After Years, Remote Village in Nkombo Islands Finally has Water.
Neema Uwimana, a resident Nkombo says he can’t remember the last time they had proper running water in his remote village.
“We used to fetch dirty water from Kivu Lake for domestic purposes and had to suffer from cholera and intestinal worms but now we can drink and use clean water and save the money we used to spend at the health Center.
We are really thankful to the government” said Uwimana.
“Today, we can access free clean water after spending years drinking dirty water from Kivu Lake which was harmful to health”.
According to James Sano, the chief executive Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), said that previously, access to clean water in the Island stood below 50 per cent.
With launch of the new water treatment plant, which produces 720m3 per day, and 24 boreholes, the island’s access to water is expected rose to 90 per cent.
The water treatment plant transforms dirty water from Kivu Lake into drinkable water with a production capacity of 720 m3 per day.
It is at about 10 kilometres from Kamembe town and some 670 meters from the shorelines of Kivu.
The new water supply system is provides water to over 80,000 people in five sectors of Rusizi District; Giheking, Kamembe, Gihundwe, Nkanka and Nkunga.

The ancient system provides a water source that remains important for some of the city’s more vulnerable residents.
Urban water security Not only are ancient spouts, ponds, and wells beautiful and architecturally ingenious sites, some of the less noticeable aspects, like the open spaces surrounding spouts, underground engineering, and the way in which the system interconnects across a watershed provide critical environmental services.
For example, open spaces around spouts and wells facilitate groundwater recharge, while ponds provide a buffer against drought.
In summary, revitalisation of the system can provide a means of addressing issues of water insecurity, vulnerability to disasters and climate change, and the loss and fragmentation of cultural heritage.
For example, at Alkohiti, residents can rely on strong local management to provide water even when the stone spout dries, and at Washahiti, hundreds were able to access water after the 2015 earthquake when other sources were not available.
Thankfully, Nepal’s domestic and Supreme Court case law paired with international treaties provide avenues to support revitalisation.
Providing further support, the Water Resource Act 1992 protects both the water source and spouts as a “structure related to the utilisation of water resources.” Additionally, the Supreme Court of Nepal affirms the right to drinking water in a number of cases, but most notably in Surya Prasad Sharma Dhungel v Godavari Marble Industries and others, where the right to access safe drinking water was specifically considered by the Court from the perspective of stone spout use by referencing the marble industry’s impact on the Nau Dhara’s water flow.
The Supreme Court of Nepal in Advocate Prakash Mani Sharma for Pro Public v His Majesty Government Cabinet Secretariat and others, while addressing arsenic contamination in drinking water, also observed that “water is an essential commodity for maintaining and sustaining life…it is the duty of the state to supply safe and pure drinking water to citizens…safe and pure water is a matter concerned with the health and so linked to the right to life.
Every citizen possesses the right to safe, pure and pollution free water.” By combining Nepal’s obligations under the Unesco World Heritage Convention (WHC) and Supreme Court law, there is a clear case for greater protection of the ancient water system.
With a strong legal base, local expertise, and physical system to build upon, Kathmandu has an incredible opportunity to do something meaningful.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, People Walk Over 10 Miles for Hours Each Day Just to Get Water: Now, ‘New Life’ Is Trickling in.
An estimated 319 million people have no access to safe drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa, with many of them enduring the daily hardship of fetching water at the nearest pond several miles away from their homes.
Kanze Kahindi, who lives with her family in rural southeast Kenya, is one of the millions who have to walk long distances for hours—in her case, 13 miles each day—just to fill a plastic water container, CBN News reported.
"I would be a lot healthier than I am today if I didn’t have to travel so far for water," she said.
"My legs are sore, my back hurts, and I’m always in pain."
Kahindi said she has been fetching water since she was seven years old.
To help alleviate the plight of the millions of water-deprived Africans, the Christian organization World Vision has been drilling borehole wells and installing hundreds of miles of pipeline to transport water to tens of thousands of families across Kenya since 2008.
CBN News recently witnessed the celebration in a village where residents gathered to watch water gushing out of a pipe installed by World Vision drillers.
"This water will bring new life to our communities," said one resident, as she watched the World Vision drillers.
From 2009 to 2016, Open Doors has provided more than 40 boreholes to several villages in Nigeria.

Durham residents warned about water treatment, water heater scammers.
DURHAM — Both the City of Oshawa and the Region of Durham are warning residents about water-related scammers who are contacting people door-to-door and over the phone.
The City of Oshawa is warning residents that scammers are posing as city employees and asking about water pipes, as well as water heater rentals and inspections.
Regional officials say salespeople from water filter and treatment companies are attempting to access people’s homes to access their water service.
“Several residents have contacted the region regarding phone calls they received from people claiming to be from the region’s water department, and the callers try to arrange an appointment to inspect the pipes,” says Susan Siopis, commissioner of works.
“These phone calls are not from the Region of Durham.
Our water undergoes daily monitoring and testing, and does not require further filtration or monitoring at residents’ expense.” City of Oshawa employees are not inspecting water heaters or pipes and officials say a real city employee would always wear an identification badge when visiting a home.
If someone posing as a city employee shows up at their door and they aren’t wearing a city badge, residents are advised to contact police and report the incident by calling 905-579-1520.
The Region of Durham does have a residential meter replacement program underway, with Neptune Technology Group acting as the contractor, but the replacement is at no charge to residents.
Additionally, anyone whose meter is to be replaced will receive a letter notifying them, as well as a letter from Neptune asking the resident to schedule an appointment.

Drinking water still not flowing at state women’s prison.
The women at Lowell Correctional Institution will endure another three days without running drinking water after tests Thursday showed the water wasn’t safe to drink, officials said.
Coolers of water have been brought into the prison for inmates and staff, as crews began testing the drinking water over the past few days.
On Thursday, the inmates were allowed to drink the water for a time, after a test showed it was safe, Glady said.
Instead, it relies on a geo-thermal cooling system, which agency officials have admitted doesn’t work very well.
The prison — the largest women’s facility in the country — has had a history of sanitary problems, including worms and mold in the sinks and showers, health records show.
The prison, built in 1956, is the oldest prison housing female inmates, including pregnant women and youthful offenders.
It also houses women on death row.
Never miss a local story.
Sign up today for a 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

60,000 locals of Baglung deprived of drinking water as landslides destroy water pipes.
#1 $5 Anti Wrinkle Cream $5 Cream Voted Best Anti-Aging Cream of 2017.
Get Your Trial Bottle Today.
christrick BAGLUNG, July 13: Locals of Baglung bazaar at the district headquarters are facing severe drinking water shortage for the past few days as monsoon-induced landslides destroyed water supply lines, depriving access to water to as many as 60,000 locals.
With this, the already chronic water shortage has increased during the wet season.
We are forced buy jar water,” said Suraj Pariyar, a local of Baglung bazaar.
“Let alone drinking water, we are compelled to purchase water even for cleaning toilet and bathing.
According to the locals, water supply has been completely halted after landslides washed away water supply pipes since last Thursday.
But we are doing our best to ease the drinking water supply,” he informed, adding that it might take another week to repair the pipes.
According to Sharma, they will repair pipes at Reskhola after the landslides stop.

60,000 locals of Baglung deprived of drinking water as landslides destroy water pipes.
BAGLUNG, July 13: Locals of Baglung bazaar at the district headquarters are facing severe drinking water shortage for the past few days as monsoon-induced landslides destroyed water supply lines, depriving access to water to as many as 60,000 locals.
With this, the already chronic water shortage has increased during the wet season.
We are forced buy jar water,” said Suraj Pariyar, a local of Baglung bazaar.
“Let alone drinking water, we are compelled to purchase water even for cleaning toilet and bathing.
According to the locals, water supply has been completely halted after landslides washed away water supply pipes since last Thursday.
The landslides had destroyed pipes at Reshkhola and Boksey Gaira of Baglung Municipaliyt-3, according to Himal Sharma, manager of Municipal Drinking Water and Cleanliness Consumer Committee, Baglung.
But we are doing our best to ease the drinking water supply,” he informed, adding that it might take another week to repair the pipes.
According to Sharma, they will repair pipes at Reskhola after the landslides stop.
On the other hand, 400 meters long new pipes can be installed in Boksey Gaira, which can take a week,” said Sharma.

‘More than 4bn people worldwide lack safe water, sanitation’.
New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Around 4.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation and around 2.1 billion lack access to safe, readily available water at home, a new report by the WHO and Unicef has revealed.
“Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centres,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO).
This puts the health of all people, especially young children, at risk for diseases, such as diarrhoea.
“As a result, every year 3,61,000 children under five years die due to diarrhoea.
Poor sanitation and contaminated water are also linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid,” it said.
“Safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene are critical to the health of every child and every community,” said United Nations Children’s Fund Executive Director Anthony Lake.
In order to decrease global inequalities, the new Sustainable Development Goals call for ending open defecation and achieving universal access to basic services by 2030.
The Indian government has also launched an ambitious Swachch Bharat campaign with making villages and cities free of open defecation as one of its primary objectives.
The report found that in 90 countries progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030.

On a summer evening as the sky turned pink and gold over the tobacco fields in Sampson County, farmworker José Luis Cipriano handed Juan Carabaña plastic bags filled with cucumbers and corn, a humble thank you to Carabaña’s ministry for helping workers stay hydrated in the fields.
On this night, Carabaña delivered about 70 water carriers to farmworkers at various farms in Sampson County, the first round of deliveries.
The pouches hold water bottles so farmworkers can stay hydrated during their work day.
Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com The ministry launched a campaign, “Water in the Fields,” that aims to raise $25,000 through Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website, to produce 3,000 water carriers for local farmworkers.
The ministry has raised $9,000, according to its Indiegogo page, and plans to deliver as many water carriers it can even if the 3,000 goal isn’t met.
Access to water varies from farm to farm in North Carolina, Carabaña said.
“If the rows are long, they can carry their water in the pouches and not have to wait until they get to one end or if they carry the water bottle in their pockets it won’t get warm by the transfer of their body heat,” Hernández said.
The improved design has a flap, a wool insert to keep the liquid cool, narrow loops to keep the carrier close to the waist and two position options.
As he handed out the carriers in Sampson County, Carabaña asked the farmworkers to give him feedback on the new design, so the ministry can make changes if necessary.
Cipriano, the farmworker who gave the ministry cucumbers and corn, greeted Carabaña with the GSA carrier attached to his belt.

Coca-Cola plans to increase the amount of recycled plastic in its bottles sold in the U.K.
Bottle deposit systems deemed effective Most provinces have systems whereby consumers pay a deposit for the products they buy that come in plastic bottles.
In Manitoba and Ontario which have no bottle return systems, only half are returned for recycling.
In the province of Quebec, soda and juice bottles are subject to deposits, but water bottles are exempt.
No need for water bottles in most of Canada Keith Brooks of Environmental Defence says the return system should be strengthened across the country and consumers should do their part by not buying products in plastic bottles, particularly water.
He applauds some towns, schools and companies which have banned them.
A report from the World Economic Forum suggests that if nothing is done to curb the disposal of plastics by the year 2050, they could outweigh all the fish in the ocean.
‘It’s going to be there 1,000 years from now’ “It’s a serious problem and it’s growing in severity,” says Brooks.
It’s a startling number.
“The problem is not all of them get recycled and they don’t break down in the environment.