The Stream, December 4: South Africa Needs Water Management

South Africa
South Africa needs better cooperation between national and municipal water managers to ensure adequate supply and pollution control, according to an environmental performance review by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Bloomberg News reported. South Africa’s water supplies, already scarce, are further reduced by acid mine drainage from closed gold mines.

The South African government plans to improve its drought early warning system, which it says farmers do not trust, Bloomberg News reported. The country’s corn harvest was severely reduced by drought last year, and drought is once again threatening the planting of this year’s crop.

Australia
Researchers in Australia warn in a new book that climate change could drastically alter Australia’s landscape and economy by 2100, United Press International reported. The books says that rainfall in the country’s south could decrease 50 percent in that time period, causing problems for both the mining and tourism industries.

Coal mines will be able to better forecast water needs and prepare storage plans with help from a model developed by researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Phys.org reported. The project aims to keep “just the right amount” of water available for mines.

Resource Extraction
The Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobby in the United States, has expressed concerns that a study on hydraulic fracturing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will lead to more regulations of the practice that could slow down the booming natural gas and oil industry, Reuters reported. The study will not be published until next year.

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