The Stream, August 11, 2021: Piazza San Marco Underwater In Rare Summer Flood

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• Rare summer floods submerge the famed Piazza San Marco in Venice in up to a meter of water.
• Water from 20 cities in Pakistan is unsafe to drink.
• The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District discharges untreated stormwater into Lake Michigan amid heavy rains.
• India will require refineries and fertilizer plants to begin using green hydrogen.

Livestock are dying off in Kazakhstan amid historic drought.

“Heat waves aren’t just uncomfortable, they’re also deadly to humans, and to animals.” – Nerilie Abram, a climate scientists at Australian National University. Amid one of its worst droughts in living memory, animals like horses, sheep, and cows are dying at an alarming rate across Kazakhstan, The Washington Post reports. A dry winter and spring, followed by a prolonged heat wave this summer, have left food and water reserves exhausted. Scientists are concerned about animals ability to survive and adapt to more frequent heatwaves and rising average temperatures worldwide.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

Three River Communities, Worlds Apart, Tell Stories of Indigeneity in the Age of the Anthropocene

On the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, the Dry River separates two regions that have divergent histories. St. Vincent’s larger cities–the more technologically developed southern communities of Georgetown, Kingston, and Biabou–are quite different from those on the opposite side of the dry meander.

Sometimes referred to as “Over the River” territory, or “OTR” for short, the island’s northern parts also go by the name written on a sign that juts from the sprawling landform’s parched banks: “Carib Country.” Their story on this island–though foremost one of beauty, cultural pride, and resilience–is heavily shaped by colonialism and environmental racism.

In Case You Missed It:

“We Can’t Have Land Back Without Water Back” – Julia Bernal came of age while living in a watershed turned upside down by dams and diversions. Now an activist, she campaigns for Indigenous rights – and the water to sustain them. 

HotSpots H2O: Argentina’s Paraná River Drops to 77-Year Low, Resulting in Economic Loss and Wildfires – Stretching over 3,000 miles, the Paraná River supports rainforest diversity, Indigenous ancestral homes, and Argentina’s economy. But today the river’s water level is the lowest since 1944, the result of a prolonged drought upriver, in southern Brazil.

Rare Summer Floods Submerge Famed Venice Plaza

Rare summer flooding left Venice’s famed Piazza San Marco was submerged in up to a meter of water Sunday night. Reuters reports that high water incidents in Venice are becoming more common as sea levels rise and land subsidence causes the ground level of the city to sink.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

20 CITIES

According to data from the Imran Khan government, more than 50 percent of water from various sources in 20 cities in Pakistan is unsafe to drink, the Hindustan Times reports. According to Parliamentary Secretary National Health Services Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Pakistan’s water availability has fallen 400 percent since its independence.

6 INCHES

As much as six inches of rain has fallen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since Friday. WISN reports the heavy rain overwhelmed the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s stormwater drainage system, forcing officials to release untreated stormwater into Lake Michigan.

ON THE RADAR

India will require refineries and fertilizer plants to begin using green hydrogen, a zero-carbon fuel made using power from wind and solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. According to Reuters, that a draft of the legislation, prepared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, was under ministerial consultation. The move comes amid India’s push to reduce their own carbon emissions.

Jane Johnston

Jane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was the host of the Community Service Learning Center podcast Be the Change. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jane enjoys listening to music, reading and spending time outdoors.