HYDERABAD: Even after the onset of the monsoon, there is no water in all the major irrigation projects across the Krishna River. All the projects including Almatti dam in Karnataka are empty now. The available water at Almatti dam was just 11 tmcft on Monday. Only if the dam is full will water reach Srisailam project, which will address the needs of the Telugu speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, in one way or other. Interestingly, despite lack of sufficient water in irrigation projects across the Krishna River, AP and TS are not facing water scarcity for agricultural operations at present. There are several reasons for this. As far as Andhra is concerned, diversion of Godavari water to Krishna river…

Nairobians to go thirsty for more days as taps run dry.
Nairobi residents will continue to spend more on water as the utility provider signalled increased rationing after the levels at main reservoir Ndakaini Dam dropped to an all-time low.
Intensified rationing of the commodity by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) will see households dig deeper into their pockets as they seek expensive water from private vendors.
Vendors charge Sh20 or higher for 20 litres of water or 0.02 cubic meters, reaping a huge profit from the supply shortage.
This is steep compared to the Sh53 per 1,000 litres that NCWSC charges households.
“The company has further reviewed equitable water distribution programme for the city and its environs,” said NCWSC.
“This has been necessitated by the below average rainfall experienced in the short and long rains of 2016 and 2017 respectively.” The company started rationing water in January due to depressed water levels at the Ndakaini dam in Murang’a County – the capital city’s main water source.
However, the heavy rains have delayed and left around 2.7 million people in need of food aid after a dry spell in October and November.
A new dam is being built in Muranga to feed Nairobi’s growing population with water and cut reliance on Ndakaini.
Water scarcity last month forced flower firm, Primarosa Flowers, to stop operations at its Athi-River base and relocate to its Nyahururu farm.

Much has been written about the building of hydropower dams in the upper reaches of the Mekong River and their role in causing droughts in the Mekong delta region in Vietnam.
The drought also had major economic, social and environmental impacts as it severely affected Vietnam’s coffee, rice and shrimp production and exports.
Last year’s El Nino-induced drought seriously reduced robusta coffee production in the central highlands and rice yields in the delta region.
But it can take steps to make agricultural practices more water-efficient.
As for the construction of hydropower dams by China, which many claim has been solely responsible for reduced water availability in the Mekong delta region, we must realise that demand for electricity and water in Mekong countries – China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – is increasing steadily.
But will the push for hydropower cause more droughts in Vietnam?
After electricity is generated, water is discharged into the river.
This is to say, if dams are built only to generate electricity in the upper reaches of the Mekong and its tributaries in China, Laos and Thailand, they are unlikely to reduce the flow of water in the delta in the dry season.
So the riparian countries should urgently work on a coordinated and sustainable development plan for the Mekong region so as to realise the full potential of the river’s system.
Cecilia Tortajada is a senior research fellow at Institute of Water Policy at the same school, and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

SOUTH Australia’s water sector needs renewed support for its world-leading aquifer recharge expertise and increasingly lucrative export deals, according to industry leaders.
While the millennium drought resulted in an explosion in funding for water research and a new desalination plant for the state, she said this commitment dropped away once rain fell.
“I think the feeling is we are not going to run out of water and everything is fairly safe and a lot of other things are more front of mind,” she said.
Leading national water scientist John Williams upped concerns, with plans to tell a Goyder Institute for Water Research Water Forum in Adelaide on July 4 and July 5 that Australia’s water security was hanging in the balance.
He believed governments appeared to be “asleep at the wheel” at a time when they should be preparing for the next drought and building the nation’s resilience against climate change.
Water Industry Alliance chief executive Rachel Barratt, who will be among 200 delegates expected at the conference across industry, government and academia, also warned against the state becoming complacent.
She believed cutting edge research around water and around its related high power use must be supported.
“The global water market is growing beyond other markets,” said Ms Barratt, whose alliance included 120 water-related organisations.
“By 2020 it is expected to value over one trillion US dollars.
This trend will only continue as the world grapples with how to provide safe, clean and adequate water to its population.” The alliance was attracting extensive interest from India and China in buying SA water expertise, with an agreement signed in August last year with the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara to establish a new water centre of excellence in Jaipur.

Tsing Capital’s "The Road to Sustainability" White Paper Calls for Disruptive Innovation.
China’s first sustaintech fund management company unveils its investment strategy and recent US investments MENLO PARK, CA and BEIJING, CHINA–(Marketwired – Jun 26, 2017) – Tsing Capital, China’s first sustaintech fund management company, has released their highly anticipated white paper, "The Road to Sustainability," which provides an insightful analysis of the progression from envirotech to cleantech to sustaintech, the latest environmental and investment practices that support cleaner and better ways of producing and living.
The promise of sustainability depends on disruptive innovation — innovation that does not only come from traditional cleantech sectors, but also from technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence.
Sustaintech, short for sustainable technologies, are technologies which provide environmental and social value and help advance a better future for humanity.
The paper references companies like Lucid Motors, an electric vehicle company as an example of an integration of cleantech and smartech.
China emphasizes sustainable development and innovation: Government has enacted numerous policies favoring innovation and has set ambitious targets for sustainability industries from 2016 – 2020.
Road to sustainability calls for disruptive innovation: Two technology mega-trends are re-shaping sustainability around the world.
About Tsing Capital Founded in 2000 on the philosophy of "Doing Well by Doing Good©," Tsing Capital is China’s first fund management company dedicated to multi-disciplinary sustainable technology investing in China and globally.
Tsing Capital has deep domain expertise across environment, clean and efficient energy, new materials and intelligent technologies across broad industries with emphasis on advanced manufacturing, sustainable mobility, sustainable agriculture, and future cities.
Tsing Capital is also a leader in impact investment in China.

SRINAGAR: Former minister and National Conference Sr State Vice President Mr Surjeet Singh Slathia on Monday said that peace and governance has taken a big hit under the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir, an NC spokesman said.
Photo: NC “While the present insensitive dispensation has plunged the State into unprecedented crisis, the development has come to grinding halt and governance is at the lowest ebb”, Slathia said while addressing a huge workers rally at Nanpur Ramgarh in Vijaypur Assembly Constituency this afternoon.
The former minister said due to wrong policies of the coalition dispensation the normal life in entire state is in jeopardy, especially as the government has lost will to govern.
The lack of political direction has terribly impacted the administration that is seen wanting in every sector.
In this context, he referred to the administrative breakdown, developmental paralysis and poor condition of utility services which has led to acute drinking water scarcity and frequent load shedding in most parts of Jammu.
Similar is the scenario with respect to rations, provision of agriculture inputs to farmers and lack of basic minimum necessities to the people, Slathia said, adding that the people are disillusioned and disenchanted with the present government.
Slahtia decried diversionary tactics being adopted by both the coalition partners to cover up their failures.
“They are more talking politics and less attending to the woes of the people that has created a peculiar situation”, he said and referred to various contentious issues raked up by PDP and BJP to satiate their constituencies.
He said there are inherent contradictions between the two on important matters of governance.
He cautioned the government to take lessons from its failures in meeting the challenge during monsoon rains last year and make exigency plans so that the people do not suffer.

Tanzania: 3 Villages to Benefit From Water Project.
Babati — Three villages in Babati District, Manyara Region, will finally be relieved of water scarcity under a multi-billion shilling water supply projects to be implemented by the district council.
These are Malangi village where some Sh649 million has been budgeted, Imbilili (Sh487 million) and Haraa in which some Sh594 million will be spent to supply water to the villagers.
This was announced here by the chairman of the council Mohamed Kibiki who said contractors for the three projects have been picked and that they would ensure they are implemented without any delay.
"We will revoke any contract if we are not satisfied with the implementation," he said, adding that civil works have to start immediately because the funds have been allocated.
According to him, all the three projects are expected to be completed in the next six months, relieving the villagers of water scarcity at the height of the dry season later in the year.
Elias Bura from Malangi village said it would be a great relief to be supplied with the precious liquid because they had been subjected to empty promises by the district administrators for many years.

CHENNAI: As colleges are going to reopen soon against the backdrop of water scarcity in the city, many colleges are coming up with alternative water resources, such as borewells, artificial ponds and other ways of conserving water in order to meet the needs of the students.
Colleges are investing in these facilities as they feel the Metro Water supply may not be sufficient.
As there is no additional supply from Metro Water and the existing supply might not be sufficient, the university intends to increase the number of borewells.
“We have started looking for locations for borewells.
L Elango, Head of Geology department, who is in-charge of locating borewells, said at present there are no students, so there is no issue for the time being.
All the rain water is collected in this sump,” said Vincent, adding that another important practice is recycling water.
If need be, we can also use groundwater facility.” The vice-chairman of RMK Engineering College said that the college has been using borewell water.
We have an artificial pond where we store rainwater.
We have three to four borewells.
But after the college reopens, there might be some problem if there is no proper rainfall.

Shimla: The newly elected Shimla mayor Kusum Sadret and deputy mayor Rakesh Kumar Sharma have assured the residents of Shimla of a cleaner city sans water woes.
Sadret said for the past several years water scarcity has been a major problem in Shimla, so they would focus on providing adequate and clean water to the city residents.
Sadret also added that she wants the residents of this city to coordinate with Shimla municipal corporation (SMC) by participating in its workings as their participation only will make the city smarter.
"We would work on providing all basic facilities to the residents," she added.
Sharma said they visited some areas of Shimla on Saturday to analyse the problems faced by people and most of them complained about water scarcity.
"We will inspect all the water sources of Shimla soon and will find out why expected water is not getting supplied to the town, there maybe problems in pumping, leakage or less water at the sources, and whatever be the reason they will sort that out immediately," he added.
"We will come up with some solution that will reduce vulnerability of workers to health risks."
he added.
He said they will join SMC on Tuesday by launching Swachhta Abhiyan in all 34 wards of the city at around 11am by cleaning the wards themselves.
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Addressing a seminar on improved water, sanitation and hygiene in Sindh, organised by USAID’s supported community mobilization for water governance, health and hygiene (CMHH) project implemented by HANDS, Herbol, he said that USAID was installing water supply system in Jacobabad and the project was nearing completion.
She further said that clean drinking water was essential for good health.
On this occasion, several members of the Sindh Assembly signed a declaration to establish a ‘Water Caucus’ in the Assembly in order to ensure an allied approach to tackle water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) challenges in Sindh.
Members of Sindh Assembly, including Deputy Speaker Shahla Raza, Nusrat Saher Abbasi, Haji Shafi Jamote, Arif Mohsin Bhatti, Dr Mohammad Rafique Banbhan, Faqeerdad Khoso, Dr Khatu Mal Jeewan, Ghazala Siyal, Jam Madad Ali, Pir Mujeebul Haq, Engineer Pesu Mal Ukrani, Sorth Thebo signed the declaration.
MPA Jam Madad Ali said that municipalities in Sindh were not properly maintaining water supply systems, hence there was a need to look after these systems after installation.
“No water supply system across cities and towns of Sindh is providing clean drinking water.
There is a dire need to install contamination free water supply systems besides sanitation,” he added.
“Therefore, it is need of the hour that those laws should be implemented,” he said, and added that sewage was discharged into Dadu Canal, which posed hazards to the health of people.
Chief Executive of HANDS Dr Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed said in his speech that WASH Caucus will coordinate and communicate with major WASH organisations both in the public and private sectors outside the Sindh Assembly to extend support for the implementation of WASH-related policies and programmes.
Sindh is facing water scarcity and there is dire need to provide clean drinking water to people in Sindh through better water supply.