The Stream, October 10: India Pursues Water-efficiency Monitoring

India
A newly formed government agency in India will monitor the country’s water use and the efficiency of water systems in order to combat leaks and waste in agriculture and other industries, Bloomberg News reported. India plans to reduce the amount of water wasted by one fifth.

Climate Change
By the middle of this century, as many as 5 billion people could be living in areas with climates that are no longer within their range of historical variability, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Hawaii, AlertNet reported. Indonesia and Jamaica are two areas that may see the fastest shift in climates.

Water and Energy
South Africa has proposed rules to regulate hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and oil, a practice that was previously placed under a moratorium, Reuters reported. The government is eager to encourage exploration for shale gas, which could take place in regions like the very dry and ecologically sensitive Karoo.

Water Pollution
In an effort to find out what would happen if he drank a glass of water from New York City’s Gowanus Canal, journalist Dan Nosowitz discovered that very little is known about this very polluted waterway. His article for Popular Science suggests that the canal could harbor vast quantities of mutating microbes and pathogens.

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