The Stream, March 2: Where Did The Brahmaputra River’s Water Go?
As water levels dropped three meters (10 feet) in India’s Brahmaputra River, fears surfaced that China was diverting water near the river’s origin in Tibet, Agence France-Presse reported. The cause of the water shortage remains unknown.
Africa’s Lake Chad is shrinking—it is now one tenth the size it was in the 1960s—but local residents have adapted by switching from fishing to farming crops like rice and corn, according to Science Daily.
Floods
Major flooding is expected in Australia’s New South Wales, while Sydney’s Warragamba Dam, the city’s water supply catchment, is close to overflowing, according to Bloomberg News.
Floods in the Bolivian Amazon have affected nearly 10,300 families and contaminated water supplies in isolated areas, AlertNet reported.
Policy
China’s central bank plans to boost financing for water-related projects, which the Chinese government has deemed vital for future development, according to Xinhua.
The United States House of Representatives passed a bill that would restore greater water usage rights to farmers in California’s San Joaquin Valley, reported The Hill. Water use in the region was limited in 2009 under the Endangered Species Act in order to protect salmon and Delta smelt.
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.
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
People from Bangladesh are suffering the same pain for years, when India made Farrakah Dam. Now it is time to feel the same pain for Indian people, what we suffered for years. Keep it up China, give it a best shot.