The Stream, November 29: Ice Found on Mercury

The planet contains enough water ice to encase Washington, D.C., in a block two and a half miles deep, scientists reported. Craters on Mercury’s poles never see the sun, The New York Times reported, creating pockets cold enough for ice on one of the solar system’s hottest planets.

Great Lakes Water Levels

Small tourist towns around the Great Lakes are struggling to keep shallow harbors open as lake levels drop. Limited lake access, the Calgary Herald reports, threatens some small-town economies.

Cauvery River Dispute

Negotiations remained stalled in the dispute between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over rights to Cauvery River water. Karnataka’s representatives say they are facing severe water shortages, and cannot release more reservoir water to Tamil Nadu, The Hindu reported, while Tamil Nadu says it needs more water to save its current samba crop.

Read more background about the conflict from Circle of Blue reporter Brett Walton here.

Water Conflict

Refugees from Darfur in Eastern Chad said that scarce drinking water in camps sparks violence, especially among women and children searching for water. Violence is another layer of suffering added to the stresses of water scarcity in refugee camps, AllAfrica reported, especially in the summer.

Filtration

Proctor & Gamble Co. released a small-scale water purifying powder that can clean enough water for five people for a day. The company, Reuters reported, plans to manufacture 200 million of the sachets a year by 2020.