Category Archives: 6. Clean Water and Sanitation

How are Palm Oil and Coal Harming the River Communities of the Mahakam — Economically, Environmentally, and Culturally

Along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, two of the country’s largest industries — palm oil and coal — share the same water resource that local ethnic groups rely on for food, livelihoods and cultural identity.

Hurricane Ian flooded a hospital and forced evacuations from dozens of nursing homes – many health facilities face rising risks from severe storms

Brett Robertson, University of South Carolina Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S., tore part of the roof off a hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida, and flooded the building’s lower level emergency room, sending staff scrambling to move patients as water poured in. At least nine hospitals and dozens ofContinue reading “Hurricane Ian flooded a hospital and forced evacuations from dozens of nursing homes – many health facilities face rising risks from severe storms”

South Africa’s increasing water stress requires urgent informed actions

Richard Meissner, University of South Africa and Anja du Plessis, University of South Africa Progress has been made since 2015 on a global scale in terms of increasing access to water of an acceptable quality and to sanitation services. But 2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water and 3.6 billion people still lackContinue reading “South Africa’s increasing water stress requires urgent informed actions”

How safe is it to drink rainwater?

Ian Cousins, Stockholm University; Bo Sha, Stockholm University; Jana H. Johansson, Stockholm University; Martin Scheringer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and Matthew Salter, Stockholm University In many parts of the world, including Africa, people rely on rainwater as a source of drinking water, as well as for other household and livelihood uses. One ofContinue reading “How safe is it to drink rainwater?”

Removing Alien Plants Can Save Water: We Measured How Much

Humans’ relationship with nature is broken. We’re transforming the Earth so dramatically that almost one million plant and animals species face extinction. Losing species unravels the tapestry of nature, changing how ecosystems function and, ultimately, damaging society too.

Clearing alien trees can help reduce climate change impact on Cape Town’s water supply

Droughts in water scarce regions are being aggravated by human-driven climate change. While rainfall reduction is the main driver, increased temperature and evaporation can also play a role.