Check out what's happening with lakes around the world. Read the latest international media reports, lakes stories from the UN Environment Programme, videos, and podcasts to learn more about the diversity of lakes, the threats they are facing, and why we need more data.
Lakes in international media
Lake [Avalahalli in India] full of life: Rare species spotted in first survey (Bangalore Mirror)
Sunken village surfaces after 45 years in Greece as lake dries up amid drought (The Financial Express)
Algal blooms ravaged New York’s finger lakes during final week of August (Inside Climate News)
Caspian Sea Day, 12 August 2024
Sicily’s shrivelled crops and depleted lakes are a harbinger of Europe’s climate crisis to come (The Globe and Mail)
Irish rivers and lakes: Farms to be assessed for nitrates run-off in fresh bid to tackle water pollution (Irish Times)
Bacteria in lakes fight climate change (Smart Water Magazine)
Scientists make disturbing discovery after analyzing samples from dried-out area of Great Salt Lake: 'This is something that's on us' (The Cool Down)
Sea snot hits another Turkish water source [Lake Egidir] (Hurriyet Daily News)
Modeling study reveals German lake conditions under climate change (Phys.org)
Warming waters and nutrient overload: A dangerous combination threatening our rivers and lakes (Smart Water Magazine)
Azerbaijan raises alarm over Caspian Sea's 'catastrophic' shrinking (Reuters)
Climate change turns Lake Victoria into a furious adversary, leaves community in peril (The Standard)
Microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes, and innovation to end climate change (Wisconsin Public Radio)
Türkiye's Kellah Lake turns into white desert as drought hits (Daily Sabah)
COP29 to be crucial platform for addressing problems of Caspian Sea, says expert (Environews Nigeria)
Saving Lake Victoria from plastic: Interview with Kenya’s teenage Muchilwa siblings (Mongabay)
'Miseries of the Balkhash': Fears for Kazakhstan's special lake (Voice of America)
Holistic care for an Ethiopian lake system: Interview with Redwan Mohammed (Mongabay)
Saving Lake Victoria from plastic: Interview with Kenya’s teenage Muchilwa siblings (Mongabay)
Hundreds of Greenland's glacial lakes have burst since 2008 (New Scientist)
To address the growing issue of microplastics in the Great Lakes, we need to curb our consumption (The Conversation)
Great Salt Lake dry-up may be increasing greenhouse gas emissions: Study (The Hill)
Polluted lakes are being cleansed using floating wetlands made of trash (WIRED)
Heatwave dries up lake in Serbia, triggers fires in Balkan 'extreme weather event' (Reuters)
Toronto flooding: Partially treated wastewater dumped into Lake Ontario, city says (CTV News)
EU looks at water strategy as conflict grows over agricultural use of large reservoirs (Euractiv)
Microbial structures in frozen lakes shed light on how life evolved (Earth.com)
Baby flamingos saved from drought-decimated lake in Algeria (RFI)
Pollution plan ‘must cut intensive farming for Lough Neagh [UK’s largest freshwater lake] to survive’ (The Guardian)
Heatwave dries up lake in Serbia, triggers fires in Balkan 'extreme weather event' (Reuters)
Toronto flooding: Partially treated wastewater dumped into Lake Ontario, city says (CTV News)
EU looks at water strategy as conflict grows over agricultural use of large reservoirs (Euractiv)
If you're headed to the lake this weekend, you may want to consider the water quality. (Indy Star) “According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 70% of freshwater lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and wetlands (by acreage) and over 42% of creeks, rivers, and streams (by mileage) in the U.S. are considered too polluted for primary contact recreation, such as swimming.”
Karnataka [India] to harness solar energy from 40 lakes with floating solar parks (Down To Earth)
Congolese environmental activists build island with plastic waste collected from Lake Kivu (Africa.com)
Forever chemicals are raining down on the Great Lakes (Eos)
Uzbekistan plants a forest where a sea once lay (Mongabay)
Windermere [UK lale] water quality is 'totally unacceptable' (BBC)
Warming temperatures increase risk of water toxins, health officials say (Kezi)
Kanwar lake, Bihar’s only Ramsar site, faces challenge of survival but not a poll issue (Down To Earth)
Uganda warns of rising water levels in Lake Victoria, rivers (The East African)
Lough Neagh: Assembly passes motion to declare ecological crisis (BBC)
East Africa floods: Heavy rains send Lake Tanganyika water level to record (Bloomberg)
Prehistoric lake sturgeon is not endangered, US says despite calls from conservationists (ABC News)
Morocco drought: Satellite images show vital Al Massira reservoir is shrinking (BBC)
India stares at summer water crisis as reservoir levels slide (Reuters)
Pollution [in Lake Victoria] choking aquatic life, pushing fishers out of business (The East African)
River trash audit 'not representative' of Indonesia’s waste conditions: Danone-Aqua responds (Eco-Business)
Researchers are scrambling to understand consequences of historic lack of Great Lakes ice cover (Associated Press)
Worrying water levels at Kyrgyzstan’s critical Toktogul reservoir (The Diplomat)
Flooded Greek lake [Karla in central Greece] a warning to European farmers battling climate change (Reuters)
Water every other day: Bengaluru is drying up & destruction of lakes is the reason (Down To Earth)
Greenpeace campaigns for urban wetland status for Chile’s Aculeo lagoon to protect biodiversity (Latin American Post)
Yundang Lake, the city's [Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian Province] drawing room (CGTN)
Postcard campaign seeking eco-restoration of Vembanad Lake launched (The Hindu)
Great Lakes average ice cover drops to 6%, one of lowest levels ever recorded (The Guardian)
The Great Salt Lake is full of lithium. A startup wants to harvest it (The Wall Street Journal
Climate change is fueling the disappearance of the Aral Sea. It's taking residents' livelihoods, too (Independent)
Livelihoods at stake as Lake Victoria’s papyrus swamps come under pressure: Photos (Mongabay)
Livelihoods dry up due to pollution in Tonle Sap Lake (The Third Pole)
Fish from Lake Nakuru unfit for human consumption - CS Mvurya (Citizen Digital)
Enhancing water monitoring: Uncrewed surface vehicle used to monitor the well-being of reservoirs (India Education Diary)
This African lake may literally explode—and millions are at risk (National Geographic)
This pristine lake [Lake Hovsgol – largest and deepest lake in Mongolia] has endured for 2m years. Why are its fish in crisis? (The Guardian)
The waters of the Xingu [indigenous park in Amazon, Brazil]: A source of life at risk of death (Mongabay)
Rwanda: Over 100 offenders penalised for lake pollution, encroachment (The New Times)
Lake Powell is still in trouble. Here’s what’s good and what’s alarming about the current water level, Inside Climate News. Read more.
Three years after an oil well blowout, this Assam wetland is slowly coping The Maguri Motapung beel (lake) is a floodplain wetland in northeastern India, covering 9.6 square km. Mongabay. Read more.
Reviving the Lost Waterways of India’s ‘City of Lakes’, Reasons to be Cheerful. Read more.
Where is the ice? Great Lakes ice cover is nearly non-existent and reaches 50-year record low, CNN. Read more.
Three years after an oil well blowout, this Assam wetland is slowly coping, Mongabay. Read more.
Can Michigan reduce phosphorus pollution getting into Lake Erie by 40 percent?, Great Lakes Now. Read more.
Beavers have engineered ecosystems in the Tetons [USA] for millennia, Eos. Read more.
Could a 550-Mile pipeline from the ocean save the Great Salt Lake? Scientists say probably not, Smithsonian Magazine. Read more.
Why scientists aren’t sold on an idea to pipe ocean water to the Great Salt Lake, NBC News. Read more.
5000 Lakes in Indonesia, home to biodiversity which is starting to be threatened, Asia Today. Read more.
2 unique rainbow smelt populations make Lake Utopia special in Canada, CBC. Read more.
Mountain villages fight for future as melting glaciers [and glacial lake outbursts] spell floods, Al Jazeera. Read more.
EAC nations launch policy to protect Lake Victoria, BNN. Read more.
"Float-ovoltaics": How floating solar panels in reservoirs could revolutionise global power, Euronews. Read more.
How some lakes resist the heat of atmospheric warming, Earth.com. Read more.
Poisoned for decades by a Peruvian mine, communities say they feel forgotten [lakes have turned into tailings dams], Mongabay. Read more.
Panama Canal to slash booking slots due to drought over coming months [relates to low levels of Lake Gatun, the waters of which keep the canal open], Reuters. Read more.
Lake Victoria basin dwellers to receive automatic weather alerts, Daily Nation. Read more.
Ethiopia: Abbay Dam instrumental to preserve Lower Riparian's biodiversity – Ebi, All Africa. Read more.
[India Commentary] The Atal Bhujal Yojana [groundwater management scheme launched in 2019] meant to address groundwater depletion, is missing a key part of water flows, Mongabay. – with reference to Nonavinakere lake. Read more.
The driest place in North America has sprung to life with lakes and flowers after Hurricane Hilary, CNN. Read more.
Venezuelans handpick plastic and rake up oil in bid to save Lake Maracaibo, The Guardian. Read more.
Despite risks fish farms are booming in Africa [water data can reduce risk of upwelling impacts on aquaculture in Lake Victoria], BBC. Read more.
After rainy season that wasn’t, parched Mexico City [with drought-depleted reservoirs] starts restricting water, The Hill. Read more.
10% of dolphins killed as Amazon drought hits [Tefe] lake, Times of Malta. Read more.
Amazon drought [in Lake Puraquequara] strands floating Brazilian village on lake turned into mud, Reuters. Read more.
Glacial lake outburst floods are a growing threat to hydropower plants, Mongabay. Read more.
India to start monitoring high-risk glacial lakes next year, Reuters. Read more.
NGT committee to look into pollution in Ramakkal lake in Tamil Nadu, The Hindu. Read more.
Mar Menor: cleaning Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, BBC. Read more.
Flood disasters in Libya and India highlight rising risk to dams, Forbes. Read more.
Kenya’s Lake Victoria floods leave orphaned children to run their households, Mongabay. Read more.
Early warning system for India's flooded glacial lake was delayed by a year, Reuters. Read more.
Migratory birds arrive in Odisha’s Chilika before winter; is climate change to blame?, Down To Earth. Read more.
Pollution [relates to Lake Chivero] threatens a Zimbabwean town’s waters — and its way of life, Global Press Journal. Read more.
Water supply dwindling [in 10 reservoirs], Bolivians gather at dam to pray for rain, The Straits Times. Read more.
Exclusive: India lake that flooded was poised to get early warning system, Reuters. Read more.
[Glacial lake outburst): Nearly two dozen Indian troops missing after flash flood, Reuters. Read more.
“Rare, expensive”: Fish eating by Lake Victoria plunges amid climate change, African Argument. Read more.
90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels – report, The Guardian. Read more.
On Lake Michigan, a giant water battery aids clean energy transition, MLive. Read more.
Great Lakes gets its first wind farm – but some fear environmental fallout, The Guardian. Read more.
Lake Mead sees 'significant improvement' in water levels after drought led to disturbing discoveries, ABC News. Read more.
Pollution in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo threatens life in one of the world's oldest lakes, ABC News. Read more.
High in the Andes, Lake Titicaca's water levels fall to historic lows, France24. Read more.
Road salt pollution in many US lakes could stabilize at or below thresholds set by the EPA, Science Daily. Read more.
Lake Victoria's glory fades further as efforts to save it fail, Daily Nation. Read more.
Pollution blamed for mass fish deaths in Lake Victoria, Kenya News Agency. Read more.
Mass fish kill in Bengaluru, [Lower Ambalipura Lake] fisherman blames civic mess for 3.6 lakhs loss and pollution, The New Indian Express. Read more.
Efforts to save Lake Victoria failing as pollution escalates, Daily Nation. Read more.
Environment: Lake Rotorua has highest levels of plastic pollution of all NZ lakes, New Zealand Herald. Read more.
China's largest saltwater lake expands as eco-environment improves, CGTN. Read more.
Burundi, neighbouring countries step up protection for Lake Tanganyika, France 24. Read more.
More robust measures needed to minimise disaster impact in Lake Victoria Basin: Study, Down To Earth. Read more.
Shrinking of half of the world's freshwater lake reserves, Kompas. Read more.
New monitoring station at Lake Abert. USGS. Read more.
Global water reservoir volumes decline despite construction boom – study. Reuters. Read More.
An ‘unprecedented drought’ is affecting the Panama Canal. El Niño could make it worse. CNN. Read more.
Two California lakes are making comebacks with different results, NBC News. Read more.
UNEP urged to support rehabilitation of Africa’s second largest ox – Bow Lake. Kenya News Agency. Read more.
Lakes of Bengaluru: Concern over untreated sewage as Challakere lake reports fish deaths. The Indian Express. Read more.
Supreme Court dramatically shrinks Clean Water Act’s reach. Politico. Read more.
Chemical cocktails harmful to wildlife found in 81% of English rivers and lakes.The Guardian. Read more.
More than half of the world's large lakes are drying up, study finds, Reuters. Read more.
Plastic waste disposal affecting fish production on Lake Albert, New Vision. Read more.
China steps up flood prevention work in at-risk reservoirs, CGTN. Read more.
Sand Mining In Tanzania: Trails Of Destruction In Lake Victoria And Its Environs, Talk Africa. Read more.
Lake Victoria's suffocating lakefront, The Standard. Read more.
Shrinking Reservoirs in Catalonia, Earth Observatory. Read more.
Kake Naivasha choking in fresh waste, warns lobby, The Star. Read more.
Is it a Lake, or a Battery? A New kind of hydropower is spreading fast, New York Times. Read more.
As sand miners prosper in Uganda, a vital lake basin suffers, Spectrum News. Read more.
Let’s talk about the biggest cause of the [US] West’s water crisis, Vox. Read more.
Only 2% of New Zealand’s large lakes are in good health, bleak report finds. Read more.
A long-dormant lake [Tulare] has reappeared in California, bringing havoc along with it, CNBC. Read more.
Long-Lost California Lake's flooding [also Tulare] is 'life-changing' problem, Newsweek. Read more.
Governor Nyong'o kicks off Lake Victoria clean-up drive, The Star. Read more.
California's looming snowmelt to resurrect lost Tulare Lake, Axioa. Read more.
Climate change and nutrient fluctuations disrupt networks in lakes, Phys.org. Read more.
Microplastics pollution found in fresh-fallen Sierra snow and Lake Tahoe, CBS News. Read more.
Recycling lake litter, Ugandan makes innovative tourist boat, Associated Press. Read more.
Lake levels are rising across the world and climate change is to blame, New Scientist. Read more.
Changes needed to save second-largest U.S. reservoir, experts say, The Washington Post, Read more.
India: Women revive ponds for water security in Bundelkhand, Mongabay. Read more.
Urban ponds require attention to ensure biodiversity, shows study, Phys.org. Read more.
Chinese plateau lake sees increased biodiversity as ecology prioritized, CCTV. Read more.
‘The tale of the disappearing lake’: The Boko Haram insurgency and the narrative politics of the climate crisis, New National Star. Read more.
Floating PV could reach 4.8 GW globally by 2026. PV Magazine. Read more.
Floating solar farms could cool down lakes threatened by climate change. The Conversation. Read more.
The floating solar panels that track the Sun. BBC. Read more.
Floating solar power could help fight climate change — let’s get it right. Nature. Read more.
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UNEP's coverage of lakes
Climate change could spark floods in the world’s largest desert lake: new study. Read the full story.
The tale of a disappearing lake. Read the full story.
Sharing the benefits of Kenya’s soda lakes. Read the full story.
Globally, 3 billion people at health risk due to scarce data on water quality. Read the full story.
The interlinked threats facing lakes and why we need to protect them. Read the full story.
What you need to know about the global resolution on sustainable lake management. Read the full story.
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Videos
Yuncheng salt lake transforms into "Swan Lake". Watch the video.
Clearing plastic waste out of Lake Victoria, DW. Watch the video.
Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project, Living Lakes. Watch the video.
How peat [in Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia] in the US could help fight climate change, DW. Watch the video.
Ghost lake [Tulare] reemerges in California , ABC News. Watch the video.
Locals revive a Kashmir lake's ecological health, DW. Watch the video.
Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans, TED talk by Kelsey Leonard, 2019. Watch the video.
Living Lakes. Mache mit!. Watch the video.
Living Lakes members from South Asia. Watch the video. Watch the video.
Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project. Watch the video.
Forty-five per cent of NZ's lakes in 'poor' or worse health - study. 1 News - Watch the video.
Congratulations to the Government of Indonesia for the sustainable lake management resolution. - Watch the video.
UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Nadya Hutagalung talks about the importance of lakes and why she enjoys the benefits that lakes provide. She also calls upon stakeholders to commit to the UNEA 5.2 Sustainable Lake Management Resolution - Watch the video.
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Podcasts
Imprints: Lake and archive diving with Atreyee Bhattacharya, Mongabay. Listen here.
Imprints: Lake hopping with Anoop Ambili, Mongabay. Listen here.
Hidden Beneath The Surface [of Canada’s Lake Crawford], Washington Post. Listen here.
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