The Stream, July 21, 2021: Officials Open Reservoir Floodgates in Hyderabad After Heavy Rains

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• City officials in Hyderabad, India, open floodgates of a major reservoir after heavy rains flooded parts of the city.
• Ethiopia fills the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for the second year in a row.
• Officials rescue over six dozen people in Newark, New Jersey, after a major storm left much of the city inundated.
• Several Colorado River Basin groups ask the federal government to investigate Central Utah Conservancy District’s allocation of federal funds.

Devastating flooding in Germany last week could have been predicted, one flood expert says.

“I could see this information at the beginning of the week and it looked very serious, it looked like it might be a very worrying flood.” – Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at Reading University. Cloke, a flood expert from Britain, told Reuters that devastating floods in western Germany last week could have been predicted. In response to criticism of the government’s response to the flooding that has now killed more than 160 people, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said local authorities were responsible for issuing flood warnings. Many opposition politicians have suggested the catastrophic flooding revealed serious failings in the country’s preparedness for flooding.

Ethiopia Fills Controversial Dam Without Signing Agreement With Egypt and Sudan

Ethiopia announced it has completed filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for the second year, Al Jazeera reports. The move will likely anger Egypt and Sudan, who both oppose the project and urged Ethiopia to avoid filling the dam until an agreement between the three east African countries had been reached.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

3 FLOODGATES  

Three floodgates of the Himayat Sagar reservoir in Hyderabad, India, opened on Tuesday, the Times of India reports. The reservoir, which provides drinking water to parts of Old City and Hyderabad, was filled to capacity after rain poured in Hyderabad Monday and Tuesday. This is the second year in a row city officials opened the reservoir’s floodgates. Last October, flood waters reached record heights, forcing the city to open all 17 of the reservoir’s floodgates.

73 PEOPLE  

Police in Newark, New Jersey rescued 73 people over the weekend after a massive storm left much of the city underwater. While residents in higher elevation areas said they barely noticed the rain, low-lying communities saw waters rush into their homes and sweep away cars. ABC7 reports that after the flood waters receded, residents were left wondering how officials planned to stop flooding in the future.

ON THE RADAR

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that several Colorado River Basin organizations have called on the federal government to investigate the use of federal funds by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD). The organizations allege that CUWCD gave $1 million in funds to a private firm that has advocated for controversial projects like the Lake Powell Pipeline, which would take water from the Colorado River. Diverting federal funds to the Lake Powell Project would be wrong, the groups say, because the project is “outside the geographic scope of the Central Utah Project service area.”

Jane Johnston

Jane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was the host of the Community Service Learning Center podcast Be the Change. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jane enjoys listening to music, reading and spending time outdoors.