Global Scans · Water · Weekly Summary

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WHAT'S NEXT?: Global demand for fresh water is expected to outpace sustainable supply by 40% in 2030. Global water demand will climb in tandem with population and economic growth. At least two-thirds of the world's population will face 'water stress' by 2025 and the number of people affected by floods could increase by a factor of three by 2100 bring significant risk of unrest and conflict. The UN Security Council will have to declare water a strategic resource of humanity and adopt a resolution to protect water resources and installations. Organizations will be expected to play their part in conserving water.

• [New] Maldives has a total land area of 20,130 square km (formed by 1190 islands) situated in 974,000 square km of the Indian Ocean that needs constant watch against internal and external threats. The Diplomat
• [New] The introduction of harmful aquatic organisms to new environments by ships has been identified as a major threat to the world's oceans and to the conservation of biodiversity. Witherbys
• [New] NASA scientists hope to use EELS to search for signs of life in the ocean beneath the icy crust of Saturn's Enceladus moon. The Robot Report
• [New] Some industry groups and local officials are dissatisfied with EPA's new rules, questioning the economic burden placed on water systems and manufacturers and predicting that certain manufacturing industries will seek residence in countries with less stringent environmental protections. JD Supra
• [New] The expansion of irrigated lands and increased rice productivity, facilitated by Japan-supported irrigation infrastructure, mitigated the risks of harvest failure due to droughts and floods. Taylor & Francis
• [New] When drinking water contaminants are linked to health harms such as cancer, the EPA when developing health advisories must assume the safe level is zero, or the level at which there is no known or expected risk. Environmental Working Group
• [New] Climate change is threatening America's water infrastructure as intensifying storms deluge communities and droughts dry up freshwater supplies in regions that are not prepared. The Conversation
• [New] Additional natural catastrophes caused by climate change, such as floods, heat waves, droughts, and other multi-hazard situations, have been impacting many countries and regions around the world. MDPI
• [New] Last year, 3M reached a settlement worth $10.3 billion with water systems across the U.S. that will help pay to clean up drinking water contaminated with PFAS, while DuPont de Nemours Inc, Chemours and Corteva reached a similar deal worth $1.19 billion. Yahoo News
• [New] PFAS in drinking water exceeds the MCLs, the public water system will have until 2029 to develop plans, obtain funding. Lexology
• [New] The EPA rule requires public water systems to monitor for six PFAS chemicals, giving them three years to complete the initial monitoring by 2027. DCReport.org
• [New] Water utilities will have three years to complete their initial monitoring for PFAS and will need to comply with the drinking water regulations starting in 2029. The Washington Post
• [New] Water providers are entering a new era with significant additional health standards that the EPA says will make tap water safer for millions of consumers - a Biden administration priority. AP News
• [New] The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. AP News
• [New] On induction, the Fleet Support Ships will bolster the 'Blue Water' capabilities of the Indian Navy through replenishment of fleet ships at sea. SSBCrackExams
• [New] Water levels were expected to drop in Orsk after historic flooding caused by a burst dam displaced thousands of people in Russia's southern Ural region. Yahoo News
• [New] COUNTRIES WITH HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLANS AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan is experiencing the residual impacts of decades of conflict, years of drought conditions, chronic and continued poverty, and natural disasters. ReliefWeb Response
• [New] The Master of Oceanography is the only course of its kind in Australia and will leverage Western Australia's position on the Indian Ocean and unique marine environment including pristine coastal areas and ocean processes shaped by the Indian and Southern Oceans. UWA
• [New] Rising waters were forecast in Siberia's Ishim River, also a tributary of the Irtysh, which along with its parent, the Ob, forms the world's seventh-longest river system. Voice of America (VOA News)
• [New] There are multiple wastewater treatment systems across the ExxonMobil Singapore complex, including a membrane biological reactor that provides additional opportunities for water reuse on site. ExxonMobil
• [New] The opportunity to produce Green Hydrogen through renewable electrolysis of water is emerging throughout Australia as we develop and increase renewable energy capacity (predominantly via solar and wind). Hfw

Last updated: 20 April 2024