The Dying Earth - 08.01/2015

Toxic Floods From Coal Mines and Power Plants Hit Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site

Eco Watch,

31 July, 2015

Ongoing downpours in northeastern Vietnam have resulted in toxic spills and flooding from multiple coal mine and power plant sites in the province surrounding the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site.

The historic floods in Quang Ninh with total rainfall in the past three days up to 600-800 mm caused mountain erosion, ruined many houses and left 18 dead. There are six people still missing. Photo credit: Vietnamnet

“The likelihood of both immediate and ongoing health and environmental hazards for locals and the rare environment are clearly increasing by the hour and the scale of this event cannot be understated,” said Donna Lisenby, Clean and Safe Energy campaign manager forWaterkeeper Alliance.

The events of the last few days appear to be getting worse with news reports of severe flooding inundating the Lang Khanh harbor area and Dien Vong river with fresh leakages from the Quang Ninh coal-fired power plant. This coal plant is located on the waterfront that connects directly to world renowned Ha Long Bay world heritage site (see this map).

“A disaster response team from the government has been deployed which is encouraging but we are deeply concerned by the pace of this unfolding disaster and its sheer scale,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., president of Waterkeeper Alliance.

Ignoring the hazard warning from the local government, hundreds of people who regretted the “black gold” drifting out to sea sought every way to salvage coal. Photo credit: Vietnamnet

Ha Long Bay is surrounded by 5,736 hectares of open pit coal mines and three coal-fired power plants. They are already flooded with more rain predicted for the next seven days.

“We again urge the Government and encourage UNESCO, and the international community to get involved and protect Ha Long Bay from further pollution by coal mines and coal-fired power plants,” said Kennedy. “We need to see all parties acting decisively to protect the growing number of local communities and this pristine World Heritage Site that are facing clear and present danger.”

The coal grounds of many coal companies in the city of Cam Pha, Quang Ninh province were washed away to the sea by the largest downpours and floods in the past 40 years from Saturday through Monday. Hundreds of local people flocked to a local stream to collect coal. Photo credit: Vietnamnet

“Waterkeeper Alliance knows from first hand experience around the world that coal mining and generation sites are ‘monster waste generators’ of the worst kind,” said Lisenby. “These coal waste facilities are ticking time bombs if they are not properly constructed to withstand large rainfall events, which are already increasing in frequency, duration and intensity in line with climate science predictions.”

The coal industry generates massive amounts of waste that can contain a wide array of materials dangerous to human health and the environment including heavy metals like arsenic, boron, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, selenium and thallium.

Dr. Aaron Bernstein, instructor in pediatrics at Harvard University Medical School said:

“Floodwaters flowing from open pit coal mines likely contain a slurry of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium and lead, as well as other harmful substances. We also know from past research that the soils in this region of 

Vietnam may be contaminated with these same pollutants, which may be mobilized by floods as we saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. So, in addition to the usual harms that may immediately follow severe flooding such as traumatic injuries, outbreaks of waterborne disease, or death, the floods around Quang Ninh carry the potential to exact permanent damage to the developing nervous systems of children which are uniquely vulnerable to these toxic elements.”

Men plunged into the stream to dive and collect coal while women stand on shore to carry coal. Photo credit: Vietnamnet

Cam Pha City has already been flooded with an avalanche of coal mining waste and a second community is being evacuated (see map here). News photos and video footage from Cam Pha show men, women and children wading through thick mud contaminated with coal waste as they flee their homes.

Myanmar leader goes to disaster zones as floods batter countryside

Reuters,

26 November, 2014

YANGON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Myanmar's president headed to devastated rural regions where a state of emergency was declared after deadly monsoon rains displaced tens of thousands of people, flooded swathes of rice paddy and prompted fears of dams collapsing.

Thein Sein was due to arrive on Saturday at a military base in Sagaing Division, a major rice growing area where soldiers are coordinating a relief effort after a month of rain over all but two of Myanmar's 14 states.

The storms and floods have so far killed 21 people, with water levels as high as 2.5 metres in Sagaing and 4.5 metres in western Rakhine state, according to the government, which on Friday declared four regions disaster zones.

Myanmar was inundated throughout last month and storms since July 22 have "severely affected" between 67,000 and 110,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Though rain has stopped in most areas, the recovery effort is a major test for impoverished Myanmar. The country has only basic infrastructure and medical facilities and is ill-equipped to deal with disasters, as shown when Cyclone Nargis battered the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, killing 130,000 people.

"It's an emergency situation we have never faced before," said Aung Zaw Oo, the local transport minister for Sagaing. "We have only two motor boats for the rescue process. The government plans to send more."

Nearly 525,000 acres of farmland has been affected, an area roughly the size of Luxembourg, and more than 34,000 acres of paddy fields damaged, mostly in the Sagaing, Kachin State, Bago and Rakhine state regions, the agriculture ministry said.

Television footage showed bridges damaged or shaking from the strong current of floodwater. Cattle were drowned or seen with only their noses poking above the flow of water.

Local TV quoted people in Sagaing, Shan state and Magway saying they were worried that dams already over their safe limit could collapse if more rain came.

More than 150 tents were swept away by storm winds at a camp for Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine, where the United Nations refugee agency was providing some help to a mostly stateless minority that already lives in harsh, apartheid-like conditions. The state's Mrauk Oo town was completely flooded.

"Even when food and relief goods were airlifted by helicopters to the flooded town, there was nowhere to store these goods and no roads for trucks to drive on," the state's Chief Minister Maung Maung Ohn told MRTV on Friday.

Bengal flood situation turns grim, 119,000 people affected

Flood situation in south Bengal turned grim on Saturday with 1.19 lakh people taking shelter in relief camps in 12 districts of the state even as weatherman forecast more heavy rains in the next two days.




"So far 966 relief camps have been set up sheltering 1.19 lakh affected people," West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee told newspersons here. 

Australia’s Sunshine State hit with rare snowfall

Inhabit,

21 July, 2015

A mass of Antarctic air has turned the usually mild Australian winter into a snowy winter wonderland. Regions known for their sunny weather, from central New South Wales to Queensland, experienced an uncomfortable snow fall last week, paired with record low temperatures for the month of July. The usual 50 degree F winter weather has dipped down as far as 24 degrees F in some areas, making for the coldest winter in over twenty years.

Blue Mountains bushfire: Residents warned as out-of-control Wentworth Falls blaze threatens homes

Inhabit,

21 July, 2015

A MAN has been charged with starting a bushfire in the Lower Blue Mountains today as dozens of firefighters prepare to spend the night protecting homes threatened by a blaze in Wentworth Falls.

The man, 34, was arrested in bushland at Mitchells Pass, near Glenbrook, and was taken to Springwood Police Station where he was charged with intentionally causing a fire and recklessly letting it spread.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at 1.30am today and contained it to a small area.

The man was granted strict bail and will face Penrith Local Court on August 24.

Meanwhile, around 30 firefighters will be stationed overnight near homes close to a bushfire burning in dense scrubland at Wentworth Falls.

A water bomber hits the bushfire as it threatens homes in Coronation Rd. Picture: Carly Earl

Despite terrain being inaccessible by truck, water bombers managed to control the blaze this afternoon amid fears strong winds would push the flames towards nearby homes.

Firefighters will remain on watch for any flare-ups overnight, with back-burning operations deemed to risky to be undertaken in the dark so close to cliffs.

An RFS spokesman said crews hoped to keep the fire contained before predicted strong winds hit tomorrow afternoon.

Earlier today dozens of Blue Mountains residents narrowly avoided losing their homes as more than 100 firefighters battled the blaze.

Among the residents threatened by the fire was Barbara Hall, widow of famous Australian mountain climber, adventurer, author and philanthropist Lincoln Hall, who said she evacuated with her dog when the flames came dangerously close to her property.

The Hordern Rd home, which she and Mr Hall lived in for several years before his death in 2012, is undergoing major renovations.

“The wind changed and became very gusty and the fire started turning back towards the house,” Mrs Hall told the Sunday Telegraph.

“So I got dressed and threw a few things in the car and evacuated with my dog.

“I came back this morning and luckily the wind had sent it back the other way.”

Mrs Hall said locals believed the fire was started by someone lighting a campfire inside a cave near a popular lookout.

An RFS truck is almost obscured by the smoke. Picture: Carly Earl

The blaze started in dense bushland in inaccessible terrain near Tableland Rd and strong afternoon winds hampered efforts to control the fire until about 3pm......

Cold snap in Victoria and Tasmania

Via Facebook

~~~LOCK IT IN HERE IT IS!! A DOUBLE COLD SNAP AND LOW LEVEL SNOW ON ITS WAY FOR SOUTH EASTERN AUSTRALIA SHOWN CLEARLY ON THE LATEST SATELLITE WITH PARTS OF TASMANIA EXPECTED TO SEE SNOW WHICH HAS NOT HAPPEN IN A DECADE OR MORE~~

- A DOUBLE WHAMMY POLAR OUTBREAK ON THE WAY VICTORIA, TASMANIA ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH THE SECOND SYSTEM DUE TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY WHICH MAY ALSO PRODUCE SNOW FOR THE CENTRAL TABLELANDS OF NSW AS WELL AND PERHAPS EVEN THE BARRINGTON TOPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

- Snow possibly down to sea level Monday morning still likely through western and southern Tasmania.

- Snow down to 500 metres in Victoria but may fall slightly lower in some places.

- Local hail and thunder also expected in Tasmania and southern Victoria Sunday night into Monday

- Cold bitter windy polar SW Winds.

- Maximum of 7c at best for both Launceston and Hobart expected on Monday

- Maximum of 9-10c for Melbourne expected on Monday

- Strong signs of another cold outbreak on Wednesday with more moisture with this system but the snow level looks slightly higher than the Monday system but better moisture so heavier snow where it falls. This stage 600 metres in Victoria and 200-300 metres in Tasmania. More to come.

California's Drought Is So Bad That Thousands Are Living Without Running Water

Vickie Yorba, 94, stands next to a water tank outside her home in East Porterville, California.Scott Smith/AP

Mother Jones,

31 July, 2015

Most of us are feeling the effects of the California drought from a distance, if at all: Our produce is a little more expensive, our news feeds are filled with images of cracked earth. But thousands of people in California's Central Valley are feeling the drought much more acutely, because water has literally ceased running from their taps. The drought in these communities resembles a never-ending natural disaster, says Andrew Lockman, manager of the county's Office of Emergency Services. Most disasters are "sudden onset, they run their course over hours or days, and then you clean up the mess. This thing has been growing for 18 months and it's not slowing down."

Here's what you need to know about California's most parched place:

What do you mean by "no running water"?

No water is coming through the pipes, so when residents turn on the tap or the shower, or try to flush the toilet or run the washing machine, water doesn't come out.

Who doesn't have running water?

While a handful of communities across the state are dealing with municipal water contamination and shortages, the area that's hardest hit—and routinely referred to as the "ground zero of the drought"—is Tulare County, a rural, agriculture-heavy region in the Central Valley that's roughly the size of Connecticut. As of this week, 5,433 people in the county don't have running water, according to Lockman. Most of those individuals live in East Porterville, a small farming community in the Sierra Foothills. East Porterville is one of the poorest communities in California: over a third of the population lives below the federal poverty line, and 56 percent of adults didn't make it through high school. About three quarters of residents are Latino, and about a third say they don't speak English "very well."

Why don't they have running water?

Many Tulare homes aren't connected to a public water system—either because they are too rural or, in the case of East Porterville, because when the community was incorporated in the late 1970s, there wasn't enough surface water available to serve the community. Until recently, this wasn't a problem: the homes have private wells, and residents had a seemingly unlimited supply of groundwater. Most domestic wells in East Porterville are relatively shallow—between 25 and 50 feet deep—because water wasn't far below ground level.

With California in its fourth year of drought, there's been little groundwater resupply and a lot more demand—particularly as farmers resort to pumping for water—leading the water table to drop dramatically and wells to go dry. Those with money can dig deeper wells, but this generally costs between $10,000 and $30,000—a cost that's prohibitive for many Tulare residents.

If they don't have running water, how do they function?

Of the roughly 1,200 Tulare homes reporting dry wells, about 1,000 of them have signed up for a free bottled water delivery service coordinated by the county. Homes receive deliveries every two weeks; each resident is allotted half a gallon of drinking water per day. The county has also set up three large tanks of nonpotable water, where residents can fill up storage containers for things like showering, flushing toilets, or doing dishes. Portable showers, toilets, and sinks have been set up in front of a church in East Porterville.

Wait, people are showering outside a church?

Yup. Some residents have been living without water for over a year, says Susana De Anda, the director of the Community Water Center, a non-profit serving the area. "It's a huge hygiene issue where we don't have running water. It kind of reminds me of Katrina," she says. "The relief came but it came kind of late."

The state's offering temporary help, right?

To provide interim relief, the county is also working to install water storage tanks outside of homes with dry wells. The 2,500-gallon tanks, usually set up in yards, are filled with potable water and connected to the home, giving a rough semblance of running water. Only about 170 such tanks have been installed so far, in part because the process for installing the tanks is so laborious. Applicants need to prove ownership of the house, open their home to a site assessment, and more—with each step of the process involving a days or weeks long queue. Some 1,300 homes still don't have tanks installed.

Hundreds of rental properties don't have running water, and because domestic water storage tanks aren't set up at rental units, migrant workers aren't likely to reap the benefits of this interim solution. Another challenge is misinformation: The free water programs are open to residents regardless of citizenship, but myths still prevents some from taking advantage of the services. When the portable showers were first installed in front of the church, says Lockman, many people suspected they were an immigration enforcement trap. Some parents haven't been sending their children to school, having heard that child welfare services would take away kids from families that don't have running water.

Who's working on this?
This year, the state has set aside $19 million to be spent on emergency drinking water. In Tulare, the Office of Emergency Services, which coordinates a network of contractors covering the needs of half a million people, currently has a staff of four people. (Three more positions were approved this week.)

In the long term, community leaders are working to build an infrastructure so that homes can be linked to a municipal water supply. But that work is "slow and expensive," says Melissa Withnell, a county spokesperson.

Are farmers taking the water?

Yes, but it's hard to blame them. Tulare County is among the biggest agricultural producers in the country, growing everything from pistachios and almonds to grapes and livestock. "If you were to just look at the landscape, it's very green," says De Anda. "You wouldn't think we were in a drought." The industry brings in nearly 8 billion dollars per year, employing many of those individuals who currently lack running water. Permits to drill new wells have skyrocketed—just this year, nearly 700 irrigation wells have been permitted, compared to about 200 domestic wells. (Wells permits are issued on a first come, first served basis.) "It's like one big punch bowl that’s not getting refilled but everybody’s been slowly drinking out of it and now we have a thirsty football team at the same punch bowl as everybody else," says Lockman. "Do we have sustainability problems? Oh yeah, absolutely."

Flooding in Izmir,Turkey, late May, 2015

Storms bring Tampa record rainfall, flooding, power outages

Torrential downpours that have blanketed the Tampa Bay area and counties to the north are expected to clear out Sunday evening and typical summertime weather likely will return by the middle of next week, the National Weather Service reported.

THE GATHERING STORM

Air pollution in Asia may be changing weather patterns in the United States

Increasingly intense storms in the United States might have an unexpected origin: Asian air pollution. Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have found that aerosols from across the Pacific strengthen extratropical cyclones—a type of storm system that drives much of our country's weather.

Asia is home to the world's 20 most polluted cities, but that dirty air doesn’t stay put, as the above animation of aerosol emissions shows. Water vapor in the atmosphere condenses around particles, and an influx of particulate matter—say, from a coal-fired power plant—can produce bigger, badder clouds. So far, the atmospheric scientists have only looked at how pollution from the continent affects North American weather, but they expect that the effects are global in scale. 

A global gold rush is decimating South America’s tropical forests – 1680 square kilometers of tropical forest lost in mining sites between 2001 and 2013

Long-haul air passengers at risk from cosmic rays, government fears

Public Health England is currently looking into whether solar storms could produce dangerous radiation and is due to report findings in the autumn

Update: Rocky fire burn area climbs to 18,000 acres

• About 1,000 personnel and 150 fire engines are assigned to the firefighting effort
• Crews worked throughout the night to take advantage of cooler temperatures
• The fire consumed 1,500 more acres overnight
• A Cal Fire crew prepares to make a cut line at the Rocky rire near Lower Lake on Wednesday.

Landslideskill 29 in earthquake-ravaged Nepal

Landslides triggered by heavy rains in quake-hit Nepal killed at least 29 people yesterday, sweeping away homes and leaving more than a dozen missing. Rescuers are still searching through rubble for around 15 more people believed missing in the western district of Kaski in the foothills of the Himalayas, around 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu. “The number of dead has risen to 26 in our district,” said Kaski police chief Kedar Rajaure. “Over 200 of our personnel are still working at the site to search and rescue.”

Salt water increasingly attacks Vietnam’s Mekong Delta – ‘We have never seen this situation in the area before’

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s biggest granary, home to a widespread network of rivers and canals, has been threatened by the rising level of salt water flowing into rice fields and farms.



There have been warnings about such a situation for years, but authorities in Vietnam have failed to work out measures to solve the issue.



Climate change has become more serious and its adverse impacts can be seen now in the region, not just in forecasts as before.



Many areas have no fresh water, and saline water has increased amid the rainy season. Other areas have experienced land subsidence along the banks of rivers.

A global gold rush is decimating South America’s tropical forests – 1680 square kilometers of tropical forest lost in mining sites between 2001 and 2013

 
A global “gold rush” has led to a significant increase of deforestation in the tropical forests of South America.



This is according to a study published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters, which has highlighted the growing environmental impact of gold mining in some of the most biologically diverse regions in the tropics.

Researchers from the University of Puerto Rico have shown that between 2001 and 2013, around 1680 km2 of tropical forest was lost in South America as a result of gold mining, which increased from around 377 km2 to 1303km2 since the global economic crisis in 2007.

Image of the Day: Satellite view of burn scars around Tanana, Alaska

In mid-July, Alaska seemed to be headed toward its worst wildfire year on record. But then a period of cool, wet weather arrived later in the month and calmed several large fires. Government officials also trimmed tens of thousands of acres from earlier estimates of burned area after they acquired more accurate data.

Heat, drought cook fish alive in Pacific Northwest – ‘We’ve lost about 1.5 million juvenile fish this year due to drought conditions at our hatcheries’

Freakishly hot, dry weather in the Pacific Northwest is killing millions of fish in the overheated waters of the region's rivers and streams.

"We've lost about 1.5 million juvenile fish this year due to drought conditions at our hatcheries," Ron Warren of Washington State's Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. "This is unlike anything we've seen for some time.

Sockeye salmon losses in the Columbia River due to the heat are in the hundreds of thousands, said Jeff Fryer, senior fishery scientist with the river's Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The fish were returning from the ocean to spawn when the "unprecedented" warm water killed them, he said.

Cold snap in Europe

The European heat wave seems to have well-and-truly passed.

In some areas in northern Europe have been experiencing lower-than- temperatures. Moscow today had a maximum of a chilly 13C (55F)