Entries by Kayla Ritter

HotSpots H2O: New UN Report Details Global Progress and Problems With Access to Safe Water and Sanitation

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A new report by WHO and UNICEF finds that 2.2 billion people live far below contemporary standards for safe water and sanitation.

The Stream, June 21, 2019: Snowmelt Rejuvenates Colorado River, Rio Grande

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The Global Rundown Snowmelt replenishes the Colorado River, the Rio Grande, and other waterways across the southwestern United States. The Islamic State group continues to deliberately torch fields in Iraq, just as the country welcomes its first strong crop in years. Monsoon rains reach drought-stricken Maharashtra, India. Severe storms delay wheat sowing in Argentina, but […]

The Stream, June 20, 2019: Authorities in Chennai, India, Criticized as City’s Four Main Reservoirs Run Dry

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The Global Rundown Authorities in Chennai, India, are criticized for the city’s extreme water shortage. Namibia plans to auction off hundreds of wild animals as water sources run dry in the country’s national parks. Costa Rica manages to keep its electricity production clean even amid drought. Capacity in the Kariba Dam, the key source of […]

The Stream, June 19, 2019: Louisiana Governor Calls for Disaster Declaration as Flooding Devastates Fishing Industry

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The Global Rundown The governor of Louisiana asks the U.S. government to declare a fisheries disaster as flooding disrupts oyster, crab, and shrimp catches. Ammonia and nitrogen is washing into UK waterways and polluting over 60 percent of the nation’s land area. Rising waterways in Michigan heightened the risk of electric shock deaths. A new […]

The Stream, June 18, 2019: India Hopes to Provide Drinking Water to All Rural Homes by 2024, PM Says

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The Global Rundown Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces ambitious plan to pipe clean water to all rural homes by 2024. Israel installs a fourth water pipeline into Gaza. A new study warns that rising global temperatures could bring more severe drought and flooding to Africa than previously thought. A week of rain arrives is […]

HotSpots H2O: Violence Flares in India Amid Record Heat and Delayed Monsoon Rains

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India’s monsoon, essential for the country’s water supply, arrived a week late this year, testing the patience of a country where extreme weather is fraying the social fabric.

The Stream, June 14, 2019: Prosecutors Dismiss Criminal Charges in Flint Water Crisis Cases

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The Global Rundown The Michigan Department of the Attorney General unexpectedly dismisses criminal charges in eight cases linked to the Flint water crisis. Cyclone Vayu turns away from Gujarat, India, and is now expected to only skirt the coast. Queensland, Australia, approves groundwater plans for the controversial Carmichael coal mine. India’s sugar output could tumble […]

The Stream, June 13, 2019: UK Flood Defenses Prevent $1.4bn in Yearly Damages, Analysis Shows

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The Global Rundown Flood defenses in the United Kingdom are preventing $1.4 billion in damages each year, a new study estimates. Overwhelming heat and drought drive families out of rural India. A deluge in southern China earlier this month left 49 people dead, authorities say. Australia’s federal court rules that the government did not properly […]

The Stream, June 12, 2019: Nitrate Pollution in U.S. Drinking Water May Cause 12,500 Cancer Cases Annually

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The Global Rundown Nitrate pollution in U.S. drinking water could be linked to more than 12,000 cancer cases annually. A severe cyclone closes in on the Indian state of Gujarat, forcing 300,000 people to evacuate. Officials in Norway say they still haven’t found the cause of water contamination that sickened dozens on the island of […]

Pesticides, Antibiotics, Heavy Metals Tarnish Europe’s Waterways

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New chemicals and medicines are being developed, then leaching into waterways, faster than researchers can study them.

The Stream, June 11, 2019: Barge Traffic Across the Midwestern U.S. Slowed by High River Levels

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The Global Rundown Flooding in the midwestern United States halts barge traffic. A new state budget announced in California omits a controversial water tax. Many residents of Abidjan, the largest city in the Ivory Coast, are still kilometers away from a clean water source. India’s monsoon rains arrive a week later than usual. Despite lessening […]

HotSpots H2O: Somalia on the Edge of Famine After Driest Rainy Season In Decades

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Somalia’s current rainy season has failed, a situation that the United Nations warns could leave a third of the country’s residents food insecure by July.