16 October 2017 – United Nations human rights experts are urging the Government of France to devise long-term measures to provide access to safe drinking water and sanitation for migrants in Calais and other areas along the northern French coast.
After the so-called ‘Calais Jungle’ camps were dismantled in November 2016, migrants continued to return to the area. Many are living without shelter and proper access to drinking water, toilets or washing facilities.
“It is worrying that approximately 700 migrants in Calais and the greater area of Calais temporarily rely on only 10 portable lavatories and water from 10 taps,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, Léo Heller, in a news release from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“Human rights apply to all, including migrants, regardless of their status. Consequently, the legal recognition by the French court of the human rights obligation to provide access to water and sanitation should be commended, but the authority of those decisions is diminished if they are not implemented in practice,” said the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe Gonzalez Morales.
Migrants in camps at Grande-Synthe, Tatinghem, Angres and Dieppe rely on help from volunteers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They are opening their facilities and provide transportation to sports facilities so that migrants can use toilets and take showers as a temporary solution.

"I’m going to drink it. It tastes fine," Oquendo told CNN as he filled his jugs. So I might as well drink this water."
Gary Lipson, the EPA Incident Commander working in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, says nearby residents have been drinking potentially contaminated water from this well.
We understand there are a lot of thirsty people out there, and they are accessing whatever water they can," Lipson told CNN.
EPA teams gathered water samples this weekend from at least six wells inside the Dorado Superfund site.
One well on the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site has been approved by the Puerto Rican water authority and federal officials for public use.
CNN reviewed documents published in 2016 as part of the EPA’s move to designate the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site as a Superfund location.
"Data gathered by EPA in 2015 showed that some wells in the western part of the area are contaminated, while some wells in the eastern portion of the area meet drinking water standards.
"It is certainly likely that these wells will have contamination," Carpenter said after reviewing EPA documents.

A 2015 study by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission found northern Indiana’s groundwater resources are considered good to excellent with access to several surface water sources, most notably Lake Michigan.
Southern Indiana has the most limited supply of groundwater but access to several rivers for surface supply.
As projections call for expanded access to water, water utilities face rising costs with rates ballooning in recent years.
From 2005 to 2014, water and wastewater rates rose 5.74 percent per year, while the CPI rose at a slower pace of 2.21 percent per year.
Overall, the number of general rate increase requests, which excludes trackers, was similar to those made in 2013, with eight water utilities approved for a rate increase.
But while Jesse Kharbanda, president of the Hoosier Environmental Council, agrees the state will see an increase in water need as long as population and industrial use increases, he argues natural preservation and increased water quality is equally important.
The Mounds Lake Project, backed by the Corporation for Economic Development, would see a dam installed on the White River, creating a 2,100-acre lake near downtown Anderson. The CED argues this would not only supply water but also spur economic development.
The HEC introduced its own project, the Mounds Greenway, which would create a walking and biking route along the White River, preserving the natural landscape and, the HEC argues, also allowing for local development.

Climate change has made hurricanes like Maria more intense and destructive — and has exacerbated the public-health crises that hurricanes can unleash.
Climate change is making this problem worse. and timing of weather and climate extremes," as a United Nations report makes clear. More than half of the major extreme weather events between 2011 and 2015 were linked to human-caused global warming.
These extreme conditions threaten water supplies.
Eileen Natuzzi, a public health researcher who studied the disaster, noted that the illnesses and deaths underscored the "significant health impacts from our changing climate."
The Prime Minister lamented, "While the big countries talk the small island nations suffer."
Seventy-four people died.
Rich nations bear some of the blame for these climate-change-fuelled crises.
The rest of the developed world must urgently follow France’s lead.

Risks can come in stages during a weather emergency.
Such issues are rising in Puerto Rico.
About 90% of the island is without power, according to a report this week.
There’s also expressed concern for damages to Puerto Rico’s manufacturing service.
He also noted leptospirosis, a bacterial condition spread through infected animal urine which has now been diagnosed in 10 Puerto Rico patients, and is responsible for 4 deaths.
The disease is commonly associated with flooding events in warm climates, Zahn said, and people without access to safe drinking water are at great risk.
"People are concerned with mosquito-borne illnesses,” Zahn said.
Zahn agreed with the notion that residents outside of affected sites may misinterpret the priority of donated supplies — that they may not realize bottles of water, packaged food, and other essential materials are necessary to avoid health disasters. Like the stages of risks following disaster, getting these supplies is one of the stages to recovery.

Some Puerto Rico residents are turning to a hazardous waste site for drinking water as the island continues to reel from Hurricane Maria.
More than three weeks after Hurricane Maria tore across the island, many residents – U.S. citizens – remain without access to clean drinking water. As of Saturday evening, service had been restored to about 64 percent of the island.
But according to a CNN report, some residents are seeking water from potentially risky sources. That includes the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site, an area designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a so-called Superfund site.
The Dorado site was added to the list in 2016.
On Friday, according to CNN, workers from Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA), the Puerto Rican water utility, pumped water from a well at the Dorado site, and distributed it to storm-stricken residents.
Exposure to PCE and TCE carry the risk of health problems, including liver damage and an increased risk of cancer, according to the EPA.
CNN reported that the EPA is testing the site over the weekend.
But he said that the well has been opened on an emergency basis, and that the water was safe to drink.

More than three weeks since Hurricane Maria, more than a third of Puerto Ricans still don’t have access to drinking water. So some are turning to wells at Superfund sites on the island—areas designated the most toxic in US territory.
The EPA says it is assessing “Superfund sites, oil sites, and chemical facilities” inundated by the storm. The agency also warned that no one should drink water from rivers or streams unless it can be boiled for longer than one minute. With 60 percent of wastewater-treatment plants out of service, “raw sewage continues to be released into waterways and is expected to continue until repairs can be made and power is restored,” the EPA wrote.
The same day as the EPA’s email, president Donald Trump tweeted that the the US “cannot keep FEMA…in P.R. forever!

Puerto Ricans are reportedly being given drinking water from Superfund sites, areas that may be contaminated with hazardous waste, amid an ongoing lack of accessible clean water after Hurricane Maria.
"I don’t have a choice… This is the only option I have," local Jose Luis Rodriguez, 66, told CNN, as he filled up bottles of water at the Dorado Superfund site.
It’s unknown if the particular well being used on Friday is contaminated. The EPA did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’s request for comment, but said in a statement to CNN that it plans to test the well over the weekend.
Hye-Jin Kim, who works in policy at think tank Frontier Group, created a map of the island’s Superfund sites.
If boiling the water is not possible, water may be disinfected with bleach.

A 2015 study by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission found northern Indiana’s groundwater resources are considered good to excellent with access to several surface water sources, most notably Lake Michigan.
Southern Indiana has the most limited supply of groundwater, but access to several rivers for surface supply.
Some reservoirs do exist in southern Indiana, but drinking water supplies are not fully allocated, the study found.
Overall, the number of general rate increase requests, which excludes trackers, was similar to those made in 2013, with eight water utilities approved for a rate increase.
Mike Pence signed Senate Bill 347 into law, which repealed the regulation requiring the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to collect from all water utilities data regarding use of water resources within Indiana.
But while Jesse Kharbanda, president of the Hoosier Environmental Council, agrees the state will see an increase in water need as long as population and industrial use increases, he argues natural preservation and increased water quality is equally important.
The Mounds Lake Project, backed by the Corporation for Economic Development, would see a dam installed on the White River, creating a 2,100-acre lake near downtown Anderson. The CED says this would not only supply water, but also spur economic development.
The HEC introduced its own project, the Mounds Greenway, which would create a walking and biking route along the White River, preserving the natural landscape and, the HEC argues, also allowing for local development.

At least 35% of the residents in Puerto Rico have no access to clean water, according to Status PR, the Puerto Rican government’s website that keeps track of relief efforts there.
CNN reported that it witnessed workers for Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, the island’s water utility, distributing water from a well at the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site, which was included on a list of federal Superfund sites last year.
The US Environmental Protection Agency said at the time that the site contained potentially harmful chemicals like tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene. According to the EPA, the risks associated with exposure include liver damage and an increased risk of cancer.
"The EPA is gathering more information about the quality of water from the wells associated with our Dorado groundwater contamination site, as well as other Superfund sites in Puerto Rico," the EPA’s statement read.
President Donald Trump has received poor reviews for his handling of the relief effort in Puerto Rico, even as Trump has repeatedly applauded himself. House Speaker Paul Ryan visited the island on Friday and promised continued financial support from the federal government, a day after Trump said the US military and FEMA could not stay on the island forever.
Some were resigned to the desperation of the moment, CNN reported: "I don’t have a choice," 66-year-old Jose Luis Rodriguez told the news network. "This is the only option I have."