Entries by Nadya Ivanova

New Report: Turbid Water Stirs Up Future of Insecurity for Asia

Asia faces unprecedented water challenges, experts say, but solutions are within reach.

The Smoke of Change: Indigenous Colombians Pray for Water Conservation

More than 40 years ago, Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez founded in prose the fictional village of Macondo along the shores of a river of clear water on a bed of polished stones, white and big, like “prehistoric eggs.” The South American village flourishes until years of magical rain wash it away. Today, in Sumapaz […]

A Longer, Dryer Lent: Mexico City Authorities Keep Taps Closed during Easter Holidays

While Pope Benedict XVI prepares to sprinkle holy water during the Easter Mass on Sunday, millions of residents in Mexico’s capital brace for dry taps during the rest of Holy Week. As dam storages hit “historic lows,” Mexico City Water System is imposing water cutbacks – a decision affecting at least five million citizens in […]

Australians Watch Murray-Darling Water Levels Sink to Record Lows; Situation “Bleak,” Officials Say

May marks the season for rainmakers in Australia. As the month approaches, Aboriginal weather watchers look to blooming wattle trees, flitting native birds and flocking cockatoos for signs of rain. But this year, autumn arrives with a dire forecast. Prospects for the season look “bleak,” as inflows to the Murray River “hit record lows” in […]

Drought Boils Bitter Cup of Tea for India

Significantly reduced tea production in comparison with the first three months of 2008.

The Windy City Blows Off Toxins to the Ocean

Chicago is famous for dyeing its river green on St. Patrick’s Day, but it is rarely known for muddying waters thousands of miles away. According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, polluted water from the Windy City has helped kill marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, Chi-TownDailyNews.org reported Friday. The study, released Thursday, ranks […]

Australia Summit: Droughts and a Verbal Heat Wave

As droughts are hot on Australia’s heels, Maude Barlow – the United Nations senior advisor on water issues – heated up the pressure on the country’s government on Tuesday at the 5th Annual Australian Water Summit. She criticized the Australian cabinet for its management of the deepening water crisis, saying that ordinary Australians and farmers […]

Old Mesopotamian Waters Inadequate for Thirsty Middle Eastern States

Iraq might be soaking in oil, but its water reservoirs have shallowed. Faced with a dry winter and chronic dependence on neighboring countries for water supply, an Iraqi minister has blamed Iran and Turkey for his country’s water shortages. Water Resources Minister Abdul-Latif Jamal Rasheed urged the two states to increase their water supply to […]

Melting Ice Blurs Borders and Freezes Relations

Borders in this part of Europe haven’t changed since 1861. But as temperatures rise and glaciers melt, Switzerland and Italy are working to redraw their shared frontier in the Alps to account for the changing topography of the mountain, The Independent reports. Experts from both countries will sit down to decide on possible borderline shifts […]

Hope Shines Through Rain Clouds in Cyprus

When rain falls in Cyprus, it immediately floods news headlines. The water-scarce Mediterranean island is hoping to ease water cuts to households in the summer, after wet weather this year has partially refilled water reservoirs. A year after the government on the volcanic island ordered emergency water rationing in the face of prolonged water drought, […]

Globalized Water vs. Globalized Cola?

When water taps dry up, Lemon Cola may fill out the emergency stock. A in a Norwegian church used lemon-flavored Cola in a baptism ceremony, after faucets were turned off in a numbing cold spell at the end of March, Reuters reports. While the lack of water boosted the creative spirits in the church, little […]

Ethiopia Dam Erodes Local Relations

The air in Ethiopia may catch fire, as plans for a new hydroelectric dam on the Omo River spark tensions in a region with long-lasting conflicts over scarce water. A government project to tame the river’s unpredictable annual cycle has raised the anger and suspicion of local tribes, who rely on Omo’s flooding for their […]