The Stream, May 23: Glacial Floods, Robot Fish, and Missing School for Water

Chile
A glacial lake in Chile’s Patagonia region drained for the eleventh time since 2008, releasing a flood of 200 million cubic liters of water through a hole in the temperature-weakened glacier wall, AFP reported.

The Inter Press Service reports on why Chile relies so heavily on hydropower, despite its potential for developing non-conventional renewable energy sources.

Europe
The European Union will likely leave water efficiency measures up to member states instead of implementing an EU-wide target, EurActiv reported. An official at the European Commission said that leakage rates vary too greatly among countries, ranging from 3-4 percent to 50 percent.

European scientists have tested a robotic fish that could greatly reduce the time needed to detect water pollution, Reuters reported. The fish could have applications for water companies and for cleaning up oil spills.

Africa
Children in drought-hit Niger are missing school in order to gather water, traveling as much as five miles to collect it for their families, The New York Times reported.

A regional initiative in the Horn of Africa seeks to find and improve groundwater resources to combat droughts and food shortages, Voice of America 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