Senegal Baobab Forest Swallowed by Mininghttps://phys.org/news/2019-10-stunning-senegal-baobab-forest-swallowed.html... In Bandia, 65 kilometres (40 miles) west of Dakar, one of Senegal's most beautiful baobab forests is gradually being devoured by cement manufacturers' limestone quarries. Locals complain that mining activity is crumbling their houses and damaging their health.
... White dust from the Senegalese cement-maker Ciments du Sahel's 20 quarries in the area coat the village as well as the baobab trees. Its huge plant is visible from miles around.
The government, keen to support local industry, approved an expansion of 236 hectares (580 acres) for Ciments du Sahel in June.
... Bandia forest has had protected status since 1933 and is home to a wildlife reserve with rhinos, zebras and giraffes that is a hit with tourists.
Only one fifth of the original forest is left—or some 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres)—according to Ngom. The number of quarries rose from two in 2002 to 20 in 2019, he said.
"There were mango trees here, eucalyptus, acacias, and baobab. When I was a boy, we played among the trees," he said. "They've all fallen down, one after another", Ngom said in Bandia, pointing out an abandoned mine in the distance.
"Look, not one flower is left, not one animal. Here, nature can no longer retake its rightful place," he said above the noise of passing lorry traffic.
------------------------
Mekong Levels at Lowest on Record as Drought and Dams Strangle Riverhttps://phys.org/news/2019-10-mekong-shrivels-drought-strangle-seasia.htmlAlong parts of Thailand's northeastern border at Loei, the kilometre-wide (3,300-foot) river has shrivelled to a few dozen metres, with boulders and bedrock encasing muddy pools of water.
From above, the encroaching banks of Laos and Thailand are now a thread of water apart, restricting fishing grounds to a slim channel.
Fishermen blame a combination of this year's weak monsoon and the Xayaburi dam, around 300 kilometres (185 miles) to the north.
... "The concern is for the upcoming dry season."