The Stream, September 30: Mexico Gold Mine Blocked By Protesters

The Global Rundown

Access to Mexico’s largest gold mine has been blocked by protestors demanding jobs, water, and payment for environmental damages. Activists working near Hyderabad, India say pollution from drug manufacturing companies is turning the region’s lakes and rivers into reservoirs of super bacteria. Satellite mapping of floods could save lives in Bihar by warning residents and helping first responders. Funding to address lead-contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan was axed from the U.S. government’s new spending bill and pushed to another pending piece of legislation. Well tests in Florida showed groundwater is still safe to drink after radioactive water from a fertilizer plant spilled through a sinkhole last month.

“Resistant bacteria are breeding here and will affect the whole world.” –Kishan Rao, a doctor and activist, on water pollution from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture antibiotics near Hyderabad, India. The presence of the drugs in lakes and rivers could spur the development of drug-resistant “super bacteria”, according to activists. Companies, however, say they are not discharging wastewater illegally. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

342 to 85 Vote Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives that approved a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. As one of the conditions to pass the bill, lawmakers removed a provision for aid to address lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan. Funding for Flint must now come from the Water Resources Development Act, which is under negotiation between the House and the Senate. The New York Times

9 wells Number tested for radiation in Florida near the site of a large sinkhole that opened beneath a fertilizer plant last month. The tests found that groundwater near the site is within drinking water safety limits, according to Mosaic Co, the plant’s owner. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Detailed flood risk maps created with data from satellites will allow communities in India’s Bihar state to better prepare for and respond to flash floods, according to researchers at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development. Floods over the past month have killed 200 people and displaced 300,000 more in the state. Reuters

On The Radar

Protestors have blockaded the Penasquito mine, Mexico’s largest gold mine, and are demanding jobs, payment for environmental damages, and water supplies. A news investigation last month revealed that the company and regulators had not disclosed information about a leak of contaminated water at the mine to nearby communities. Reuters