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6 Jul 2023
FAO launches Global Dialogue on Water Tenure
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has launched the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure, which commenced at the UN 2023 Water Conference in March this year. According to Sasha Koo-Oshima, Deputy Director of the FAO Land and Water Division, the dialogue will address the increasingly pressing issue of water allocation under scenarios of diminishing freshwater resources due to climate change and evolving needs for water...
5 Jul 2023
Afghanistan and Iran seek solution over the waters of the Helmand River
Amid a recent drought in south-eastern Iran, the dispute between Afghanistan and Iran over the rights to the waters of the Helmand River have re-emerged, leading to violent clashes. A violent incident took place on the 27th of May in which Iranian border guards and Taliban fighters opened fire, killing two people...
5 Jul 2023
Thames Water: Privatised water utility faces insolvency
Thames Water, the U.K.’s largest water utility which provides water supplies to some 10 million clients in London and the Thames Valley, is facing the threat of insolvency, with some U.S. $ 17.5 billion in accumulated debt. The debt is secured by some U.S. $ 22.7 billion in operating assets, and the threat of insolvency comes despite an investment of U...
3 Jul 2023
Conflict, water shortages and humanitarian responses in Sudan
Fighting between rival factions of Sudan’s military that erupted in mid-April has led to a worsening humanitarian situation in the country which includes increasing shortages of water and food. Fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in various cities on the 15th of April...
30 Jun 2023
Paris Climate Finance Pact Summit: no clear decisions but increased momentum
France hosted an international summit on a new global financial pact on finance on the 22nd and 23rd of June. The summit aimed amongst others to create financial breathing space for countries facing financial difficulties, to promote private sector investment in low-income countries, to encourage investment in ‘green’ infrastructure, and to respond to the financial needs of countries vulnerable to climate change...
29 Jun 2023
Is the Jet Stream changing weather patterns in the northern hemisphere?
Social media comments by atmospheric scientists and meteorologists on the 20th of June likened the unusual shape of the global jet stream currents to a Van Gogh painting, setting off a range of media reports on the persistent heat dome across North America. Atmospheric scientists have expressed concern over the ‘meandering’ of the jet stream air currents during summers in the northern hemisphere...
27 Jun 2023
ICIMOD report calls for urgent international action to save the Hindu Kush Himalayan Cryosphere
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has released a report detailing changes to the glaciers, snow and permafrost in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH). The report, produced by the eight-nation mountain monitoring body, is the most detailed and accurate report to date on the HKH region, and it warns of accelerated disappearance of glaciers over the past decade as well as an impending cascade of impacts of climate change in the region which will affect one quarter of the world’s population...
27 Jun 2023
Delhi Constructs More Rainwater Harvesting Pits
The New Delhi Public Works Department has announced that it has constructed an additional 82 rainwater harvesting pits to capture water during the monsoon and recharge aquifers. The pits were constructed at waterlogging hotspots in the city along the margins of roads to prevent waterlogging. The Delhi administration made the installation of rainwater harvesting systems mandatory in 2012 for all plots exceeding an area of 100 m²...
26 Jun 2023
Uruguay Declares Water Emergency
Uruguay President Luis Lacalle Pou declared a state of emergency in the capital Montevideo on the 20th of June following drops in the levels of the city’s supply reservoir. Uruguay is currently facing its worst drought in 74 years. The city of Montevideo relies for its water supply on the Paso Severino Dam which has a potential storage capacity of 70 million m³, but dams levels have been dropping and reached just 4...
23 Jun 2023
Tanzania to launch U.S. $ 20 billion water investment programme
The government of Tanzania has announced that it will launch a U.S. $ 20 billion water investment programme in the course of 2023. The aim of the programme, which will run from 2023 to 2030, will be to boost water security in Tanzania through investments in four key areas. The first of these, accounting for 40% of investments, is investment in social well-being: investments to improve access to water and sanitation services, the promotion of gender equality and social inclusion, and livelihood improvement...
22 Jun 2023
The Destruction of Nova Kakhovka Dam: a review
The Nova Kakhovka Dam, Ukraine’s largest dam by volume with a reservoir containing approximately 18 km³ of water, was destroyed on the 6th of June, releasing a high energy wave down the Dnieper River that caused catastrophic flooding. The floods have so far caused 45 confirmed fatalities, destroyed villages, inundated farmland and cut off clean water supplies in the lower section of the Dnieper River for more than 1 million people...
20 Jun 2023
First International Treaty on High Seas Adopted
The world’s first international treaty to protect international high seas was adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on Monday the 19th of June. The treaty requires 60 countries to ratify it in order for it to enter into force. This follows the completion of more than 15 years of negotiation among more than 150 countries to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of ocean biodiversity...