The Stream, May 3: Men Arrested in Berta Cáceres Murder Case Had Ties to Dam

The Global Rundown

Four people, two with ties to a hydropower dam, have been arrested in an investigation of the murder of Berta Cáceres, an environmental activist in Honduras who was killed in March. The drought in India is so severe that communities are hiring contractors to guard water in dams, and thousands of forest fires have been recorded in Uttarakhand. Two organizers were arrested in Vietnam for their role in protests against mass fish deaths. Scientists found declines in aquatic insect populations near hydropower dams on the Colorado River.

“Water is more precious than gold in this area. We are protecting the dam round the clock.”–Purshotam Sirohi, who was hired to stand guard over a dam in India’s Madhya Pradesh state. There have been attempts to steal the dam’s water amid a severe drought that is affecting a quarter of India’s population. (Agence France-Presse)

By The Numbers

4 arrests Number made in Honduras in connection to the murder of Berta Cáceres, a prominent environmental activist who was killed in March. Two of the men arrested had ties to the company building the hydropower dam that Cáceres opposed. Guardian

1,689 forest fires Number recorded so far this year in India’s Uttarakhand state, eight times the number recorded in 2015. Dry weather and hot temperatures are fueling the fires. Reuters

Science, Studies, and Reports

Large fluctuations in water levels caused by hydropower dams are leading to declines in the abundance of aquatic insects in rivers, according to a study published in the journal BioScience. The study looked at hydropower plants on the Colorado River, and found that changing water levels were harming the reproduction of insects including mayfly and caddis fly. Science Daily

On The Radar

Two people have been arrested in Vietnam for their role in protests over mass fish kills. Though the government has not found a link between the mysterious fish deaths and wastewater pollution from a steel plant, the rare protests have continued. Radio Free Asia

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