The Stream, December 7: Poor Sanitation Sickens Refugees in Greece’s Moria Camp
The Global Rundown
New Jersey pushes for stricter limits on the amount of perfluorinated chemicals allowed in drinking water. Sanitation conditions deteriorate among the 6,000 people living in Greece’s Moria refugee camp. In Michigan, the Detroit Water and Sewage Department shuts off over 17,000 delinquent residential water accounts. New research shows that trees in the Amazon floodplain release as much methane as the world’s oceans. As another flood inundates Thailand, villagers criticize the government’s inaction on improving water infrastructure.
“Before people come to Moria, they aren’t ill, but everyone becomes sick once they are there.” –Ely Qias, an Afghani refugee, in reference to the conditions at Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Over 6,000 refugees are being held on the island, where sanitation conditions have largely deteriorated. Al Jazeera
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By The Numbers
17,689 Number of residential water accounts that were shut off by the Detroit water department due to delinquency. Shutoffs are down 20 percent from this period in 2016, but advocacy groups are still concerned by the high numbers. The Detroit News
In context: Water affordability is a new civil rights movement in the United States.
3.4 percent Proportion of New Jersey’s public water systems that tested positive for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) between 2013 and 2015, nearly double the national average. Officials in New Jersey are looking to impose stricter limits on the amount of PFOS and other perfluorinated chemicals allowed in the state’s water. The New York Times
In context: New Jersey sets first binding state limits for perfluorinated chemicals in drinking water.
Science, Studies, And Reports
Trees growing in floodplains along the Amazon River emit as much methane into the atmosphere as all of the earth’s ocean, according to research by The Open University. The trees are responsible for emitting between 15.1 and 21.2 million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere each year. Science Daily
On The Radar
Monsoon rains have caused recurrent flooding in Thailand this year, as citizens become increasingly frustrated with the government’s lack of response. Governments change so frequently that projects such as proper drainage or better farming practices are neglected, perpetuating the yearly cycle of devastating floods. Al Jazeera
Kayla Ritter is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she studied International Relations and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently based in Manton, Michigan. Kayla enjoys running, writing, and traveling. Contact Kayla Ritter
