by Brooke Constance, originally posted on July 18, 2016

STONINGTON — The Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday night to request voluntary steps to reduce water use in Pawcatuck, which is supplied by the Westerly Water Company.

Westerly is seeking to conserve water because drought conditions have led to depletion of stored water and put a strain on disinfection equipment.

First Selectman Rob Simmons said that although the Westerly Town Council implemented an even-odd ban on lawn-watering, car-washing and other similar uses, Westerly Council members have no authority to place a ban on Pawcatuck residents.

“In Stonington, we believe in close and cooperative collaboration,” he said. “So we’re appealing to Pawcatuck residents on a voluntary basis to not waste water in order to help alleviate the current problems that Westerly … is having.”

If voluntary restrictions don’t work, Simmons said the board has the authority to take it a step further and implement mandatory restrictions.

“I don’t think we will have to take it that far because we feel that the residents of Pawcatuck are aware that their water comes from Westerly Water Company,” he said. “We strongly believe that they will voluntarily cooperate.”

For now, the town will conduct a campaign to make the community aware of the drought and voluntary restrictions for the next 60 days.

Aquarion Water Co., which serves Stonington Borough and Mystic, issued a notice Thursday afternoon, asking customers to conserve water and reduce non-essential outdoor water use.

by Emily Files, originally posted on July 17, 2016

UPDATE 7/17/16  6:15 p.m.

An unknown problem with the transmission line from the Haines Borough’s main water source prompted water restrictions on a hot Sunday.

As of Sunday evening, borough water customers are to limit water use to essential purposes only. Dangerously low water tank levels caused by a transmission line problem at Lily Lake prompted the restriction.

Public works staff are turning the water treatment plant back on after spending the day trying to make repairs to a faulty transmission line connected to Lily Lake. But the borough is still urging customers to be extremely conservative with water use.

Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan says the borough is ‘making limited water’ to bring the levels up in storage tanks that have been drawn very low. The dwindling levels caused discoloration of some municipal customers’ water because of sediment at the bottom of the tanks.

Public Works staff do not know what is causing problems with water flow in the Lily Lake transmission line. Ryan says they have been turning the water plant on and off to try to get rid of the possible air lock or other blockage, to no avail.

Borough staff are in contact with an engineer about the problem and are still working to resolve it.

A borough notice said residents should refrain from using water for activities like washing cars, filling pools, and watering lawns or gardens.

Ryan added that people should stay off of Lily Lake Road because of the large trucks and equipment that are there because of the water issues.

Original story:

Haines Borough staff are trying to figure out the cause behind a problem with the transmission line that supplies water from Lily Lake to the borough’s water treatment plant.

Lily Lake is the borough’s main water source. Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan says it appears there is an air lock or obstruction cutting off the water supply from the lake.

“It seems to be something went funny with our water line feeding the plant, and we don’t know what it is,” Ryan said early Sunday afternoon.

The transmission problem has caused water tank levels to drain ‘very low,’ Ryan says. That’s why some municipal water customers are reporting brown water flowing from their taps.

“It got down low in the tank where a lot of sediment is at,” Ryan said. “So while there’s not really anything wrong with it, it doesn’t taste good and it’s unpleasant to drink.”

The Borough posted a notice on its Facebook page Sunday morning telling customers to let their water run until it turns clear. A few hours later, another update asked the community to conserve water.

Ryan says the reason they want people to conserve water is because of the low tank levels.

“Don’t use your water right now if you can help it.”

Ryan says the borough has had problems with the water system’s pressure for a couple weeks. But things got ‘more severe’ Saturday night. He says public works employees have been up all night trying to resolve the issue.

He says the plan now is to shut off the Lily Lake transmission line and try to clear it of the apparent obstruction that is causing the problem.

This story will be updated as we receive new information.

originally posted on July 17, 2016

SINGAPORE: Singapore has begun supplying Johor additional potable water following an urgent request by Badan Kawalselia Air Johor (BAKAJ), said PUB in a media statement released on Sunday (Jul 17).

PUB said Johor BAKAJ requested for an additional supply of 6 million gallons of treated water per day for the next three days. The statement added that the water is needed to stabilise its own supply system in Johor Bahru after the shutdown on Wednesday due to pollution in the Johor River.

“PUB has readily acceded to this urgent request and commenced additional supply of treated water to Johor since 17 July 12am. This additional supply will continue for the next three days.”

PUB added that customers in Singapore will not be affected in any way as it is able to increase local production at short notice.

The statement added: “PUB Singapore is entitled to draw 250mgd of raw water from the Johor River under the 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia. This right is guaranteed by the 1965 Separation Agreement and expires in 2061. The 1962 Water Agreement also obliges PUB to sell 5mgd of treated water to Johor. In practice though, PUB has been regularly providing Johor with three times this, up to 16mgd on a daily basis.”

This latest request for 6mgd is on top of the regular 15-16mgd we provide Johor every day, said PUB.

originally posted on April 15, 2016

Dalits continue to be denied access to drinking water allegedly on caste lines in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

The latest incident was reported from Betul district on Monday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was praising the exalted persona of architect of constitution BR Ambedkar at latter’s birthplace 275 km away at Mhow-Indore.

Dalit woman in Barahwi village of Betul district, including Parwati were allegedly denied access to water from taps connected to a tube well, allegedly on caste lines.

The 45-year-old Ingle alleged that the Dalit women had gone to fetch water for an Ambedkar Jayanti program, when the women from the powerful Thakre clan stopped them from drawing water from the taps.

When the Dalits protested, the women from other caste allowed them to have water from two of the nine taps, but along with a rider that neither the Dalits nor their buckets should touch the water vessels of the other caste, which dominates the village.

The Dalits protested over this development, after which the women from the other caste started verbally abusing the Dalits and forced them to go away from the spot.

The matter was subsequently taken up by the village panchayat headed by a tribal sarpanch Mamta Sariyam, but with none of the two groups ready for a compromise, the matter remained unresolved.

Parwati and other Dalit women subsequently submitted a complaint to the Betul AJK police station on Friday morning, demanding action against the other caste women.

Acting in the matter, an AJK police team led by sub-inspector RK Bisare conducted on spot investigations in the village and recorded statements of all concerned. “We’ve recorded statements of both groups and will take necessary action in the matter on Saturday,” RK Bisare told Hindustan Times.

Several incidents of Dalits allegedly denied access to drinking water have been reported in the recent past in MP.

Past incidents

A 13-year-old Dalit boy in MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district Sehore was allegedly assaulted and his arm broken when he drank water from the well of an upper caste farmer on April 7.

A month earlier in Damoh district, a nine-year-old Dalit boy drowned in a well in March where he had gone to drink water after being denied access to the hand pump in his school.

The same month Dalits and Patels had clashed over drinking water dispute in Chhattarpur dispute and cases were lodged by both sides against each other.

by Brett Berntsen, originally posted on June 20, 2016

FARMINGTON – As many Crouch Mesa residents face triple-digit temperatures without access to drinking water, community groups are banding together to provide some essential services.

The San Juan County Office of Emergency Management has established free showers and water filling stations at McGee Park and in Aztec. Concerned citizens are also providing delivery services to those in need.

Mary Trujillo said she and fellow Crouch Mesa residents have been working non-stop to fill buckets and containers for the elderly and disabled.

The area’s water system, owned and operated by the AV Water company, has been under a boil advisory since May 25. Over the weekend, system failures cut off supplies to several neighborhoods, including Panorama Heights.

Michelle Truby-Tillen, of the county’s emergency management office, said the dilemma prompted immediate action.

“We’ve got people with no water at all,” she said. “That makes it an emergency situation.”

Residents can receive water 24 hours a day at the RV filling stations in McGee Park and in front of the Aztec Police Department. Showers are available from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. at McGee Park.

AV Water Operations Manager Thomas Barrow said this afternoon  that he wasn’t certain what caused the breakdown, but crews are working to refill storage tanks and restore services.

The issue comes as the company’s treatment plant continues to produce cloudy water, resulting in a boil advisory that has lasted nearly a month. AV Water has resorted to buying water from the city of Farmington, and distributing it to customers.

The city has authorized an emergency agreement, and the City Council will vote on a long-term contract on Tuesday .

Meanwhile, frustrated Crouch Mesa residents have formed a Facebook group to protest the water company. Customers’ concerns have revolved around a lack of transparency during the boil advisories and consistent service problems, despite the fact they pay a 10-percent capital improvement fee on each bill.

“Everybody at this point wants to get away from AV Water,” group member Karen Lamprecht said. “We don’t even know if we’re getting the full story.”

Allison Scott Majure, spokeswoman with the New Mexico Environment Department, said in an email that the department’s Drinking Water Quality Bureau has “serious concerns” about the water system.

“An investigation is underway,” she said.

by Kenney EL, originally posted on June 16, 2016

Research in The Journal of Adolescent Health found that more than half of the middle and high schools studied in Massachusetts did not meet state or federal policies for minimum drinking water access for students during lunch.

“Our study found that when a student in a Massachusetts school is thirsty, he or she may have trouble finding a place to get a drink of water, especially without having to pay for it,” Erica L. Kenney. ScD, of the department of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release. “We have federal and state policies that are designed to guarantee free, safe drinking water access, but many schools that we visited struggled to meet these policies. Schools may need help with strategizing how to provide safe, clean, appealing drinking water to students at a level of access that allows kids to stay healthy and hydrated.”

The researchers conducted on-site reviews at 59 middle and high schools to determine the type, location and working condition of all drinking water sources throughout each school. Water source information also was gathered via surveys from food services directors at 48 of the sample schools. The researchers used statistical analysis to determine the average number of free water sources per school cafeteria and estimate coding compliance. Data from food service director surveys were compared to on-site observations to identify discrepancies.

Study results showed that only 59% of schools met 2012 state plumbing code regulations requiring one plumbed drinking water source per 75 students. Specifically, only 46% of schools met federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requirements for free water availability during lunch period. Schools were considered compliant if at least 1 source of clean, free drinking water was available per 75 students. In addition, the researchers found that 31% of schools offered only bottled water, which had to be purchased, and 24% provided no cafeteria drinking water at all.

Kenney and colleagues also wrote that food services directors incorrectly overestimated the amount of access students had to free drinking water within their schools, with 98% having reported free lunch-time access.

“Poor water access in schools may have consequences for the health of youth and children,” Kenney and colleagues wrote. “Providing free, safe tap water for students to drink at school also has the potential to promote healthy hydration and obviates the need for purchasing bottled water; this could especially impact families with black or Hispanic students, who are more likely to consume bottled water.” – by David Costill

by Ayush Kumar and Annemieke Farenhorst, originally posted on June 15, 2016

Drinking-water distribution systems on First Nations may be endangering the health of residents even in communities with a proper treatment plant. That was our conclusion after finding bacteria resistant to antibiotics in household drinking water from a Manitoba community with a perfectly good water-treatment plant.

Water is one of the most important factors contributing to the spread of infectious diseases. It is well-known communities that do not have access to clean drinking water tend to be more prone to various infectious diseases, including stomach and skin infections. It is also well-known rates of infectious diseases among Canadians living on reserves are much higher than those living off them.

Poor water quality is certainly one of the factors behind this.

With more than 100 reserves under a drinking-water advisory, one wonders how and why some Canadians don’t have the basic human right of access to safe and clean water. Many of these advisories are due to bacteria in the water, with fecal contamination the most common cause.

For water to be safe for drinking, it should have zero coliforms — bacteria commonly found in the human gut. However, in our recently published study, we found that water samples from a reserve in Manitoba contained coliforms, including E. coli. This community’s water-treatment plant is producing water free from bacteria, but once the water got into the distribution system, we started detecting coliforms.

Results were similar for samples collected from tap water, cisterns or community fountains, albeit the number of bacteria found in tap water was considerably lower than in cisterns or buckets. This suggests a problem with the distribution system.

We went a step further and tested the water samples for the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes. Antibiotic resistance of bacteria is one of the most pressing problems confronting health care. This is a phenomenon by which bacteria resist the action of antibiotics, which makes the treatment of infections challenging.

We were able to detect a number of antibiotic-resistant genes in the reserve’s water samples, including some that impart resistance to carbapenem antibiotics. Carbapenems are generally used as antibiotics of last resort to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria.

Based on the methodology we used, it can be assumed that at least some of the bacteria present in the water samples we tested have resistant genes, and therefore they are likely to be resistant to antibiotics. This is an alarming finding, which suggests rates of antibiotic-resistant infections are likely to be high in this community. Considering that many other First Nations reserves are struggling with bacteria in their drinking water, it is worth investigating the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in more communities.

As alarming as the presence of resistance genes in water samples is, the solution to the problem is ensuring that water consumed by community members is free of coliforms. There has been a lot of discussion recently on the need to ensure that reserves have access to water-treatment plants, but our study shows proper design and maintenance of the distribution system is equally important.

In the meantime, people living outside cities who are concerned about their drinking water should find out the last time the water in their home was tested and ask for the results. If there are any coliform bacteria in the water, families need to boil it or drink bottled water instead. Almost all water from lakes and streams — even deep in the wilderness — contains germs that make it unsafe to drink without proper treatment.

Microbiologist Ayush Kumar and soil scientist Annemieke Farenhorst are University of Manitoba professors involved with the H2O program for water and sanitation security in First Nations.

by Katja Dombrowski, originally posted on June 14, 2016

originally posted on March 31, 2017

Around 5,000 children and adults from 1,250 households in Bac Binh and Ham Thuan Bac Districts in Binh Thuan, who have been suffering the impacts on health, nutrition and livelihood emerging from the severe drought that hit the region in March, will receive support from relief and development organization World Vision to address urgent WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) needs.

World Vision International is a relief and development organization working to improve the quality of life of people, especially children, who are marginalized and living in poverty.

Establishing emergency relief assistance in Vietnam in 1988 and opening an office in Hanoi in 1990, World Vision is now operating in 15 provinces across the country to support over 50 districts through long-term development programs.

In Binh Thuan, World Vision has operated 15-year area development programs in the districts of Ham Thuan Bac since 2007 and Bac Binh since 2005, focusing on nutrition, education, child protection and participation, livelihood, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

The relief worth US$150,000, which World Vision was entrusted with by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will be implemented from June until the end of July 2016, distributing 20,000 drinking water bottles and 1,250 plastic water tanks to needy people.

Each household will receive sixteen 20-liter bottles, estimated to be a 40-day supply, and one 1,000-liter water tank.

Besides evidence of massive crop losses, there is an increase in cases of communicable diseases in children, women and the elderly, including respiratory diseases, dermatitis, diarrhea, and sore eyes, as they have resorted to using polluted water for their daily needs, according to an inter-agency assessment in Binh Thuan Province led by World Vision with the participation of the Disaster Management Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control in March 2016.

“Our urgent relief is to contribute to containing the diseases arising from the lack of adequate water supply for human use,” said Le Van Duong, World Vision’s National Coordinator of Humanitarian & Emergency Affairs in Vietnam.

“We’re seeking additional funding opportunities to leverage our support to people in need of food aid, hygienic water supply facilities and early economic recovery in Binh Thuan and Dak Nong Provinces,” Duong added.

Apart from the UNDP-funded aid, World Vision has undertaken the initial responses with its own resources of $80,000 to more than 5,000 thirsty children and adults in Ham Thuan Bac and Bac Binh Districts since early June 2016.

From mid-June until July, nearly 2,000 people who have faced crop failure in Bac Binh District will also benefit from the World Vision-funded support focusing on food aid and domestic water supplies.

The prolonged drought and saline intrusion as a consequence of El Niño in the Mekong Delta, south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions have led to serious groundwater depletion in water-scarce districts, according to the assessment.

Of the estimated two million people suffering acute water shortage, over one million are women and 520,000 are children.

Palestinians call Israel’s manipulation of water supplies to large areas of West Bank “inhumane and outrageous”.

originally posted on June 17, 2016

Palestine has decried Israel’s practice of siphoning off water supplies from large areas of the occupied West Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the office of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said that Israel was “waging a water war against the Palestinians.

“Israel wants to prevent Palestinians from leading a dignified life and uses its control over our water resources to this end; while illegal Israeli settlements enjoy uninterrupted water service, Palestinians are forced to spend great sums of money to buy water that is theirs in the first place,” Hamdallah said in the statement.

Mekorot, the main supplier of water to Palestinian towns and cities, is accused of manipulating water supplies to the municipality of Jenin, several Nablus villages and the city of Salfit and its surrounding villages, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians without access to safe drinking water during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Jamal Dajani, director of strategic media and communications at the prime pinister’s office, called Mekorot’s practice “inhumane and outrageous.

“It is not enough for Israel to systematically appropriate Palestinian land and usurp Palestine’s natural resources; they also refuse the Palestinians the right to water.”

On Tuesday, the executive director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group, an NGO focusing on water and sanitation issues, told Al Jazeera that “some areas had not received any water for more than 40 days.

“People are relying on purchasing water from water trucks or finding it from alternative sources such as springs and other filling points in their vicinity,” Ayman Rabi said.

“Families are having to live on two, three or 10 litres per capita per day,” he added, pointing out that in some areas they had started rationing water.

The city of Jenin, which has a population of more than 40,000 people, said its water supplies had been cut by half, and warned that it would hold Mekorot solely responsible for any tragedies resulting from water shortages during the hot summer months.

Israeli denial

Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, denied cutting the water supplies to large parts of the occupied West Bank, saying there was only broad reduction in water supply to the Palestinians.

“As a result of the shortage of water supply in the West Bank … we have made a broad reduction of the supply to all residents in the area,” Mekorot told Al Jazeera late on Wednesday.

“All the facilities are working and the capability to supply is less than the rate of consumption. The water authority recently approved a master plan for the water sector and accordingly we will build the systems that will meet the West Bank’s required consumption.”

Israel’s COGAT agency, a main body of the Israeli army that regulates the occupation in the West Bank, also pointed to a burst pipe, which was said to have disrupted supplies to the villages of Marda, Biddya, Jammain, Salfit and Tapuach.

“The water flow has been regulated and is currently up and running,” COGAT told Al Jazeera.

“The water supply to Hebron and Bethlehem has been expanded a further 5,000 cubic metres per hour in order to meet the needs of the residents,” COGAT said.

According to the UN, 7.5 litres per person per day is the minimum requirement for most people under most conditions but in some areas of Palestine – where temperatures exceed 35C – the minimum requirement is much higher.

Israel has limited the water available to Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since its forces occupied the territories in 1967.

Israelis, including settlers, consume five times more water than Palestinians in the West Bank: 350 litres per person per day in Israel compared with 60 litres per Palestinian per day in the West Bank.