The Stream, September 29: The Texas Water Crisis

In serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, businesses, and agricultural enterprises, according to a draft plan by the Texas Water Development Board.

Poland will likely veto any attempt by the European Union to limit shale gas development with EU-wide regulation, Reuters reported, citing a foreign ministry official. The country, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, is estimated to have the biggest shale gas reserves in Europe.

A former Keystone pipeline inspector said that the project, which would carry crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in the Midwest and the Texas Gulf Coast, should never gain federal or public support, Huffington Post reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Canadians converged on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill this week to protest the Conservative government’s aggressive promotion of the Keystone XL pipeline, according to the Guardian. The proposed project is currently under review by the U.S. administration.

A humanitarian crisis is looming in Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi’s besieged home town and one of his last two bastions of support, amid rising casualties and shrinking supplies of water, electricity and food, Reuters reported.

The demand for water in South Africa is expected to exceed supply by 2035, according to a Rural Development official in Gauteng Province, News24 reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.