The Stream, June 11, 2021: Proposal Would Cut Individual Water Use In Delhi By 17 Percent

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• The Delhi Development Authority proposes to cut daily water use by 17 percent over 20 years.
• Water managers could restore depleted groundwater basins in California by capturing floodwaters, a study finds.
• A new report says three million people in Afghanistan are at risk as drought worsens.
• A rural Canadian community could receive clean tap water for the first time in more than two decades.

An Indigenous community in Bolivia struggles to survive as the country’s second-largest lake runs completely dry.

“Our grandfathers thought the lake would last all their lives, and now my people are near extinction because our source of life has been lost.” – Luis Valero, leader of the Uru communities around Lake Poopo in Bolivia. The Associated Press reports that as Bolivia’s second-largest lake has dried up an Indigenous group that depended on its waters is struggling to keep their culture alive. The Uru people have lived along the shores of Lake Poopo for generations. Now, without lake water for farming, many have left the community. Three small settlements of around 635 people remain, leaving the community scrambling to find ways to revive their cultural legacies and continue to make a living.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

In Case You Missed It:

Michigan’s Climate-Ready Future: Wetland Parks, Less Cement, Roomy Shores– As climate change alters our world, Michigan’s bounty of fresh water could be the foundation of a thriving state economy and superior quality of life. 

Feds Release First Slice of Water Bill Assistance Funds – Initial distributions will help states, tribes, and territories set up the first-ever federal water bill assistance program.

Captured Floodwaters Could Restore Depleted Groundwater Basins, Study Finds

By capturing floodwaters, water managers could restore depleted groundwater basins, Inside Climate News reports. A recent study found that the increase in floodwater available to replenish over-drafted aquifers in California over the next 30 years would be enough to fill between 192,000 and 232,000 Olympic swimming pools each year.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

3 MILLION AFGHANS 

Amid worsening conflict and the socioeconomic impacts of Covid-19, a new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council found that more than three million Afghans are likely to face a water crisis as drought becomes more extreme. Many residents who lived through the 2018 drought have already sold off their livestock and household assets to prepare for the coming year.

50 GALLONS PER CAPITA DAILY

In a proposed development plan, the Delhi Development Authority has suggested water use be cut over the next 20 years from 60 gallons per capita daily to 50 gallons, the Times of India reports. The plan, which has not been finalized, found massive declines in groundwater levels and heavy river pollution throughout Delhi, recommending several strategies to reduce water demand, including “treating wastewater for non-potable uses” and “low water consumption plumbing fixtures.”

ON THE RADAR

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan is attempting to secure $1.7 million in federal funding to update the water treatment plant in Uranium City, a rural community that has been under water advisories since 2001. The CBC reports that funding would come from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which is currently upgrading other infrastructure upgrades in Saskatchewan cities like Brabant Lake and Stanley Mission.

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.