The Stream, July 22: Changing Water Management Practices in West Africa

Water Management
Climate change will likely make rainfall more erratic and will necessitate new water management solutions in the Volta River Basin of West Africa, according to a new study from the International Water Management Institute, AlertNet reported. Important goals for water management in the basin include building and improving irrigation capacity, as well as improving cooperation between countries, the report found.

Floods
Heavy rains have been widespread over China during the past few days, causing floods in Yunnan and Jilin provinces and hindering earthquake relief efforts in Gansu province, Xinhua reported. More rain is expected this week.

Water Contamination
Contaminated water from Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is likely seeping into the sea via underground water systems, the Associated Press reported. The new announcement contradicts earlier assertions by TEPCO, the plant’s operator, that contaminated water did not reach the ocean.

Agriculture
The United States is set to harvest a record corn crop this year as favorable weather continues in the Midwest, Bloomberg News reported. The expected rebound in supplies is putting downward pressure on corn prices, which shot up to record highs during last year’s drought.

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.

1 reply
  1. jc says:

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    “As environmental science has advanced, it has become apparent that the human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future: deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.” ~ Worldwatch Institute, “Is Meat Sustainable?”

    “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains… the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. Roads.” ~ Environmental Defense Fund

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