The Stream, August 6: U.S. Drought Expands to 64 Percent

Drought
Drought has reached 64 percent of the area of the 48 contiguous U.S. states, making conditions the worst since the Drought Monitor began in 2000, UPI reported, citing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wildfires induced by extreme heat and drought have devastated dozens of homes in Oklahoma, according to NBCNews.com.

Read Circle of Blue’s ongoing drought coverage, including a report on how cities in Indiana are coping, and an interview with representatives from the Drought Monitor.

Meanwhile in India, drought characterizes this year’s monsoon season, and impending El Niño could intensify the dryness by further reducing rainfall, Reuters reported.

Flooding
A flood in Nigeria’s state of Taraban has left more than 3,000 people homeless and caused expensive losses to agriculture, according to AllAfrica.

Pipes and Sewers
A large protest took place in front of the city hall in Qidong, a city in China’s Jiangsu province, when residents demanded that officials cancel plans for a polluting waste-water pipeline, Chinadialogue reported.

In London, plans for a “super sewer” in the Thames will cost taxpayers £3.6 billion ($5.47 billion) – seven times the price of the city’s Olympic stadium – but the private Thames Water company will benefit from its construction, according to the Guardian.

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.