drought

Beverly Kurtz and Tim Guenthner live near Gross Reservoir outside Boulder, Colo. They oppose a an expansion project that would raise the reservoir's dam by 131 feet.

High Demand, Low Supply: Colorado River Water Crisis Hits Across The West

6:21pm December 30, 2016

After years of drought and dropping water levels, the Colorado River is reaching a crisis point. Communities at each end of the river are looking at a variety of measures, from storage to sharing.

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A hamlet between the towns of Tsihombe and Ambovombe, in the most drought-stricken area in southern Madagascar. Most families in the region have resorted to eating wild fruits and tree leaves.

Drought-Stricken Southern Madagascar Teeters On The Edge Of Famine

4:18pm December 05, 2016

by Rhitu Chaterjee

Fighting extreme poverty and failing crops caused by a three-year drought, United Nations food agencies are struggling to keep the region's population from succumbing to starvation.

Giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada range can grow to be 250 feet tall — or more.

How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?

4:31pm October 27, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

Four years of too little water is killing millions of trees in the Sierra, yet some giant sequoias still thrive. Tree-climbing scientists are exploring sequoias branch by branch to find their secret.

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California's Dire Drought Message Wanes, Conservation Levels Drop

12:50pm October 20, 2016

by Nathan Rott

Californians are saving less and less water as the state enters what may be its sixth year of drought, in part because they say they're hearing a less-than-clear message about the drought.

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People gather at bank of the Cauvery River in the state of Tamil Nadu.

MUSIC: Why A River's Sad But Beautiful Song Is Big On Social Media

3:18pm September 30, 2016

by Chhavi Sachdev

In times of drought — like now — two neighboring states argue over rights to the Cauvery River's water. A musician wrote a song about what the river thinks of all this.

Bruce Hincks of Meadowood Farm walks through his patch of brussels sprouts in Yarmouth, Maine. Hincks, who has been farming for 40 years, said that this is the worst season, in terms of drought and heat, that he has seen in 10 or 12 years.

Northeast Farmers Grapple With Worst Drought In More Than A Decade

3:10pm August 30, 2016

by Jill Kaufman

This year, many fields are bone dry — and that has many farmers in the region thinking about how to manage their land, their animals and the water that is there.

Officials found the toxin microcystin in the blue-green algae present at Discovery Bay, Calif. For people exposed to the toxin, symptoms include dizziness, rashes, fever, vomiting and in more unusual cases, numbness.

Poisonous Algae Blooms Threaten People, Ecosystems Across U.S.

7:36pm August 29, 2016

by Lesley McClurg

Serious algae outbreaks have hit more than 20 states this summer. Algae blooms aren't unusual. But the frequency, size and toxicity now are worse than ever, and changes in climate are partly to blame.

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A woman dries clothes in a failed maize field in the north of Malawi.

The Race To Stop A Looming Food Disaster In Southern Africa

5:18pm July 22, 2016

by Nurith Aizenman

El Nino ruined this spring's harvest. Can food aid — and maize seeds — be delivered in time?

The water-filled Bendsura Dam, seen in 2011.

Are Indians Turning To The 'Supernatural' In Subterranean Search For Water?

8:00am May 22, 2016

by Julie McCarthy

More than 330 million Indians are desperate for water, leading some to rely on an ancient — and unproven — method to find it underground.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced a plan to cut down on the country's power usage in an effort to save water.

To Save Power, Venezuela Gives Public Employees Fridays Off

6:27pm April 08, 2016

by Laura Wagner

As a drought pushes water levels to extreme lows, President Nicolas Maduro has declared every Friday a holiday for the next two months to save water and electricity.