The Stream, February 18: Children Suffer Malnutrition As Drought Grips Africa

The Global Rundown

Millions of children are severely malnourished in Africa because of ongoing droughts, according to the United Nations. El Nino-linked droughts across the continent have hit countries like Mozambique particularly hard, destroying consecutive harvests. In India, successive droughts have forced some farmers to sell their blood for income. Globally, conflicts related to water continued to stack up last year. A major coal mine proposed for New South Wales may never materialize, while testing just began at a massive new iron ore mine in Brazil.

“By the end of March we expect 400,000 people to need help. If then there is no rain for planting, there could be 1.8 million people in need of food next year. That is just in Mozambique. It would be catastrophic.” –Abdoulaye Balde, country director in Mozambique for the World Food Programme, on failed rains and harvests that are causing suffering across Africa. (Guardian)

By The Numbers

1 million children Number in southern and eastern Africa who need treatment for severe malnutrition due to droughts, according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund. Reuters

$17.50 Amount paid to a farmer in India’s Uttar Pradesh state for two bottles of his blood. Some farmers, financially strapped by successive droughts, have turned to selling their blood for income. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Eleven new water conflicts were added in 2015 to a global list that tracks water and violence published by the California-based Pacific Institute. Many of the incidents in 2015 occurred during wars in the Middle East, where some groups have targeted water infrastructure. The Desert Sun

On The Radar

Testing has started at a $14.4 billion iron ore mine in Brazil’s Amazon, and production is expected to begin later this year. The mine, owned by Vale SA, is set to use a waterless process to separate high-grade ores. Reuters

Falling demand for coal has put the future of the proposed $1.2 billion Watermark coal mine in doubt. The mine, planned for Australia’s New South Wales state, has previously sparked concerns about groundwater contamination. Guardian

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