The Stream, March 15: Pakistan Experiments With Small Hydropower

The Global Rundown

Rural communities in the mountains of Pakistan are using small hydropower plants to produce electricity and reduce the amount of trees cut down for wood fuel. Rising sea levels threaten millions of people in the coastal regions of the United States, according to a new study. A drought and saltwater intrusion in Vietnam have placed 39 provinces at risk. Italian engineers say it will take months to assess Iraq’s Mosul dam and begin repair work. Historic flooding continues throughout the southern United States, while a new report spotlights high arsenic levels in Texas drinking water.

“It’s going to take some time for them to fall back down below flood stage. Some folks may be in this situation not just days but weeks.” –Matt Hemingway, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, on historic flooding that has killed five people and damaged thousands of homes in the southern United States. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

39 provinces Number in Vietnam that are affected by a severe drought and salt intrusion into the Mekong Delta, according to United Nations officials. Xinhua

2 months Time it will take Italian engineers, hired to repair Iraq’s Mosul dam, to assess the ailing dam’s condition. Maintenance work may take six months to begin. Reuters

51,000 people Number in Texas served by rural water systems that have eceexded federal limits on arsenic for at least a decade. The Texas Tribune

Science, Studies, And Reports

A 1.8-meter rise in sea levels could threaten 13.1 million people living in the coastal regions of the United States by 2100, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The greatest number of people at risk are located in Florida, followed by Louisiana and California. Bloomberg

On The Radar

Small hydropower projects are providing electricity and reducing the rate of deforestation in the rural mountains of Pakistan. The country estimates that it could produce about 100,000 megawatts of electricity from hydropower. Reuters

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