Rabat – The Hirak Rif movement’s protesters are not the only Moroccan demonstrators to face jail sentences.
The Criminal Chamber in Ouarzazate Court of Appeal has sentenced a group of people to prison for protesting over water scarcity in the Moroccan southern city of Zagora.
The court has cleared two teenagers of charges made by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The police then intervened to disperse the manifestation and arrested 23 people, seven of whom were prosecuted for “participating in an unauthorized demonstration,” according to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
Dubbed ‘Hirak Al Atach,’ meaning ‘thirst protest’ in Arabic, the movement was quickly targeted by Moroccan authorities.
Police elements started to stalk small crowds in the alleys of the city to prevent any kind of improvised demonstrations.
Protesters then allegedly started assaulting security officials by throwing them with projectiles, lighting firecrackers and setting up barricades to prevent security vehicles from advancing into the city’s neighborhoods.
However, protesters accused an officer of beating her and kicking her hard in the back while police intervened to stop the protest.
In October, King Mohammed VI tasked Morocco’s Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani to chair a committee to find a solution to the problem of water shortage in the country.
Residents of different regions, especially rural areas, have complained about an increasing scarcity of drinking and irrigation water.

News Release — Vermont Department of Health Media Contact: Vermont Department of Health 802-863-7281 BURLINGTON – The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with the Agencies of Education and Natural Resources, is launching a pilot project designed to encourage schools to test drinking water for lead at each tap used for drinking or cooking, and take actions to lower lead levels.
Over the next few months, Health Department and Department of Environmental Conservation staff will visit each school and work with its facility team to inventory and test taps used for drinking and cooking.
Water samples will be sent to the Health Department Laboratory for testing, at no cost to the school.
“Water is a critical resource,” said Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore.
“We are committed to making sure all Vermonters have access to clean and safe drinking water.” Moore explained that any tap that tests over the EPA action level for lead in public drinking water systems will be taken out of use, and state agencies will work with each school to identify fixes and re-test to make sure lead levels have been reduced.
This is an opportunity to help schools test their water, identify problems, and take often easy and low cost steps to reduce lead exposure,” said Deputy Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan.
EPA set the action level for lead in public drinking water at 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Because there is no safe level of lead, the Health Department encourages schools to reduce lead levels in drinking water as much as possible.
In 2016, more than 600 Vermont children under the age of 6 were found to have lead poisoning.
“Ensuring child safety is a shared responsibility.

17 November 2017 – The United Nations relief wing on Friday, warned of famine-like conditions unfolding in Yemen, as a blockade on aid and other essential goods by a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels there enters its 12th day.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), sounded the alarm during the regular bi-weekly news briefing in Geneva.
He was responding to a question from a journalist who asked him to clarify a warning yesterday from UN aid chiefs that the closure of air, sea and land ports in Yemen threatened millions of vulnerable children and families.
“It means that these are the number of people in areas where there’s an IPC4 – Integrated Phase Classification 4 – which is the last step before obviously 5, which is famine […] But you are correct, there may be as we speak right now, famine happening, and we hear children are dying.
I mean, there’s excess mortality as a cause and consequence of undernourishment.” Yemen imports up to 90 per cent of its daily needs, including fuel, which has now reached crisis levels.
This has left one million people at risk of a renewed cholera outbreak, just as the country emerges from the worst epidemic in modern times.
Other diseases are also a threat, including diphtheria, a serious infection of the nose and throat, that’s easily prevented with a vaccine.
It’s “spreading fast” and has already claimed 14 lives, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which said that a vaccination campaign is planned in nine days’ time.
In addition to water and sewage problems in Hodeida, Sa’ada and Taiz, the Red Cross warned that the capital Sana’a and other cities “will find themselves in the same situation” in two weeks – unless imports of essential goods resume immediately.
Also at the briefing, Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service (UNIS) recalled yesterday’s statement in New York from Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary‑General regarding a letter the UN chief sent to the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations.

To the surprise of its citizen advisory board members, the Hamilton Conservation Authority will stop testing a popular Ancaster artesian well once access is restricted to people who sign a legal waiver acknowledging the water isn’t for drinking.
She said those measures and the waiver will end open public access to the well, so it will no longer be classified as a small public drinking water system.
As a result, a new regulatory arsenic limit of 10 parts per billion that takes effect on Jan. 1 won’t apply, Burnside told members of the authority’s advisory board, which in April recommended the well be closed by the end of this year.
We all know people are taking this for drinking water.
That’s what they’ve done in the past and that’s what they’re going to do in the future.
“The water will no longer be tested,” she said.
“They are assuming their own liability and risk.” Burnside said signs at the well will still warn the water has elevated sodium levels and exceeds the arsenic limit.
The authority’s testing in recent years has consistently found arsenic levels range from 17 to 23 parts per billion, below the existing limit of 25 ppb.
“If people are interested in having the water tested, they can pick up bottles at the municipal centre and have that water tested,” Burnside said.
“Hmmm … wow,” Duke O’Sullivan said repeatedly, as Burnside spoke.

But these groups need help from people like you to carry out their important missions, which is why VICE Impact has rounded up some of the most effective organizations that are fighting for real change in this arena, and saving lives across the globe.
To achieve this goal, WaterAid works on two main fronts: both directly supplying poor communities with the water services they need, and then on a larger legislative level, working to influence local governments and implement policy that will lead to sustainable water and sanitation solutions.
WaterAid has supplied 23 million people across 36 countries with access to clean water and sanitation.
3: VICE News Tonight (HBO) 02:16 VICE News Tonight This exiled Chinese billionaire uses YouTube to wage a war on corruption 07:48 The Untitled Action Bronson Show Rosie Perez, Mike Solomonov 22:38 Desus & Mero Comedian Gary Owen 19:29 Desus & Mero Trump Calls Out Ball Family 03:34 VICE Canada Reports Canada's Waterless Communities 15:24 And finally, WaterAid works with local governments to ensure that sustainable, systemic change occurs, and that these individuals will have clean and safe drinking water for years to come.
Water.org Many organizations that work to bring clean water to communities in need, approach the issue by constructing wells and supplying fresh water.
UNICEF’s overall mission is to protect the rights of children around the world, which is why UNICEF spent over $96.3 million dollars in 2015 on bringing water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to communities in need.
According to UNICEF’s extensive research, teaching sanitation to kids in school is not only an effective way to increase sanitation within schools, it also enhances sanitation at home when children bring these sanitation methods to their families.
The Rotary Foundation is one of the earth’s most powerful and impactful charitable organizations, tackling issues like fighting disease, growing local economies in developing nations, supporting education, promoting peace and providing clean drinking water to people across the globe.
Among its many initiatives, Rotary has teamed up with UNICEF for the WASH in Schools Target Challenge, to develop educational projects that teach children about basic hygiene, sanitation, and provide them with clean, safe drinking water.
Part of Charity: Water’s success is due to its unique strategy, where it works with local partner organizations to fund programs that bring clean water to communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, the United States Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including a bipartisan provision lead by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that bolsters environmental restoration funding for both the Air Force and the Navy.
The bill will now head to President Trump for signature into law.
Cantwell’s bipartisan provision dedicates nearly $62 million towards water remediation and environmental restoration in communities that have suffered groundwater contamination due to their proximity to military installations, such as Fairchild Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Naval Station Whidbey Island.
“Every family deserves access to clean drinking water.
Passage of this provision will help clean up these chemicals and move us towards clean groundwater in these communities,” said Senator Cantwell.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals found in firefighting foams that had been used at military installations and civilian airports.
The chemicals have been detected in groundwater and drinking water wells near these entities.
While the health effects of these chemicals are still being determined, studies have linked PFAS exposure to developmental damage, certain cancers, and immune system dysfunction.
Department of Defense has identified over 400 installations with a known or suspected release of PFAS that requires additional investigation.
Three Washington state military facilities, Fairchild Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and Joint Base Lewis-McCord have detected elevated PFAS levels in groundwater wells used for drinking water.

While we’re not literally able to pull much out of thin air, fresh drinking water is certainly a possibility.
Zero Mass Water has created Source, a “hydropanel” that’s able to extract moisture from the air.
The goal here is an awesome one: to create an alternative source of drinking water that could be used to help rural areas.
Based on the climate, a two-panel system is able to create between 4 to 10 liters, or up to a 20-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles, per day.
This was an easy focus as the startup is located in Arizona.
Even though creating a big package of bottled water sounds like a significant amount, this device is geared toward consumption and not general use.
“We want to guarantee access to safe drinking water for every person in the world, and fundamentally change the human relationship to water.” With $24 million received by investors, Zero Mass Water will be able to sell Source in the United States beginning this week.
The device has already been installed in numerous places around the country, such as a Duke Energy facility in North Carolina and select homes and schools in Arizona where the startup was born.
How much does it cost to get Source?
Each panel is $2,000 with installation running an extra $500.

As many as 116 state-of-the-art water filtration plants have been installed in villages of Lodhran, Hasilpur, Dunyapur, Khanpur and Minchanabad tehsils in Bahawalpur region under Safe Drinking Water Program, which are providing safe drinking water to more than 350,000 local residents in the abovementioned areas Senior official of Punjab Saaf-Pani Company (PSPC) disclosed this here on Wednesday.
He further said that as revealed in various survey reports, the underground water in abovementioned tehsils had become contaminated and contained multiple pollutants, which affected the health of locals.
They had fallen victim to various water-borne diseases, which were taking toll in the form of increase in their health-related expenditures.
In order to increase safe drinking water consumption and create awareness about the hazards intake of contaminated water among local residents, PSPC-South has launched a robust awareness campaign aimed at inclining locals to use filtered water for consumption and cooking purposes.
Besides the engagement of PSPC-South’s community mobilization staff, Lady Health Workers and Health Nutrition Supervisors in the abovementioned tehsils have been taken onboard through District Health & Education Departments to promote hygiene practices and consumption of filtered water among local villagers.
The existing water quality is unfit for human consumption in majority regions of rural areas in the Punjab province.
Those who remain impacted by this lack of safe drinking water are often the most vulnerable groups in populations are women, children and extreme poor in rural / remote / marginalized communities of the province.
Realizing the gravity of situation, the Punjab government has launched Safe Drinking Water Program not only to protect water quality but also to make it available to those who lack access in rural areas of the Punjab.
Vision of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is to see the province as a development model to be emulated and this safe drinking water program is bound to transform his vision-I to reality.
It will improve the health of rural population along with drastic cut in their health budget and improve their lifestyle.

In an age when 663 million people globally live without access to clean water, and one person dies from a waterborne illness every minute or two, it’s no wonder that H2O has been dubbed "the new oil."
Cody Friesen, the founder and CEO of Zero Mass Water, is on a mission to even the playing field and bring fresh water to the masses using solar panels that extract drinking water from thin air.
"You take a breath of air and you own the air you breathe, and yet water has its own supply chain," he says of the inherent injustice of a politicized water system.
While this may sound too good to be true, Friesen describes the solar panel technology he’s using to make it happen in saying to think about it like a sugar jar.
"If you leave the lid off of it, that sugar starts to get clumpy after a while because it’s absorbing water from the atmosphere," he explains, the reason being that sugar is what’s known as a hygroscopic material (one that readily absorbs water vapor from the air).
We use sunlight to drive a process that takes water back out of the materials."
From there, the water—up to 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of it a day—is put through a mineralized filter and diverted straight to the kitchen tap, effectively bypassing your community’s system and creating what Friesen refers to as water independence.
The self-proclaimed science nerd with a Ph.D. from MIT was inspired to chase such independence after realizing that the water access problem can be solved using the right technology.
From there, he pooled scientists, engineers, and business developers to launch the first panel, called Source, in 2015.
Now, you can find a Source in eight countries, from poor, underserved regions like Guayaquil, Ecuador, where water cost more than half a family’s income, to highly polluted areas like Mexico City and Jakarta.

Chairman Indus River System Authority (Irsa) during an emergency meeting to review the water availability revised Pakistan’s water shortage estimate upward by 36 percent from 20 percent for the rabi season 2017.
This implies Punjab would get 12.6 million acre feet (instead of 15.72) and Sindh 9.5 MAF (instead of 11.86) with no change in the water share in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Punjab continues to be the major producer of most crops, including wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton followed by Sindh and needless to add the decline in availability of water would have negative implications on total farm output.
The IMF report further claims that Pakistan has the world’s fourth highest rate of water use and is already the third most water-stressed country in the world – statistics that should be a source of shame to the Musharraf, Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and the Abbasi administrations given their lack of focus on constructing reservoirs as well as taking other appropriate measures to deal with the situation that is assuming crisis proportions.
Pakistan’s water resources, according to readily available research, are being degraded due to pollution, atrophy, overuse of surface water and over-exploitation of groundwater and "large tracts of land have been rendered uncultivable due to water logging and salinity, direct results of mismanaged irrigation.
Unsafe drinking water is responsible for numerous diseases including dysentery, diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, malaria and gastroenteritis.
UNICEF estimates that 200,000 children in Pakistan die annually due to diarrhoeal diseases alone".
During a recent Public Accounts Committee meeting, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Lieutenant-General Muzamil Hussain (retd) acknowledged that Pakistan wastes 25 billion rupee worth of water every year and that while we receive 145 MAF each year we preserve only 14 MAF.
He further contended that soil collection at the base of Tarbela Dam has compromised its storage capacity by 36 percent and noted that the construction of Diamer Bhasha dam was therefore critical.
Mention was also made of the controversial Kalabagh dam plan as a means to deal with the water shortage, which understandably accounted for considerable anger amongst those from the smaller provinces who argued that only non-controversial projects should be supported.