The Stream, April 5: What Is Causing the Water Crisis in Ghana and Nigeria?

Policy & Accountability
Pollution, political unrest and corruption are contributing to the chronic water shortages in Nigeria and Ghana. PBS Newshour followed two local journalists as they investigated the challenges of bringing clean drinking water in two of the biggest and richest countries in the region.

Allegations by a former integrity officer at the U.S. Department of the Interior raise questions about the effectiveness of the U.S. government’s effort to protect federal science from political interference, according to Nature.

Rural residents in north and south-west China have clashed with police during demonstrations against illegal seizure of land, the Guardian reported. Land grabs are the main source of rural unrest in the country.

Europe & Middle East
A new study by AFIAL, a Beirut-based scientific organization, and researchers at the University of East Anglia looks at how unequally water is distributed in the Middle East.

Turkey is ploughing ahead with the construction of a 107-kilometer underwater pipeline that will transport fresh water to Northern Cyprus, Southeast European Times reported. The project, experts say, could alleviate chronic water shortages and facilitate cooperation between the Greek and Turkish sides on the divided island.

Bulgaria has set up an ad-hoc committee to look at how other countries in Europe regulate the exploration of mineral resources, Bloomberg News reported. Could this lead to a review of the hydraulic fracturing ban that Bulgaria imposed in January?

Russia could resume importing mineral water from Georgia almost six years after it banned imports of Georgian wines and two popular brands of mineral water citing the poor quality of the products, RIA Novosti reported. Some Georgian authorities say that the 2006 ban was politically motivated.

Germany’s development bank will lend $US 23 million to six Serbian cities to improve water supplies and sewage, according to Bloomberg News.

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