23 h. ago Iraq’s marshes were considered an Eden. Now the oil industry is sucking them dry

Hawizeh’s wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the waterAt dawn, a veil of mist clings to the canals of Hawizeh, where sky and water seem to blur into a mirror. In the stern of a narrow wooden boat, 23-year-old Mustafa Hashim scans the marshes’ shallows, cutting the motor and switching to a traditional pole to avoid snagging on invasive roots or thickening mud.It takes him about half an hour to push through the shrinking marshes to reach Um al-Nea’aj, once a vibrant lake teeming with boats and birdsong. Now, the water is about half a metre deep. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago ‘It’s destruction disguised as progress’: how the oil industry is sucking Iraq’s ancient wetlands dry

Hawizeh’s wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the waterAt dawn, a veil of mist clings to the canals of Hawizeh, where sky and water seem to blur into a mirror. In the stern of a narrow wooden boat, 23-year-old Mustafa Hashim scans the marshes’ shallows, cutting the motor and switching to a traditional pole to avoid snagging on invasive roots or thickening mud.It takes him about half an hour to push through the shrinking marshes to reach Um al-Nea’aj, once a vibrant lake teeming with boats and birdsong. Now, the water is about half a metre deep. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago From scrapping Ofwat to mandatory meters – what does the landmark water review recommend?

The once-in-a-generation review says the water industry is ‘failing to deliver’

Politics

3 w. ago Feargal Sharkey urges Environment Secretary Steve Reed to resign over water bosses' pay, pollution and bills

Former Undertones frontman turned environmental campaigner accused Steve Reed of having ‘no control’ over the water industry

Economics

3 w. ago Overhaul water regulators into one single body, landmark review recommends

The much-anticipated final report of the Independent Water Commission was published on Monday morning.

Politics

3 w. ago Water industry faces ‘root and branch reform’ after landmark review

Environment Secretary Steve Reed is widely reported to be preparing to abolish regulator Ofwat.

Politics

3 w. ago Water industry review unlikely to spark required change, claims Feargal Sharkey

The campaigner accused water companies of treating customers with ‘contempt’.

Politics

3 w. ago Middle class families could be hit with soaring water bills under Labour's new plan to subside the costs for Britain's poorest households

The proposed national social tariff is due to be presented to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a review of the water industry on Monday.

Society

3 w. ago Ministers to pledge ‘root and branch reform’ of water industry

Water bills rose by an average of 26% in April, with the cost of repairing long-neglected infrastructure said to be a significant factor.

Politics

4 w. ago Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?

In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sourcesPhotographs by Luis BustamanteVast pipelines cross the endless dunes of northern Chile, pumping seawater up to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres in the Andes mountains to the Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper producer. The mine’s owners say sourcing water directly from the sea, instead of relying on local reservoirs, could help preserve regional water resources. Yet, this is not the perception of Sergio Cubillos, leader of the Indigenous community Lickanantay de Peine.Cubillos and his fellow activists believe that the mining industry is helping to degrade the region’s meagre water resources, as Chile continues to be ravaged by a mega-drought that has plagued the country for 15 years. They also fear that the use of desalinated seawater cannot make up for the devastation of the northern Atacama region’...

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