Entries by Kayla Ritter

HotSpots H2O, December 19: Water Shortages Plague Iraq after Years of War

India and Pakistan race to build hydropower plants along the Neelum River.

The Stream, December 18: Thousands of Gallons of Fuel Spill into Oregon’s North Santiam River

The Global Rundown Tropical Storm Kai-Tak makes landfall in the Philippines, causing flooding and heavy rains. Hong Kong researchers work to develop a super-bacteria that can clean up the large amount of waste water produced by China’s textile industry. The U.S. and Mexico deliberate over the final part of the Colorado Basin’s new drought plan. […]

The Stream, December 15: Michigan State Legislature Agrees to Spend $23.2M to Combat PFAS Contamination

The Global Rundown Plans to combat harmful algae in Lake Erie could cause a hike in water rates for Ohio residents. Flood victims in northern Italy are evacuated by helicopter after the Enza River flooded its banks. Erratic weather, including lengthy droughts and severe rains, prompts countries in Africa to modernize their forecasting. The Michigan […]

The Stream, December 14: Hurricane Harvey Rains Were Three Times More Likely Due to Global Warming

The Global Rundown Rising salinity in the Sea of Galilee forces Israel’s Water Authority to pump salt water from the lake. A U.S. government report reveals that Arctic permafrost is thawing faster than ever. Hurricane Harvey’s deadly rains were made three times more likely by global warming, a study finds. A NASA study shows that […]

The Stream, December 13: Indian State Officials Assert Chinese Construction Projects are Polluting Brahmaputra River

The Global Rundown Researchers reveal a new satellite-based drought monitoring tool that accounts for groundwater levels. Cholera resurges in Lusaka, Zambia, and is expected to worsen as the rainy season begins. Officials in northeast India claim Chinese construction projects are polluting the Brahmapurta River. Countless trees in the American West are expected to die as […]

HotSpots H2O, December 12: Thirty-Seven Countries Require Food Aid Due to Drought, Flooding, and Conflict

Farmers in India block a highway for seven hours, demanding a solution to the Mahadayi water dispute.

The Stream, December 11: Cape Town Water Supply Will Likely Be Depleted by May

The Global Rundown China’s massive South-to-North Water Diversion project fails to supply water to drought-stricken rural farmers. Researchers offer a solution for increasing hydropower along the Mekong River without sacrificing downstream fisheries. Tree-ring data reveals that Arizona’s recent dry spell was the worst in nearly 700 years. A billion dollar clean-up of the Hudson River […]

The Stream, December 8: Thousands in Texas Without Drinking Water

The Global Rundown Electricity falters throughout Malawi as falling dam levels affect hydropower. High winds and a long dry spell spark another round of California wildfires. Marginal rainfall threatens Argentina’s late-season corn and soy crops. The northern Chinese province of Hebei prepares to launch an environmental tax plan, which includes water pollution fees. Three months […]

The Stream, December 7: Poor Sanitation Sickens Refugees in Greece’s Moria Camp

The Global Rundown New Jersey pushes for stricter limits on the amount of perfluorinated chemicals allowed in drinking water. Sanitation conditions deteriorate among the 6,000 people living in Greece’s Moria refugee camp. In Michigan, the Detroit Water and Sewage Department shuts off over 17,000 delinquent residential water accounts. New research shows that trees in the […]

The Stream, December 6: Melting Arctic Ice Could Worsen California Drought

The Global Rundown A U.S. District Court Judge orders Dakota Access Pipeline operators to develop an oil spill response plan. Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region declares a state of emergency due to severe drought. Three companies are sued over water contamination in west Michigan. Testing reveals heavy metals in Hong Kong household water. Researchers find a […]

HotSpots H2O, December 5: Mexicali Farmers Fear U.S. Brewery Will Jeopardize Their Water Supply

Clan conflicts over grazing land simmer among pastoralists in Somalia.

The Stream, December 4: China’s Shanxi Province Caps Water Use in Steel, Cement, and Aluminum Industries

The Global Rundown Several countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, agree to refrain from commercial fishing in the high Arctic seas until research is done on the practice’s sustainability. China’s Shanxi province enacts a law that caps water use in steel, cement, and aluminum production. Hundreds of residents in southern Albania evacuate their […]