Archive for April 8th, 2013

Water management must for India: President

Daily News: President Pranab Mukherjee Monday said efficient water management is crucial to keep pace with population growth and economic development. "Available water must be managed judiciously to meet the twin burden of population growth and economic development. Conservation, balanced distribution and reclamation of used water are essential cogs in the wheel of water management," Mukherjee said while inaugurating the India Water Week 2013 with the theme 'Efficient Water Management: Challenges and Opportunities'...

Mekong hit by climate change

Viet Nam News: Fish farms in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. Climate change is likely to have a great impact on fish farming along the Mekong River as erratic rainfall will disrupt the flood pulse cycle of the river, predicts a new study. -- VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung BANGKOK (VNS)-- A new study on Climate Change Impact and Adaptation in the Lower Mekong Basin released on March 29 has revealed that the effects of climate change in the basin is worse than the global average. Final results of the United States...

Water Shortage Hits Pacific Women

Inter Press Service: The Solomon Islands, a developing island nation in the south-west Pacific Islands, has one of the highest urbanisation rates in the region, and the basic service infrastructure is struggling to cater for the influx of people from the provinces to the capital, Honiara. Thirty-five percent of the city's population, who live in informal settlements, are facing the health consequences of a dire shortage of clean water and sanitation. Located on the main island of Guadalcanal, Honiara is a coastal...

Shale-rich Spanish region to vote to ban fracking

Reuters: Lawmakers in Spain's northern Cantabria region unanimously voted on Monday to ban hydraulic fracturing on environmental concerns, shooting down the central government's hopes for a project to boost jobs in a region believed to be rich in shale gas. Spain, battling a deep recession and high unemployment, imports about 76 percent of its energy needs and the technology to extract shale gas, known as fracking, could help relieve its foreign dependence on oil, coal and gas. Early estimates indicate...

President Obama Brushes Back His Activist Left

Time: When President Obama released his first budget to the nation in February of 2009, he spent his afternoon meeting with the liberals from the Congressional Black Caucus at the White House. On Wednesday, when he releases his fifth budget, he will privately dine instead with a dozen Republican Senators. This change is not just a matter of the White House social calendar. While Obama’s first budget was hailed by progressives as a breath of fresh air, his latest is earning scorn from those same quarters...

Extreme weather boosts poverty in Sri Lanka – report

AlertNet: Without fail, Somadasa Gamage has prayed for one thing every year before he plants his crops. "Rain,' says the 47-year-old vegetable farmer, who has farmed for three and a half decades in Sri Lanka's remote south eastern Tanamalvilla area, a dry area where rain can be frustratingly scarce. Last year, for almost six months, Gamage did not plant any crops because a severe drought had dried out the river from which he draws water. When the drought ended, Gamage was relieved -- but not for long....