The Stream, August 3, 2021: Far-Reaching Wetland Restoration Plan Approved In New Mexico

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• A newly approved restoration plan will improve watershed health and water quality in New Mexico.
• More than half of rainwater harvesting systems in Gurugram, India, that have been checked in the last two weeks are clogged and dysfunctional, an internal report finds.
• Monsoon rains displace more than 200,000 people inside Bangladesh’s refugee camps.
• Activists in the United Kingdom are asking government officials to create a flash flood warning system as extreme weather events become more frequent.

Victims of flooding in a Taliban-controlled Afghani province are cut off from aid.

“Unfortunately, (since) the area is under control of the Taliban, we were unable to send our provincial teams to the area.” – Tamim Azimi, spokesman for Afghanistan’s state ministry for disaster management. Flooding in the remote, Taliban-controlled Afghani province of Nuristan has killed at least 113 people, Al Jazeera reports. The destruction of a major bridge in the Kamdesh district has hampered aid efforts by Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, which said it has been unable to provide food, temporary shelter, and medical support to victims.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

In Case You Missed It:

HotSpots H2O: Indigenous Communities, Biodiversity Along Brazil-Peru Border Threatened by Highway Construction – Canopied by rubber trees and sprawling vines with apple-sized nuts, Acre state in northwest Brazil frames earth’s portrait of natural beauty. And lurching too across Acre state, a highway heaves its concrete girth.

What’s Up With Water – August 2, 2021 – This week’s episode covers deadly protests over water shortages in Iran, an emergency declaration in Argentina amid dwindling water levels in a major waterway, Saudi Arabia’s suspension of a multi-billion-dollar sale of a stake in the world’s largest desalination plant, and record lows in the second-largest reservoir in the United States.

New Mexico Restoration Plan to Improve Watershed Health and Water Quality

U.S. Forest Service officials approved a far-reaching wetlands restoration plan in New Mexico, the Associated Press reports. The plan aims to enhance wildlife habitats, watershed health and water quality while countering the effects of climate change, wildfires, grazing, urbanization, recreation, and invasive species. The plan is controversial among environmental groups, who disagree on how effective the project will be in addressing extensive damage from agriculture.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

54 PERCENT

An internal report from city officials in Gurugram, India, found that 54 percent of rainwater harvesting units that have been checked within the past two weeks were choked and dirty, according to the Hindustan Times. A team of officials has been tasked with inspecting over 400 rainwater harvesting systems throughout the city to ensure their functionality. Of the 84 that have been inspected, only 13 percent are in good condition.

200,000 +

Al Jazeera reports that monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides inside refugee camps in Bangladesh late last week. As of last Friday, more than 200,000 people had been displaced and 21 people, including three children, had been killed.

ON THE RADAR

Flash floods on residential streets are becoming more common as climate change worsens, scientists say. The Independent reports that the United Kingdom, where surface water submersions are now a risk to millions of properties, activists are calling for a national flash flood alert system to warn residents of such events.

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.