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Archive for January 2nd, 2011
Record floods swamp Australia’s northeast
Posted by Reuters: Daniel Munoz on January 2nd, 2011
Reuters: Large parts of Australia's coastal northeast disappeared under floodwaters on Sunday in a spreading disaster that has brought some of the highest floods on record and forced thousands from their homes. Queensland State Treasurer Andrew Fraser described the floods as a "disaster of biblical proportions" and said the ultimate cost would exceed A$1 billion ($980 million). As forecasters predicted months of more rain, hundreds of residents in the town of Rockhampton, 600 km (370 miles) north of the...
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“Mining” Groundwater in India Reaches New Lows
Posted by National Geographic: Mason Inman on January 2nd, 2011
National Geographic: This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
Nearly a third of India is suffering from chronic water shortages, and making up for it with "the world's largest groundwater mining operation," according to experts.
A band of land stretching across northern India, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains, is one of the most heavily populated and intensely irrigated regions in the world. The area is chronically short of water. But the region still has a limited...
‘Biblical’ floods hit Queensland and leave tens of thousands homeless
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 2nd, 2011
Guardian: The northern Australian state of Queensland faces a flood of "biblical proportions" a local official warned yesterday, as rising water levels caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
The floods have already struck a vast swath of territory the size of France and Germany combined. More than 20 towns have been cut off or have been swamped by rivers that have burst their banks.
Touring the affected area, Queensland's state treasurer, Andrew Fraser, said the floods would cripple the...
UK joins ‘gas rush’ despite pollution fears
Posted by Independent: Andrew Johnson on January 2nd, 2011
Independent: A controversial new technique for drilling gas wells, which campaigners say has polluted water courses in America, is to be tried for the first time in Britain later this month.
Supporters of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" say it could unleash so much gas across the globe that it will solve the energy crisis for the next century, as well as help reduce carbon emissions.
But an Oscar-shortlisted documentary film, released in Britain later this month, claims the use of the process in America...
‘Biblical’ floods displace 200,000 Queenslanders
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 2nd, 2011
Independent: The worst floods in Queensland's history, described yesterday as "a disaster of biblical proportions", have swamped an area the size of France and Germany combined and displaced more than 200,000 people.
With 22 towns inundated following Australia's wettest spring on record, many Queenslanders endured a miserable start to the new year. The next few days are forecast to be no better, with swollen rivers expected to rise still further before starting to subside later this week. As the Queen sent...