The distribution of water is profoundly inequitable both among and within countries.
This is because it is essential for most life functions and exists in a shared natural environment.
International human rights standards have evolved to now assure the right to "sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses."
Jamaica does not.
To assure water safety, governments must establish water quality standards and scientifically monitor all forms of water provision, including piped water, tankers, and protected wells to ensure they are safe.
According to new research from the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), Jamaica has no legally enforceable drinking water standards because draft standards developed years ago have not been legislated.
Annually, Jamaica’s Survey of Living Conditions confirms that rural communities have significantly less access to piped water than other areas and people must travel "longer distances to access drinking water."
In 2017, the problem remains.
Addressing these problems will both enhance people’s quality of life and boost national productivity.
Given the existential threat posed by climate change and water’s increasing scarcity globally, there is no time like the present to act.

Video by Geoffrey Wilson.
Wochit The City of Poughkeepsie is getting $544,745 from the state to replace lead residential drinking water service lines as part of New York’s $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
Gov.
Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the state awarded $20 million to 25 municipalities in 10 regions for the state health department’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program 2017 to replace residential drinking water lead service lines.
The grants will be used to replace lead residential service lines from the municipal water main to the residence.
In a news release, Cuomo called the program, “vital to protecting public health and to laying the foundation for future growth and economic prosperity in these communities.” The Mid-Hudson region is receiving a total of $2.17 million broken down into Poughkeepsie, the City of Newburgh $544,745, City of Kingston $544,745 and City of Middletown at $544,745.
Rolison said the city will next put together a team including city staff, the county and the state’s department of health to create a plan for the residential drinking water lead service lines replacement.
"This is the beginning stages and to see what is the best use of that money… We have to do an analysis of exactly how large a replacement project would actually be for lead line replacement because we don’t necessarily know where all of these lead water pipes would be," Rolison said.
"Public health begins with access to clean drinking water, and reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker in a news release.
Amy Wu: 845-451-4529, awu@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @wu_PoJo

Newburgh, the City of Poughkeepsie and Middletown are receiving more than $2 million from the state to help clean up its water.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the three municipalities were one of several as part of a $20 million initiative to replace residential drinking water lead service lines as part of New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
The three municipalities are all each receiving $544,745.
"Public health begins with access to clean drinking water, and reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority," Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said.
"This statewide program to replace residential lead pipes in areas of the state that need it most will improve the health of New Yorkers."
Lead poisoning can harm a child’s growth, behavior, and ability to learn.
Women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant should take extra care to avoid lead as it can be harmful to babies before they are born, the state.
The state requires health care providers test all children for lead with a blood lead test at one and two years of age.
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BUCHAREST (Romania), November 28 (SeeNews) – The European Commission said on Tuesday it is providing a total of 252 million euro ($301 million) to help Romania improve its road and water infrastructure.
Some 76 million euro from the European Regional Development Fund will be invested in the works to be carried out on national road E79, which crosses the country, the European Commission said in a press release.
The E79 road connects Romania with Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary.
The works will be carried out at sections of the road linking the cities of Deva, in the historical region of Transylvania in central Romania, and Oradea, at the border with Hungary.
"The road passes through the counties of Hunedoara, Arad and Bihor, before connecting with Bors town and will improve the access to the municipalities of Deva and Oradea, which will generate greater economic development and will stimulate employment and regional development in these counties," Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for regional policy, said.
Some 176 million euro from the Cohesion Fund will be invested in water management and distribution infrastructure in many urban areas in the Vrancea county, in eastern Romania.
The European-funded project will allow 66,460 inhabitants in the region to have access to quality drinking water, while some 57,440 inhabitants will benefit from a modern wastewater collection and treatment system.
"Access to quality drinking water should not be a luxury, yet this was the situation for many Romanian residents before Cohesion Policy intervened," Cretu said.
At the beginning of November, the EU provided Romania with 17 million euro to improve access to drinking water in the Constanta, Ialomita, Gorj, Ilfov and Suceava counties.
In September, the Commission provided 284 million euro to Romania to finance projects for modernisation of water infrastructure in 12 counties.

In the second season of the Verge video series Next Level, senior editor Lauren Goode takes you behind the scenes to show you the technology that’s being worked on at some of the world’s most innovative companies and research institutions.
Because that’s what Zero Mass does: harvest drinking water out of thin air, using a combination of materials science, solar power, and predictive data.
It was first developed at Arizona State University, where Friesen was teaching engineering and materials science.
At the highest level, Zero Mass “take[s] sunlight and air and we produce water,” Friesen said, as he showed me the Source panels.
Another proprietary material inside the panel absorbs the moisture from the air.
At that point the condensed water ends up in a 30-liter reservoir under the panel.
“Everybody who drinks water has to make sure that water is healthful and available, right?
We did visit the home of one Source user who lives not far from Zero Mass’s headquarters, and chatted with him outside of his home about his experience with Source; but found out that he, like many other early testers, was considered a friend of the company.
But the company’s goal of making Source available to everyone, everywhere, is an ambitious one.
He said that harvesting water from the air is certainly a viable option – in fact, his Berkeley colleagues have been working on a metal-organic framework that also absorbs water from the air.

2017 sampling reveals more lead in school drinking water One year after the Star began asking questions about lead concentrations in drinking water at schools and daycares in Ontario, the province’s education ministry is telling boards they must inform parents when a school fails a lead test.
That new direction was given days before the Star published a story showing that more than 640 schools and daycares failed lead tests in the past two years.
New rules established this year require every tap used for drinking water to be tested by 2020 in schools and daycares with primary divisions, or 2022 for all other schools.
Previously, schools were only required to test one tap a year.
In Peel public schools, lead testing and any required repairs were undertaken in the summer months.
The letter did not provide any information about when the sampling was conducted or what lead concentrations were detected.
When Klement learned from the Star that the testing had been conducted over the summer and that lead concentrations above the provincial standard were found in samples from four of the school’s 22 fixtures, it was a “big concern” for her that parents were notified only in November, she said.
The province says this approach has in many cases effectively reduced concentrations Lanphear, though, told the Star that flushing is not a long-term solution.
He also said the school should investigate the cause of the lead in fountains where concentrations above five parts per billion were detected and plan to repair them within a couple months.
Wylie said it’s not enough to address the backlog of various repairs needed at schools across the province.

The Global Rundown The final aid agency in Bangassou, Central African Republic, is forced to evacuate, leaving civilians without water, healthcare, and other life-saving aid.
A majority of the drinking water in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps is contaminated.
The murder of environmentalists in Honduras is directly linked with water shortages.
“This is going to have a very serious impact.
Reuters Latest WaterNews from Circle of Blue Risks Grow for Deadliest U.S.
– Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease are surging upwards.
The Guardian In context: Murders of Activists Defending Safe Water and Environment Rise Sharply Science, Studies, And Reports The number of Yemenis without water due to fuel shortages is nearing 8 million, according to a recent Oxfam report.
Although Saudi Arabia is allowing aid into the country, civilians remain desperate due to a continued blockade of commercial imports such as fuel.
Relief Web On The Radar Doctors from Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as a health and sanitation specialist, spent several days trying to gain access to the Manus Island Detention Center, where nearly 400 protesting refugees had been without food and water for several weeks.
Doctors continue to be denied access to the refugees.

Video by Geoffrey Wilson.
Wochit The City of Poughkeepsie is getting $544,745 from the state to replace lead residential drinking water service lines as part of New York’s $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
Gov.
Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the state awarded $20 million to 25 municipalities in 10 regions for the state health department’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program 2017 to replace residential drinking water lead service lines.
The grants will be used to replace lead residential service lines from the municipal water main to the residence.
In a news release, Cuomo called the program, “vital to protecting public health and to laying the foundation for future growth and economic prosperity in these communities.” The Mid-Hudson region is receiving a total of $2.17 million broken down into Poughkeepsie, the City of Newburgh $544,745, City of Kingston $544,745 and City of Middletown at $544,745.
Rolison said the city will next put together a team including city staff, the county and the state’s department of health to create a plan for the residential drinking water lead service lines replacement.
"This is the beginning stages and to see what is the best use of that money… We have to do an analysis of exactly how large a replacement project would actually be for lead line replacement because we don’t necessarily know where all of these lead water pipes would be," Rolison said.
"Public health begins with access to clean drinking water, and reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker in a news release.
Amy Wu: 845-451-4529, awu@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @wu_PoJo

By GREGORY ZELLER // Four Long Island projects are included in a $20 million state funding package for municipal projects replacing residential water-service lines made from lead.
Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Although the construction industry’s use of lead pipes fell out of general favor in the 1930s, many still exist, as do lead-solder fixtures and brass and chrome-plated brass faucets.
Lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to humans even at low exposure levels.
It also tends to “bioaccumulate,” according to the EPA, meaning it builds up over time to deliver a more solid punch.
Low exposure levels in children have been linked to central and peripheral nervous system damage, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and irregular blood-cell activity.
In pregnant women, bioaccumulated lead (it hides in the bones) is released in place of maternal calcium and becomes part of the fetal bone structure, reducing fetal growth rates and often leading to premature birth.
With the health risks high, the $20 million package announced Monday will fund “critical improvements to New York’s drinking-water infrastructure” that will not only protect the public wellbeing but “lay the foundation for future growth and economic prosperity in these communities,” Cuomo said Monday.
The largest award – by region and by individual project – went to New York City, which earned roughly $5.32 million to support a single citywide replacement plan.
All grant moneys will be used exclusively to replace lead service lines between municipal water mains and residences – a critical improvement for residents whose homes are serviced by older lines, according to Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who insists that “reducing lead exposure, especially in children, should always be a top priority.” “Public health begins with access to clean drinking water,” the MD said in a statement.

As many of us in the United States thankfully now recognize, this act of resistance by the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies constitutes only the latest chapter in the centuries-long struggle by the Indigenous peoples of this continent against the genocidal forces of settler colonialism.
As a 2009 World Bank report on water restrictions in the Occupied Territories put it, many Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly in the area under strictest Israeli control, "face water access comparable to that of refugee camps in Congo or Sudan."
By year’s end, Gaza’s only source of water, the Coastal Aquifer, will be depleted, and irreversibly so by 2020, when the UN projects that Gaza will be literally uninhabitable.
In the West Bank, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, documents how Israeli authorities routinely confiscate and demolish Palestinian water infrastructure.
The official UN fact-finding mission on the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict (codename Operation Cast Lead) found that Israel deliberately bombed water treatment and sewage facilities in Gaza for no other purpose than to inflict collective punishment on the residents of Gaza — a major war crime.
According to B’Tselem, from 1967 to 1996, Israel granted Palestinians just 13 permits, and all these permits only covered domestic projects; in other words, they wouldn’t even cover the work needed to repair existing wells and pipes, let alone expand the water network in order to serve the growing population.
Keep in mind that the Mountain Aquifer is the only source of water for the Palestinians living in the West Bank, because since 1967, Israel has prevented Palestinians from accessing the shores of the Jordan River.
Amnesty International described the situation more plainly in its report, writing that, "The Joint Water Committee merely institutionalized the intrinsically discriminatory system of Israeli control over Palestinian resources that had already been in existence since Israel’s occupation of [the West Bank and Gaza] three decades earlier."
The World Bank and Amnesty International pointed out that between 2001 and 2009, about one-half of all Palestinian projects presented to the JWC were approved, compared to the near 100 percent approval rate for Israeli projects.
Recent reports show this pattern of settler violence against Palestinians and their allies continuing up to the present.