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

Via the Los Angeles Times, a report on California’s efforts to crack down on farmers’ excessive groundwater pumping: For the first time, California water regulators are cracking down on one of the state’s major farming regions for failing to take steps to curb growers’ excessive groundwater pumping, which has sent water levels into rapid decline and is causing the land to sink. The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously Tuesday to place the Tulare Lake subbasin on “probationary” status for failing to adopt sufficient measures to address chronic overpumping. Falling groundw ..read more

Via Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a look at the looming climate and water crisis in MENA: INTRODUCTION The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is naturally prone to being hot and dry, in stark contrast with the rest of the world. The region’s arid climate is the primary contributor to its perennial state of water scarcity. When coupled with the region’s limited freshwater supplies and growing demand for water, virtually all MENA countries are facing elevated levels of water stress. The amplifying effects of climate change threaten to increase the gap between water supply ..read more

Via CalMatters, a report on California’s crackdown on farmers who deplete groundwater: IN SUMMARY Kings County agencies and growers may face probation and millions of dollars in fines — which could be the first step toward the state wresting control of groundwater. For the first time in California history, state officials are poised to crack down on overpumping of groundwater in the agricultural heartland.  The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday will weigh whether to put Kings County groundwater agencies on probation for failing to rein in growers’ overdrafting of t ..read more

Via South China Morning Post, a report on the growing water footprint of AI in China: Hong Kong think tank says annual water use by Chinese data facilities – almost half of which are in dry regions – could more than double by 2030 It takes 20 times more water to have a ChatGPT conversation than to run a Google search, according to the non-profit group’s report China’s thirsty data centres and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) could dramatically increase demand on the country’s water resources, according to a new report by think tank China Water Risk. The ..read more

Via CBS News, a report on the growing water scarcity issue on Oahu: In Hawaii, one of the most important sayings is ola i ka wai, “water is life” — a phrase that not only sums up what it means to exist on an island, but what it means to live, period. But now, one of the largest of the island chain’s land masses is facing a triple threat to its sole freshwater source, and if it isn’t addressed soon, one community member says, “we’re in deep trouble.” Despite being surrounded by seemingly endless ocean, freshwater on Oahu, the third-largest of Hawaii’s six major islands, is not easily acce ..read more

Via Circle of Blue, a report on a First Nation’s legal appeal on fishing in the Great Lakes: Four Michigan tribes and the state and federal government renegotiated fishing rights in the Great Lakes last year, without the Sault tribe’s consent Now, the tribe is suing, arguing it can’t be held to an agreement it never approved Underlying the debate: A looming sense of scarcity as invasive species and other threats decimate key Great Lakes fish species Michigan’s largest Native American tribe is appealing the legal agreement that allocates fishing rights in Michigan’s portion of th ..read more