Downstream Missouri River states worry their share of water could be further diminished by potential pipelines for dry Western states.

The Suhrental region of Aargau is facing its tightest drinking-water supply on record, and its groundwater association is urging drastic water-saving measures, SRF reports. Around 15 municipalities are being urged to impose restrictions and fine residents and businesses if necessary. Groundwater …

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“Dry weather can decrease grass growth. That means you might have to buy in extra feed, or reduce livestock numbers, to ensure your remaining animals have enough to eat,” Curtis said. Curtis said Earth Sciences New Zealand anticipated the “significant El Niño” could influence weather patterns from this spring onwards. This could mean less rainfall in the east of both islands and the upper North Island. “We’re encouraging animal owners to be prepared. That could mean prioritising livestock for destocking early and booking in water tank refills in advance,” Curtis said. It was important to ensure animals have access to clean water, shade and shelter, and are shorn before it gets too hot, he said. “We often find people are underprepared, especially if they’re relatively new to owning livestock, or they haven’t been through a drought before. “Owning animals, such as cattle, sheep and horses, is a big responsibility and comes with added obligations under the Animal Welfare Act,” Curtis said. Before the most severe effects hit, the ministry said it was providing targeted support for owners to improve animal husbandry skills and animal welfare outcomes. “We’ve developed a new web page that brings together a lot of information and...

A flood warning has been issues for parts of West Sussex, while residents in Kent are without water, following Storm Boelo. High tides and strong winds are expected to cause flooding in the coastal areas of Bosham and West Itchenor, including Chidham, Broadbridge, and Bosham Hoe at around 11:00 GMT on Monday. According to the government's website, it will affect Shore Road, Bosham High Street and Gloucester Terrace, with residents urged to "activate any flood protection products they may have". In addition, people in the Benenden area of Kent have "low water pressure or no water" as a result of South East Water (SEW) "experiencing issues at the local Mounts Hill booster site". The firm said it is "working to resolve the problem", but "replacement equipment is needed to complete a full repair to the pumps affecting drinking water supplies" to 15 properties in the area. SEW added that the issues are expected to continue into Monday and they have been "using a tanker to inject water directly into the network" since around midnight on Sunday. "Bottled water has been delivered to these properties, and further deliveries are being made today," said Matthew Dean, South East Water's incident manager. Elsewhere,...

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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara Grady As the Western United States grapples with severe drought, leading cities to scramble for water and farmers to abandon some crops, a new scientific study has found that 122 major oil, gas, coal, and cement companies and state-owned operations are partially responsible. The study found that climate change from all climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions over the last 70 years has resulted in a 36% decline in annual average mountain snowpacks, the major source of surface water in Western states – and that about 40% of that decline is linked to the climate pollution caused by just 122 companies. The annual loss attributable to those 122 companies is equivalent to the amount of water held by Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, at full capacity. The authors of the peer-reviewed paper, “Carbon emissions exacerbating the Western US water crisis,” also found that global warming from greenhouse gas emissions has led to a 13% decline in average annual streamflows from mountains to the lower-lying areas that depend on them, and to a 4.3% increase in the need for agricultural irrigation. The study attributed about half the streamflow declines and roughly half...

Monsoon 2026 has ended, but many of India's reservoirs have not filled to capacity. Across the country's 178 major reservoirs, water storage remains about 31 per cent below full capacity, raising concerns over water availability in the coming months. According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) Reservoir Storage Bulletin released on Thursday, 15 October 2026, the 178 reservoirs held 126.717 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water, representing 68.58 per cent of their total usable storage capacity. This means that 31.42 per cent of their combined capacity remained unfilled. The bulletin showed that water storage was 41.193 BCM, or 24.53 per cent, lower than during the same period last year. It was also 24.930 BCM, or 16.44 per cent, below normal levels, calculated using the average storage recorded over the past 10 years. The CWC monitors water levels in 178 major reservoirs across India and publishes a weekly bulletin every Thursday. Together, these reservoirs have a usable storage capacity of 184.762 BCM, accounting for about 71.67 per cent of the country's total usable reservoir storage capacity of 257.812 BCM. Reservoir levels fall sharply in southern and western states Water levels in several major reservoirs have fallen to less than half their...

Severe drought has been declared in parts of southern England following a record-breaking summer, with officials reporting that the southeast and southwest have experienced their driest April to September period in over a century. The Environment Agency has identified severe drought as the most critical stage of dry conditions, which can have lasting effects on the environment, farming, communities, and the economy. Areas including Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex, and West Sussex were declared in severe drought on Thursday, following persistent dry conditions that have depleted reservoirs and rivers. Water companies have been instructed to enhance drought planning to protect public water supplies in affected areas. The declaration follows a meeting of the National Drought Group, which reviewed water resources across England. This announcement comes after Yorkshire was declared in drought last week due to dwindling water levels in rivers and reservoirs, meaning all of England is now in drought except for the North West and North East. The Environment Agency explains that droughts cannot be precisely defined as each situation varies, but they occur when prolonged low rainfall creates water shortages. Different types of drought, including agricultural, environmental, and water supply drought, may occur separately or together. In August, 71.3% of England was in drought, with the North East and Yorkshire under 'prolonged dry weather' status. Persistent heatwaves over the summer led to dry river beds and brown agricultural land, with farmers reporting poorer yields and livestock farmers forced to use winter feed due to low grass growth. The affected regions include East Anglia, Hertfordshire, North London, Thames, West Midlands, Wessex, Kent, South London, Solent and South Downs, East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Yorkshire.

“I’m going to do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks,” he told reporters in 2021. Though he sought an earmark in 2024, he voted in January to strip such funding from a spending bill. Marshall has deep ties to the Quivira Refuge area Marshall and his family have deep ties to the region around the preserve. He at one point owned, or co-owned, more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) near the Quivira Refuge and has described his land as a hunting “mecca.” The properties have provided a stream of income over the years through building rentals and oil and gas leases, according to his Senate financial disclosures. After his election to the Senate, Marshall substantially reduced his land holdings near the refuge, the records show. What remains is Rattlesnake Ranch, which is registered as a business in Kansas and listed as a commercial property with a building available for rent, according to records. Marshall owns a 20% stake in the ranch and serves as a company director, the records show. Fuller, the Marshall spokeswoman, said the Rattlesnake Ranch is not used for hunting waterfowl. She did not address a question about the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wanted to solve a water rights dispute in rural Kansas that pitted farmers against environmentalists and threatened the health of a cherished wildlife refuge. The avid outdoorsman requested a $4.2 million earmark, records show, to help finance improvements that would increase the flow of water into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. He did not mention another interest that stood to benefit from the project: his own Rattlesnake Ranch, which borders the preserve. For decades, hunters have flocked to Quivira and its surroundings, drawn by hundreds of thousands of waterfowl that descend on the area every fall. As agriculture expanded in the area, however, the water supply was taxed to irrigate more crops, diminishing the flow into the refuge. Marshall's efforts in 2024 to secure the earmark sought to balance the needs of the refuge and farmers in his home state. But in doing so, he took action that experts said could boost his property's value and posed a conflict of interest for the Republican senator. The measure also collided with Marshall’s strong opposition to earmarks, often called pork-barrel spending, to fund lawmakers’ pet projects. Marshall has voted four times to eliminate earmarks, calling...

Batam’s push to become a digital infrastructure hub is deepening scrutiny of how data centres use water and electricity as residents face worsening shortages. Hundreds of residents on Indonesia’s Batam island stormed a data centre compound in protest over prolonged water shortages, accusing the rapidly expanding digital infrastructure industry of consuming resources while nearby communities struggle to obtain drinking water. About 300 protesters carrying empty plastic bottles and jerry cans entered Nongsa Digital Park, chanting “Water! Water!” as frustration mounted over dry household taps and concerns that data centres appeared to have sufficient water to keep their servers cool. “Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months. Our water supply had been reliable until the data centres came,” Dewi Susanti, a resident of Bakau Serip village who joined the demonstration, told the BBC. Residents have increasingly relied on tanker deliveries that provide what Susanti described as “dirty, cloudy and smelly” water. Batam’s water utility said it was taking steps to improve supplies but declined to say whether rising demand from data centres had contributed to the disruption. BP Batam, the government agency responsible for overseeing trade and industry on the island, attributed the shortages...

The Daily Mail Online article discusses the potential water shortage crisis facing 280,000 people in the UK this winter following a severe summer drought. The article highlights concerns about the impact of prolonged dry weather on water supplies, with warnings that some communities may face restrictions or even complete lack of water during the colder months. The piece references government and environmental agency statements about the need for water conservation measures and infrastructure improvements to prevent a worsening situation. It also touches on the broader implications of climate change on water resources, suggesting that such drought conditions may become more frequent in the future. The article emphasizes the importance of public awareness and responsible water usage to mitigate the potential crisis. While the tone is somewhat alarmist, it provides factual information about the current situation and potential solutions being considered by authorities. The report is based on data from the Environment Agency and water companies, indicating that the situation is being closely monitored and that contingency plans are being developed. The article concludes by urging readers to take water conservation seriously as a collective responsibility to ensure adequate supplies for all during the winter months.

India is headed into the winter season with a worrying combination of deficient monsoon rainfall, declining reservoir reserves in several regions and persistent groundwater stress. Now, a strengthening El Nino is adding another layer of uncertainty to the country's water security, raising concerns about how well India will cope with the months ahead. The stress is not simply that India received less rain. It is that the country may have less water in reserve when temperatures rise, farms need irrigation, and cities face growing demand. What appears to be a seasonal water shortage today could become a more prolonged crisis as water consumption continues to outpace local supplies. A DEFICIENT MONSOON LEAVES LESS ROOM FOR ERROR India received 12.56% less rainfall than normal during the June-September 2026 monsoon, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and the impact is visible in reservoir storage. The Central Water Commission's end-of-monsoon assessment showed that 178 monitored reservoirs held 132.734 billion cubic metres of water, below the 10-year average of 151.118 billion cubic metres. Storage was also significantly lower than at the same point in 2025. These figures do not mean that the country is running out of water everywhere. Reservoir conditions vary widely...

JAKARTA: Dozens of residents in Nongsa district, Batam, Riau Islands blocked access to Nongsa Digital Park on Monday (Oct 5), protesting water shortages they say have left their neighbourhoods without piped supplies for months while data centre developments continue to expand. The road blockade was the latest in a series of protests over the past two months, as residents in the district have grown increasingly frustrated with worsening access to clean water. “Since construction of the data centre began, we have been severely affected by water shortage. Our water supply has been completely cut off for three to six months,” protester Andi Lalang told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Police and military personnel were deployed around Nongsa Digital Park during the protest and directed vehicles seeking to enter the area to use alternative routes. Protesters agreed to disperse after a BP Batam official promised to restore piped water supplies within two days and ordered six water tanker trucks to deliver water to affected neighbourhoods as a temporary measure. As of Wednesday, water supplies had been restored to around 53 per cent of the affected areas, but the partial restoration had done little to ease residents’ frustration. “If this issue is...

Sri Lanka is experiencing a severe drought that has left reservoirs dry and farming communities struggling. The drought, which has persisted for months, has been exacerbated by higher temperatures and high humidity, making the heat stress worse. Farmers like Samantha Pushpakumara, who returned to his village after the civil war ended, are now facing the loss of their livelihoods as rains fail to arrive. The country's two main monsoon systems, particularly the southwest monsoon that normally supplies up to 30% of annual rainfall, have seen significantly reduced precipitation this year. Climate experts attribute the lack of rain partly to a strong El Niño event combined with human-caused climate change. Despite recent scattered showers, reservoirs remain at about one-third capacity, leading to water rationing in many areas. The drought has also impacted wildlife, with animals in reserves like Yala National Park gathering around shrinking water sources. Authorities are using water tankers and underground pipes to replenish watering holes. In Medirigiriya, a region central to rice farming, fields have turned dusty and brown, vegetable gardens have withered, and wells have run dry. Farmers are struggling with debt from loans taken for farming, as crops have failed due to lack of water and excessive heat. One farmer, Indika Nuwankumara, reported a $1,500 loan he took for farming, which he now struggles to repay. The intense heat has made working in fields unbearable, with electric fans blowing warm air. Wildlife officials report temperatures above 35°C (95°F), drying vegetation and depleting natural water sources. Farmers like Vidanaarachchige Wimalasuriya have seen their rice harvests plummet from expected 50 sacks to just six sacks due to water shortages. Hemapala Mallika, another rice farmer, noted that even small rains do not soak the soil, as water disappears quickly on hot ground. The situation highlights the increasing frequency of extreme weather events linked to climate change, with climate scientist Gayana Krishanthi Hendawitharana stating that such events are becoming more common in recent years. The drought has transformed the landscape, turning fertile fields into dry, dusty expanses and leaving both humans and wildlife without adequate water resources.