Cost of Texas drought climbing with each dry day

By Betsy Blaney, Associated Press writer25 May 2011 LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A historic drought has already cost Texas farmers and ranchers an estimated $1.5 billion, and the cost is growing daily as parched conditions persist in much of the state. May is typically the wettest month in Texas, but parts of the state haven’t […]

China power crunch to worsen as drought slashes hydropower

By David Stanway, with additional reporting by Niu Shuping in Beijing and Ruby Lian in Shanghai; Editing by Ken Wills25 May 2011 BEIJING (Reuters) – The worst drought to hit central China in half a century has brought water levels in some of the country’s biggest hydropower producing regions to critical levels and could exacerbate […]

China faces worst drought in 50 years – ‘All the rice fields have dried up’

By Leslie Hook in Beijing, with additional reporting by Gwen Chen in Beijing 24 May 2011 Chinese authorities will step up the release of water from the Three Gorges Dam in a bid to tackle a drought in southern China which has put pressure on drinking water, crops, shipping lanes and electricity production in what […]

Texas drought slams farmers with woes

By Jerry Lackey21 May 2011 Weather disasters across the nation already have wreaked havoc on 2011 agriculture, maybe worse than millions of feral hogs are doing to livestock, irrigated crops, city parks and golf courses. But hold onto your hat, more is ahead as meteorologists predict an active hurricane season from June through November. Croplands […]

Oil-rich nations export water stress to ensure food security through African ‘land grab’

Contact: info@maplecroft.com or call +44 (0)1225 42000018 May 2011 18/05/2011 The Gulf nations of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are rated as the world’s most water stressed countries, with the least available water per capita, by a new ranking of 186 countries. The Water Stress Index, released by risk analysis and mapping firm Maplecroft, […]

China ‘hit by power crunch’ amid drought, forced to ration electricity

May 18 (AFP) — Chinese factories are facing curbs on electricity use as coal prices soar and a severe drought hits hydropower plants, state media have said, with possible major shortages ahead this summer. The situation has highlighted the difficulties faced by China, the world’s largest energy consumer, as global fuel prices climb and the […]

Drought expands dramatically in Texas, losses mount

By Carey Gillam; editing by Dale Hudson16 May 2011 Another dry week in the southern United States has driven the spread of a devastating drought further across Texas and neighboring states, promising to add to economic losses that could top $3 billion. Texas, suffering its longest dry spell on record, saw the highest level of […]

France in crisis as drought deepens, with hottest April in over a century

By Gerard Bon, Marie Maitre, and Sybille de La Hamaide; editing by Anthony Barker16 May 2011 PARIS (Reuters) – France has imposed limits on water consumption in 28 of its 96 administrative departments, the environment ministry said Monday, amid signs that a prolonged dry spell that has hit grain crops would continue. “We are already […]

UK ministers call emergency summit as drought looms

One of the driest springs on record has sparked fears for agriculture and wildlife, while crews ‘work to the point of exhaustion’ to battle forest fires By Matt Chorley and Tom Moseley15 May 2011 Ministers are to hold an emergency drought summit in an attempt to avert a crisis caused by one of the driest […]

Drought descends on Texas, surrounding states

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington, Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kan., Sheila V Kumar in Denver, Kristi Eaton in Oklahoma City and Sue Holmes in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.10 May 2011 LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — With much of the nation focused on a spring marked by historic floods and deadly tornadoes, Texas […]

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