The Stream, July 31: Pakistan Faces Major Water Quality Challenge in Sindh
The Global Rundown
The majority of water sources in Karachi, Pakistan are unfit for drinking, a report found. Australia will conduct an independent review of state compliance with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. A last-minute deal allowed Rome to avoid water rationing amid a severe drought. Floods in Sri Lanka have contributed to a major outbreak of dengue. In Thailand, heavy rains triggered the worst flooding to hit Sakon Nakhon in two decades.
“We avoided 1.5 million people ending up without water. It is good news for everyone! But we will not let our guard down.” –Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, writing on Twitter after the city reached a deal allowing it to continue supplying water from Lake Bracciano. Lake levels have dropped by about one meter, and officials had considered rationing water last week due to a regional drought. (Reuters)
By The Numbers
109,000 dengue cases Number recorded in Sri Lanka since the beginning of the year, four times the annual average. Health officials blame the outbreak in part on heavy rains and flooding, which create breeding sites for the mosquitoes that carry the disease. Reuters
18 districts Number in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand that were inundated by severe floods over the weekend. It is the worst flooding event in the province in two decades. Bangkok Post
Science, Studies, And Reports
Nearly 91 percent of water sources sampled in Karachi, Pakistan do not meet drinking water safety standards, according to a report submitted this month by a taskforce organized by the country’s Supreme Court to assess drinking water quality in Sindh province. Overall, the report found that 83.5 percent of the water in nearly half of the province’s 29 districts is unfit to drink. The Third Pole
On The Radar
Australia will undertake an independent review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to assess if states are properly complying with the plan’s provisions, according to the prime minister. The plan, which aims to restore the river basin, was thrown into doubt last week after an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A report detailing the review’s findings is expected in December. Guardian
In context: The Biggest Dry tests Australia’s ability to cope with new and dangerous water conditions.
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
