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

Courtesy of The Guardian, a report on Bogotá’s decision to bring in water rationing with El Niño weather phenomenon meaning city could run out in under two months: Couples in Bogotá are being asked to shower together as water supplies are rationed in the Colombian capital. Major neighbourhoods were cut off from the water grid on Thursday to preserve dangerously low water levels at reservoirs that have been starved of rain by the weather phenomenon known as El Niño. “Shower as a couple,” said the mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán. “This is an educational exercise in saving water, nothing ..read more

Via The Guardian, an article on an unprecedented deal in which a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. Local residents fear the agreement has ‘opened Pandora’s box’: One of the biggest battles over Colorado River water is being staged in one of the west’s smallest rural enclaves. Tucked into the bends of the lower Colorado River, Cibola, Arizona, is a community of about 200 people. Maybe 300, if you count the weekenders who come to boat and hunt. Dusty shrublands run into sleepy residential streets, which run into n ..read more

Via The Guardian, a report that New Mexico – following a Supreme court ruling that left more than 90% of state’s surface waters with no pollution protections, since they don’t run continuously – has the most threatened waterways in US: New Mexico’s rivers, which include the Rio Grande, Gila, San Juan and Pecos, are America’s most threatened waterways, according to a new report. This is largely due to a 2023 US supreme court decision that left more than 90% of the state’s surface waters without federal protections from industrial pollution, according to state off ..read more

Via Aquatech, a look at how Mexican utility Servicios de Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey (SADM) is combatting water scarcity issues in Nuevo Leon through pressure regulation and increased real-time monitoring: Water scarcity issues in north Mexico Like much of northern Mexico, Nuevo Leon is suffering from drought conditions and water scarcity, caused by a combination of low rainfall, climate change and poor infrastructure. It is one of six states currently facing water scarcity challenges.  Nuevo Leon has only four per cent of the Mexican population but accounts for eight per cent of the tot ..read more

Via the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a report on how citizens are using information to battle against hydropower projects on the Mekong: To counter the marginalization of community input in hydropower project planning, civil society organizations (CSOs) share information on the ecological and economic effects of dams during the Environmental Impact Assessment’s advised “policy window” to influence the design and approval of forthcoming projects. CSOs amplify this effort by fostering networks of “citizen scientists” who participate in legally required local consultations during the pre ..read more

Via BBC News, a report on Morocco’s drought: Morocco’s second-largest reservoir that serves some of its major cities and has been central to farm irrigation is drying up, according to satellite images analysed by the BBC. Al Massira Dam, which sits around halfway between Casablanca and Marrakesh, contains just 3% of the average amount of water that was there nine years ago, figures show. Six consecutive years of drought and climate change, which causes record temperatures that lead to more evaporation, have threatened water supplies across the North African nation and hit agriculture and ..read more

Via China Water Risk, a new report on the rise of AI and the climate risks which amplify existing water risks faced by thirsty data centres: CWR releases a new report, “China ICT running dry? The rise of AI & climate risks amplify existing water risks faced by thirsty data centres”. The report reveals 4.3mn data centre racks in China consume around 1.3bn m3 today but can rise to >3bn m3 by 2030. This will put pressure on already stressed water resources, especially as the rise of AI & chatbots could see water use surge by a shocking 20x. For perspective, ~1.3bn m3 is 1.9x the ..read more