The Stream, February 29: Water Struggles At Fukushima

Asia
Water is essential for keeping Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant safe, where hundreds of thousands of gallons are used every day to cool reactors, but containing the 10,000 tons of contaminated water leaked each month is becoming a challenge, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Thailand will spend almost $US 1 billion to regenerate forests as part of an effort to avert future flooding disasters, according to Xinhua.

Brazil
A drought in Brazil is depleting global soybean reserves the most in 16 years, with levels in October expected to be 20 percent lower than last year’s reserves, Bloomberg News reported.

A small town in southern Brazil is looking to limit the expansion of an iron ore mine to protect its water supply and architectural history, Reuters reported.

Urbanization
An ever-growing Mexico City is squeezing out traditional floating gardens, in part by depleting and polluting the water in the surrounding canals, according to the Guardian.

Children are among the most vulnerable to rapid urbanization, which can deny them basic necessities like clean water, sanitation and education, according to a new United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, AlertNet 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