Food Shortages Loom Again in Somalia, But Refugees Can’t Escape Water Crisis

Food Shortages Loom Again in Somalia, But Refugees Can’t Escape Water Crisis

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Poor rains have led to crop failures in Somalia, and the threat of food price increases could push parts of the country back into famine. Meanwhile, there is little relief for those who fled to neighboring Kenya, as the refugee camps there are facing water shortages.

The Birth of a Drought Report: Behind the Scenes with the People Who Produce the U.S. Drought Monitor

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Drought blankets much of the United States. Each week, hundreds…
Droughts Hit World’s Agricultural Regions: Without Water, U.S. Corn Crop Faces Setbacks

Droughts Hit World’s Agricultural Regions: Without Water, U.S. Corn Crop Faces Setbacks

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Droughts have struck food-producing regions in the United States,…
Rio + 20

Rio+20 Wrap-Up

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Even before it started, the global freshwater crisis was a focus of the 10-day Rio+20 summit that ended on June 22. In fact, UN-Water hosted “Water Day” on June 19, the day before the three-day high level UN conference that culminated the summit
Groundwater Rescues New Mexico Farmers

In These Dry Times, Groundwater Rescues New Mexico Farmers

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Surface water allocations last year were 10 percent of normal,…
Walton-006

Forecasting Western U.S. Water Supply in 2012: La Niña Again Delivers a Wet North and a Dry South

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As water availability data starts coming in, this year's water allocations and the potential consequences for irrigation, hydropower, wildfires, and flooding are being assessed — La Niña weather patterns have returned this year, but water supply conditions generally are not as extreme as they were 2011.

Draft Plan for Australia’s Murray-Darling Reignites Old Flames

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After the 20-week public consultations ended last week, three key basin states have rejected the proposed plan, and more than 60 Australian academics have slammed the document for neglecting to include climate change projections and for its lack of transparency.

Not So Wet: England Grapples With Worst Drought in 30 Years

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Dry times in southeastern England are seasoned with the favorite flavors of leaders in the arid American West: drought declarations, water restrictions, a desalination plant, and talk of piping "surplus" water to the south.
The winning design by Richard Vijgen in the World Water Day competition by HeadsUP and Visualizing.org will be on display in New York City's Times Square for one month. Titled “Seasonal and Longterm Changes in Groundwater Levels,” Vijgen's design uses NASA's gravitational data.

Satellite Perspectives: NASA’s GRACE Program Sees Groundwater From Space

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A first-of-its-kind space mission shows dips in groundwater supplies…

Climate Change Alters the Calculus for Water Infrastructure Planning

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Adapting to climate change in the U.S., according to one estimate, will cost at least a half trillion dollars over the next four decades.

India Supreme Court Again Pushes National River Linking Project to Proceed

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This is the second time the court has promoted the mega-project that would link the major rivers in the north with those in the south as a way to better manage water, moving it from areas of perceived surplus to areas without sufficient supplies.

Food vs. Water: High Commodity Prices Complicate Aquifer Protection in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

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Decades of groundwater pumping have left one of the San Luis Valley aquifers in a perilous state. To restore its health — and the foundation of the local economy — valley leaders are developing a plan to pay farmers to fallow up to 16,000 hectares. But with commodity prices soaring, will anyone go for it, or will the state have to step in?