The Stream, August 2: 1 Dead and 15 Wounded in Sri Lanka Protest for Water Quality

One resident in Sri Lanka’s western province was killed Thursday evening during a protest against a factory that had been contaminating drinking water in 15 local villages, Calgary Herald reported. More than 4000 people were present, hoping to provoke government action to stop the factory’s chemical emissions from polluting their water supply.

China
China’s mammoth coal industry is depleting water sources and driving up prices, Bloomberg News reported. In response, the central government will spend $US 652 billion by 2020 to boost water infrastructure, and rules are currently being enacted to further limit usage in large cities.

Australia
Australia’s Newman government has decided to scrap the Queensland Wild Rivers Act, allowing oil, coal-seam gas, and shale gas exploration to occur in Channel Country, The Australian reported. While Queensland Mines Minister Andrew Cripps has “promised stringent controls” on new projects, farmers’ lobby group AgForce is calling for a moratorium on gas developments until their implications for water quality are better known.

300 billion litres (79 billion gallons) of Commonwealth environmental water will be released into Australia’s Murray River valley over the next seven months, Australian Broadcast Corporation reported. Irrigator Sam Dodds in Meningie, however, states that the amount is only 10 percent of the Commonwealth environmental water holder’s entitlement, and believes those who rely on flow at the end of the valley will still be left thirsty.