrawn.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, April 27: Water Cycle Intensifying Faster Than Predicted
Written by Codi Yeager-Kozacek
Friday, 27 April 2012 08:00
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Climate change is causing the global water cycle to accelerate and intensify faster than previously thought, with the possibility that it could intensify 16-24 percent by 2100, according to a new study published in the journal Science, Nature reported. This means that dry areas of the globe will become drier, while wet regions will likely experience stronger storms and floods.

International investors are focusing on the poorest countries as they continue to buy up large tracts of farmland in order to export food, Bloomberg News reported, citing a study from the Land Matrix research group. The ‘land grabs’ could increase water consumption in the countries by 13 percent.

Water trading markets are an important tool for managing water resources in the future, according to this article in Forbes.

Safe Water
A report by PBS Newshour investigates why safe drinking water is out of reach for many living in Liberia’s slums, where 18 percent of all deaths are caused by waterborne illnesses.

The new route for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, released last week, will avoid the ecologically-sensitive Sandhills region of Nebraska, but landowners are worried that it still crosses the Ogallala Aquifer, according to Reuters. The pipeline would transport crude oil from Canada’s tar sands to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.

Flooding
After months of drought, southern England has now been warned to expect flooding as rains persist over the next week, the Press Association reported. But the wet weather won’t be enough to end the drought, and hosepipe bans will continue.

Thirty-six people have died due to severe floods and landslides in the thick of Colombia’s rainy season, causing some to call for improvements to government flood prevention measures, AlertNet reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, April 26: Fracking Should Be 600 Meters From Aquifers, Study Says
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Thursday, 26 April 2012 07:40
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Water Pollution
Hydraulic fracturing for shale gas should take place at least 600 meters down from aquifers used for water supplies, according to a new study published in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, the Press Association reported.

Heavy municipal and industrial pollution in a river in the Indonesian province of West Java is threatening the health of at least five million people living on the riverbanks, IRIN reported, citing government officials and water experts.

Water Infrastructure
A ruling that allowed the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump billions of gallons of water from rural areas to supplement Las Vegas’ limited supply from Lake Mead will head back to court after environmental groups, local governments, Indian tribes, ranchers and others filed appeals against the decision, Associated Press reported.

What can Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, do to prevent a looming water crisis that each year brings people out in protest? The sprawling city requires 2.2 billion liters (581 million gallons) a day, but can only produce 1.9 to 2 billion liters (502 to 528 million gallons), according to IRIN.

Afghanistan will seek help from India and Pakistan to build its water infrastructure and management, according to the PakTribune.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, April 25: Beijing Will Face a Water Shortage
Written by Codi Yeager-Kozacek
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 08:00
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Water Supply in Asia
Beijing’s water resources are expected to come up short by 1.3 billion cubic meters (343 billion gallons) this year, creating a water shortage that will be overcome by recycling water, diverting water and tapping underground water supplies, Xinhua reported.

The groundwater of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulan Bator, has been found to contain high levels of uranium, according to Xinhua. Meanwhile, drought is threatening the Tula River, a major source of water for the city.

Climate Change
Policymakers are failing to act on reducing carbon emissions, pursuing fossil fuels despite the risk of pushing climate change to catastrophic levels, the International Energy Agency (IEA) told a clean energy conference in London, the Guardian reported.

Indigenous communities that have been dealing with climate fluctuations for centuries could be useful models for countries facing the challenges of global climate change, according to AlertNet.

Mining
Peru’s government has announced it will work with Newmont Mining Corporation to iron out the company’s environmental mitigation plan for its proposed Conga gold and copper project, Reuters reported. Newmont is willing to make improvements to the project after international auditors recommended changes to ensure the protection of local water resources.

A U.S. company plans to tackle space by mining asteroids for valuable metals and water, The Wall Street Journal reported. The firm counts Google co-founder Larry Page and Hollywood director James Cameron as investors.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

 
The Stream, April 24: New Estimate of the Niger Delta Oil Spill
Written by Nadya Ivanova
Tuesday, 24 April 2012 07:36
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Water Pollution
Shell’s oil spill on the Niger Delta was at least 60 times bigger than the company said at the time, according to estimates by U.S. consultancy Accufacts, the Guardian reported.

The textile suppliers for some of the world’s biggest clothing brands have violated China’s environmental laws by contaminating water supplies with chemicals from dyes and printing, according to a new report from the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, The Huffington Post reported.

Energy
Explorers are looking for shale oil and gas in Argentina, which is believed to have the third biggest reserves in the world, after those of the United States and China, Financial Times reported.

The nearly 150 dams planned for India’s Arunachal Pradesh state would fill the country’s energy gap but will also devastate indigenous tribes, wipe out thousands of acres of forest and do away with some of the world’s best whitewater, according to this infographic for GlobalPost.

Water Infrastructure
Lack of proper infrastructure is roiling the economy, health and everyday living conditions of many First Nation communities in Canada, according to a study published in 2011, Associated Press reported.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on water and electricity projects in the next decade, Bloomberg News reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.