The Stream, June 30: Yemen’s Water Crisis Could Be Bigger Problem Than War, Expert Says

The Global Rundown

Yemen is suffering an acute water crisis as fighting continues in the country, while violence in South Sudan is also taking a toll on drinking water supplies. Pakistan will spend millions to boost Karachi’s water supply, Zambia is asking mining companies to reduce their electricity usage amid a hydropower shortage, and 16 states are suing the United States over the proposed Clean Water Rule. Salmon are at risk from acidification in rivers as well as oceans, researchers found.

“While the war is going on, the water level in the aquifer is going down, so the (water) problem may end up being bigger than the war.”–William Cosgrove, a water expert formerly with the World Bank, on Yemen’s water worsening water crisis. Water prices in the country have more than tripled since March due to fighting that has interrupted fuel supplies. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

$245 million Amount Pakistan is spending to expand water supplies in Karachi by transporting water 127 kilometers from Keenjhar Lake. Bloomberg

20,000 people Number living at the Denthoma 1 refugee camp in South Sudan, where the only drinking water system stopped working for three days before humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres could return to fix it. Medecins Sans Frontieres

Science, Studies, And Reports

Acidification due to greenhouse gas emissions is occurring in rivers as well as oceans, threatening the growth and survival of young pink salmon, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Researchers in Canada found that salmon raised in waters with high carbon dioxide concentrations were smaller than normal. Reuters

On The Radar

Sixteen U.S. states sued the federal government in order to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from enacting its proposed Clean Water Rule. The rule seeks to clarify which waterways fall under the protection of the federal Clean Water Act, but it has been staunchly opposed by the agriculture industry and developers who say it is an executive overreach. Think Progress

Zambia asked mining companies operating in the country to cut their electricity usage due to a shortage of hydropower. The 560-megawatt energy shortage was caused in large part by low water levels in hydropower reservoirs. Bloomberg

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