Global Rundown
- A landfill in northern Colombia is accused of dumping toxic leachate into local wetlands, degrading the health of communities and fisheries.
- Dozens of artisanal cobalt mines in Democratic Republic of Congo are stable employment for poor communities, while contributing to their own water pollution.
- The reliable winter freezing of Japan’s Lake Suwa has been recorded for nearly 600 years, coinciding with a Shinto ceremony that in recent years has been disrupted by a changing climate.
- As rescue efforts continue in Myanmar following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, concerns arise over clean water shortages and the spread of water-borne diseases.
The Lead
Each day, the French waste management company Veolia processes roughly 165 tons of waste at its 70,000-acre landfill located in northern Columbia. But communities within its vicinity know the operation as more than just the local dump. For years, they have complained that the operation is toxic and polluting — residents of Barrancabermeja have attributed degraded waterways, fish die-offs, and foul smells to the waste improperly handled at the landfill, which sits 7.5 miles from the San Silvestre wetlands. The head of the local fishing union says that catching 200 fish a day on the local lake used to be standard. “Nowadays, it’s a triumph if he manages to catch 15,” the Guardian reports.
Local doctors are well-aware of the landfill’s effects. They reported an “alarming rate” of anencephaly and Job cases in newborns. The 120-person community of Patio Bonito, which used to rely on the wetlands for waters for household use, now seek alternatives as they complain of its effect on their health. Meanwhile, levels of mercury more than 25 times the safe limit have been found in water-borne sediments near the landfill.
A report published this week from the NGO Global Witness corroborates these concerns, accusing Veolia of dumping leachate directly into the waterways and wetlands. Video footage published by San Silvestre Green supports this claim. Veolia has disputed the notion, and said that local environmental officials visited six times during the last two years, “concluding that environmental obligations were fulfilled.”
Recent WaterNews from Circle of Blue
- Data Centers a Small, But Growing Factor in Arizona’s Water Budget — Computing consumes water but zero-water solutions are at hand.
- Is Water the Unmentioned Reason for Trump’s Interest in Greenland? — Melting ice could slake the thirst for drying farm regions, water-scarce cities.
This Week’s Top Water Stories, Told In Numbers
67
Artisanal cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the operation remains the largest in the world and “most viable source of income” for poorer communities, Deutsche Welle reports. The mines — most of which are illegal — employ more than 150,000 people annually, though these employees see a tiny fraction of the profits generated by international exports, largely to electric vehicle manufacturers. Local environmentalists are working to educate communities about water pollution from these mines, though many residents have no alternatives to the dwindling, acid-infused rivers on which they have always relied. They endure “poison to survive,” DW reports.
2,700
The death toll, which is still climbing, in Myanmar following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake last Friday, Reuters reports. With its epicenter near Mandalay, a central city of roughly 1.6 million people on the shores of the Irrawaddy River, significant damage to water filtration and sewage facilities have been reported. With temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit amid ongoing rescue efforts, UNICEF spokespersons have said that clean water is one of the “most immediate needs.” Cholera outbreaks are feared in particularly hard-hit areas.
On the Radar
Since 1443, the winter conditions of Japan’s Lake Suwa have been meticulously recorded by practicing Shintoists for whom the formation and cracking of ice “evoked feelings of awe but also reassurance,” the New York Times reports. After Lake Suwa reliably froze solid, it would fissure and loudly split into an ice ridge several days later — a phenomenon called Miwatari, or “sacred crossing,” that signalled the return of a wandering god.
Over the centuries, it was a rare and foreboding sign if the Miwatari failed to appear. Today, with fewer practicing Shintoists, the wandering god’s absence is less spiritually catastrophic for the lakeside community of Suwa, though it is a signal of another global change. As the area experiences warmer winters, the ice ridge hasn’t occurred since 2018.
Fresh: From the Great Lakes Region
Oil Spills: Last Thursday, “less than 200 gallons” of crude oil spilled from Suncor Energy’s facility south of Sarnia, Ontario, into the St. Clair River, which flows for 40 miles from Lake Hurton to Lake St. Clair, Planet Detroit reports. Both Canadian and American authorities worked to contain the spill, and cleanup activities are ongoing. Several days later, an “oily sheen” on Michigan’s Grand River was observed following severe storms. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has responded to the potential spill, which it believes originated when strong winds knocked over several transformers belonging to Consumers Energy, WZZM reports.
Indigenous Nations Walk from Pipeline Talks: Citing the federal government’s “failure to adequately engage with tribal governments” and respect their land and treaty rights, seven Indigenous nations have walked away from discussions surrounding Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline project, Grist and Interlochen Public Radio reports. On March 20, the Army Corps of Engineers told the tribes the project would likely receive a fast-tracked permitting status, made possible by Donald Trump’s national energy emergency executive order, to build an underground tunnel through which the pipeline would extend.
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, Michigan Public and The Narwhal work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work here.
- One of Canada’s biggest copper mines plans to expand. B.C. says it won’t need an environmental assessment — The Narwhal
- PFAS bill protecting utilities companies passes in Indiana House and Senate — Great Lakes Now
- Seven tribes in Michigan withdraw from federal talks over Line 5 tunnel permit — Bridge Michigan / Interlochen Public Radio
- UP gas generators would be classified as clean energy under bills in state House committee — Michigan Public