The Stream, August 10: Rain Collapses Section of China’s Great Wall

Rains and Floods Continue in Asia
Days of heavy rain caused a 36-meter (118-foot) portion of the Great Wall to collapse in China’s Hebei province, Xinhua reported. Workers have reinforced other areas of the wall and are planning to repair the damaged section, which was originally built during the Ming Dynasty.

Rain from Typhoon Haikui, meanwhile, has destroyed more than 7,500 homes and 388,000 hectares (958,000 acres) of cropland across four provinces in eastern China, Xinhua reported, citing government sources.

Flooding in North Korea is not expected to create famine conditions like those in the 1990s, but it will take until late September to get a good idea of how food stocks have been affected, a United Nations official has said, AlertNet reported.

Experts have said that the massive floods in the Philippines are a man-made disaster due to poor urban planning and inadequate infrastructure, AFP reported.

The Prime Minister of Cambodia issued a warning to residents about possible flooding along the Mekong River in the coming months, suggesting that citizens prepare high-ground areas, according to Xinhua.

Australia
Australia’s Greens party said it will block the Murray-Darling River Basin plan unless it is dramatically changed, including provisions for more water to be returned to the river system for environmental flows, The Australian reported.

Hunger
International food aid agency Oxfam is raising alarms about soaring food prices due to drought, saying that the high prices threaten millions with hunger, AlertNet reported. The agency also pointed out that humanitarian agencies are already dealing with food crises in Africa’s Sahel, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and others.

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.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek