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3 Dec 2023
International trade rerouted as Panama Canal cuts traffic due to drought
On the 27th of November the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) launched a programme to auction transits through the canal. The new system will auction the transit three days prior to the route becoming available, and is a response to the strongly reduced availability of water to feed the canal. From the 3rd of November, the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) implemented additional reductions in the number of vessels travelling through the waterway in an effort to conserve water...
3 Dec 2023
Second Global Water Policy Report: Listening to National Water Leaders Published
The Water Policy Group has collaborated with the national water leaders of 92 countries across the world to generate insights into some of the key issues faced by decision makers in the sector. In its 2023 report, which follows on from and builds on its 2021 report, the researchers highlight the responses of water leaders to questions around current risks and challenges, how international processes can best support improved water outcomes at the national level, and issues of integration with other sectors...
3 Dec 2023
Landmark High Court Ruling on UK’s duties to restore and protect waterways
In a judgement believed to be the most significant UK Court ruling on the Water Framework Directive of the last two decades, on the 20th of November, the High Court of Justice in England ruled that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had failed in its duties to review, update and implement measures to restore rivers and other water bodies...
3 Dec 2023
Integrating Transboundary Climate Risks into the Global Goal on Adaptation
In a discussion brief produced by Adaptation Without Borders ahead of COP 28, the authors argue that transboundary climate risks need to be incorporated into the global goal on adaptation. This is important for the first ever five-yearly UNFCCC Global Stocktake, in which countries and stakeholders will make an assessment of progress towards the achievement of the Paris Agreement on climate change...
3 Dec 2023
Providing basic access to water within the planetary limits for surface water
In an article in Nature Sustainability published on the 16th of November, a team of researchers has assessed whether minimum human needs for water could be met around the world by using only surface water. This analysis forms part of a broader assessment of safe ‘earth system boundaries’ for freshwater...
30 Nov 2023
Micro Irrigation in Niger:
In a publication in World Water Policy, researchers Issaka Osman and Gaoh Aboubacar evaluate the current state of development of micro irrigation, an important technology for food security and climate resilience in the Sahelian country Niger. Irrigation is seen as the best way to increase food production and reduce the vulnerability of the country to climate change in Niger following the food crises in the country in 2005 and 2010...
27 Nov 2023
Green Climate Fund's Water Strategy:
In September 2023, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) published the outlines of its water sector strategy under the heading “Running dry: racing against time to secure our water future”. This follows its publication last year of the GCF's draft sectoral guide for water. Water security is central to the activities of the GCF: it has currently mobilized U...
23 Nov 2023
Close to 700 000 people displaced by floods in Somalia
Somali Disaster Management Agency director Mohamud Moalim Abdullahi announced on the 20th of November that 50 people have been killed and 687,235 people have been internally displaced as a result of flash floods in Somalia. The United Nations agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) stated that the number of people displaced by heavy rains and floods in Somalia has doubled in one week from 334,800 in the preceding week...
22 Nov 2023
Harare declares emergency amid cholera outbreak
The city of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, declared a state of emergency on the 17th of November following an outbreak of cholera in the city in which 123 cases and 12 fatalities were recorded. 80% of the cases in Harare were registered in the high-density suburb of Kuwadzana in the northwest of the city...
15 Nov 2023
UNICEF’s 2023 Children’s Climate Risk Supplement released ahead of COP 28
UNICEF has released a 2023 supplement to its 2021 Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) report ahead of COP 28 – the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates from 30 November until 12 December 2023. The supplement reveals an estimate that 1 in 3 children – 739 million children worldwide – are currently living in areas which are living in areas exposed to high or very high water scarcity, a situation which is likely to be compounded by the effects of climate change...
14 Nov 2023
UNECE opens call for input on specifications for Groundwater Resources
On the 1st of November, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s Expert Group on Resource Management announced a call for public comment on a draft document aimed at supporting decision making and reporting on groundwater projects. According to UNECE, effective reporting of groundwater resources is crucial for policy formulation, resource management, and decision-making that aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development...