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More than 600 Individuals Arrested at a Raid in Al Shifa Hospital; Police Struggles to Contain Daily Gun Violence in Haiti; Top Indian Opposition Leader Arrested as Elections Draws Near; Study: Global Fertility Rates To Plunge In Decades Ahead; Officials: "India's Silicon Valley" Is Running Out Of Water. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired March 22, 2024 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is "CNN Newsroom".

Horror inside Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital. Terrified civilians are crammed inside as Israeli forces storm the complex looking for what they claim are Palestinian militants.

CNN is alongside police on the ground in Haiti to see what officers are up against as violent gangs try to take over parts of the country.

And global fertility rates are set to plunge in the decades ahead. Why that should matter to all of us?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It's 9:00 a.m. in Doha right now where high-level officials from several countries are working towards a potential ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas. Diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting are underway across the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Arab leaders in Cairo on Thursday. He'll travel to Tel Aviv and meet with Israel's prime minister and war cabinet in the coming hours. America's top diplomat gave this assessment of where things stand right now. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Negotiators continue to work. The gaps are narrowing. And we're continuing to push for an agreement in Doha. There's still difficult work to get there, but I continue to believe it's possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, European leaders expressed support for a humanitarian pause in Gaza, but fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire. The E.U. is working to get more aid into the enclave through its newly approved maritime corridor from Cyprus. But the bloc's foreign policy chief says the crisis is much bigger than just getting aid into Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEP BORRELL, EUROPEAN UNION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: What's happening today in Gaza is the failure of humanity. It's not a humanitarian crisis. It's the failure of humanity. It's not an earthquake. It's not a flood. It's bombing. The only way of stopping this humanitarian crisis, human crisis, is Israel respecting more civilians and allowing more support to enter into Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. says it will bring its U.N. Security Council resolution on Gaza up for a vote on Friday morning. The Biden administration had vetoed multiple prior resolutions, and it's not clear whether Friday's resolution will pass.

Russia has in the past threatened to veto. The resolution from the U.S. will express support for the ongoing diplomatic efforts, while also calling for a quote, "immediate and sustained ceasefire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages". A U.S. official says it's meant to pressure Hamas into accepting the deal on the table.

Now, on the ground in northern Gaza, an Israeli military operation at al-Shifa Hospital stretched into its fourth day. As CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports, thousands of civilians are trapped on the premises.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A crowded stairwell at Al-Shifa Hospital. Dozens of women and children await Israeli military instructions. For four days, thousands of civilians have been trapped here as the Israeli military raids the hospital, targeting Palestinian militants allegedly operating inside the medical complex.

Soldiers are everywhere. The voice on the loudspeaker warns, if you leave the premises, the soldiers will shoot you. We have warned you. We have come here in order to get the Israeli hostages. Then we will let you go.

Soon, word of evacuations begins to spread.

Now they are forcing out the women, the voice behind the camera says. We don't know where they're going to take us.

The Israeli military says they have killed more than 140 militants in and around the hospital, and detained these five men described as senior terror operatives. Among more than 600 suspects, the Israeli military says they've detained. Eyewitnesses say medical personnel and other civilians have also been rounded up. Outside the hospital, the fighting continues, as seen through the lens

of Hamas militants, who have been targeting Israeli tanks and troops around the hospital complex.

Israeli airstrikes reducing parts of the surrounding al-Ramal neighborhood to rubble, sending thousands fleeing south. It's a journey marked by the sights and smells of death.

[02:05:10]

We walked over the martyrs who are dead in the street. People are reduced to body parts, this woman cries. Where is the humanity?

The newly displaced arrive on foot in central Gaza, carrying only backpacks and plastic bags, children clutching dolls and stuffed animals. Others, like this mother and her triplets, arrive with nothing at all.

Tanks and artillery were firing at the buildings around al-Shifa, and forcing people to leave the buildings, she says. They make them leave with nothing on them, nothing, no pillow, no blanket, not even water.

Nuzha isn't just fleeing the fighting, but the starvation that has left her eight-month-old babies thin and frail.

You can see them, she says, each of them is not even two kilos, eight months old and not even two kilos. Anyone who sees them would think they are only two months old, and they are eight months. It's a catastrophe, no water, no food, and siege and gunfire.

But her journey is not over yet. She is heading further south in search of food and shelter, no longer taken for granted in Gaza.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now to the continuing civil unrest and humanitarian crisis in Haiti. The U.N. is describing the gang violence, growing hunger and rising fear as quote, "human suffering at an alarming scale". The humanitarian coordinator for Haiti says more than 2,500 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped over the past couple of months.

The U.N. says more than five million Haitians need assistance. More than three million of them are children. And the gangs have advanced into new areas of the capital of Port-au-Prince in the past few days. Now, all of this as talks drag on to form a transition government and provide some semblance of political stability.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department says it was able to get out more than 90 Americans out of Haiti on Thursday. About 60 of them were taken to Miami, Florida.

Now, CNN has learned that one of the Haitian gang leaders was killed in Port-au-Prince Thursday night. According to a source, and now confirmed by Haiti's national police, the gang leader, who escaped from prison about three weeks ago, was killed in a gunfight with police. Now residents are fighting back against the gangs, as CNN's David Culver reports. But we just want to warn you, some of the images may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my God. You can see a body just sitting right in the middle of the street there. And people are trying to figure out the best way to get around it.

CULVER (voice-over): Across the street, this family rushes into a truck, shielding their little one's eyes, an effort to preserve what innocence is left here in Haiti, the gruesome sight slowing, but not stopping the morning rush hour.

CULVER: And you can even see here, look at this, a police car is just going right past, and it will continue on. It doesn't even stop.

CULVER (voice-over): A neighbor explains how an overnight gang attack ended in vigilante killings.

UNKNOWN: This is gunfire shooting here.

CULVER (voice-over): This man says he and more than 50 others immediately set out to find those terrorizing their neighborhood. They surrounded a man they didn't recognize.

CULVER: And you believe he was a gang member?

CULVER (voice-over): Carrying machetes, he tells me, they carried out justice, as he sees it, the only way they know to defend themselves.

When they come in shooting all around, trying to scare us to flee, we won't just let them kill us. They have to die, he tells me.

CULVER: The way you see this is kill or be killed.

CULVER (voice-over): Police don't condone the killings, but they are overwhelmed and overrun, and they don't have time to stop them.

There are daily gun battles in the capital, as police struggle to push the gangs back. The officers have willpower, but little else.

We see that firsthand as we patrol with Haiti's national police.

CULVER: There are no front lines in this war. The boundaries are blurred, and they're constantly shifting. And these officers know, driving around in an armored vehicle like this, well, they expect to be shot at. They're moving targets.

CULVER (voice-over): They cruise through gang territory, revealing a city in ruins and on fire.

At this intersection, we find another gruesome scene. Three bodies half-eaten by dogs and still smoldering.

[02:10:02]

People desperate for food and for shelter, even if it is in the shell of what was once a government building.

CULVER: I mean, this is just a symbol of state collapse here. More than 1,500 have now occupied this building and made it their home. Mostly children, from what we see.

CULVER (voice-over): And there are those who line up for hours, trying to get visas to go anywhere but here.

UNKNOWN: And not only there's no security, but there's no jobs. And not only there's no jobs, they're running after us wherever we are.

CULVER (voice-over): The gangs now targeting more affluent areas.

CULVER: What's left of an ATM, it's still in there.

UNKNOWN: They're trying to show themselves as robbing hoods or stuff, but they're just thieves. They're just thieves. They're criminals.

CULVER (voice-over): For street vendors like this woman, who still have fruits to sell, no customers to buy them.

CULVER: Because folks can't afford most of these items.

CULVER (voice-over): More troubling for her, the horrors she witnesses on these streets. Many people have died, she tells me. And they have to make trips to pick them up. We see that for ourselves as we head back just before curfew.

Medics clearing the remains of that suspected gang member.

They hurry, not to save a life, but to pick up two more bodies on this same street.

Here in Haiti, humanity has disintegrated into a brutal fight for survival.

CULVER: At late Thursday, Haitian security was confirming to us that police were able to kill a gang leader, one of many gangs here in Port-au-Prince. However, this is a man who recently escaped from prison. They also confirmed to us that several gang members were also killed. However, for police, it's always a question of how long they can hold the line. For that reason, they're looking for reinforcements.

David Culver, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The New York attorney general has taken the first step towards possibly seizing the assets of Donald Trump unless an appeals court intervenes, or unless he comes up with nearly half a billion dollars bond by Monday, an amount Trump said he can't pay. State lawyers have taken the procedural step of submitting paperwork

in Westchester County, north of Manhattan, which is home to Trump's Seven Springs estate, as well as one of his private golf courses. But their worth is a drop in the bucket compared to what Trump owes the state of New York for overstating his net worth and the value of his real estate. So it's possible New York authorities could go after Trump Tower or other prized properties.

The former president's legal team has so far rejected suggestions from the attorney general's office on how Trump can pay the bond. More now from CNN's Kara Scannell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no indication yet that Donald Trump has come up with half a billion dollars to satisfy the judgment in the New York attorney general's civil fraud case. He still has a few days to come up with the money unless the New York appeals court steps in and says that he can post a smaller amount or not post any money until the appeals process is entirely over.

But meanwhile, the New York attorney general's office is beginning to take steps to set up so they could potentially see some properties.

Earlier this month, they filed paperwork in Westchester County. That's just north of New York City, indicating that they could begin to move on Trump's property there. He owns a big estate known as Seven Springs, as well as a golf course in a town of Briarcliff, New York.

And, you know, this judgment was also entered in New York, where a lot of Trump's big trophy properties are, including Trump Tower, his triplex apartment at the top of that skyscraper and an office building 40 Wall Street.

Now, the attorney general's office could also look to move and see some airplanes, some Trump's bank accounts, put liens on some of these properties as well. Whatever steps do begin to play out, one thing is clear. It's not going to be a quick and easy process. And Trump is expected to fight it all the way.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. lawmakers have unveiled a $1.2 trillion package to keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year. The House and Senate are now facing a major time crunch, as a number of critical operations will run out of money at the end of the day on Friday. The Defense Department tops the list with more than $824 billion in funding. The measure also includes tens of billions of dollars for border security and 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghans who helped the U.S.

Russian missiles fired at the Ukrainian capital for the first time in more than a month. Now we're learning the Kremlin was reportedly going after a specific target in Kyiv. That's ahead. Stay with us. [02:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: European Union leaders will gather for a second day of their summit in Brussels in the next hour. Officials said the European Council was set to consider on Thursday whether to use Russian money to help arm Ukraine.

Now, the idea is to use windfall profits from Russian financial assets frozen in Europe without touching the assets themselves. And that would create more than $3 billion a year for Ukraine. But the decision has to be unanimous, which is likely to be a challenge. Russia called the proposal banditry and theft and said it would fight it with all legal means available.

Power outages have been reported across Ukraine after a new string of Russian strikes Friday morning. Ukraine's energy minister calls it the latest attacks on power facilities in recent times. Officials say Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, is virtually without power. We're also learning about a possible reason behind Russia's first attacks on Kyiv in weeks.

A Ukrainian defense source tells CNN, Moscow was targeting Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency, which carried out a string of recent high-profile strikes and cross-border raids into Russia. And the conclusion was reached by looking into the trajectory of missiles that were launched at the Ukrainian capital on Thursday.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After more than a month of relative calm, Ukraine's capital once again under sustained Russian missile fire. More than a dozen injured, mostly from falling debris as the Ukrainians shot the missiles down.

This is a ruthless extermination of the Ukrainians and an attack on the civilian population that was just sleeping, this man says. We feel hatred, terrible hatred, he says. This is not fear, this is hatred towards Russia generally and everyone in particular.

Russia's new missile blitz on Ukraine's capital, coming just as Vladimir Putin, was officially announced as the winner of the Russian presidential election, which was never in doubt.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The elections have shown that Russia today is one big friendly family. We walk together on the historical path chosen by us, confident in ourselves, in our strengths and in our future. Thank you.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But some Russians fear their path after Putin's victory could lead them straight into military service and the battlefields in Ukraine. As Russia burns through soldiers while achieving only minor gains. And the Russian defense ministry says they will drastically increase the size of the Russian military by tens of thousands of troops.

SERGEI SHOIGU, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): The plan is to form by the end of the year two combined arms armies and 30 units including 14 divisions and 16 brigades.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): All this as the Ukrainians are already drastically outmanned and outgunned. Ammunition stocks running dangerously low, Kyiv says.

[02:20:04]

The E.U. now wants to step up and use profits from Russian assets frozen in Europe to pay for arming Ukraine.

While the Kremlin is threatening to retaliate, the Ukrainians say they'd welcome the measure. With the U.S. funding still held up by House Republican leadership, even though National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on a visit to Ukraine said he remains hopeful.

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: From our perspective, we are confident we will get this done. We will get this aid to Ukraine.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Just hours after Sullivan's remarks, Putin's missiles came raining down on Kyiv, a reminder that when it comes to getting weapons stocks replenished, the Ukrainians don't have a moment to lose.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The bulls are running wild on Wall Street. Investors are still on a frenzy after the U.S. central bank signaled it would likely cut interest rates three times this year. All three major indices hit new record highs. The Dow was up seven-tenths of a percent, now within a striking distance of 40,000 points. The Nasdaq gained two-tenths of a percent. The S&P 500 added a third of a percent.

The U.S. Justice Department and more than a dozen states are suing Apple in a massive antitrust lawsuit. The tech giant is accused of illegally controlling the smartphone market after years of allegations that it has hurt competition with high fees and by restricting third- party access.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: As our complaint alleges, Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Apple is denying the allegations and says it will fight them, stating, quote, "this lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets".

And the U.S. government has been cracking down on big tech recently, whose power has gone largely unchecked over the past several decades. Now, this latest battle could change how millions of Americans interact with their iPhones and even pay their bills. CNN's Brian Fung has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: This is a hugely significant lawsuit. Justice Department officials are comparing it to the breakup of Standard Oil and the old telephone monopoly of AT&T. Now, the government isn't directly calling for a breakup of Apple, but they aren't ruling it out either. If DOJ gets its way, it could change how millions of Americans interact with Apple products.

That could include everything from how iPhones handle Android messages to the apps you may see on Apple's App Store. It could affect whether you can do tap-to-pay mobile payments using digital wallets designed by other companies. Everything about Apple's walled garden ecosystem is on the table here. And even Apple says the suit, quote, "threatens who we are".

Meanwhile, this is another example of the Biden administration challenging the tech industry as part of a wider economic agenda. That agenda has promised to restore competition to the marketplace and lower prices for consumers. But recent court rulings have also found that Apple isn't a monopolist, which could be a big hurdle for the government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: One of India's top politicians and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's staunchest critics could face corruption charges just weeks before the country's general election. Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in Thursday in an alleged corruption case. Local media reports say he'll appear in court Friday, where the charges against him will be made public.

CNN's Vedika Sud joins me now from New Delhi. So, Vedika, take us through what these accusations could mean for the election.

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Well, interesting times here in India, indeed, Kim. This arrest of the sitting Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, comes at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and his political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, face heavy criticism of cracking down on political opponents and critics, especially ahead of the general elections, which will begin in about three weeks from now.

So that is the biggest criticism the government is facing at this point, because the Enforcement Directorate, which is a federal financial crime investigating agency that interestingly comes under the Modi government, is the one that has arrested Arvind Kejriwal.

They claim and they allege that there are corruption charges against the Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and some of his colleagues in the cabinet and within his party charges that all of them within the Aam Aadmi Party have denied.

Now, the allegation also is that Kejriwal and some of his colleagues allegedly took kickbacks from an alcohol licensing policy.

[02:24:48]

Now, while Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, have come out and hailed the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, saying, Lord's taking its own course, a lot of people, a lot of leaders from opposition parties have been coming out on X and other platforms, social media platforms, speaking to the media and talking about how the timing of the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal should be questioned, because he's one of the few relevant political figures really in India from the opposition parties that has been very vocal of his criticism of Modi and his government.

Well, Arvind Kejriwal's party is a regional party. It is relatively new. It is small, but he's managed to stay in power in Delhi and he's the leader of the state for two consecutive terms. Not only that, his party has also managed to wrest power in the state of Punjab recently.

So a lot of critics, a lot of analysts see Arvind Kejriwal as a thorn in the government's side, and they feel that this opportunity is being used by the government. It's an allegation a lot of these political parties are making.

It's an attempt by the government to make sure that he's behind in jail when the elections are on.

Now, in terms of Arvind Kejriwal's party, you've had leaders coming out and saying that even if Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, we will fight the elections. We will make sure that this government continues in power. We are there. We are his lieutenants and we will take this forward.

A prominent Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, has also come out and made a very strong statement against the Modi government. He has said, and I quote him here, "a scared dictator wants to create a dead democracy".

We're just weeks away from a very big election, the world's largest democratic process, but a lot of questions are once again being raised over the secular fabric and the democracy and the freedom of speech in this country. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. Thanks so much for breaking that down, Vedika Sud in New Delhi.

Fewer women worldwide are having children, and that fertility rate is only going to keep falling. I'll ask the author of a new study about the reasons for that. That's coming up. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".

New research from the University of Washington finds fewer women are having children and global fertility rates are going to plummet.

[02:30:06]

That fertility rate is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. It was almost five in 1950, by 2021, it had fallen to just over two, and by the year 2100, it will be 1-1/2.

Now, some of the reasons include better education and opportunities for women, improved access to birth control, and the rising costs of child rearing. So they also predicts that by 2100, half of all children will be born in sub-Saharan Africa, in nearly all countries will have a falling fertility rate, which will cause a huge demographic shift.

One of the study's co-authors comes to us now from Seattle. Austin Schumacher is an assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington.

Thank you so much for joining us.

So we've laid out the basics there. So just to start, I mean, this has been part of a long-term trend. Why are the rates dropping so much, not everywhere, but in many places across the world?

AUSTIN SCHUMACHER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HEALTH METRICS SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: Great. Yeah. Thank you for having me.

So, the fertility rates in higher fertility countries are mainly driven by the factors that you mentioned of better access to female education and better access to contraceptives. And this leads to delaying pregnancies and dropping fertility rates, fewer children per woman, and then in higher income countries, there are a lot lower fertility rates as a whole. And these have -- have remain to drop and have not been rebounding to higher levels, which has been seen previously in the past. And the reasons for that are a lot more varied and debated and there's not as much good evidence on them.

BRUNHUBER: So in many ways, you know, as we're laying this out, this is -- this is a success story -- women having more choices and more opportunities in many countries. So why are so many experts worried about the declining fertility? What are the implications of a baby bust?

SCHUMACHER: Yeah, so with declining fertility rates, you have a shift in the average age of the population. So, the population gets older on average. And so you have a lot more older people and fewer younger, younger people to support them. So this leads to issues in economics and the sustainability of different aspects of society that, that could really lead to a dramatic shift in how we have to, how we have to live day-to-day life.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So I mean what are those shifts? What do we need to do in order to prepare for that future?

SCHUMACHER: Yeah, so this will lead to a lot of -- a lot of potential problems where I think migration will be one issue that, that comes to the forefront as a lot of countries, like you mentioned in Sub-Saharan Africa will have over half the -- or projected to have over half the babies born in 2100. A lot of these lower-income countries will have continually growing populations.

And so, there'll be shifting of people across countries and across borders and being able to deal with this in an ethical way and having a cooperative approach will be really key.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting.

You know, we're wondering what -- what the solutions there are in those areas, you know, I'm thinking of Sub-Saharan Africa where the political and economic situation may it gets so fraught to intervene.

SCHUMACHER: Yeah, I think that the -- a lot of these lower-income countries are also places that have some of the poorer health outcomes. And so, a lot more focus on development of healthcare systems is going to be crucial. There also -- they are also countries that are at high risk of climate crisis, so dealing -- addressing that will be another -- another solution that we'll have to come up with as well.

Then in higher income countries that have had these low rates, some -- its policies to support parents will be really important as well. But so far, the data is shown that this is only lead to some modest increases in fertility rates. So, more innovation on that front will also be necessary.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I was just going to ask you about that because, you know, we've seen countries like South Korea for instance, sort of try and encourage people to have more children. You're saying basically that those -- those measures don't necessarily work without a broader way to tackle some of the underlying issues. Is that -- is that right?

SCHUMACHER: Yes. So far, a lot of the -- a lot of the policies that have been implemented by countries across the globe have shown some success, but not to the level of increasing fertility rates, back to replacement levels.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. Well, listen, we'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate getting your expertise on this.

Professor Austin Schumacher in Seattle, thank you so much

SCHUMACHER: Great. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come, it's known as the Silicon Valley of India and officials there say they're struggling to keep up with demands for water. What's causing the strain, when we come back. Stay with us

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:37:29]

BRUNHUBER: A new U.N. report released to mark World Water Day on Friday warns that the lack of access to clean water is threatening piece worldwide. It says that water is often a tool and a target when it comes to warfare and regional tensions over water.

The report says more than 2 billion people don't have access to safe drinking water. It also says three-and-a-half billion people lack access to sanitation that safely managed.

And with the climate crisis, nearly one-and-a-half billion people have been affected by droughts between 2002 and 2021. The report concludes the world isn't on track to meet the U.N.'s goal of ensuring everyone has access to safe and clean water by 2030.

Officials in southern India say drought and major unexpected growth are putting a severe strain on the demand for water there. And families tell us they're suffering.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): India's Silicon Valley, its I.T. hub, is running out of water. Bengaluru needs about 2 billion liters of water each day. And currently, it's only getting around half of that, according to the chairman of the Bengaluru water supply and sewage board. The result is a daily struggle for the city's nearly 14 million residents.

If there's no water and we're not able to bathe, we will get sick, the mother of four khan Kumkum (ph) says. Her youngest child suffering through a fever.

Families like Kumkums are now reliant on water tankers like these and have to pay for the privilege.

Domestic workers Sushela (ph) says she earns just $24 per month and spends half of that on water, pushing her finances to the brink.

The tankers are commissioned by the Karnataka state government, but that's no guarantee that supply can keep up with demand.

Maher Taj (ph) arrives to collect water for her family and seven children but as forced to return home, empty-handed bond. There was no water here, she says, even when I opened the top, there is no water.

Drought means the water supply from the city's Kabini River and man- made lakes is dwindling. Bengaluru's deputy chief minister says thousands of the city's groundwater borewells dug hundreds of meters into the earth have run dry. Authorities have responded by fixing rates for tankers and handing out fines to those caught misusing drinking water.

[02:40:08]

Kumkum says there has been little improvement. The local authorities tell us they have put in an application, have filed a complaint, but nothing happens, she says. Bengaluru's population has ballooned in recent years as tech workers have flocked to the city's thousands of startups, as well as international firms from Adobe to Infosys.

Experts say that boom, alongside unplanned urbanization have contributed to the water crisis.

VISHWANATH, BENGALURU-BASED WATER RESEARCHER: If you do the distribution well, there's enough water, if we tighten our belt for all of us. But if you don't do the distribution all the resources that come in will only go to a few.

STOUT: As India prepares to go to the polls, the situation has turned into a political blame game. But that doesn't mean much to Bengaluru's poorest people, bearing the brunt of the water shortages. Even before the summer heat sets in.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And CNN has contacted Bengaluru's water supply and sewage board, but is yet to receive a response.

Doctors in Boston have transplanted the first genetically modified pig's kidney into a living human being. A 62-year-old man with end stage kidney disease received the organ in a four-hour surgery that took place last Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital. Doctors believed the kidney could last for years, but acknowledged there are many unknowns with animal-to-human transplants. One doctor on the team said his patient was excited to take part in this medical milestone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. WINFRED WILLIAMS, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: He saw this is not only as a way to improve his own personal life, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The hospital says the transplant recipient is recovering well and is expected to go home soon.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament is in full swing and it wouldn't be March Madness without an early upset. Fourteenth seed Oakland could be this year's Cinderella story after they knocked off number three Kentucky 80-76. Senior guard Jack Gohlke led the Golden Grizzlies with 32 points, including 10 three-pointers. Kentucky Wildcats are now 1-4 in their last five NCAA tournament games.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll back -- I'll be back in about 50 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM.

"WORLD SPORT" is next.

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[02:45:00)

(WORLD SPORT)