The Stream, April 12: Water Troubles Holding Back Ghana’s Economy

Water Infrastructure
Ghana’s water infrastructure is in such a state of disrepair that it threatens the country’s economic growth, which is predicted to reach 8 percent in 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Some companies have turned to private water tankers to secure supplies for their factories because of intermittent service.

U.S. Natural Disasters
A new report released by U.S. government scientists asserts that the simultaneous occurrence of unusual natural events, not climate change, was behind last summer’s severe drought, the Guardian reported. The report is under fire by other scientists who claim it did not take into account how climate change may have affected a change in the jet stream—one of the natural events cited by the report.

The U.S. could be headed for an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, according to forecasters at Colorado State University, AlertNet reported. The forecast also said there is a 48 percent chance that a large hurricane will hit the East Coast, up from the historical average of 31 percent.

Drought in India
India’s western Maharashtra state has received less than 50 percent of its average monsoon rainfall over the past two seasons, and now faces water shortages, AlertNet reported. Aid agencies are also concerned about food shortages.

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