The Stream, July 24: Drought May Force Rome To Ration Water

The Global Rundown

Rome may begin rationing water as early as Wednesday amid a severe drought. Rising sea levels in Florida could displace more than a million people by the end of the century, scientists found. Flooding in Japan forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend. Saudi Arabia may be preparing to sell parts of its water distribution network. Paris is working to clean up and reopen city waterways that have been off-limits to the public.

“It shows a future is possible where we can reverse pollution, where we can make things cleaner and reclaim nature. I hate the smell of bleach and chlorine in public pools. This open-air water is cloudy and you can’t see the bottom, but it makes me feel secure. I feel like I’m taking possession of nature again.” — Gilles, a film director in Paris, after swimming in La Villette canal basin, which the city recently reopened to the public. City officials are working to clean up and reopen Paris waterways where swimming has been banned for decades. (Guardian)

By The Numbers

8 hours per day Possible length of water cuts that could begin Wednesday in Rome if the city is forced to ration supplies amid a severe drought. The dry weather has also destroyed crops across Italy. SF Gate / Associated Press

90,000 people Number in Japan’s Akita prefecture who were ordered to either evacuate or prepare to evacuate their homes over the weekend due to heavy rainfall and flood risks. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Sea levels are rising at a rate of nearly 1 centimeter per year along parts of the Florida coast, according to updated analyses released this year. Scientists found that, within the parameters of moderate sea level rise, more than 1.2 million people in the state could be displaced from coastal communities by the end of the century. Associated Press

In context: The struggle to keep the ocean out of California’s coastal aquifers.

On The Radar

Saudi Arabia may be preparing to sell parts of its water distribution network to private companies as soon as next year. The sale is part of a larger effort to raise money to shift the economy away from its dependence on oil. Bloomberg