The Stream, August 15: East Africa Plans Data Project to Help Regional Water Management

Countries in East Africa are planning a $US 19.5 million data project to better manage water usage between farmers, All Africa reported. To be completed by 2015, the project will contain publicly-accessible information on water levels, temperatures, flows, quality and quantity across nine countries.

Water Supply
Communities facing drought in the Southwest have begun pressuring residents to lose their water-sucking front lawns, The New York Times reported. In Los Angeles, homeowners have been paid $US 1.4 million since 2009 to replant their landscaping with less thirsty plants, while in Austin, Texas, they are fined $US 475 for running sprinklers in daylight.

Although West Australia has reduced its water consumption by more than 30 percent in the past decade, water bills will continue to increase as resources diminish, Australian Broadcast Corporation reported. A steady reduction of inflow into the region’s dams will soon force officials to look to more costly sources for water, such as groundwater replenishment and desalination.

China
Intensive hydropower developments along China’s Yangtze River are negatively affecting freshwater supply, marine ecosystems, and agriculture downstream, Global Times reported. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) experts say planned projects will threaten the safety of Shanghai’s water supply in the future.