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By Engr.
The provision of water in sufficient quantity for the world population has been a herculean task for most countries across the globe. That is why most countries of the world are now jittering about this precarious situation where demand for water has always outweighed water supply globally.
This situation has continued to propel Government to show high level of commitment towards improving water supply in the State.
More importantly, the approval has been given to LWC to facilitate the construction of 100MGD Odomola water scheme to serve Lekki, Victoria Island, Onikan, Epe , Ibeju – Lekki, Badore and other communities in that Axis based on Public – Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
It is a positive step towards conservation of water, so that a considerable number of Lagosians will have access to water and also change customers’ attitude to the valuable natural resources and to manage water consumption effectively.
The State has deployed 15,000 units of pre-paid meters in Lekki, Ikeja, Surulere, Itire, Yaba/ Ebute-Meta, Iwaya, Victoria Island, Victoria Island Annex, Dolphin Esatate, MKO Abiola Garden etc.
This initiative aims to improve the environment by making it cleaner, safer and healthier for all Lagosians by promoting a harmonized and holistic approach to environmental challenges; and as a result, improve operational efficiency.

ARECIBO, Puerto Rico — People in this ravaged city get their drinking water from a hole poked into a fire hose attached to a street hydrant.
"Unfortunately, we’re right in its path," said Kevin Azzaro, an assistant to Mayor Carlos Molina here.
Azzaro said he didn’t know how the city could prepare for more floods, other than asking residents to stay in their homes as much as possible.
Residents here were desperate for news from the dam.
"All of Puerto Rico is like this.
Like in dozens of other destroyed towns across the island, people here say their main needs are water, fuel, power — and news from the outside world.
No visible mass destruction or casualties, he said.
In Arecibo, residents cleaned out mud from flooded homes and wondered how long it will take to get power back.
Azzaro, the mayor’s assistant, said residents were rescued from homes amid the devastating floods.

ISLAMABAD: The microbial contamination of drinking water in Islamabad has intensified due to lack of proper disposal of municipal waste, posing serious health hazards to the residents of the capital.
The report compiled by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) –a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune — reveals that 68% water sources were found unfit for drinking purpose in Islamabad and 62% in Rawalpindi. Water quality of Rawalpindi city has been found better and improved then of Islamabad.
A total of 25 predetermined locations were monitored for the drinking water quality of Islamabad, out of them 17 sources were found unfit for drinking purpose.
The major contaminant found in the drinking water was bacteria, as 68% of the water samples were found contaminated with Coliforms. However the surface run-off, increased concentrations of nutrients and municipal waste are major contributing sources for higher bacterial contamination in drinking water, according to the report.
He said that around 37 filtration plants are installed at different locations in the capital meanwhile water purification plant is installed at Simly Dam in order to provide clean drinking water to the people of Islamabad.
The report further shows a significant improvement in the water quality of Rawalpindi city since 2002 as safe water sources has increased from 27% in 2002 to 43% in 2016.

At a stakeholder meeting for the development of updated rules and regulations for the Owasco Lake Watershed, a group of farmers talked about their role in addressing the nutrient runoff that has contributed to many problems, including the toxic algae outbreaks, in Owasco Lake.
At one point during the meeting, the concept of establishing "whole farms plans" was introduced.
Such plans would be expensive, especially for small and mid-sized farms — and in a watershed as vast and varied as Owasco’s.
It’s far too early in the process to say if whole farm plans should be part of the changes to the watershed rules and regulations, but the money question raised Thursday night needs to brought front and center to this and all other discussions about water quality issues in the region.
What’s becoming clear in central New York and in many other places around the nation is that environmental issues and aging and outdated infrastructure are presenting a clear and present threat to something almost everyone in this country takes for granted: access to potable water.
The good news is that federal and state leaders have taken some concrete steps already to invest in solutions to this problem. These measures include the $2.5 billion clean water act included in the current state budget and the $250 million amendment — introduced by central New York Rep. John Katko — recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to restore clean water funding in the federal budget.
Earlier this week, responding to the news that harmful algae has infiltrated one of the purest lakes one can find, Skaneateles Lake, Katko issued a statement outlining steps taken.

At a stakeholder meeting for the development of updated rules and regulations for the Owasco Lake Watershed, a group of farmers talked about their role in addressing the nutrient runoff that has contributed to many problems, including the toxic algae outbreaks, in Owasco Lake.
At one point during the meeting, the concept of establishing "whole farms plans" was introduced.
Such plans would be expensive, especially for small and mid-sized farms — and in a watershed as vast and varied as Owasco’s.
It’s far too early in the process to say if whole farm plans should be part of the changes to the watershed rules and regulations, but the money question raised Thursday night needs to brought front and center to this and all other discussions about water quality issues in the region.
What’s becoming clear in central New York and in many other places around the nation is that environmental issues and aging and outdated infrastructure are presenting a clear and present threat to something almost everyone in this country takes for granted: access to potable water.
The good news is that federal and state leaders have taken some concrete steps already to invest in solutions to this problem. These measures include the $2.5 billion clean water act included in the current state budget and the $250 million amendment — introduced by central New York Rep. John Katko — recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to restore clean water funding in the federal budget.
Earlier this week, responding to the news that harmful algae has infiltrated one of the purest lakes one can find, Skaneateles Lake, Katko issued a statement outlining steps taken.

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This $5,078,000 was awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Water and Waste Disposable Loans and Grants Program.
The Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary waste disposal, and stormwater drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.
“Constructing and maintaining water systems oftentimes are costly projects, but the Water and Waste Disposable Loan and Grant Program provides federal assistance to ensure rural communities, like the Town of Byron and Village of Wyoming, are still able to provide clean water for their residents.
The Town of Byron intends to create Water District #8, a project which is estimated to cost $2,858,000, will extend public water service to 107 residential users in the town who currently do not have access to safe potable water.
The Village of Wyoming intends to address ongoing issues with on-site wastewater systems, which have been causing groundwater quality impairments within the Village’s public water supply.
This project, which is projected to cost $2,220,000, will provide a secondary source of water to 163 residential and commercial users and will ensure the Village’s water supply is preserved and protected.

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"All regions should have access to clean water, but in Romania and other regions of Europe, this is not yet fully achieved. Thanks to these EU-funded projects, hundreds of thousands of Romanians will benefit from drinking water every day," Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for regional policy, said.
The Commission will invest 60.7 million euro in Hunedoara county, in western Romania, to connect 110,000 inhabitants of the Jiu Valley area to a modern water distribution and treatment network.
Some 17.4 million euro will help connect approximately 380,000 people to a modern water distribution and sewerage network in Brasov county, central Romania.
In the northeastern Bacau county, the Commission will invest 15.7 million euro to improve the sewage treatment system.
Access to clean water for more than 155,000 inhabitants in Bistrita-Nasaud, northwestern Romania will be improved through an 8.6 million euro investment.
Finally, some 8.2 million euro will be granted to Tulcea county, southeastern Romania, to support water quality improvement and better environmental protection in the vicinity of the Danube Delta, which is part of UNESCO World Heritage.

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Even in the 21st century, these Chhattisgarh villagers are unable to access clean drinking water. Their battle to ensure it has been going on for over 20 years now.
Access to clean drinking water is a luxury.
Villager’s in Chattisgarh’s Doomar Para belong to that set of people.
In Doomar Para, an area spread over 8 km from central HQ of Balrampur district, the residents are forced to survive using water from a river. The locals living in the region claim that they have been facing the water woes since the last 20 years.
We face too many difficulties (sic)," a villager told ANI.
The villagers say that their area is not just deprived of basic necessities like water but that the government’s welfare schemes are also off limits.
The current situation shows how unfortunate people living in some parts of our nation are where one has to wait 20 years to get clean drinking water.

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Water is the difference between life and death and in deep rural parts of North West and Mpumalanga, many people walk long distances to collect water from water pits in order to drink, cook and bathe. And even then, the water is sometimes not clean, which causes health problems.
The most vulnerable in the communities are the old and children.
About 844 million people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water – one out of 10 people on the planet. As a result, about 1.6 million children die each year throughout the world from waterborne diseases.
A total of 120 of the Biofoam filtration systems have been deployed and the foundation will continue to make these donations for the next 10 years to provide hundreds of households with safe and clean drinking water.
The new technology reduces bacteria and viruses in water through the use of gravity, rather than pressure, to pass the water through a filter. The WWIF establishes a committee in each of the areas where the filters are installed, which ensures the filters are working and being used correctly.

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TURKU, Finland, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) — China and the European Union (EU) vowed on Thursday to continue working together to fight global water crises, as hundreds of high-level decision makers and experts on water management from the two sides met in Turku, southwestern Finland.
China, the European Commission and several EU member states signed a declaration at the annual China Europe Water Platform (CEWP) in Turku to strengthen cooperation to promote sustainable and improve water security.
One of the 17 goals is securing access to clean water and sanitation for all.
Also, 90 percent of the natural disaster deaths are caused by floods, draughts and typhoons, Chinese Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said.
Chen said the cooperation on water management is significant to prevent potential water crises from affecting the economy and society.
"These are global objectives, and there is no single country that can reach these objectives on its own. That is why we need global solutions and we need global actions toward the SDGs," Vella told Xinhua.
"The MOU lists a number of objectives in line with Sustainable Development Goals to which we are all committed, including the EU as well as China."
Representatives of over 140 companies and institutions from 10 countries are taking part in the business forums and match-making programs during the two-day conference in Turku.