The Stream, September 20: Pakistan Hopes to Crowdfund $12.4 Billion for Hydroelectric Dams

The Global Rundown

Pakistan attempts to crowdfund $12.4 billion to build two new hydroelectric dams. Rain and floods from Hurricane Florence continue to swamp farms and inundate manure lagoons in the Carolinas. Zimbabwe asks citizens and companies for $35 million to help combat an ongoing cholera outbreak. North Ireland Water is fined £80,000 ($105,000) following several pollution incidents. Seventeen districts in Maharashtra, India, face water scarcity after below-average monsoon rains. April to July 2018 was the warmest four-month period in Germany since record-keeping began.

“People are contributing because there is a national fervour for a project that attempts to address a problem [a countrywide water shortage] that people have obviously realised is a serious one,” –Umair Javed, a Pakistani political scientists, in reference to the Pakistani government’s attempt to crowdfund $12.4 billion for two major hydroelectric dams. Critics argue that the initiative, which has raised $29.1 million since July,  is unrealistic and poorly regulated. Al Jazeera

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By The Numbers

31 People killed by an ongoing cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, which has sickened more than 5,000 people in total. In response, the government is calling on citizens and local companies to help raise $35 million to fight the disease and update crumbling water infrastructure. Reuters

1,900 Fish that died in a 2016 fish kill caused by North Ireland Water. The company was recently fined £20,000 for the incident, along with another £60,000 for two separate sewage discharges in 2017. The company says it has taken measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. BBC

Science, Studies, And Reports

A report by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) found that the four-month period of April to July 2018 in Germany was the warmest it has been since records began in 1881. The heat, along with dry weather conditions, also left 90 percent of the country in drought. Phys.org

On The Radar

The animal death toll from Hurricane Florence continues to rise, with 3.4 million poultry birds and 5,500 hogs reportedly killed by floodwaters, bypassing the number of livestock killed by 2016’s Hurricane Matthew. The number of manure lagoons inundated by flooding has also exceed 2016 totals. Reuters

Spotlight: India

Follow The Stream for daily coverage on India’s water crisis.

Despite torrential monsoon rains in parts of India, certain areas saw little precipitation. In the state of Maharashtra, seventeen districts are facing potential water scarcity after below-average rainfall. Collectively, reservoir levels in the region are at 28.81 percent. At this time last year, several area dams were at 80 percent capacity. The Indian Express

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