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In an era when more risks are becoming profound realities, HotSpots H2O helps make sense of a changing, often stressed global waterscape.

HotSpots H2O: Rapidly Disappearing Tuni Glacier Raises Concerns for Bolivian Water Scarcity

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January 18, 2021
The Tuni glacier, a formerly vast piece of ice that rises over the Bolivian capital of La Paz as a critical water source, is disappearing faster than predicted.
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/la-paz.jpg?fit=1600%2C1065&ssl=1 1065 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2021-01-18 05:30:562021-01-19 10:56:07HotSpots H2O: Rapidly Disappearing Tuni Glacier Raises Concerns for Bolivian Water Scarcity

HotSpots H2O: Minnesota Pipeline Opponents File Federal Lawsuit to Halt Construction

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January 4, 2021
Two Minnesota Ojibwe communities and two environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against the Line 3 oil pipeline in order to halt construction in that state.
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Line-3-protest.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2021-01-04 05:30:352021-01-04 17:13:27HotSpots H2O: Minnesota Pipeline Opponents File Federal Lawsuit to Halt Construction

HotSpots H2O: Tensions Rise as India, China Clash Over Proposed Chinese Dam

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December 21, 2020
Tensions spiked between China and India after the Chinese government announced plans to build a dam across one of the major waterways flowing from Tibet.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Brahmaputra.jpg?fit=1600%2C1066&ssl=1 1066 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-12-21 05:30:552020-12-22 16:57:38HotSpots H2O: Tensions Rise as India, China Clash Over Proposed Chinese Dam

HotSpots H2O: Wetland Restoration in India Aims to Prevent Human-Animal Conflict

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December 14, 2020
In Assam, a state in northeastern India, authorities at Kaziranga…
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/national-park.jpg?fit=1600%2C900&ssl=1 900 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-12-14 05:30:232020-12-11 15:51:50HotSpots H2O: Wetland Restoration in India Aims to Prevent Human-Animal Conflict

HotSpots H2O: U.N. and Ethiopia Reach Aid Deal After Weeks of Conflict

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December 7, 2020
After thousands of Eritrean refugees were stranded for weeks…
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Eritrean-refugee-camp.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-12-07 05:30:562020-12-04 12:04:27HotSpots H2O: U.N. and Ethiopia Reach Aid Deal After Weeks of Conflict

HotSpots H2O: Water Scarcity in Palestinian Territories Puts Farming at Risk

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November 30, 2020
Water scarcity in occupied Palestinian territories continues to put health and agriculture at risk as conflict over water supplies between Jordan, Israel, and Palestinians flares.
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HotSpots H2O: Months of Flooding and Violence Force South Sudanese from Their Homes

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November 23, 2020
Nearly a half million people have been displaced due to abnormally heavy rainfall and flooding in South Sudan this year.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Flooding-UMISS.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-11-23 05:30:312020-11-23 17:33:07HotSpots H2O: Months of Flooding and Violence Force South Sudanese from Their Homes

HotSpots H2O: In a Year of Unrelenting Floods, Yet Another Storm Hits Central Vietnam

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November 16, 2020
After months of intense storms and flooding, Tropical storm Etau is the twelfth to hit the country this year and the eighth in the past month.
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Vietnam-Rice-Field-green-terraces.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-11-16 05:30:492020-11-19 12:01:03HotSpots H2O: In a Year of Unrelenting Floods, Yet Another Storm Hits Central Vietnam

HotSpots H2O: Water Systems in Eastern Ukraine Deteriorate as Conflict Continues

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November 9, 2020
Frontline communities in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
https://i0.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Donbas-region.jpg?fit=1600%2C1063&ssl=1 1063 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-11-09 05:30:232020-12-08 15:59:35HotSpots H2O: Water Systems in Eastern Ukraine Deteriorate as Conflict Continues

HotSpots H2O: Portland Environmental Groups, Backed by ACLU, Sue DHS for Use of Tear Gas

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November 2, 2020
In Portland, environmental, public health, and social justice groups, represented by the ACLU of Oregon, sued the U.S Department of Homeland Security for the health and environmental consequences of airborne chemicals.
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Portland-Protest.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1 1067 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-11-02 05:30:242020-11-02 10:40:58HotSpots H2O: Portland Environmental Groups, Backed by ACLU, Sue DHS for Use of Tear Gas

HotSpots H2O: Proposed Dams Strain Water Politics in Iraq

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October 26, 2020
A proposal by Kurdistan officials to build dozens of dams as a response to water insecurity has caused concern in Iraq.
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HotSpots H2O: Honduran Mine Protestor Shot and Killed, Others Continue to Await Trial

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October 19, 2020
A man who protested against a mining development in Honduras…
https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/River-with-man.jpg?fit=1600%2C973&ssl=1 973 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-10-19 05:30:312020-10-16 16:44:05HotSpots H2O: Honduran Mine Protestor Shot and Killed, Others Continue to Await Trial

HotSpots H2O: Fires in the World's Largest Wetlands Decimate Wildlife and Livelihoods

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October 12, 2020
The Pantanal wetlands are on fire. Since early this year, nearly a fifth of the Brazilian ecosystem, over 14,000 square miles, has burned in wildfires just south of the Amazon rainforest.
https://i2.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pantanal.jpg?fit=2400%2C1602&ssl=1 1602 2400 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2020-10-12 06:30:422020-10-13 16:23:01HotSpots H2O: Fires in the World's Largest Wetlands Decimate Wildlife and Livelihoods
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HotSpots H2O: Rapidly Disappearing Tuni Glacier Raises Concerns for Bolivian Water Scarcity

January 18, 2021/0 Comments/in HotSpots H2O, Water News, WEF /by Elena Bruess

The Bolivian city of La Paz at night. © Naveen Ahluwalia

The Tuni glacier, a formerly vast piece of ice that rises over the Bolivian capital of La Paz as a critical water source, is disappearing faster than predicted, reported Reuters earlier this month. The resulting melt will lead to further water shortages in the capital region, where water is already scarce.

While scientists initially anticipated that the glacier would last until 2025, the ice field is now less than a square kilometer and is expected to vanish quickly. Tuni has been shrinking since the Little Ice Age, a period of cooling that began in the 14th century, but more recent climate change events, drought, and torrential rainfall in Bolivia have accelerated the process.

In 2016, Bolivia suffered from the worst drought in decades, leaving 125,000 families without water, nearly 700,000 acres of crops affected, and the country in a state of emergency. In the year following, dry conditions continued and La Paz experienced another similarly historic drought that increased shortages throughout the city and forced people in over 100 neighborhoods to ration water. Last year, the country declared another state of emergency due to forest fires and drought, leading to the historically low river and groundwater levels. This dry spell followed a period of heavy rain and flooding that displaced families.

The melting glaciers surrounding La Paz, such as the Tuni glacier, shrunk by 43 percent between 1986 and 2014. Between 2000 and 2018, the glaciers lost an average of 23 billions tonnes of ice each year. The Bolivian Chacaltaya glacier, once the world’s highest ski resort, disappeared in 2009.

Once melted, the glaciers will no longer be able to provide water during the dry season in cities such as La Paz, which takes about 20 percent of its water resources from the Tuni glacier.

To combat these water shortages, the Bolivian government has invested $64.7 million in recent years to construct new supply systems, such as four new water reservoirs. But these measures, which are meant to aid the other three reservoirs in delivering a third of La Paz’s drinking water, are further complicated by the growing populations in major Bolivian cities.

“In the city of La Paz, [population growth] is about 2.5 percent a year,” explained Universidad Mayor de San Andrés glaciologist Edson Ramírez to Reuters. “So with the reduction of water sources, you have the increase in the population and an increase in demand for water.”

The population in the neighboring city of El Alto is also growing by 5 percent annually, putting pressure on Bolivia’s shrinking water supply and causing concern for the city’s future water management.

Elena Bruess

Elena Bruess writes on the intersection of environment, health, and human rights for Circle of Blue and covers international conflict and water for Circle of Blue’s HotSpots H2O.

https://i1.wp.com/www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/la-paz.jpg?fit=1600%2C1065&ssl=1 1065 1600 Elena Bruess https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.png Elena Bruess2021-01-18 05:30:562021-01-19 10:56:07HotSpots H2O: Rapidly Disappearing Tuni Glacier Raises Concerns for Bolivian Water Scarcity

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Previous HotSpots H2O

  • HotSpots H2O: Rapidly Disappearing Tuni Glacier Raises Concerns for Bolivian Water ScarcityJanuary 18, 2021 - 5:30 am
  • HotSpots H2O: River Dredging Near Chernobyl Risks Radioactive Water ContaminationJanuary 11, 2021 - 5:30 am
  • HotSpots H2O: Minnesota Pipeline Opponents File Federal Lawsuit to Halt ConstructionJanuary 4, 2021 - 5:30 am
  • HotSpots H2O: Tensions Rise as India, China Clash Over Proposed Chinese DamDecember 21, 2020 - 5:30 am
  • HotSpots H2O: Wetland Restoration in India Aims to Prevent Human-Animal ConflictDecember 14, 2020 - 5:30 am

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