The Stream, June 22, 2021: Tropical Storm Claudette Regains Strength As It Hits North Carolina

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• Tropical Storm Claudette brings heavy rain to Alabama, parts of North Carolina, and other southern U.S. states.
• A UK utility will construct a major sewer pipeline to reduce flood risk for locals.
• A desalination plant in Dubai increases its production capacity as demand for water continues to rise.
• A UN report calls for governments to be proactive and implement adaptive strategies to combat global drought.

Two major initiatives in the Philippines aim to preserve land and water in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

“(The initiative) will provide the necessary data and information to support decisions on water resources development for water supply that are more resilient to climate change and variability. It also seeks to establish technology enhanced information and decision support system for the conservation and protection of the rivers and watersheds of the Cordilleras.” – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña. The DOST has launched two major research programs in the Philippines to preserve mountains in the Cordillera Administrative Region and ensure water security and climate resilience for the region’s indigenous communities. The Manila Bulletin reports that the first program will establish a “Mountain Engineering Center” and boost the region’s agricultural, tourism, and mobility sectors. The second program aims to supply clean and safe water to mountain communities, especially during the dry season.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

In Case You Missed It:

Hotspots H2O: Longstanding Drought in Iran Begets Farmer Protests, Power Outages, and Widespread Water Rationing – A decades-long drought in one of the warming world’s most arid regions, heightened by what many consider to be governmental mismanagement, has set the state for a severe, dangerously dry 2021.

What’s Up With Water – June 21, 2021 – This week’s episode covers steps taken by leaders of Arab countries on a controversial dam project in the Nile basin, a new study that is sounding the alarm on groundwater depletion in Iran, and drinking water supplies for more than 500,000 Iowa residents are at risk from drought and toxic algal blooms.

Tropical Storm Claudette Tears Through Alabama, North Carolina

Tropical Storm Claudette was responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people over the weekend, and regained tropical storm strength early on Monday as it reached areas of North Carolina, the New York Times reports. The storm is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone by Tuesday afternoon and dissipate Tuesday night. Claudette is the third named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which forecasters have predicted will bring 13 to 20 named storms.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

£8.5 MILLION ($10.1 MILLION)

Thames Water, a major utility in the United Kingdom, will spend an estimated £8.5 million ($10.1 million) on a sewer pipeline in the Cotswolds, GloucestershireLive reports. The pipeline, which includes 1,800 individual sections of pipe between Chesterton and Shorncote, is an attempt to spare residents from future flooding events.

490 MILLION IMPERIAL GALLONS (588 MILLION GALLONS)

Arab News reports that the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority boosted its desalination production capacity to 490 million imperial gallons (588 million gallons) per day. The water will be produced at the Jebel Ali power plant and desalination complex, one of many plants built to meet rising demand for water and electricity due to Dubai’s growth.

ON THE RADAR

A recent United Nations report said that drought could devastate our world, just as the Covid-19 pandemic has, if countries do not take urgent action on climate change. The GAR Special Report on Drought 2021 found that actual damage and costs from drought are wildly underestimated due to “widespread and cascading impacts” and that drought can increase instability of ecosystems and social systems, especially in rural areas. The report calls on governments to be proactive and implement adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of drought.

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.