The Stream, October 8: Zimbabwe, Short on Hydropower, Asks Mines to Cut Power Usage

The Global Rundown

Zimbabwe has asked mines operating in the country to cut their electricity use by a quarter as hydropower shortages continue. Alaska granted water rights to a group of citizens seeking to protect salmon from a proposed coal mine, while a jury awarded more than $1 million to a woman in Ohio who said water contamination by the DuPont chemical company contributed to her cancer. Thousands of people in Ireland have not paid their water bills but have applied for government water grants. The director of a global security think tank addressed the connection between conflict and climate change.

“I think there’s increased awareness that there is a risk, and I think that’s partly because of Syria and Egypt.”–Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, on the connection between climate change and conflict. Some researchers have said a drought in Syria helped destabilize the country. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

25 percent Power cut Zimbabwe is asking mining companies to make due in large part to low water levels at Lake Kariba, a major hydropower reservoir the country shares with Zambia. Bloomberg

$1.6 million Amount awarded to a woman in Ohio as part of a lawsuit that blames the DuPont chemical company for water contamination that the plaintiffs say caused them to fall ill. Associated Press

Science, Studies, And Reports

Approximately 48,000 people in Ireland who have not paid newly introduced water charges still applied for a government grant meant to incentivize water conservation, according to an analysis by The Irish Times. Nearly 400,000 households have received the grants, which are each worth $112. The Irish Times

On The Radar

For the first time in the state’s history, Alaska granted water rights to a group of its citizens. The decision gives the Chuitna Citizens Coalition the water rights to lower Middle Creek, a habitat for salmon that the group is trying to protect from the proposed Chuitna coal mine. The group did not secure water rights for the upper and middle portions of the creek, meaning the mine is still a possibility. Alaska Dispatch News

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