Tag - water

 
 

WATER

JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024
Noto quake highlights aging water systems in depopulating areas
Nearly 22,000 homes in Ishikawa Prefecture are still without water, and the shortage has sparked debate on how to maintain services in depopulating areas.
Noboru Ito (left) uses well water for a makeshift shower at his Real Hair Cutting You beauty salon in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 30, 2024
Businesses in quake-hit Japanese city tap well water to reopen
Their return to operations helps restore a sense of normalcy among residents.
Residents receive water in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024
Japan struggling to make water pipes quake-proof
In Ishikawa Prefecture, where a massive quake struck on New Year's Day, over 50,000 homes are still without water.
Columbia University researchers have found that on average, bottled water contain 110,000 to 370,000 tiny plastic particles in each liter, 90% of them nanoplastics.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jan 9, 2024
Bottled water has more plastic particles than previously thought
The discovery of nanoplastics, which could not be detected until recently, suggests that health concerns linked to plastic pollution may be dramatically underestimated.
Kotaro Seki, CEO of Ellange, in front of the truck that he uses to collect nets from fisheries
JAPAN / Society / OUR PLANET
Jan 7, 2024
Trash into treasure: Can fishing net waste be the future of fashion?
A pair of Japanese startups are looking to solve a problem for the nation's fisheries: What to do with old fishing nets.
Boys wait to fill containers with water at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 16.
WORLD / Society
Dec 22, 2023
Parched Gaza residents praise water tasting 'like sugar' from Egypt
While clean water is badly wanted, Gaza's ruined infrastructure means it is hard to distribute beyond the border town of Rafah.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kumamoto Prefecture. New chipmaking plants in Japan are raising questions about securing workers and adequate water supplies.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2023
Kumamoto and Hokkaido face common tasks of securing water and talent
With ambitious projects advancing, the two prefectural governments forged an agreement in August, aiming to facilitate exchanges of information.
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023
Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
Slum dwellers shout slogans as they carry empty containers during a protest over water scarcity in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh in 2009.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 13, 2023
South Asia worst in world for water scarcity, says U.N.
"Climate change is disrupting weather patterns and rainfall, leading to unpredictable water availability," the U.N. said in a report.
A water company employee fills bottles with potable water in Pozoblanco, Spain, in September 2023. The struggle for drinking water in this village of 18,000 has become a glimpse of what may lie ahead for parts of Europe where drought and extreme heat are on the rise.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 23, 2023
A peek into Spain's future: water by truck, not tap
Tanker trucks have been deployed to deliver 180,000 liters of potable water a day
Anand Malligavad, a mechanical engineer known as “Lake Man,” stands in the clean waters of Kyalasanahalli Lake in Bengaluru, India. Malligavad, who turned to centuries-old knowledge to reclaim dozens of lakes, is now in demand across India.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 13, 2023
India’s ‘lake man’ relies on ancient methods to ease water crisis
In the seven years, 35 lakes in Bengaluru with a combined water-holding capacity of about 106 million gallons have been restored.
The Environment Ministry previously planned to carry out the probe on the so-called forever chemicals, which have been detected in well water in many parts of Japan, in fiscal 2024.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2023
Probe into PFAS contamination to take place earlier than planned
The Environment Ministry previously planned to carry out the investigation on the so-called forever chemicals in fiscal 2024.
The Baihetan hydropower plant on the border between Qiaojia county of Yunnan province and Ningnan county of Sichuan province, China
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 24, 2023
China and India lead Asia's biggest hydropower crunch in decades
Intense heat, low rainfall and other extreme weather conditions have left many major Asian economies facing shortages of renewable power.
Russia launches its first moon-landing spacecraft in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, in this still image from video taken on Friday.
WORLD
Aug 11, 2023
Russia launches first lunar lander in 47 years in race with India
India launched its own lander last month, and both the U.S. and China have programs targeting the lunar south pole.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 30, 2023
South Korean shoppers buy up salt before Fukushima water dump
The rush contributed to a nearly 27% rise in the price of salt in South Korea in June from two months ago, though officials say the weather and lower production were also to blame.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 26, 2023
Here’s a look at the water crises that might be coming to you soon
Bangladesh, a river delta nation, is on the front line of climate change. Its coping strategies could offer lessons for the wider world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 20, 2023
Himalayan glaciers could lose up to 75% of ice by 2100, report says
The melt is expected to cause dangerous flooding and water shortages for the 240 million people who live in the mountainous region.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 19, 2023
Global water reservoir volumes decline despite construction boom, study says
The decline in storage volumes was concentrated in the south, where water demand increased rapidly and new reservoirs didn't fill up as quickly as expected.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 8, 2023
PFAS in western Tokyoites’ blood more than double national average
One expert has said that higher-than-normal readings are likely attributable to past contamination of drinking water in the area.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 3, 2023
Three makers of ‘forever chemicals’ settle water lawsuits in U.S.
The companies — Chemours, DuPont and Corteva — said they had reached an agreement in principle to set up a $1.19 billion fund to help remove toxic PFAS from drinking water systems.

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The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.