The Stream, March 23, 2021: Taiwan Takes Drastic Steps in Face of Intense Drought
YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN
- A lawsuit aimed at preventing an Indigenous tribe in Oregon from exercising their water rights has been dismissed by a federal court.
- Massachusetts gives millions of dollars in grants to public water systems to address PFAS contamination.
- Australia’s east coast is battered by record rainfall.
- A new study warns climate change and urban population growth could dry up groundwater supplies in Tucson, Arizona.
Taiwanese officials take drastic steps to respond to the island’s most serious drought in nearly half a century.
“Nobody wants to lack water. But if the heavens don’t open then that’s not something you or I can control. Though some people say this is a short-term phenomenon, it’s hard to deny this has become a long-term one.” – Chiang Ming-lang, director of the Taiwan Water Resources Agency’s northern region. Reuters reports that as Taiwan continues to suffer from its most serious drought in nearly 50 years, officials are taking drastic steps to ensure water access. Taiwan is currently drilling wells to supply people in the island’s western region, including the major metropolises of Hsinchu. In an unusual step, the Water Resources Agency sent its top official for central Taiwan to a three-hour religious ceremony to pray for rain for the first time in 58 years.
IN RECENT WATER NEWS
In Case You Missed It:
HotSpots H2O: Following Hurricanes, Water Insecurity Spikes in Nicaragua – Since Hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated Nicaragua last winter, an estimated 500,000 people along the northern Caribbean coast do not have access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities.
What’s Up With Water – March 22, 2021 – This week’s episode covers a lifted citywide boil-water advisory in Mississippi’s capital, new research out of the University of California, Santa Barbara that examines the physical links between rivers and aquifers and California state regulators who are developing the world’s first guidelines for small plastic particles in drinking water.
Native American Water Rights Lawsuit Dismissed in Oregon
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by Oregon ranchers in an attempt to prevent the Klamath Tribes from exercising their water rights when they interfere with Oregon ranchers’ irrigation. Jurist reports that the ranchers alleged several injuries as a result of the federal government and the Klamath Tribes collaborating on water use. Ultimately, the court sided with the tribes, saying their water rights superseded the rights of the ranchers according to an 1864 treaty.
TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS
$3 MILLION
Massachusetts awarded $3 million in grants from the state’s Clean Water Trust to 17 public water systems. The Associated Press reports that the funds will support efforts to address PFAS contamination in water systems, including the design and planning of treatment systems that protect drinking water against the harmful compounds.
1-IN-100-YEAR FLOOD
Parts of the mid-north coast of New South Wales (NSW) faced a “one-in-100-year” flooding event, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday. Axios reports that Australia’s east coast continues to experience record rainfall as thousands were evacuated over the weekend in NSW.
ON THE RADAR
A new U.S. Bureau of Reclamation study warns that rising temperatures and urban population growth in the future could reduce the amount of renewable water going into Tucson, Arizona’s aquifer, Tucson.com reports. Based on a number of computer model analyses, the study projects that in a very hot future climate, the aquifer, by 2060, could hold less than half the amount of groundwater that it would hold if the climate stayed the same and growth became more compact.
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.
It seems that Taiwan drought is very severe. Top soil of the land is completely dry. This means the water table is gone very much below in the earth. Now wells are being dug in search of water, we fear that, the water available through wells may not be the potable water. Less rainfall in Taiwan may be due to change in rain water cycle, because of more industrial pollution. Also the deep under ground water is used profusely for industries. It is a classic example of global warming. Necessary action be taken to eliminate causes of global warming.