Via Crisis Group, a report on water conflict in Cameroon: What’s new??Cameroon’s Far North, the country’s poorest region, is experiencing recurrent inter-communal frictions over water reserves. As national and local authorities try to contain fighting between Choa Arab herders and Musgum fisherfolk, other ethnic groups are at risk of being drawn into a conflict that has displaced tens of thousands.  Why did it happen??The Far North is grappling with militant raids, as well as deep grievances triggered by poor governance and increasing food scarcity. Erratic rainfall due to climate chan ..read more

Via the Hinrich Foundation, an insightful presentation on the rising contest over Asia’s water: The threat of water scarcity is one of the least profiled of geoeconomic tensions in the world and particularly in Asia, where nations are vying for control over a riverine network that feeds a global race for water-dependent technologies. Visual Capitalist takes a deep dive into the quiet contest over Asia’s water. Asia is home to half the world’s population, where many economies depend on a riverine network that originates from Tibetan highlands and flows through the arteries of a gl ..read more

Courtesy of the Visual Capitalist, a look at risk of flooding around the world: Devastating floods across Pakistan this summer have resulted in more than 1,400 lives lost and one-third of the country being under water. This raises the question: which nations and their populations are the most vulnerable to the risk of flooding around the world? Using data from a recent study published in Nature, this graphic maps flood risk around the world, highlighting the 1.81 billion people directly exposed to 1-in-100 year floods. The methodology takes into account potential ri ..read more

Via Phys.org, a look at a new study predicts that global groundwater withdrawals are expected to peak in about one-third of the world’s basins by 2050, potentially triggering significant trade and agriculture shifts: Experimental design showing combinatorial variations of 6 parameter categories used to design 900 GCAM scenarios. Credit: Nature Sustainability (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01306-w Groundwater withdrawals are expected to peak in about one-third of the world’s basins by 2050, potentially triggering significant trade and agriculture shifts, a new analysis finds. Scie ..read more

Via Fair Planet, a look at how India’s water pollution triggers migration waves: In 2024, pollutants contaminating groundwater affected over two million people in India. What drives this trend and what can be done to reverse it? Farmers and experts offer their insights. Sunil Kumar, 45, a former resident of Bindhroli – a village in Haryana approximately 30 kilometres from India’s capital, New Delhi – relocated to Sonipat, about 44 kilometres from the capital, with his family after escalating water contamination in his hometown compelled them to leave. “Several industries have been establis ..read more

Via Undark, an article on Mexico City where – propelled by the draining of local aquifers – the city’s land is sinking. New research surveys the impact on the subways. WITH ITS EXPANSE of buildings and concrete, Mexico City may not look squishy — but it is. Ever since the Spanish conquistadors drained Lake Texcoco to make way for more urbanization, the land has been gradually compacting under the weight. It’s a phenomenon known as subsidence, and the result is grim: Mexico City is sinking up to 20 inches a year, unleashing havoc on its infrastructure. That includes the city’s Metro ..read more

Via The Guardian, a report on a proposed bill that would stop private investors, including hedge funds, farmers and municipalities, from profiting off water scarcity: With private investors poised to profit from water scarcity in the west, US senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Ro Khanna are pursuing a bill to prohibit the trading of water as a commodity. The lawmakers will introduce the bill on Thursday afternoon, the Guardian has learned. “Water is not a commodity for the rich and powerful to profit off of,” said Warren, the progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. “Repre ..read more

Via Ariana News, a report that Iran says water is an important factor in expansion of ties with Afghanistan: Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, Hasan Kazemi Qomi, said on Sunday that water is an important factor in the expansion of bilateral relations, expressing hope that the flow of water to his country will continue. Qomi said this in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, the ministry said in a statement. The envoy expressed gratitude for removing obstacles to the flow of water from the Helmand River to Sistan and Baluchestan province of ..read more

Via Mexico’s Milenio, a rather dire report on the status of Mexican dam levels: Of the 210 large dams in the country, five are completely dry , they have reached zero level of their storage capacity; while another 23 reservoirs are at less than 10 percent . According to the National Water Commission (Conagua), the total stored in the 210 dams is 64,933 million cubic meters Mm3 , they are at 51 percent of their capacity, which represents a deficit of 26 percent, with compared to the historical average. Of the total dams, 117 have less than 50 percent of their sto ..read more

Via Fast Company, a report on how Mexico has only met 30% of its expected water delivery to Texas, due to its own drought conditions: Texas farm groups warn of a disastrous season ahead for citrus and sugar as Mexican and U.S. officials try to resolve a dispute over a decades-old water treaty that supplies U.S. farmers with critical irrigation. The neighboring countries have tussled over the 1944 treaty before, but the current drought-driven water shortages are the most severe in nearly 30 years and add to existing political tensions over genetically modified co ..read more