#water is life

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

[wachinyeya]

A historically and culturally significant lake in California's San Joaquin Valley that first disappeared in 1898 has returned after last year's atmospheric rivers flooded the region.

Tulare Lake, known as Pa'ashi — or "big water" — to the local Tachi Yokut Tribe, was "once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi River," per Earth.com.

Vivian Underhill, who published a paper on Tulare Lake as a postdoctoral research fellow at Northeastern University, noted it was mostly sustained by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountains and was 100 miles long and 30 miles wide at its peak.

The lake served as a key resource for Indigenous Peoples and wildlife and was once robust enough to allow steamships to transport agricultural goods throughout the state.

However, government officials persecuted and displaced the indigenous communities in the late 1800s to convert the area for farming through draining and irrigation.

"They really wanted to get [land] into private hands so that indigenous land claims — that were ongoing at that time — would be rendered moot by the time they went through the courts," Underhill told the Northeastern Global News. "It was a deeply settler colonial project."

While Pa'ashi periodically reappeared during the 1930s, '60s, and '80s, the barrage of atmospheric rivers California experienced in 2023 revived the lake despite the region receiving just 4 inches of rain annually. According to Underhill, Tulare Lake is now the same size as Lake Tahoe, which is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide.

Its resurgence has led to the return of humid breezes at least 10 degrees cooler than average and native species, including fish, amphibians, and birds. Lake Tulare was once a stopping point for migratory birds traveling a route known as the Pacific Flyway.

"Something that continues to amaze me is — [the birds] know how to find the lake again," Underhill told the Northeastern Global News. "It's like they're always looking for it."

The Tachi Yokuts have also returned to Pa'ashi's shores, once again practicing their ceremonies and planting tule reeds and native sage.

[tropicalnuoyi]

Refresh yourself 🌊🫧🫧

[intersectionalpraxis]

"97% of all water in Gaza is not safe for human consumption." with caption below- "Systemic change for collective liberation" -percentage/figure is from the United Nations [@/ theslowfactory on X. 01/08/24.]

"On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights. The Resolution calls upon States and international organisations to provide financial resources, help capacity-building and technology transfer to help countries, in particular developing countries, to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all." "In November 2002, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water. Article I.1 states that "The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights". Comment No. 15 also defined the right to water as the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses." "Sufficient. The water supply for each person must be sufficient and continuous for personal and domestic uses. These uses ordinarily include drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation, personal and household hygiene. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 50 and 100 litres of water per person per day are needed to ensure that most basic needs are met and few health concerns arise." "Safe. The water required for each personal or domestic use must be safe, therefore free from micro-organisms, chemical substances and radiological hazards that constitute a threat to a person's health. Measures of drinking-water safety are usually defined by national and/or local standards for drinking-water quality. The World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality provide a basis for the development of national standards that, if properly implemented, will ensure the safety of drinking-water." "Acceptable. Water should be of an acceptable colour, odour and taste for each personal or domestic use. [...] All water facilities and services must be culturally appropriate and sensitive to gender, lifecycle and privacy requirements." "Physically accessible. Everyone has the right to a water and sanitation service that is physically accessible within, or in the immediate vicinity of the household, educational institution, workplace or health institution. According to WHO, the water source has to be within 1,000 metres of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes." "Affordable. Water, and water facilities and services, must be affordable for all. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) suggests that water costs should not exceed 3 per cent of household income."

Outlined by the United Nations very CLEARLY -yet Gaza, like Tigray and Sudan, and nearly a billion people concentrated in specific spaces in the world are SUFFERING because of rampant inaction of western imperialistic governments and figurehead organizations. This IS a massive human rights violation -the IOF is DEPRIVING Palestinian people of basic necessities and is starving them... it's absolutely stunning to me that something like this isn't front page on ALL major news sources. If this was somewhere in Europe or Australia or Canada then there would be international outcry -97%!!! Despicable.

[jadeseadragon]

Take action to make your voice heard ahead of the November 13, 2023 deadline by signing our petition to the US Army.

[mcromwell]

"We All Live Downstream"

[lilies-of-the-fields]

Stand in solidarity with the Miccosukee:

Big Cypress Preserve is part of the Everglades, one of the largest remaining tracts of wetlands on Turtle Island (North America).

The Miccosukee Tribe have lived there since time immemorial and their care for their home has shaped it into the beautiful swamp we know today.

The National Parks Service is trying to rush a change in Big Cypress' designation from a Preserve to a Wilderness area. [plain text: The National Parks Service is trying to rush a change in Big Cypress' designation from a Preserve to a Wilderness area.]

This would give the area stronger protections for water quality, but would significantly limit the Tribe's access to their homelands and completely ignores how their stewardship of the lands and waters was and is crucial in maintaining the health of ecosystems.

There hasn't been a good faith effort to include the Miccosukee in a meaningful way (ie free informed prior consent & input!!!) on this change to their sovereign territory.

If you want to practice allyship, here's a chance. Sign the petition to show your support / solidarity with the Miccosukee. [plain text: Sign the petition to show your support / solidarity with the Miccosukee.]

Personalize it even just a little, even if it's just adding your own name or hometown. If you're able, print it out sign it and mail it. The Tribe and organizers working on this have a goal of getting 500 letters to the NPS/Secretary of the Interior. The online petition is almost at its goal! Just over 2,000 signatures left (as of Mar.16th 2024 21:30EST).

Please please share! I have it on good word that the NPS is trying to push this through before folks really have a chance to hear about what they're doing or make a fuss. So make a fuss we must.

The mailing addresses are below the cut for anyone who can send a physical letter!

Mail to:

Charles F. "Chuck" Sams III, Director

National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240

Secretary Deb Haaland

Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240

[houseofpurplestars]

Digital illustration of an indigenous woman and her child sitting on the floor. She’s looking back and is wearing a grey bodycon dress with text that reads, ‘clean water is a human right.’ Behind her, a toddler is looking at you and is wearing a green striped shirt and green pants. Between them is a water bottle labeled ‘sink water’ filled with a brown liquid.

art by Liberal Jane @ liberaljanee

[browngurl]

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Liberal government tabled much-anticipated legislation Monday that aims to improve water quality in First Nations communities, improve collaboration on water protection and codify a new First Nations-led commission.

The long-promised bill, which Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is touting as the result of immense collaboration and knowledge-sharing, would apply a new framework for source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations land.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[decolonize-the-left]

source

Linktree

Petition

What is the Mountain Valley Pipeline?

A 303 mile long pipeline set to carry natural gases through West Virginia and Virginia. Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC. Equitrans Midstream Corp. is the lead developer of the project. It crosses several bodies of water, puts multiple eco systems at risk (including human lives), and has already been reported to have violated the Clean Water Act several times over.

Why is it awful?

Same reasons as always. It's awful for the environment and neither the people constructing it or demanding it be constructed care about the environmental impact. The pipeline has received 55 notices of violation – 46 of those were for violating water quality standards (and that number is from 2021, it's larger now.)

From the article:

In the path of the pipeline:

The Gauley River, home of the Candy Darter, where they want to bore under the river to preserve Candy Darter habitat. Yet, there will be a total of 191 waterbody crossings within the Gauley watershed potentially flushing sediment into Candy Darter habitat.

The Elk River, the drinking water source for 6 public water systems including the City of Charleston which supplies drinking water to over 300,000 people.

The Greenbrier River, one of the longest and most technical borings will be 1,250 feet in length, will require half a million gallons of water and drilling slurry and take up to 4 months to complete.

If crossing some of West Virginia’s most cherished rivers isn’t enough, the remaining crossings are of headwater streams – over 80% of all the stream crossings are headwaters.

I couldn't find info on where to donate to protesters or things like that so if ANYONE can add those resources (or whatever other you find) PLEASE feel free to add them!!

For now spread this post and click the links.

[taviamoth]

🚨 Head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf:

—

Gaza City is facing a new environmental disaster that threatens the citizens, adding to a series of disasters caused by the occupation to the Gaza Strip since the onset of its brutal aggression. This disaster is represented by the complete halt of all water wells in the city for the past two weeks due to the depletion of the scant fuel supplies that were available to the Gaza Municipality during the previous period.

With the municipality teams unable to operate the water wells that survived the barbarity and bombing of the occupation, the entire city is now experiencing severe thirst due to the water cut-off, especially with the continued stoppage of water pumping from the "Mekorot" line since the beginning of the aggression and the complete destruction of the desalination station, more than 40 water wells, and 120,000 linear meters of water networks in the city.

This crisis has currently reached its peak with the onset of rising temperatures and increased demand and consumption, which requires urgent intervention from all relevant parties to provide fuel and urgently restore water supply to the citizens, and to save them from severe thirst and the health and environmental crisis that will exacerbate due to the water cut-off.

We call on the international community to put an end to the occupation's crimes against civil service sectors and urge it to urgently move to support the municipalities and provide the necessary equipment and machinery for their operation, especially in light of the heavy burden currently placed on them in serving the citizens and delivering basic services to them, primarily water.

We call for a serious international legal action to investigate all the crimes committed by the occupation army against the municipalities, local councils, and other service institutions, and to take a responsible stance in the face of the continuation of such crimes.

Salama Maarouf

Head of the Government Media Office

Gaza-Palestine

Friday, April 19, 2024

[wachinyeya]

From water-testing polluted rivers to measuring radiation levels, ordinary people are taking environmental research into their own hands.

[tropicalnuoyi]

water is life 🏄🏻‍♀️💦

[intersectionalpraxis]

"finding out coca-cola is responsible for why most water in Mexico (especially in Chiapas) isn't even safe to brush your teeth with let alone drink, that it has full monopoly over water sources in the country and bottles it to sell it to people instead of it being free" [source: @ land2thetiller on X, formerly known as Twitter. 12/04/23.]

[sarahmcmenomy]

Aqua est vita, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

A golden hillside shimmers with hope behind the skeletal remains of burnt trees after wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. Two trees bear messages encoded in Ogham in their branches: “Send rain,” and “Aqua est vita” (“water is life”).