A number of factors have contributed to the horrible stories coming out of the Royal Commission, including market instability and the financialisation of farming.
The new Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council aims to overcome a management problem faced by many traditional owners: the fact that major rivers flow through lands home to many different groups and languages.
A man gets his drinking water from a Cape Town neighbourhood in 2017.
Rodger Bosch/AFP
In South Africa, Cape Town fears “Day Zero”, when the city will have to ration water drastically. The phenomenon threatens other cities as well but solutions exist.
Without proper support it’s hard for villagers in Namibia to manage water.
Irene Kunamwene
Namibia has followed a community based water management strategy.
The Iguazu Falls in Brazil are part of the Guarani Aquifer, one of the world’s major underground reserves of fresh water. The 8th World Water Forum, part of 2018 World Water Day, is being held in Brazil, home to the most fresh water on Earth.
(Shutterstock)
Water is one of our most precious resources, yet it’s in danger. World Water Day reminds us of the need to develop policies and governance to avoid squandering water.
A fisherman at work in the White Nile. Half the river’s flow is lost to evaporation from the Sudd swamps, a large wetland.
Arne Hoel/World Bank/Flickr
Groundwater is out of sight, but it shouldn’t be out of mind. As cities struggle to cope with drought, we should remember that our largest stocks of water are hidden deep underground.
The Melbourne skyline. Water saving habits adopted during a prolonged drought that ended in 2009 are still followed.
EPA-EFE/Joe Castro
The experiences of other countries can provide valuable lessons for Cape Town on how to better cope with its water crisis.
Presidents Issoufou, Yayi, Deby and Buhari at a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the body in charge of the lake replenishment project
REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
The transnational project conceived 30 years ago to replenish the drying waters of Lake Chad finally seems poised to take off. But first, internal politics within member states must be overcome.
The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city in Tianjin Binhai New Area, China.
EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG
The system that allocates water use in Australia’s largest river basin relies on a shared commitment by states to uphold the rules. New allegations of water theft threaten to break that trust.
Ratanpura Lake, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has almost completely dried up.
Amit Dave/Reuters
Urbanisation will require massive amounts of water to sustain the livelihoods of millions expected to move into cities. This may happen at farmers’ expense.
Blue-green algae in the Murray River upstream of Mildura in April.
Darren Baldwin
Toxic algal blooms were unheard of in Australia’s major waterways before 1991. Now the Murray River has been struck by four major events in less than a decade, with more likely in the future.
The EVA Lanxmeer development in the Netherlands provides a model for how to incorporate green infrastructure in all aspects of the planning process.
Tony Matthews
Green infrastructure can be delivered relatively easily using existing planning processes. The main obstacle could be psychological: planners are wary of disruption to embedded practices.
There are still concerns over the impact of upstream coalmines on water in the Warragamba Dam, a key part of Sydney’s water network.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
The cutting of senior staff from WaterNSW, the body that oversees the safety of Sydney’s water supply, poses serious risks to Australia’s most complex water network.
Photosynthesis is crucial to the ability of plants to convert sunlight into energy.
N i c o l a/Flickr