South Africa and the Netherlands have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening water management in South Africa with the signing of a Declaration of Intent to advance the Blue Deal partnership into Phase III. Signed in Cape Town on Thursday, the declaration which covers the period 2027-2030, builds on the achievements of Phase II and sets…
COP17 | FAO launches updated Guidelines to help countries manage competing demands for land, soil and water The relationship between biodiversity loss and climate change emerged as another important negotiating issue. PHOTO/IISD/ENB – Mike Muzurakis. By PATRICK MAYOYO [email protected] As pressure on land, soil and water intensifies, the updated FAO Guidelines for Integrated Land Use Planning (ILUP),…
Submarine fibre-optic cables (subsea telecommunications cables) handle up to 99% of our global internet traffic and communications, underlining the operations of numerous businesses and institutions across the world. Their continued proliferation will bring higher network speeds and connect more people and regions to digital communications. Yet, whilst the world is on a roll in laying…
Share of households experiencing water shortages has doubled over the past decade. Key findings Water supply ranks third among the most important problems that South Africans want their government to address. Only unemployment and crime/security are deemed more important. o A decade ago, water supply was ninth on the list of citizen concerns. o Rural…
The world is entering a period in which abnormal water supplies are becoming the norm, with river flows, groundwater and glaciers all showing signs of sustained disruption, the UN weather agency warned on Thursday. “This is not a single bad year, but a persistent decade-long signal,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization…
Conservation scientist Lee White reflects on four decades spent creating Gabon’s national parks, tackling illegal logging and confronting the failures of global carbon markets. Climate change will trigger wars over water across much of Africa unless the continent protects the Congo Basin, warns former Gabonese environment minister Professor Lee White. White describes the Congo Basin…
When the creek beside Taudibura Garo’s school in Papua New Guinea floods, the water doesn’t stop at the gate. It rises through the pit toilets – making the school unsafe – sending the 16-year-old and her classmates home without being able to finish. She is one of an estimated 171 million students worldwide whose schooling…
Bulk water utility Rand Water on Thursday disclosed that it had become the latest institution to fall prey to cyberattackers. However, it said the impact on its operations has been minimal. Rand Water’s primary activity is the provision of bulk water supply services – potable bulk water and sanitation services — in Gauteng and neighbouring…
Water stored in dams and reservoirs for humans to use often evaporates, especially in hot regions like southern Africa. Rising temperatures speed evaporation up, leaving less water for people, farming and industry. Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo has just completed a PhD in physics. He explains his laboratory research into a new design – a thin nanomaterial…
Finance and water emerge as defining issues at COP17. PHOTO/UNCCD. By PATRICK MAYOYO ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia Negotiators, ministers, scientists and civil society leaders have entered a decisive phase of global talks aimed at tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, as the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to…
