The Stream, August 7: Locals Weigh In On Mining and Dams

Dams
Communities in Mexico’s southern states of Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas have united against the potential social, economic and environmental effects of the region’s mini dams, according to Inter Press Service.

This fall, San Francisco Bay Area residents will vote to determine whether to drain a 117-billion-gallon reservoir in the Hetch Hetchy Valley. The removal of the O’Shaughnessy Dam would reveal a picturesque granite gorge similar to its neighbor, Yosemite, The Associated Press reported.

Heat, Drought and Water Shortages
Farmers in Nepal are attributing the severe drought that ruined their maize crops earlier this year to climate change; however, the country still lacks long-term adaptation strategies, according to Inter Press Service.

Thousands of fish are dying in the U.S. Midwest as a result of increasing water temperatures, The Associated Press reported.

Thefts, illegal pipe disconnections and other water-related crimes are on the rise in Kenya amid the country’s worsening drought, according to AlertNet.

Oceania Seabed Mining
Papua New Guinea has approved the world’s first deep sea mining project, but locals worry about undetermined risks to marine organisms, according to The Guardian.

Australia’s Northern Territory Government placed a moratorium on seabed mining in March, but an Aboriginal group is fighting to lift the ban and survey the area for minerals that could potentially boost regional economic development, ABC News reported.

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