The Stream, May 8: Delhi Water Minister Ousted Amid Controversy

The Global Rundown

Government officials in India fired the Delhi water minister — a move he claims was politically motivated. The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recused himself from legal cases involving the Clean Water Rule. Flooding in Quebec has affected more than 100 Canadian cities in the past week. Residents of Bengaluru, India face erratic and reduced water service amid a supply shortage. Researchers suspect a die-off of leopard sharks in California’s San Francisco Bay is linked to flood control efforts and polluted runoff. Saudi Arabia is moving forward with construction of the Yanbu water and power project.

“This recusal statement addresses all of my ethics obligations.” –Scott Pruitt, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in a statement removing himself from legal cases involving the federal Clean Water Rule and Clean Power Plan, two initiatives he fought as the attorney general of Oklahoma. (Reuters)

In context: Why Trump can’t repeal the Clean Water Rule with a pen stroke.

By The Numbers

124 cities Number affected by flooding in Quebec during the past week. Officials in the Canadian province said they recorded the strongest water flows in more than half a century. Reuters

42 percent Proportion of water being lost to leakage in the primary water system serving Bengaluru, India. A water shortage means many residents are experiencing water cuts, but authorities insist reservoir supplies will sustain the city through next month. The Times of India

550,000 cubic meters of water Expected daily capacity of Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu water and power project. The desalination facility will begin operating next year, and is also slated to generate 2,500 megawatts of electricity. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

Hundreds of leopard sharks died in San Francisco Bay during the past two months, a time when they breed, according to scientists at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Researchers suspect the deaths may be linked to flood control efforts that inadvertently trap the sharks in shallow lagoons, where they are sickened by fungal blooms and polluted runoff. SFGate

On The Radar

Government officials in India removed Delhi’s water minister from his post over the weekend, citing a lack of progress on the city’s water supply problems. The minister, Kapil Mishra, claimed instead that his firing occurred after he threatened to expose individuals complicit in an alleged corruption scandal involving water tankers. Hindustan Times