The Stream, October 5: Strong Storms Hit China, France, Guatemala, and South Carolina

The Global Rundown

Heavy rainstorms and floods, many of them deadly, struck communities in China, France, Guatemala, and South Carolina. A survey of global companies found that more are making climate change a priority. Operators of Australia’s Snowy Mountain Hydroelectric Scheme announced plans to cut back water releases due to an El Nino, while water managers in the Colorado River Basin kicked off a pilot project to pay water users to conserve. Researchers in Karachi, Pakistan, said water mafias continue to charge exorbitant prices to city residents.

“There is an enormous amount of demand… (but) there is no regulatory check of the price the tankers are charging to the customer.”–Noman Ahmed, a water expert at NED University in Karachi, Pakistan, on the water mafias that force city residents to pay excessive amounts for water. (Phys.org)

By The Numbers

1 in 1,000 years Likelihood of a rainfall event as strong as the one that hit South Carolina Saturday and Sunday, according to the state’s governor. Widespread flooding followed. Reuters

248 millimeters Rain that Typhoon Mujigae brought over the weekend to parts of China’s Zhanjiang city, where it disrupted power and water supplies. The typhoon was the strongest to hit China’s mainland in October since 1949. Bloomberg

131 people Death toll after rainstorms triggered a landslide in Guatemala last Thursday. There are still 300 more people missing. BBC News

10 percent Proportion of the average annual rainfall in Nice, France, that the city received in two days. Flooding in the region killed 17 people. BBC News

Science, Studies, And Reports

Companies around the world are shifting more focus to climate change after several years of declining interest, according to a survey of 440 sustainability workers. The number of survey respondents listing climate change as a priority within the next year rose 5 percent from last year. Guardian

On The Radar

The operators of Australia’s Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme, a system that produces electricity and provides water for irrigation in the Murray River Basin, are cutting back water releases in anticipation of dry conditions brought by an El Nino. Forecasters predict the El Nino could persist throughout the beginning of next year. Sydney Morning Herald

A new pilot program in the upper Colorado River Basin will make $US 1.5 million available to water users in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming who implement water conservation projects. The program aims to increase the amount of water flowing downstream to the Lake Powell reservoir. KSL

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