The Stream, September 4: Cataloguing Water Resources in the Middle East

A new document released by the United Nations inventories shared water resources in the Middle East, providing detailed data to encourage cooperative water management, AlertNet reported. The inventory also notes that the region’s water quality is declining.

Water Quality
A toxic spill in China’s Fu River caused spiking ammonia levels and resulted in thousands of dead fish, Reuters reported. The fish kill is the latest water quality concern in China, where thousands of dead pigs were found in a river near Shanghai earlier this year.

Dead animals from ritualistic sacrifices are threatening water quality in Venezuela’s Lake Mariposa, which supplies drinking water to Caracas, Bloomberg News reported. The country’s water treatment systems are also inadequate to remove all contaminants, prompting many residents to buy expensive bottled water.

Conservation
A river in Arizona is getting a new lease on life following conservation efforts by farmers and residents, National Geographic reported. The efforts to update an old irrigation system have increased flows on the Verde River by as much as 50 to 100 percent in the summer.

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