Perth is expected to be lashed by rain, with heavy falls and hail possible on Thursday, while parts of South Australia will be battered by winds of up to 120km/h.
Sydney experienced its warmest July on record – and the warm conditions are set to continue with most days this week set to be above 20 degrees While it is still Winter in Sydney, many residents will flock to the beach over the next week, with the city climbing to a top of 26 degrees on Sunday Over in South Australia, Tuesday and Wednesday are shaping up to be windy, with Kangaroo Island to be the hardest hit as wind gusts of 120km/h are expected.
Weatherzone senior meteorologist Jacob Cronje told Daily Mail Australia a strong cold front will bring showers to southern parts of the nation.
Mr Cronje said most of the remainder of the country will be dry, with a majority of parts looking at warm days and cold nights.
Most parts of Sydney experienced less than 20 per cent of their typical July rainfall totals, the Bureau of Meteorology said While Sydney experiences a record run of warm and dry conditions, parts of southern Australia are in for wet and windy conditions over the next week The run of warm weather for Sydney comes as the city experienced a July which was warmer than normal, with New South Wales enduring a devastating drought.
Pictured, a map which shows rainfall across the state in July Australia as a whole also experienced the warmest and driest July in 20 years ‘Dry conditions were experienced across the region with most sites recording less than 20 per cent of their typical July totals.’
‘It was the fifth-driest July on record and driest since 2002 for New South Wales as a whole,’ BOM’s July climate summary said.
From May 1 to July 31, NSW experienced 50-100 mm of rainfall while inland Australia only had 2-10mm of rainfall The map shows which areas experienced their lowest rainfall on record compared to the highest on record ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes heatwave expert Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick said Australians should be expecting extreme weather …
Sunny although windy.
Sunny day.

Kenya — Coast Bottled Water Manufacturers Association has called for a review of the introduction a new tax regime that takes effect on August 1, 2018.
Michael Otieno, the chairperson of the Coast Bottled Water Manufacturers Association, said these additional taxes will mean an increase on the operational cost.
"An increase in our operational cost will mean an increase in the price of the bottled water.
Currently, a 300ml bottle of water goes for Sh15, but it will jump to Sh25, a 500ml bottle of water will trade at Sh30 up from Sh20 if the new taxes are imposed.
"We want these new taxes to be scrapped or reviewed altogether," said Ochieng.
Otieno adds that if the excise duty is implemented the 1.25ltr bottle will cost Sh70, up from Sh50 while the 1.5ltr bottle will cost Sh75 up from Sh55.
10ltr bottle will jump from Sh200 to Sh300 while the 20ltr bottle will cost Sh500 from Sh300.
Another member of the association, Ahmed Mohamed, said the increased taxes will make operational costs unbearable to the companies forcing them to downsize their workforce or close shop altogether.
There are 120 bottled water companies at the Coast, which have employed about 1,600 people across the region and nationally.
Countrywide, there are about 600 bottled water companies.

MOMBASA, Kenya, Jul 24 – Coast Bottled Water Manufacturers Association has called for a review of the introduction a new tax regime that takes effect on August 1, 2018.
Michael Otieno, the chairperson of the Coast Bottled Water Manufacturers Association, said these additional taxes will mean an increase on the operational cost.
“An increase in our operational cost will mean an increase in the price of the bottled water.
“We want these new taxes to be scrapped or reviewed altogether,” said Ochieng.
Otieno adds that if the excise duty is implemented the 1.25ltr bottle will cost Sh70, up from Sh50 while the 1.5ltr bottle will cost Sh75 up from Sh55.
10ltr bottle will jump from Sh200 to Sh300 while the 20ltr bottle will cost Sh500 from Sh300.
Another member of the association, Ahmed Mohamed, said the increased taxes will make operational costs unbearable to the companies forcing them to downsize their workforce or close shop altogether.
There are 120 bottled water companies at the Coast, which have employed about 1,600 people across the region and nationally.
Countrywide, there are about 600 bottled water companies.
“We will see more than 1,600 people employed in these smaller water companies rendered jobless.

JAGATSINGHPUR: Acute water scarcity has gripped several coastal villages of Erasama and Balikuda blocks and Kujang area in the district.
With no provision of drinking water, people are forced to consume contaminated water from pits to quench their thirst.The worst hit are 24 villages of Balikuda block and 17 in Erasama.
While the crisis is worsening with rising mercury, people are forced to make long treks to fetch drinking water.
Moreover, tube-wells in many villages are discharging saline water which is not fit for human consumption, sources said.
Besides, many villages which are covered under pipe water scheme are also reeling under water scarcity.
Villagers of Kanaguli and Khurant of Erasama alleged that pipe water projects, though installed two years back, are yet to be completed due to negligence of officials.
Majority of the tube-wells in Kujang, Erasama and Balikuda have dried up.
Left with no option, people are using contaminated water from drying ponds and pits for drinking purposes.
If sources are to believed, negotiations and proposals for marriage in several villages have been cancelled due to the water crisis in Erasama and Balikuda areas.Contacted, RWSS Executive Engineer Chittaranjan Jena said the department is supplying drinking water by tankers to nearly 30 water-starved villages of Kujang and Erasama blocks.
Last year, 170 tube wells were installed while another 500 will be put in place to meet the water needs of people in the current year, he added.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With summer peaking and water bodies drying up, the coastal belt from Poonthura to Pozhiyoor is facing an acute water shortage.
The situation at Vizhinjam is such that the residents have to depend on private water tankers to quench their thirst.
“Everyday, the residents have to stand on long queues to collect water from the private parties, who are exploiting our situation.
The situation is no different at Poonthura, Pozhiyoor and Valiyathura.
Moreover, the government promise to supply water in tankers has also not been fulfilled yet,” Dolly said.
He added regular water supply, however, has not been restored yet.
‘No information on scarcity’ District Panchayat president V K Madhu said the water supply through the tanker lorries had not begun as they are yet to receive any information regarding water scarcity in the coastal areas.
The district panchayat has also started implementing the Rs 200 crore ‘Jalasaree’ project to restore old ponds and water bodies and dig new ones.
“It is true that the coastal areas have issues.
However, I will check with the authorities and will do my best to ensure a regular water supply”, Shainamol said.

There are over 500,000 hectares of mangroves across the country in Myanmar, but the number is declining as many of the plants were cut down to be used as firewood, or to give way to fish farms.
To curb the degradation of the eco-system, forest reserves are being established in coastal areas of the southeast Asian country.
As part of its efforts in protecting local people living near the coastal areas from natural disaster, Myanmar is implementing a mangrove conservation project in Rakhine state’s Sittway and Kyaukpyu, and Tanintharyi region’s Myeik with the cooperation of local non-governmental organizations.
Meanwhile, the country is taking measures to improve management of water resources to prevent flooding and water scarcity.
It also called for fighting pollution of the Ayeyawaddy River that flows through the country from north to south.
The event will provide opportunities for the country to learn from international specialists about all-round management of water resources, response to natural disaster, new techniques and ideas on water resources management and achieving water sufficiency.
Moreover, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is providing new farming techniques for Myanmar as part of a project to address climate change risk on water resources and food security in the dry zone.
The new techniques include crop spacing method, drought resistant crop selection, water conservation and environmentally sensitive livestock husbandry practices.
The four-year project worth 7.9 million U.S. dollars is the first of its kind in Myanmar to receive funding from the Adaptation Fund.

Drought returns to coastal Maine.
Right now, many communities along the coast are really dry.
Right now, many communities along the coast are really dry.
The brown grass is everywhere, but that’s not Shawn Brannigan’s main concern.
“And we’re getting to the point right now where we either need to get some rain or I probably won’t be harvesting much out of my vegetable garden this year."
While well water is diminishing, the National Weather Service hasn’t had any reports of wells going dry.
"Usually this time of year, groundwater goes down anyway," Hawley said.
During spring when snow melts, and in fall when the foliage goes dormant.
Rain on Friday will help alleviate the drought, but Hawley says we’ll still need more.
"If we can, you know, put a couple of months together with above normal precipitation, we should be able to get out of it," Hawley said.

Barbara Thomson Like many other coastal areas in South Africa, East London and Port Elizabeth are also important centres of industrial manufacturing and economic development. East London and Port Elizabeth, with three commercial ports in total, are intricately connected to, and dependent on, the surrounding ocean as a resource. However, these developments, and indeed coastal development in general, must also be balanced with the need to ensure the health and integrity of our coastal and oceanic resources. Our oceans are under threat from pollution from both land-based activities and sea-based activities. The entire oceanic ecosystem is exposed to a wide range of pollution sources, such as illegal dumping practices, spillages from ships, waste disposal from port dredging operations and mining operations, and the discharge of sewage, storm water, agricultural run-off and marine litter from land-based sources. Our oceans are sadly becoming a major sink for these pollutants, and cannot be expected to assimilate all the pollutants without consequence. It is becoming well known that most of the marine waste generated comes from what we do on land. Marine litter, nutrients, sewage, industrial effluent and storm-water runoff are impacting the services that our oceans provide and this negatively affects our oceans economy or the potential revenue that can be generated from our ocean amenities. A sectoral approach is needed to find ways of improving the management of the various waste streams threatening our coast and ocean space. For key sources of pollution such as effluent disposal and the dumping of waste from ships at sea, we have established a strict permitting system to ensure such activities are carefully controlled and in line with international obligations. With regard to the management of coastal water quality in general, South Africa subscribes to the position that our coastal waters must be “fit for use” – in other words, water pollution must be managed according to the unique needs of those users who come into contact with our coastal waters. Since 2012, we have been working hard to develop new coastal water quality guidelines that are tailored to protect the various uses of our coast, such as contact recreation, aquaculture, industrial extraction and the natural environment in its own right. While carrying out this important research, it is been astounding to note how many new toxic substances have been invented over the past two decades. As we become more modernised and consumer-based, so too will we generate new substances and materials,…

In the annual “Beach Bummer” report card issued Thursday morning by Southern California environmental nonprofit watchdog group Heal The Bay, the Santa Cruz attraction, a favorite among tourists and locals alike, slipped to the third most contaminated beach statewide.
It had held the No.
1 position for the three previous years, and remained at least in the top two slots for seven years.
The report uses weekly bacterial pollution reports to assign A-to-F grades for 416 beaches.
Above Santa Cruz on the list were Humboldt County’s Clam Beach County Park in McKinleyville and Orange County’s San Clemente Pier in San Clemente.
Neighboring Capitola Beach has moved up into the No.
I’m very thankful for the contributions of the Cowell Beach Working Group and that of our Wastewater and Wharf staff to put measures into place that will improve water quality.” In response to Cowell’s continuously poor showing, the city of Santa Cruz formed the Cowell Beach Working Group, with representatives from the city, Santa Cruz County, Save the Waves, Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation, two years ago.
The working group believed that bird droppings collected in the stagnant area may have resulted in increased bacteria counts.
The nonprofit cites the increase in polluted runoff headed funneling in storm drains and out to the state’s coastline.
Creation of a new technical advisory committee is in the works to analyze the data and refine recommendations, and city workers will increase its efforts to move birds off the wharf near the shoreline, according a release by Deputy City Manager Scott Collins.

Peninsula water authority, Marina officials in talks over Cal Am desal project.
Monterey >> Talks have been under way for months between Monterey Peninsula mayors water authority representatives and Marina Coast Water District and Marina city officials over a potential resolution regarding the coastal community’s concerns about potential negative groundwater impacts from the proposed California American Water desalination project.
According to a water authority staff report prepared for Thursday’s authority board meeting, the discussions are being conducted at the “staff level” and are aimed at “an effort to resolve (Marina Coast) concerns to the extent possible, consistent with the needs of Peninsula water users.” Pacific Grove mayor Bill Kampe and water authority executive director Jim Cullem said Wednesday the talks are still in the preliminary and exploratory stages.
Cullem said they’re focused on seeing if there’s a way to reach an agreement that would avoid litigation over the desal project.
“It’s a delicate thing and this is really preliminary.
We’re looking for common ground.” Cullem said the talks were re-initiated by Kampe after former Carmel mayor Jason Burnett attempted to start discussions with Marina officials over the Cal Am desal project, which Cullem said were hampered by litigation involving the defunct regional desal project.
“Our approach is, what do you guys (Marina officials) reasonably really need, and can we find something that works for everyone,” he said.
We’ll see if there’s a proposal or a willingness to negotiate and then get that out in public.
(A settlement) is our long-term goal.” Kampe suggested there could be room for an agreement around recycled water and water rights, while Cullem said there could be a potential deal involving Marina Coast use of Cal Am desal project infrastructure.
Just last month, the authority board approved up to $10,000 for consultant SPI, Inc. to conduct an independent review of groundwater and modeling issues raised by Marina Coast in extensive comments on the draft environmental impact report and environmental impact statement for Cal Am’s desal project.