The Stream, March 14: Water and Food

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that the 2010-11 global wheat production, at 645 million tons, will fall below consumption, forecast at 655 million tons, forcing the world to tap into its 177 million ton inventories. UPI argues that there will be more drought, rising food prices and more food crises in store for the Arab world.

Japan
Millions of households in Japan are short of water, food and electricity following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the country last week, leaving thousands dead and missing. The Associated Press and Reuters report the details.

China
Despite efforts to improve ecological standards, China is still developing at the expense of the environment, according to the country’s vice-minister of environmental protection. China’s 12th Five-Year Plan aims to cut the sulphur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand (a measure of water quality) by 8 percent by 2015, and nitrogen oxide and ammonium nitrate by 8 to 10 percent.

Meanwhile, many of China’s large infrastructure projects are in full swing. China just completed the construction of its first underwater railway tunnel, which is a key part of a new high-speed rail link that connects Guangzhou, Shenzhen and and Hong Kong.

India and Bangladesh
This commentary by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies peeks into the latest improvements in India’s water governance that are likely to facilitate the country’s relationship with neighboring Bangladesh.

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.