The Stream, August 3: Floods Wipe Out North Korea’s Drinking Water

More than 50,000 people in North Korea do not have access to clean drinking water after floods contaminated many wells with sewage, according to the United Nations, Voice of America reported. There are also fears that the flooding could compound food shortages already facing the country.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 3 million Syrians will require food aid over the next year due to conflict that has caused $US 1.8 billion in losses to the country’s agriculture sector, Bloomberg News reported. The conflict, coupled with a drought, could see grain import requirements reach 5 million metric tons.

A drought and heat wave could cut Italy’s soybean crop in half and its corn crop by a third, Bloomberg News reported, citing industry organization Confagricoltura. Crop losses in the Po River delta could amount to $US 185 million.

Beijing is bracing for more rain. The unusually wet weather—precipitation in parts of northern China is up 42 percent from last year—is being attributed to a strong monsoon and global warming, Xinhua reported.

Philadelphia streets were flooded this week after the city’s third water-main break in 10 days, raising questions about out-dated infrastructure, the Philadelphia Daily News 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.

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