Pakistan flood crisis blamed partly on deforestation

Years of illegal logging by the ‘timber mafia’ and the Taliban cleared forests, allowing raging floodwater to flow unimpeded, experts say. By Alex Rodriguez, Los Angeles TimesOctober 13, 2010 Reporting from Chail, Pakistan — People here remember when hundreds of Pakistani Taliban militants roamed through the forested ridges flanking the Chail River, armed not with […]

Asia water supply ‘past its tipping point’

By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 12, 6:58 am ET MANILA, Philippines – Booming populations, rapid urbanization and competing demands for food and energy will drain Asia’s dwindling freshwater supplies unless the region better manages its resources, experts said Tuesday. Unless something is done, demand for water will exceed supply by 40 percent by […]

Graph of the Day: Prevailing Patterns of Threat to Human Water Security and Biodiversity in 2010

Adjusted human water security threat is contrasted against incident biodiversity threat. Much of the developed world faces the challenge of reducing biodiversity threat and protecting biodiversity, while maintaining established water services. The developing world shows tandem threats to human water security and biodiversity, posing an arguably more significant challenge. Large, contiguous areas of low threat […]

Hungry bears spell trouble for humans in Rockies

By Laura Zuckerman, with additional reporting by Amy Linn in Missoula, Montana; editing by Steve Gorman, Jonathan Oatis and Sandra MalerWed Sep 29, 2010 6:53pm EDT SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – A shortage of berries and other foods that hungry bears normally rely on to bulk up before hibernation has sent conflicts with humans spiraling to […]

Ethiopians want more from sacred Nile waters

By Staff WritersGish Abay, Ethiopia (AFP) Sept 26, 2010 Here in the shadow of Mount Gish, the spring water that forms the Blue Nile is believed to have healing powers, but Ethiopians say that is the only benefit they get from the mighty river. “These waters are sacred, they perform miracles for the sick,” Berhanu […]

The Great Pakistani Deluge never happened

By Juan ColeSeptember 9, 2010 The Great Deluge in Pakistan passed almost unnoticed in the United States despite President Obama’s repeated assertions that the country is central to American security.  Now, with new evacuations and flooding afflicting Sindh Province and the long-term crisis only beginning in Pakistan, it has washed almost completely off American television […]

Graph of the Day: Potential US Water Supply Conflicts by 2025

Many locations in the United States are already undergoing water stress. The Great Lakes states are establishing an interstate compact to protect against reductions in lake levels and potential water exports. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are in a dispute over water for drinking, recreation, farming, environmental purposes, and hydropower in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River system. The […]

Brazil green light for Amazon dam — ‘Death warrant for the Xingu river’

BBC26 August 2010 Brazil’s government has given the formal go-ahead for the building on a tributary of the Amazon of the world’s third biggest hydroelectric dam. After several failed legal challenges, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed the contract for the Belo Monte dam with the Norte Energia consortium. Critics say the project will […]

Suicide bomb attacks kill 36 in flood-weary Pakistan – US drone kills 20

VOA News23 August 2010 Pakistani officials say three separate bomb attacks have killed at least 36 people.   Police say three people died in a blast on the outskirts of Peshawar. The Associated Press identified the victims as the leader of an anti-Taliban militia, Israr Khan, and two aides. Earlier Monday, authorities said a suicide bomber […]

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