The Stream, October 24: Amazon River Dredging Threatens Food Sources of Indigenous Groups

The Global Rundown

A major infrastructure project along the Amazon River is set to begin, but indigenous groups fear the developments could threaten their livelihood. Residents of Austin, Texas, are urged to cut water consumption as the city struggles to treat its water. Prolonged drought disrupts shipping along key German waterways. Hurricane Willa makes landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast, bringing flooding and power outages. Tropical storm Luban strikes eastern Yemen, raising disease risk.

“We are concerned that diseases such as cholera and malaria could spread unless immediate action is taken to address the stagnant waters.” –Awak Mubarak, a Yemeni health official, in reference to the aftermath of tropical storm Luban, which struck Yemen’s eastern province of al-Mahra last week. Twelve people were killed by the storm, and officials remain concerned about possible disease outbreaks. Al Jazeera

Latest WaterNews from Circle of Blue

What’s Up With Water – October 22, 2018 – “What’s Up With Water” condenses the need-to-know news on the world’s water into a weekly snapshot. Coverage this week includes: Water contamination on indigenous reserves in Canada and an agreement on the Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes.

HotSpots H2O, October 22: Lithium Miners Battle for Water in Chile’s Atacama Desert — As lithium operations expand in the Atacama desert, concerns about water availability are increasing.

By The Numbers

105 million gallons Water being produced each day by water treatment plants in Austin, Texas. Last week, heavy rainfall washed mud, silt, and other debris into the city’s supply lakes. Treatment plants are struggling to adequately filter the dirtied water, and Austin is under a citywide boil water advisory. Residents, who are currently consuming 120 million gallons of water per day, are urged to cut their water consumption until the advisory is lifted. NPR

$95 million Cost of the Amazon Waterway Project, which intends to deepen and widen key shipping pathways along the Amazon river. Indigenous groups fear that the dredging, which is set to begin in 2020, could threaten food security, safety, and river ecosystems. Al Jazeera

Science, Studies, And Reports

Months of drought have depleted major waterways across Germany, including the River Rhine. The dry spell has drastically affected shipping and transportation, and officials say the country needs “extended, intense, widespread rainfall” in order to boost water levels. Phys.org

On The Radar

Hurricane Willa made landfall along Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm, which maximum winds of 120 mph (195 kph). The storm caused flooding and power outages throughout the region, and up to 18 inches of rain are expected in some areas. Reuters

Kayla Ritter

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