(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
I’m not sure of which the two I am more worried about: food shortages or water scarcity. A lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality for many people around the world and has serious health consequences. I have read that it affects 4 out of 10 people in the world as water demand has more than tripled over the last half-century. Signs of water scarcity have become commonplace. As for the food situation this year, once again world grain harvest is projected to fall somewhat short of consumption due to a number of factors and the new bete noire, ethanol. United States department of agriculture (USDA) data said that in 2007, production of food grain in world was 22 million metric tonnes short of consumption. This year is projected to be a better harvest but by how much? Will there be enough to store? The price of rice has risen by three-quarters in the past year, that of wheat by 130%, and this economic crisis could not have come at a worst time for developing countries as foreign aid is rapidly dwindling to a trickle.
Fortunately Obama will be in charge, the current WH idiot will be a distant memory and better agricultural policies will be put in place.
This month’s roundup for your perusal:
Water conservation efforts overwhelmed:
SANTA BARBARA. Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) and allied organizations have initiated an ad campaign to draw attention to America’s looming water shortages and the role that population growth plays in the problem. Source
California to cut water deliveries to cities, farms:
California’s Department of Water Resources announced that it planned to cut water deliveries to their second-lowest level ever in 2009, a move that would probably lead to rationing in cities and less planting by farmers. Source
EPA’s Stormwater Program Needs Significant Overhaul:
Washington, D.C. – A report from the National Research Council in Washington, DC suggests that the US Environmental Protection Agency’s stormwater program requires “radical changes” in order to reverse urban impacts upon freshwater resources and to ensure progress toward the goals of the Clean Water Act. Degraded water quality and wildlife habitats have resulted from increased stormwater runoff into virtually every urban stream system. Source
85 percent of Istanbulites don’t drink tap water:
Turkey – The Istanbul Waterworks Authority (ISKI) of Istanbul, Turkey conducted a poll to gauge the satisfaction of its 4.6 million customers. Although 90% of respondents were pleased with the utility’s services, nearly 85% stated that they seldom or never drank tapwater because it tasted bad. Source
World demand for water disinfection products to reach $7.4B in 2012:
Global demand for water disinfection products is projected to increase 7.4 percent annually to $7.4 billion in 2012, according to a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm. Overall, growth will be fastest in China, India and other developing countries. Source
Chilean glacier will vanish in 50 years:
CHILE. Glacier expert Antonio Vergara of the Direccion General de Aguas (DGA) of Chile warned that the Echaurren icefields in the Andes Mountains near Santiago could disappear in the next half century. Source
Cholera outbreak hits Harare:
Zimbabwe – Cholera has broken out in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, after at least 120 cases and 27 deaths have been reported across the country in recent weeks, said health officials. The disease is spread when victims’ sewage taints food or water supplies. Source
Millions of Iraqis at risk from polluted water:
Iraq – Millions of Iraqis are at risk of disease because of contaminated drinking water, inadequate sanitation services, and a severely strained health system, warned Juan-Pedro Schaerer, the head of delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Iraq. Source
China: Economic miracle, environmental disaster:
China’s rapid economic rise has come with a heavy price: a galaxy of environmental disasters. Land subsidence above depleted aquifers has caused cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin to sink 6 ft over the past 15 years and destroyed buildings in the national capital, Beijing. Only one of China’s 660-plus cities has safe tapwater because factories along the banks of rivers simply dump their effluents into the water. Source
How to Keep Waste Oil Out of the Water Supply:
United States – Motor oil leaked from individual vehicles or commercial garages, along with fertilizers and pesticides from gardens, constitute a significant portion of stormwater runoff in the United States, and inevitably find their way into local water bodies. Source
Lake Victoria’s Falling Waters:
Lake Victoria. In early 2006, the Jason-1 satellite revealed that Lake Victoria had reached lows not seen since well before the dam was built. Source
And this doozer, from Iraq. $100-million Iraq sewer project a failure:
Iraq – A $100 million sewer and water treatment system under construction in Falluja, Anbar Province, Iraq, part of U.S.-led reconstruction efforts, may never be connected properly to individual homes, lacks adequate fuel for treatment operations, and is unlikely to cover the full city upon completion. Source
