BLOG
The Politics of Drought
February 24th, 2018
Courtesy of The Economist, an article on Cape Town’s water crisis: AT THE edge of Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, Ntombi Mlityalwa is filling a huge old paint tin from a standpipe, with which she intends to do laundry. As water gushes, she says that it is not always so easy. The tap she is […]
Read more »Africa’s Manmade Water Crisis
February 20th, 2018
Via Project Syndicate, commentary on how the imminent shutdown of Cape Town’s piped water network should serve as a wake-up call for all of Africa to overhaul urban water-management systems but may not: About a decade ago, at a meeting of South African mayors convened by Lindiwe Hendricks, South Africa’s then-minister of water and environmental […]
Read more »The Parched Tiger: India’s Top Court Steps In To help Thirsty Tech Hub
February 20th, 2018
Via Terra Daily, a report on India’s top court’s decision to send more water to Bangalore: India’s water-starved tech hub Bangalore received a much-needed boost on Friday when the country’s top court altered a river-sharing arrangement in its favour, ruling on a bitter dispute that dates back more than a century. The Supreme Court said […]
Read more »Iran: Placing Restrictions On Farming Amid Drought
February 18th, 2018
Via The Iran Project, a report on Iran’s decision to place restrictions on farming amid water shortages: Amid low precipitation and water shortage, the government is going to place restrictions on the cultivation of crops in areas of the country where underground water resources are at alarming levels as of the upcoming Iranian year (starting March […]
Read more »Climate Change and Water Scarcity: Long-Simmering Factors In Iran Unrest
February 14th, 2018
Via the Los Angeles Times, a look at the role that climate change and water scarcity have in Iran’s current unsettled times: In the mountains of western Iran, the province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari is known for mile-high lagoons, flowing rivers and wetlands that attract thousands of species of migratory birds. But years of diminishing rainfall have […]
Read more »Iran Drought Here to Stay
February 14th, 2018
Via The Financial Tribune, an article on how the prospect of Iran’s drought recovery is bleak with precipitation continuing to decline for decades: Latest statistics by the National Drought Warning and Monitoring Center show that this year’s autumn (Sept. 23-Dec. 21) was the driest over the past 67 years, with precipitation levels declining by 53% […]
Read more »