The Stream, October 26: El Nino Drought Brings Hunger to Ethiopia

The Global Rundown

A drought in Ethiopia is putting millions of people at risk of hunger, according to aid organizations, while extreme rainfall over the weekend triggered flash floods in Texas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could have prevented a spill of toxic wastewater from a Colorado mine, a new report found, and earthquakes in Oklahoma linked to fracking wastewater disposal pose a threat to a major oil storage facility. An initiative in Senegal’s capital city tackles sanitation.

“In the most impacted regions we have a significant crisis building. We can see already that (El Nino) is having a detrimental effect on the already vulnerable people.”–Jill Clements, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross in Ethiopia, on growing food and water insecurity in the country due to an El Nino-linked drought. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

508 millimeters of rain Amount that fell in areas of Texas over the weekend, breaking records and triggering flash floods. The rain was caused in part by the remnants of Hurricane Patricia. CNN

1,000 earthquakes Number that could be recorded in Oklahoma by the end of the year if the current pace continues, posing a threat to a major U.S. oil storage facility in Cushing. Scientists say the increase in earthquakes is likely linked to the underground disposal of fracking wastewater. Bloomberg

Science, Studies, And Reports

Changing groundwater conditions spurred by mining activities were not taken into account by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before it began remediation efforts at Colorado’s Gold King Mine site. The project accidentally released toxic water from the mine into a nearby river in August. A government report about the incident, released October 22, found that the spill was preventable. Reuters

On The Radar

An initiative in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, aims to improve sanitation by installing composting toilets and helping residents dispose of waste stored in septic tanks. The project’s goal is to eventually use the waste to fuel a power plant and create electricity. Reuters

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