The Stream, May 30: China’s Looming Power Crisis

China’s worsening power crisis leaves it few long-term options but to raise consumer electricity prices and swallow a dose of inflation, Reuters argues in an analysis of the country’s power shortages, as a lingering drought in southern and central China is also crippling the hydropower output.

China
Meanwhile, the water woes in the Yangtze River Basin have now reached Shanghai, downstream on the river, causing frequent salt tides that might continue into the summer, the Xinhua news agency reports.

China may be Brazil’s biggest trading partner, but its increasing purchases of Brazilian farmland are making Brazilian officials uneasy, The New York Times reports.

Energy
Energy companies using hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from shales in Michigan will have to disclose information about the water and chemicals that they use, according to new rules set by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Africa
Oxfam warns about a worsening drought across the Horn of Africa. Parts of northern Kenya have received just 10 percent of the usual level of rainfall for the season.

Meanwhile, Niger received $90 million from the World Bank to pay for drinking water supplies and sanitation in several parts of the country, AFP reports.

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.