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25 Oct 2023
World Food Day 2023 dedicated to Water – Food Interlinkages
World Food Day, observed annually on the 16th of October, is dedicated to raising awareness on global hunger and to stimulating collective action around food production and food security. Water was central to the theme for 2023, which was:” Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.”. In its publication in honour of World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations focused on one key aspect of water, i...
20 Oct 2023
Dutch Blue Bond is the latest in a trend in sustainable water investments
On the 17th of October, the Netherlands announced that it had taken out a ‘blue bond’ worth € 5 billion which will go towards efforts to mitigate flood risks. The government had hoped to raise between €4 and €5 billion, but the Dutch financial magazine Financieel Dagblad reported that € 18,3 billion in potential investment had been registered by investors, and thus the government took out the full loan of € 4,98 billion...
19 Oct 2023
Rivers and water systems as weapons and casualties of the Ukraine war
In an article published in late September in Earth’s Future , researchers Peter Gleick, Viktor Vyshnevskyi and Serhii Shevchuk provide an overview of the consequences of the Russia – Ukraine war for the main rivers and water infrastructure in Ukraine. The article contributes to the Water Conflict Chronology , an open-source online database that tracks water conflicts around the world from ancient to modern times...
17 Oct 2023
EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting to become mandatory in fiscal year 2024
The reporting of non-financial information (information on environmental, social and governance impacts) is to become mandatory in the European Union for large, listed companies in the fiscal year 2024. The new sustainability disclosure requirements will apply to companies with a turnover of more than € 40 million per year and a balance sheet total of more than €20 million, or companies with more than 250 employees which also fall under one of the above criteria...
12 Oct 2023
Water crisis in Gaza as supplies run critically low
Through a report shared with the Global Observatory on Water and Peace, The Water Diplomat has been made aware of the daily struggle for water that the citizens of Gaza experience Ahmad used to be based in the north of Gaza but had to move south due to bombardments which led to the halting of water supplies in his neighborhood...
11 Oct 2023
Uganda livelihoods and oil exploration in lakes of legend
Legends and Spiritual Meaning It’s cool and breezy by the shores of Lake Wamala, an almost 100-square mile freshwater body a few hours’ drive from Kampala, the Ugandan capital. It’s a home for dozens of birds and fish species, including tilapia, catfish, lungfish, and mudfish, which are sold on the local market...
10 Oct 2023
ADB to Invest $200 Million in Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management in Assam India
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a U.S. $200 million loan for flood and riverbank erosion risk management in Assam, India, along the main channel of the Brahmaputra River. The new loan effectively extends the work of the Assam Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Investment Program (AIFRERMIP) which has been in operation since 2010, financed by the ADB...
10 Oct 2023
Challenges plague the UK's privatized water industry
The United Kingdom, known for its ample rainfall, is grappling with a water crisis that threatens its essential water supply services. Multiple articles highlight the precarious state of the UK's privatized water industry, with a specific focus on Thames Water, the primary supplier to over a fifth of the UK's population...
10 Oct 2023
IAEA monitors discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency is playing a key role internationally in monitoring and sharing the data related to the release of pre-treated water from storage facilities at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has requested the assistance of the IAEA with regard to the controlled release of ALPS-treated water into the sea from the power station...
10 Oct 2023
Global urban growth in high flood risk areas outpaces settlement in safe areas
In an article published in the journal Nature this month, researchers have noted that human settlements are expanding into hazardous flood zones faster than in safe areas. The researchers analysed statistics on urban settlement patterns between 1985 and 2015 and compared this to the evolution of flood exposure of settlements over time...
10 Oct 2023
Urban Water Catalyst Initiative about to commence implementation
The Urban Water Catalyst Initiative (UWCI), an initiative announced at the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York in March this year, is on the point of supporting its first utilities. The initiative, spearheaded by the German government and supported by the government of the Netherlands, seeks to be a ‘game changer’ in financing a water secure and climate resilient future...
10 Oct 2023
China: more floods and fears for food security
Flooding hit southern China again in September. On September 8, heavy rains hit Hong Kong and southern China. Over 600 mm of rain fell overnight, representing a quarter of the city's average annual rainfall. The Hong Kong Observatory said it had recorded 158.1 millimeters (6.2 inches) of rain in an hour, the highest one-hour record since records began in 1884...