The Stream, August 9: Where Groundwater Is Running Dry

Torrential monsoon rains have submerged half of the Philippine capital Manila and killed at least 23 people, global news agencies reported. Here are photos of the disaster.

Where Groundwater Is Running Dry
The world is depleting its groundwater faster than it can be replenished, according to a new study by scientists in Canada and the Netherlands, Reuters reported.

The United States, India, China, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Mexico are among the countries that are dangerously over-exploiting their underground water supplies, according to the study.

And here’s a sobering graphic of where farms are sucking the planet dry.

Climate Change
Melting ice in Greenland could be bringing permanent changes to the climate in Great Britain, the Guardian reported. Has Britain’s dull and damp summer this year been a taste of things to come?

Even temporary rises in local temperatures significantly damage long-term economic growth in the world’s poor countries, according to a new study by U.S. economists.

United States
With an average temperature of 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit (25.3 degrees Celsius), July was the hottest month in the continental United States since records began in 1895, the BBC reported, citing federal scientists. Meanwhile, the last 12 months were the warmest in recorded history.

Detroit’s Water and Sewerage Department will cut 81 percent of its workers under a new proposal that plans to reduce the agency’s costs by $900 million over the next decade, Detroit Free Press 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.