A scientific analysis reveals extreme heat, intensified by the climate crisis, is driving severe drought across Europe. Conditions are 80x more likely in western Europe and 40x in eastern Europe, redefining drought as temperature-driven. This leads to water restrictions, wildfires, crop losses, and rising food/energy prices, with significant economic costs.
About 10,000 homes and hundreds of businesses in Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, lost fresh water for over a day. The department responsible announced increased budget for water main replacements and scheduled new works covering 40km by year-end.
Around 10,000 homes in Hong Kong's Eastern district, specifically Shau Kei Wan and surrounding areas, are experiencing a 24-hour fresh water supply disruption due to an 18-inch pipe burst. The Water Supplies Department expects service to resume by Monday morning.
Scientists propose draining Lake Powell to store water in Lake Mead as the Colorado River crisis worsens. The plan aims to address critically low water levels affecting 40 million people and 5 million acres of farmland, while ending hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam.
A contractor for Meta's AI datacenter in Cheyenne, Wyoming, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers, leading to new regulations on wastewater disposal. The bacteria, Cupriavidus gilardii, is rare and harmful only to those with weakened immune systems, and did not affect drinking water.
A severe heatwave in the US is highlighting the immense strain on the nation's power grid and water supplies, largely due to the rapid expansion of AI data centers. These facilities consume vast amounts of electricity and water, prompting calls for increased oversight and moratoriums on construction.
Hong Kong police and mainland Chinese authorities arrested 15 individuals between March and June, dismantling a cross-border phishing syndicate that defrauded victims of HK$16.8 million by impersonating the Water Supplies Department through malicious text messages.
The European Commission is set to revise the EU's water protection law to expedite critical minerals mine development, despite analysis showing over half of planned "strategic" mines are in drying or water-stressed regions, raising environmental concerns.
A proposed AI datacenter in Utah, spanning over 40,000 acres and requiring 9GW of power, faces public backlash due to concerns over energy use, water consumption, and impact on the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
A UN report has found that critical minerals extraction for batteries and microchips is causing severe environmental damage and public health crises in Africa and Latin America. Researchers found 456bn litres of water were used to extract 240,000 tonnes of lithium in 2024, while 700m tonnes of waste were generated by global rare-earth production. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 64% of people lack basic water access and 72% near mining sites report skin diseases. The lithium triangle in Latin America is also suffering as Indigenous communities face water scarcity. The report warns production must increase ninefold by 2040, calling for mandatory international due-diligence standards.
Several countries across the globe lack permanent surface rivers, forcing them to rely on advanced desalination, groundwater extraction, and historical water management techniques to sustain their populations and agriculture.
