South Sudan’s president has ordered the suspension of all dredging-related activities in the country until evidence-based studies are carried out on their on surrounding communities and the ecosystems they rely on.

Salva Kiir Mayardit’s announcement, which was made during his address on the country’s 11th independence anniversary, means the dredging project on the Bahr el Ghazal-Naam river, approved by the cabinet last year, and the century-old Jonglei canal project will now be halted.

In May, Unity State government received dredging equipment from Egypt for the project on the Naam river, claiming it would reduce the flooding that displaced thousands in the state.

This was met with strong criticism from environmentalists, citizens and activists who said that the plan would result in environmental and economic catastrophe, drying up the country’s White Nile river and the Sudd wetlands which farmers and local wildlife rely on.

But government officials, including South Sudan’s vice presidents, have argued that the dredging process would help open up rivers for economic activity and help mitigate floods that have affected most of the country.

South Sudan has been experiencing extreme flooding over the past three years, with 1.2 million people affected by flooding across the country.

“The contending sides have put forward legitimate arguments both for and against dredging,” said Kiir in his address, adding that feasibility studies for the projects are paramount.

On Friday, environmental experts and academics at the University of Juba called on the government to carry out an environmental and social impact assessment before dredging the Nile tributaries. Tag Elkhazin, an expert on the Nile, equated South Sudanese support for the dredging project to treason.

“Stop dredging, its not in your interest, it is in the interest of a foreign country,” said Professor Elkhazin during a virtual presentation on the Jonglei Canal and water resources in South Sudan. Elkhazin said that other countries along the Nile, such as Egypt, would benefit from dredging projects which would divert more water upstream.

Elkhazin added that flooding is seasonal and should not be a reason to drain the Sudd tributaries, which would have an everlasting environmental impact.

Academics and local water engineers also accused the government of allowing the dredging to go on without consulting with the general public.

President Kiir has set up a 40-member Public Consultation and Awareness Committee on the Sudd region and the White Nile river to discuss the best options for flood and water management.

He said a decision on the projects, supported by citizens on both sides of the debate, will be made once the committee publishes its findings.

California firefighters gained ground Monday in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park.

The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada had scorched about 3.6 square miles (9.3 square kilometers) but was 25% contained as of early afternoon, according to an incident update.

The fire was a threat to more than 500 mature sequoias in the park’s Mariposa Grove and the nearby community of Wawona, which has been evacuated.

The area in the southern portion of Yosemite was closed to visitors but the rest of the national park remained open.

Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley have been protected since President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation in 1864.

A sprinkler system was set up within the grove to maintain moisture, and there were no reports of severe damage to any named trees, including the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant.

“Fortunately, the Mariposa Grove has a long history of prescribed burning and studies have shown that these efforts reduce the impacts of high-severity unwanted fire,” a National Park Service statement said.

A heat advisory was issued for the Central Valley sprawling below the Sierra while up in the fire area, a high temperature of 88 degrees (31 Celsius) was forecast for the village of Wawona, where hundreds tourists and residents were forced to evacuate last Friday.

“Fortunately there has not been any erratic winds that have affected fire behavior,” said fire information officer Marc Peebles. “We do have the high pressure that’s over the top of the fire which is causing the increase in temperatures. However, we do get a decent amount of humidity at night which moderates fire behavior which allows our night shift firefighters to do good work.”

The giant sequoias, native in only about 70 groves spread along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, were once considered impervious to flames but have become increasingly vulnerable as wildfires, fueled by a buildup of undergrowth from a century of fire suppression and the impact of drought exacerbated by climate change, have become more intense and destructive.

Lightning-sparked wildfires over the past two years have killed up to a fifth of the estimated 75,000 large sequoias, which are the biggest trees by volume and a major draw for tourists.

There was no obvious natural spark for the fire that broke out Thursday next to the park’s Washburn Trail. Smoke was reported by visitors walking in the grove.

A fierce windstorm ripped through the grove more than a year ago and toppled 15 giant sequoias, along with countless other trees.

The downed trees, along with massive numbers of pines killed by bark beetles, provided ample fuel for the flames.

In Utah, smoke and ash emanating from a growing wildfire in rural Tooele County blew into Salt Lake City on Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, the Jacob City Fire had grown to 5.9 square miles (15.3 square km), with zero containment, officials said.

Elsewhere in Utah, firefighters contending with heavy winds battled the 12.4-square-mile (32.2-square-km) Halfway Hill Fire in Filmore. Law enforcement on Saturday arrested four men who investigators said abandoned a campfire that ignited the blaze.

So far in 2022, over 35,000 wildfires have burned nearly 4.7 million acres (1.9 million hectares) in the U.S., according to the National Interagency Fire Center, well above average for both wildfires and acres burned.

The Met Office in the United Kingdom has issued an extreme weather warning for Sunday, as temperatures climbed to 32C on Monday.

The rare amber alert covering much of England and Wales is used to warn people of potential health and transport issues caused by the heat.

It comes as Wales had its hottest day of the year with 28.7C in Cardiff’s Bute Park.

Northolt, west London, recorded a high of 32C as temperatures in England soared.

And Heathrow airport, in west London, recorded temperatures of 31.8C.

The airport previously was the site of the UK’s hottest day so far this year on 17 June when it was 32.7C.

The Met Office’s extreme heat warning has only been issued twice before.

It comes as a teenager is believed to have died after getting into trouble while swimming in a canal, near Wakefield in West Yorkshire.

The Met Office is advising people to stay indoors where possible and to drink plenty of fluid to cope with the heat.

Parents are also being encouraged to limit their children’s exposure to the sun.

Level three heat-health alerts, which are separate to the Met Office amber warning, are in place across the south, the Midlands and eastern parts of England.

The heat-health alerts, issued jointly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office, are expected to stay in place until next weekend.

On Monday, Aboyne in the Highlands hit highs of 27.5C, while Armagh reached 24.2C.

Sweltering temperatures are also affecting the north of England, with Manchester set to reach a high of 28C.

A heatwave is sweeping across Europe, with a plume of hot air coming up from Africa and northwards through Spain.

Temperatures are expected to hit 38C in Madrid and 47C in Seville on Monday.

France, Germany and Italy could see the heat exceed 40C over the coming weekend.

Weather forecasting models suggest it is possible – though not likely – temperatures in the UK on the weekend could reach 40C (104F).

But a Met Office spokeswoman said it did not believe the warmest weather would reach 40C – UK temperatures have never reached that point.

The largest U.S. reservoir has shrunken to a record low amid a drought and the demands of 40 million people in seven states who are sucking the Colorado River dry.

Wildfire season has become longer and blazes more intense, scorching temperatures have broken records and lakes are shriveling.

Receding waters of Lake Mead National Recreation Area have revealed the skeletal remains of two people along with countless desiccated fish and what has become a graveyard of forgotten and stranded watercraft.

Houseboats, sailboats and motorboats have been beached, creating a surreal scene in an otherwise rugged desert landscape.

A buoy that once marked a no-boat-zone sits in the dirt, not a drop of water anywhere in view.

Even a sunken World War II-era craft that once surveyed the lake has emerged from the ebbing waters.

Nature did not create this still water paradise for fishing, camping and kayaking.

The mighty Colorado River that divides Nevada from Arizona once flowed beneath the walls of Black Canyon until the Hoover Dam was erected in 1935 for irrigation, flood control and hydropower.

The reservoir is now below 30 percent of capacity.

Its level has dropped 170 feet (52 meters) since reaching a high-water mark in 1983, leaving a bright white line of mineral deposits on the brown canyon walls that looms over passing motor boats as high as a 15-story building.

Most of the boat ramps have been gated and marina docks moved into deeper waters.

A sign that marks the water level in 2002 inconceivably stands above a road that descends to boat slips in the distance.

The dropping water levels have consequences not only for the cities that depend on the future source of water but for boaters who have to navigate shallow waters and avoid islands and sandbars that lurk below the surface before emerging.

The blanket ban on plastic bags Tanzania introduced three years ago has unleashed a huge market potential for eco-friendly paper bags, creating new opportunities for local traders who reap bigger profits.

Tanzania effected its ban on single-use plastic bags in June 2019, prohibiting the use, manufacture or importation of thin polyethylene bags, with offenders risking jail time or a hefty fine.

The implementation of the new policy has yielded positive results as alternative paper bags and packaging materials have become available in several marketing centers, according to officials.

“The ban of plastic was a blessing in disguise, although I had incurred some loss, switching to paper bag business is more profitable,” entrepreneur hawker Lilian Kamnyoge told Anadolu Agency ahead of the World Paper Bag Day to be observed July 12.

Kamnyoge said the ban has made her more creative and she is working hard to supply paper bags to hotels, restaurants and bars in the nation’s capital, Dar es Salaam.

“Many people are becoming used to paper bags, thin plastic bags are out of the sight — not in a single place,” she said.

In the port city, the ubiquitous single-use plastic bags, which had become a tricky enemy, have largely disappeared, according to residents.

“The government has succeeded to eliminate this plastic bag menace, with ongoing education people will learn to care for the environment,” said Kamnyonge.

Toxic chemicals

For decades scientists have sounded the alarm about the dangers of plastic bags which not only pollute the ocean but shed toxic chemicals into the ecosystem and taint food webs.

As the East African country is working to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, experts warned that single-use paper bags that are now widely used can be just as destructive.

“When you ban plastic bags you must ensure reusable alternatives are friendly to the environment, but that is not the case,” said environmental activist Gregory Isaac.

He told a news agency that for the ban to be more effective it should be aimed at changing the behavior of consumers.

“It is a good start but we have a long way to go because even the re-usable thick plastic in the end is bad for the environment,” he said.

While the ban has inflicted huge losses to manufacturers and traders, observers said it has created new opportunities for businesses.

“I have seen a 30% growth of our business in the past two years. If the ban on polyethylene is properly enforced our business is bound to grow even more,” Fayaz Hirji, owner of Cutex, a paper bag manufacturer and supplier in Dar es Salaam, told Anadolu Agency.

Increasing awareness

Hirji joined the paper bag manufacturing business five years ago and said the demand started rising two years ago because of increasing awareness of the dangers that plastic bags posed to the environment and a willingness of consumers to use a cleaner alternative.

The company produces all types of paper bags, shopping bags and paper gift bags.

Hirji said brown paper bags are most in demand among business owners and residents. “We supply paper bags and envelopes for takeaway food packaging to many businesses,” he said.

Tanzania has imposed harsher penalties for those caught producing, selling and importing single-use thin polyethylene bags but the country is still struggling to get rid of plastic waste.

In the bustling Tegeta open air market on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, thin polyethylene bags have disappeared, banished by the national plastic bag ban.

Traders in the busy market pack perishables in thicker bags made from synthetic fabric while others use paper bags.

Durable plastic

On one humid morning, Zuhura Kajuna, 26, prepares to arrange her vegetables on a maze of wooden stalls with her baby strapped in the back.

She briskly unpacks tomatoes, onions, ginger and cucumbers from canvas sacks and places them on the stall under an umbrella shade to shield them from the blazing sun.

A man pops up on a motorcycle and drops off paper and reusable plastic bags at Kajuna’s stall.

Made from thick plastic that is more durable and easier to recycle, Kajuna said the bags are friendly to the environment.

“I wouldn’t say the ban on plastic bags is 100% successful because we still use them although these are thicker and of a higher quality,” Kajuna told Anadolu Agency.

Since Tanzania enforced a plastic bag ban in 2019 with tougher penalties, alternative paper bags are widely used at markets and shopping centers.