SAFE drinking water is a fundamental requirement for maintaining public health and supporting healthy communities.
Hence, mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that the delivery of safe drinking water is both practical and protective of public health.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) agrees with Saral James, president of the Malaysian Water Forum, that the agencies concerned are failing in their duty to provide safe water to Malaysian consumers, “Tackling issues of water safety and usage” (The Star, Oct 26).
Since 2003, Fomca has been advocating for a Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that consumers have access to safe water and protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation.
This law would appoint a regulator who would be responsible for setting the minimum health standards for tap water and require all owners or operators of the public water systems to comply with these standards.
The United Nations considers universal access to clean water a basic human right and an essential step towards improving living standards worldwide.
Fomca urges the current government to ensure safe water is enjoyed by all Malaysians.
President Fomca

But over time, the risks of exposure to even low levels of contaminants can add up.
An EWG investigation reveals that atrazine, a heavily used weed killer sprayed primarily on corn, contaminates drinking water in many parts of rural America.
Atrazine, like many toxic chemicals, poses particular risks to the developing fetus.
So for expectant parents who want to do everything possible to ensure the health of their baby, these findings are a call to action.
Although atrazine in drinking water is regulated by federal law, these harmful effects have been seen at levels much lower than the federal limit of 3 parts per billion.
We found that atrazine levels spike far above the legal limit in spring and summer, when atrazine is heavily used.
Spikes often go unreported, because utilities aren’t required to test their water when the atrazine levels are high, so many do it before or after the spike.
First, find out whether your water contains atrazine or other contaminants.
That’s why it’s so important to filter them out of your water and minimize seasonal atrazine spikes.
Whether you’re pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, a water filter is key to protecting the fetus – because as it turns out, all those “picky” people may have been right all along.

Lina Al-Qassab UNICEF, with support from the United Kingdom, has reached 25 villages in east rural Hama with safe drinking water for the first time after years of very limited access to the area.
For families in these areas, the consequences of almost eight years of war have an immense impact on their lives.
In rural Hama, war damage and neglect of the water infrastructure meant that most wells and water sources were no longer functional.
Years of low rainfall have also dried up local wells leaving families in a desperate situation.
To survive, people had to buy water from private providers at very high prices, with few assurances of water quality, putting the health of their families at risk.
This has reportedly increased children’s exposure to waterborne diseases and diarrhoea.
School principals in the area reported increased prevalence of lice and scabies amongst school children.
As scorching August heat drove up the demand for water, UNICEF’s water trucks came to the rescue with one million litres of water trucked every five days to the 25 villages, reaching a total of 60,000 people.
“I used to travel three hours every week with my father to fetch water,” 11-year-old Hayder To increase water storage capacity in the area, UNICEF has also installed ten water tanks with a capacity of 45 cubic metres placed at strategic locations across the affected area.
Furthermore, in Kfaraa village which was described by locals as the first safe point for people fleeing the fighting in the northern parts of the country, UNICEF is running hygiene promotion sessions and distributing water purification tablets to mitigate the risk of relying on other unsafe water sources.

Just as important as availability of drinking water is lack of access to safely managed sanitation, and concerted efforts are being made in the area not only to manage treatment of wastewater, but also for its reuse, in an attempt to achieve sustainability and what is known as a circular economy.
One of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water availability and resources is Jordan.
This is due to several factors including Syrian refugees flocking into the country since 2011, and the geopolitical situation in the region,” according to Bilal Al-Sharif, a Program Manager at the Ministry of Water and Irritation Jordan.
It has partnerships in many projects focus on the water sector.
We have worked with others, like SwitchMed or the Switchers, in the water sector, where we helped them to map the possibility of financing these projects,” said Miguel García, UFM Deputy Secretary General for Water and Environment.
In the MENA region, nations can save up to €500 billion by switching from commercial to circular economies.
“Switching a system is not easy.
Christoph Sodemann, PR head of BORDA, told Egypt Today that they focus on saving and reusing resources.
“You get clean water for irrigation, and it can be combined with sludge treatment plant to create fertilizer in order to keep water in the area where it is used, and not just discharge it out.” CEO of Compost Balady startup Mark Oun explained his company’s focus is to use low-tech and low-cost approaches to be applied in rural areas throughout the Arab region, adding that the predominant challenge they face is the lack of regulation, which forces them to go around the standard approach of selling mechanisms “meaning to create valuable products of the resources recovered so people are encouraged to invest in them.” Raising Awareness of Water Issues The UFM’s García highlighted the importance of environmental activism over the past years in creating more awareness of water issues, and highlighted the climate change agenda whereby all Mediterranean countries are committed to the Paris agreement to develop their national policies.
Marina Presas, a science and technological communication journalist at EURECAT, noted that translating the language of science in a way that everyone understands is the biggest challenge facing journalists.

The substance, known as HaloSan, was not approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency to disinfect drinking water.
CNN was told by the state that it has been adding HaloSan to the water in Denmark since 2008.
Wright tells CNN that he defers to South Carolina’s DHEC.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control says it required daily monitoring, “performed by the certified system operator,” of “any chemical” added to the drinking water, ensuring that the maximum dosage is not exceeded.
So what we’ve done is all we know we can do.” Water is a problem in thousands of towns across the United States.
But, the couple says there have been concerns about skin rashes and kidney problems among residents for years, although a link has not been made directly to the water.
South Carolina’s DHEC tested Brown and Smith’s home in 2010, and found about twice the legal level of lead in the water.
But Edwards says he couldn’t let go of a nagging feeling that there was something missing, especially after finding red flags, like a 2010 local newspaper story where a city official declared the water had safe lead levels nine days before the testing was conducted.
Wright, Denmark’s mayor, later told CNN that officials were relying on 3-year-old data when talking to the newspaper because that was what was available at the time.
Oh my god.” Denmark’s mayor told CNN he believes he has done everything to make sure the water is safe.

DENMARK — For 10 years, some residents in Denmark have been suspicious of the rust-colored water coming from their taps.
The substance, known as HaloSan, was not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to disinfect drinking water.
CNN was told by the state that it has been adding HaloSan to the water in Denmark since 2008.
An EPA risk assessment from 2007 shows that HaloSan can be a "significant eye and skin irritant."
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control says it required daily monitoring, "performed by the certified system operator," of "any chemical" added to the drinking water, ensuring that the maximum dosage is not exceeded.
We prioritize the ones that should be replaced first," he told CNN.
But, the couple says there have been concerns about skin rashes and kidney problems among residents for years, although a link has not been made directly to the water.
But Edwards says he couldn’t let go of a nagging feeling that there was something missing, especially after finding red flags, like a 2010 local newspaper story where a city official declared the water had safe lead levels nine days before the testing was conducted.
Wright, Denmark’s mayor, later told CNN that officials were relying on 3-year-old data when talking to the newspaper because that was what was available at the time.
I would be extremely foolish if I didn’t make certain it was safe.

Water utility prices are rising at an alarming rate, the report states, and by 2022, the report projects that nearly one-third of American households will be unable to afford their monthly water bill.
wrote that with a growing number of Americans at risk of not being able to afford water in their homes, the serious problem needs immediate attention.
"Today, the monthly bill for that same family has ballooned to $112.04, according to data from CircleofBlue.org., If water prices had risen at the rate of inflation over the last eight years, that average bill would be nearly $30 a month less at $82.81.
"Unfortunately, prices are expected to continue to rise significantly over the next five years due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure upgrades, climate change, and sanitation."
"First, there’s the need to replace old infrastructure in cities across the country.
In the 1970s, federal funding for water infrastructure was over 60 percent, today it’s less than 10 percent, according to the release.. Population increases are putting more strain on water resources.
"The nation is facing necessary expenses to sustain its ability to provide water to its citizens, and most people say they are willing to pay more if it means ensuring access to safe water resources," the release stated.
"There aren’t currently any federal laws that ensure low-income households are able to afford water services," teh release stated.
"There’s also no national funding to provide assistance in paying for water services, and in many cases, utilities and states are able to disconnect water services to those who can’t pay their bills.
"Simply put, the problem of accessing clean drinking water isn’t just something that happens in developing countries.

The government of Ethiopia through Xuzhou Construction machinery Group (XCMG) has inaugurated 41 water tanks set to benefit over 600 household in the village of Goleba Qulito, in the Oromia region of southern Ethiopia.
According to the Chinese company, the 41 water tanks that will be supplied by water from the groundwater table, with an autonomous operating system.
Construction of the water tanks will help the citizens in the region to get cleaner water faster as compared to the current state where they have to travel for miles with water drawn from unhygienic rivers, carrying the water in large containers on donkeys.
“In the past, we got water from the river, it is contaminated with Giardia parasites and when our people drank the water, many of them used to have diarrhea, but with the clean water project now it is good for the health of our community.
We appreciate the project as it will be a good example in promoting healthiness,” said Oshe, area resident.
Gao Zhiqiang, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group’s Ethiopia Country Manager, on his part said the water cellar projects will enhance the resilience of local communities to face natural disasters.
The company has already inaugurated a water tank project in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, in a place that, like the town of Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha, faces the two-fold problem of water shortage and spring pollution.
Currently, the country has only 65 million people who have water access out of its 102 million population.
The government has however sought on concentrating on working more on water projects in the cities by building wells which have an average depth of 200 metres and will be used to supply water to over 43,000 people per city and also plans to achieve 85% access to drinking water in rural areas by 2025.
Up to now, six wells have been supplying the city, but at random, depending on seasonal precipitation Similar Posts:

Kolkata, Nov 12 (IANS/Mongbay): Spending more time per day fetching water increased Indian women’s risk of delivering a low birth-weight baby, a study has said.
The present study contributes to the limited evidence related to environmental causes of PTB and LBW by demonstrating that lack of household WASH infrastructure and social factors, like crime and harassment of women and girls, are risk factors for adverse birth outcomes in women in low- and middle-income countries, the researchers write.
The survey asked women about their drinking water source, walking time to that source, time spent fetching water, sanitation (toilet) access, harassment of women and girls and local crime among other queries.
Gendered roles of water usage In November, India restructured its National Rural Drinking Water Programme with a goal to reach 90 percent of rural households with piped water by 2022.
Despite women’s significant role in water use and household management, their needs and uses of water are not often represented in water resource management policies or projects, according to a 2017 study co-authored by Maheshwari which looked at the gendered roles and responsibilities of water usage and collection in two watersheds of rural India.
Make sure you condition your hair every time you shampoo.
Condition your hair from mid-length and ends and rinse well.
* Use a clarifying shampoo (not recommended for coloured hair) but not too often.
* Use products that contain oils which will make your hair look shiny and improve texture and smooth the frizz.
* Use natural, gentle hair cleansers and conditioners to remove product build up without stripping the scalp off its natural oils.

Spending more time per day fetching water increased Indian women’s risk of delivering a low birth-weight baby, a study has said.
It suggests physical and psychosocial stress are possible mechanisms by which water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) access affects pre-term births (PTB) and low birth-weight (LBW) among Indian women.
"What we think is most likely is that carrying heavy loads of water requires a lot of calories, and that many women aren’t consuming enough healthy food during pregnancy to sustain the micronutrient needs to grow a healthy baby," said study co-author Kelly Baker, an assistant professor of occupational and environmental health.
Pregnant women need to consume 300 extra calories per day of nutritious food to give the foetus adequate nutrition.
The present study contributes to the limited evidence related to environmental causes of PTB and LBW by demonstrating that lack of household WASH infrastructure and social factors, like crime and harassment of women and girls, are risk factors for adverse birth outcomes in women in low- and middle-income countries, the researchers write.
The survey asked women about their drinking water source, walking time to that source, time spent fetching water, sanitation (toilet) access, harassment of women and girls and local crime among other queries.
Of these women, 14.9 percent experienced premature birth and 15.5 percent delivered a low birth weight baby.
Gendered roles of water usage In November, India restructured its National Rural Drinking Water Programme with a goal to reach 90 percent of rural households with piped water by 2022.
Despite women’s significant role in water use and household management, their needs and uses of water are not often represented in water resource management policies or projects, according to a 2017 study co-authored by Maheshwari which looked at the gendered roles and responsibilities of water usage and collection in two watersheds of rural India.
Further, the outcome highlighted the need for planners and policy decision makers to recognise the diverse roles that women play in groundwater use and management.