The Stream, November 14: Flooding Hits Rome

Extreme Weather
Suburbs, towns and farms outside of Rome flooded Wednesday after the Tiber River overflowed its banks and heavy rains backed up sewers and canals, Reuters reported. Widespread flooding has swamped Italy after strong storms passed through the country last weekend, killing four people.

Farmers worry that increasingly frequent and severe flooding, coupled with drier summers, could make growing conditions unsuitable for traditional Italian crops, the Guardian reported. The recent floods may cost the agricultural sector up to 100 million euros in damages.

Meanwhile, blizzards in northeast China have cut off water supplies and created blackouts in some regions, Xinhua reported. Officials in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces have issued an orange alert, the second highest level of warning.

Murray-Darling Basin Plan
Tensions are high in Australia after the New South Wales government threatened not to cooperate with the Murray-Darling Basin plan unless federal government water buybacks are capped, The Australian reported. The federal government recently announced a new wave of water buybacks to start next week.

Water Infrastructure
Efforts to improve sanitation in Ghana’s capital city of Accra have become too politicized, according to some residents who are tackling the problem on their own, the Guardian reported. The city suffers from flooding, cholera outbreaks and a lack of private toilets.

Work has temporarily stopped at Brazil’s controversial Belo Monte hydropower dam after protesters burned construction site buildings over the weekend, PhysOrg reported. The dam is opposed by environmentalists and indigenous groups who worry that it will damage the ecosystem and their livelihoods.

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