Water is undoubtedly one of the most precious natural resources for life on earth. Without access to good quality freshwater, human, animal and plant survival is impossible, while many industries are also highly dependent on reliable sources of water for their day-to-day operations and long-term viability. However, factors such as climate variability, droughts, growing populations and economic expansion are all placing greater demand on the available water sources. The extent of the water problem is starkly illustrated by the data: only 2.5% of the world’s water is…

World Water Day, celebrated on March 22 of every year, was designated by the United Nations to focus on the importance of fresh water and promote the sustainable management of freshwater resources in the world. ACTED Lebanon, through a project funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) to mobilise neighbourhoods and local institutions to meet emergency water, hygiene, sanitation, shelter and protection needs, is joining in on the effort by organising water forums in several regions of Beirut and Mount Lebanon with the Lebanese community as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Lebanon has abundant reserves of freshwater unlike its neighbouring countries but the different communities (host and refugee communties) living in the country suffer from water scarcity during summer due to the poor water management and infrastructure. In addition to this, according to the UN, 70% of the freshwater resources are polluted and have continued to decline in health since the start of the garbage crisis in July 2015. Hygiene promotion, an integral…

Many communities, even the urban ones are still faced with the challenge of accessing this basic right. It is a world-wide challenge. Communities are dependent on water whose quality is wanting. We are talking about streams and rivers which are occasionally shared with livestock. On whether the water is well treated is a guess for all of us. But the recurrent cases of water-borne illnesses are an indicator of water contamination. The sources of contamination are various, especially with faecal material. When you look around, at sanitation and hygiene practices, then you are tempted to conclude the thing about faecal substances being a big source of contaminant. This includes open human waste disposal and setting up latrines at locations which make contamination with water highly likely. Also, a good percentage of wastewater resulting from human and industrial activities is discharged into low-lying areas: rivers, swamps and lakes in its raw form, hence contamination of the waters. All these combined; increase the chances of falling sick. It is why water and sanitation-related diseases remain among the major causes of death. So as we commemorate WWD, we know that water scarcity continues to affect many populations globally. The bad news…

Islamabad – The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said that water scarcity was emerging as a grave threat to the survival of the country, but unfortunately the policymakers seemed to be unconcerned. “Pakistan is facing an acute water shortage and may hit masses, agriculture and industry soon,” said PEW President Dr Murtaza Mughal, and added, “In the last few years the defence budget had been significantly increased to combat terrorism ignoring the fact that water scarcity could even be a bigger menace than terrorism.” He said, “Our country touched the “water…

Water will become more valuable than oil as rising demand from people, industries and agriculture puts pressure on supplies, according to the chief executive of French utility Suez. Jean-Louis Chaussade, whose company this month agreed to buy General Electric’s water unit for $3.4bn, said water scarcity posed one of the biggest challenges facing industries such as chemicals, drugs, mining and energy. Asked whether water would one day be a more valuable commodity than oil, Mr Chaussade told the Financial Times: “In future, probably yes.” He cited projections that by 2035 some 40 per cent of the world population will live in areas facing water scarcity. This would put companies in competition with people and farming for supplies. “Governments are saying to industries: ‘you can operate here but you can’t take water from underground’,” Mr Chaussade said. “Companies will have to rely on…

As President Trump promises major investment in infrastructure, people across the country are hoping that includes spending on water pipes for drinking.
Flint, Mich., was a high-profile example of the many communities — like one in Eastern Kentucky — where people just can’t trust their water.
Josie Delong, a resident of the county, says she used to drink tap water until a doctor told her it could be the cause of her health issues.
" Now, she says she does all she can to avoid drinking from the tap.
The county water treatment plant needs serious upgrades, and the distribution pipes are so leaky that they lose more water than they deliver.
When the system is once again turned on, the water can be brown or black and very smelly.
When they find a leaky pipe, Hammond says all they can do is patch it up.
As the local coal industry has continued to decline, it’s only become more difficult to find money for infrastructure investments.
"That’s one of the problems with drinking water is that it’s underground — it’s hidden."
State and local officials say they’ll be looking out for any federal spending that could help rebuild trust in the county’s tap water.

WATERLOO, ONTARIO, FEBRUARY 6, 2017 — On January 27, 2017, the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) was proud to host an announcement of the first large project to receive funding under its Advancing Water Technologies (AWT) program.
GE Water & Process Technologies (GE) will work with the University of Guelph (U of G) along with McMaster University, to test new ways to reduce energy consumption while at the same time generating energy from the wastewater treatment process and utilizing beneficial resources from wastewater.
"The consumption of energy in wastewater treatment is substantial," said Glenn Vicevic, Product Management Executive, GE Water & Process Technologies.
By working with SOWC and the Universities of Guelph and McMaster on this pilot, we are gathering critical data to improve energy recovery and bring new technology to market."
Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
"Canada is committed to investing in clean energy technology producers because clean technologies – such as those that will result from this sub-project – have the potential to advance the way communities manage their resources, consume energy and improve quality of life" said MP Longfield.
This part of the project will be led by McMaster University researcher Younggy Kim and will include the development of a numerical model simulation and includes a full scale pilot installation at a facility in London, Ontario for validation.
The AWT investment includes nearly $600,000 through both the U of G and McMaster projects.
GE will invest $900,000 for the project.
SOWC’s Advancing Water Technologies program, which supports collaborative, industry-led technology development projects, is funded by FedDev Ontario through a $12-million contribution announced by Prime Minister Trudeau in 2016.

The journey of our water from source to tap is long, and not one we think much about.
By conserving these lands, we can better protect our water and generate additional benefits for people and nature.
Today, approximately 40 percent of the land in urban source watersheds of the world’s largest cities show high to moderate levels of degradation.
nature.org/beyondthesource A new report released by The Nature Conservancy, Beyond the Source: The environmental, economic and community benefits of source water protection, shows that forest protection, reforestation, and the use of cover crops can help four out of five of the 4,000 cities analyzed reduce sediment and nutrient pollution in waterways by a meaningful amount.
For one in six cities analyzed in the report, the cost of implementing source water protection activities could be recouped through savings in annual water treatment costs alone.
nature.org/beyondthesource For example, in Nairobi, Kenya, high sediment levels in the Tana River from agricultural run-off and development in the mountains catalyzed the development of Africa’s first water fund.
The fund also has downstream projected benefits including improved water yields and reduced sediment in the river.
During a recent trip to Kenya, the message from water fund investors and participants was clear: it’s in their best interest to make this work.
As cities and populations grow, and climate change adds undue pressure on vulnerable freshwater systems, maintaining healthy lands around our water sources will be increasingly vital to the future of our water security.
By investing in nature, we also invest in our future.