The Stream, February 20: Low Water Levels May Hurt Texas Rice Industry

Water-Food
Continuing low water levels in Texas may prompt the first-ever restrictions on irrigation in the state’s major rice-growing areas, Bloomberg reported.

Egypt’s slide from breadbasket of the eastern Mediterranean to net grain importer signals an economic crisis that threatens to shake the nation, according to The Washington Post.

Brazil is planning a new grains port in the Amazon region, Reuters reported. The terminal is slated to become the country’s largest soybean export center and to lower transportation costs for farmers.

Pollution and Sanitation
Sewage from a fish farm in China’s Guangdong Province has disrupted the water supply for 50,000 residents, Reuters reported. Water pollution concerns are growing in China and have even sparked protests.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi River was shut on Friday as oil leaked from a tanker barge when the tanker collided with a deck barge west of New Orleans, Reuters reported.

The Australian government has issued a $555 million grant to Indonesia to assist regions in need of health facilities and clean water, Europe Online Magazine 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.