by Jon Erickson, originally posted on June 9, 2016

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ – A new front has opened in the battle for ready access to water for parts of San Tan Valley.

Community advocate Nick Myers filed a complaint with state regulators this week against Johnson Utilities.

The issue is availability of water, especially from a standpipe, which is a roadside pipe used to fill portable tanks with water. Residents take those tanks home and use the water for drinking, showering, and watering their animals.

Johnson Utilities shut down their San Tan Valley standpipe, at Edwards and Magma roads, last July, according to Arizona Corporation Commission documents. Myers estimates that 200 people relied on the standpipe for water.

Myers filed the complaint this week with the short-term goal of having the standpipe service restored and the long-term goal of seeing water mains connected to homes that now rely on wells or outdoor storage tanks.

The nearest standpipes to San Tan Valley are in Florence or Apache Junction.

John Dixon now trucks approximately 50 miles round-trip to Florence for standpipe water; his previous travel distance was just five miles.

“I just try not to get frustrated because I’m going through heart failure,” Dixon said.

Johnson Utilities Chief Operating Officer Brad Cole told state regulators last year that the utility’s goal is to install water mains that serve the customers affected by the lack of standpipe service.

But Cole, according to a letter filed with regulators, told a property owner on West Ivar Road that not enough residents had signed up for piped water service and the rest of the utility’s customers could not continue to subsidize installations.

Repeated calls to Johnson Utilities were not returned.

The company has not filed a response to Myers’ complaint.

originally posted on September 6, 2016

Eight thousand people in the Donbas region have no access to drinking water, reports the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The powerlines between the village of Berezove and the town of Dokuchaievsk have been out of service since April 15 due to shelling. However, repair works are impossible in the area because of large number of landmines.

The international monitors have also reported significant increase in ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The OSCE mission names Donetsk international airport, militant-controlled Yasynuvata and the zone near government-controlled Stanytsia Lyhanska as the hotspots of the shelling.

The international watchdog representatives have also claimed their movements are widely restricted in the militant-controlled areas.

by Imelda C. Rivero, originally posted on June 9, 2016

The municipality also said that they dispatched 21 tankers in the Chatsworth and Welbedacht areas however, many residents confirmed that no tankers arrived in their areas and said that they can no longer remain patient.

originally posted on May 11, 2016

It has been more than 24 hours and many areas in and around Chatsworth still do not have water. This has not only inconvenienced the community severely but has also angered the public, who are demanding better service delivery.

The eThekwini Municipality posted a status on its Facebook page yesterday afternoon confirming the water supply interruption in southern parts of eThekwini.

The post stated that the heavy rainfall experienced over the weekend has caused damage to the city’s bulk pipelines.

Due to this, parts of Northdene, Chatsworth, Shallcross, Klaarwater, St Wendolins, Savannah Park, KwaNdengezi,  Dassenhoek, Milky Way, Tshelimnya,  Hlanganisa Road, Intake Road and Luganda have been affected.

The Municipality also said that they dispatched 21 tankers in the Chatsworth and Welbedacht areas however, many residents confirmed that no tankers arrived in their areas and said that they can no longer remain patient.

It is believed that due to the severity of the problem, technicians are working around the clock to resolve the matter.

by Harsha Kumari Singh, originally posted on May 9, 2016

AJMER, RAJASTHAN:  The desert state of Rajasthan is sinking further into a water crisis as the summer peaks. 13,500 villages do not have access to safe drinking water, surviving solely at the mercy of water tankers sent by the government.

Rajasthan has the country’s 10 per cent land mass but only 1.1 per cent surface water making it almost completely dependent on ground water which is fast depleting. What’s worse is that only 10 per cent of wells have water that is safe for drinking. 88 per cent of Rajasthan’s water is saline, 55 per cent has very high fluoride.

Every day, women in Ajmer’s Baalpur make multiple trips of three kilometres each under scorching sun to the only well which has safe drinking water. They manage to bring back two pots of water in each trip – about 5-7 litres – which is not enough for a family of five.

“I walk three kilometres to fetch water. Sometimes we do three trips in a day. How many pots can I carry in one trip? My children are almost always thirsty and in this situation when we don’t have enough for ourselves, can we give water to our animals?” said Shobha.

The Sarpanch of the village said that of the 150 wells in and around the village only 10 have drinking water.

The government says the state has been forced to over exploit ground water which can make the situation worse in the coming future. Ground water levels in 190 of the 236 blocks are either overused or critically short of water.

“We are over exploiting ground water. We withdraw 100 per cent water but recharge only 22 per cent. The government drills a tube well and it goes dry within three years. We install hand pumps that go dry within 8 months,” said the state’s Public Health minister Kiran Maheshwari.

The campaign to oppose the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) continues to gain steam with Leonardo DiCaprio and actors from the upcoming Justice League film joining the cause

by Lorraine Chow, originally posted on May 10, 2016

Dakota Access—a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP—has proposed a $3.7 billion, 1,168-mile pipeline that will transfer up to 570,00 barrels of crude oil per day from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois.

The DAPL, also referred to as the Bakken pipeline, would cross the Missouri River less than a mile away from the Standing Rock Reservation that stands in North and South Dakota. The Missouri River, one of the largest water resources in the U.S., provides drinking water for millions of people.

The people of Standing Rock, often called Sioux, warn that a potential oil spill into the river would threaten the water, land and health of their reservation.

In DiCaprio’s tweet, the Oscar-winning actor and clean energy advocate said he was “standing with the Great Sioux Nation to protect their water and lands,” and linked to a Change.org petition that urges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The petition was written by 13-year-old Anna Lee Rain YellowHammer on behalf of Standing Rock youth. It states:

A private oil company wants to build a pipeline that would cross the Missouri River less than a mile away from the Standing Rock Reservation and if we don’t stop it, it will poison our river and threaten the health of my community when it leaks.

My friends and I have played in the river since we were little; my great grandparents raised chickens and horses along it. When the pipeline leaks, it will wipe out plants and animals, ruin our drinking water and poison the center of community life for the Standing Rock Sioux.

The petition has been signed by nearly 46,000 supporters, just short of 4,000 signatures to reach the 50,000 goal.

DiCaprio’s tweet also hash-tagged #KeepItInTheGround, which calls for keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

According to Dakota Access, their proposed route which will travel through 50 counties in four states “was carefully designed to transport crude in the safest, most efficient way possible.”

However, for the past several months, native American communities and landowners have been battling the construction of the DAPL

proposed DAPL will transport crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois. Traveling through 50 counties in 4 states. Photo credit: Dakota Access LLC

“Oil companies keep telling us that this is perfectly safe, but we’ve learned that that’s a lie: from 2012-2013 alone, there were 300 oil pipeline breaks in the state of North Dakota,” YellowHammer wrote in her petition. “With such a high chance that this pipeline will leak, I can only guess that the oil industry keeps pushing for it because they don’t care about our health and safety. It’s like they think our lives are more expendable than others.”

Army Corps is currently considering permits to construct and operate the DAPL. They will reportedly make the decision in days, thus prompting renewed urgency from opponents to stop the project

Alongside DiCaprio, many famous faces have joined the cause. Three stars from the new Justice League film—Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher—have posted social media messages to protest the pipeline, as Indian Country reported.

In his Instagram photo, Momoa holds a sign that states he has signed the Change.org petition and that “oil pipelines are a bad idea.”

“We want to say that our hearts are with the Native youth of the Standing Rock Reservation, and that we oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Miller says in the video.

Fisher also urged viewers to visit the website Rezpect our Water, which has been launched against the pipeline

A recent a 500-mile relay, Run For Your Life: No DAPL, was organized in opposition of the project. The run, which started April 28 from Cannon Ball, North Dakota ended at the Army Corps Omaha District office in Nebraska on May 3.

“I am doing Run For Your Life: No DAPL because I want the younger generations to know what they are looking forward to in the future if this pipeline comes through,” lead run coordinator and Standing Rock member said. “I am running for the whole Oceti Sakowin. I am carrying all their prayers on the road with us. Water is essential to everyday life. Why hasn’t someone even given a thought about the 3 to 4 million people who use our Missouri River water? It is 2016, and here we are fighting our battles, running across the state of South Dakota to show our statement.”

The runners delivered a unified statement to Colonel John Henderson and the Army Corps in resistance to the oil pipeline

The letter, which you can read in full here, states:

We write to you as the peoples of this great land, both Native and non-Native, who rely on the Missouri River and our ecosystems for our livelihoods, our communities, and our futures. For a long time, man has behaved as though he has absolute dominion over nature, and now we are beginning to see the effects of what this attitude has done to our world. As global concerns about environmental issues continue to rise, we too are taking a stand out of concern not only for ourselves, but also for the non-human animals in our communities and for the children who shall become a part of nature after we have passed.

They group also issued a number of demands that the Army Corps must take before issuing a permit to Dakota Access:

• Conduct a full EIS [environmental impact assessment] to determine potential environmental effects of the DAPL.

• Address additional concerns regarding environmental justice and emergency response actions to spills/leaks.

• Address the potential impact to cultural/historical sites, including native burial grounds.

• Address the lack of communication with tribes over the past several months, and remedy this by properly consulting and coordinating with affected tribes.

• Apply President Barack Obama’s climate test and determine whether this project serves the national interest by not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.

“If Dakota Access fails to meet the conditions of any one of these enacted recommendations it stands as a clear indication that it is not a safe and sound project deserving of permitting,” the letter concludes.

Ed Fallon, director of the nonprofit Bold Iowa and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Iowa, met the runners in Omaha. He delivered a speech that touched on how some farmers and landowners felt no choice but to sign their land away for construction of the Bakken pipeline.

Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Eileen Williamson said the Corps is evaluating the environmental impacts that take place during construction.

“For example, if threatened and endangered species is a concern. Let’s say that a proposed crossing and construction schedule could impact nesting of a protected bird,” Williamson told South Dakota public radio. “Then a recommendation would be to ensure that the construction schedule is outside of that nesting period, and that the construction does not affect the habitat that that bird would use for nesting.”

Williamson said officials must work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Historic Preservation Officer and Tribal governments. She says the Corps is also reviewing public comments.

originally posted on May 8, 2016

El Salam Camp — The price for drinking water has soared at El Salam camp for the displaced near the South Darfur capital of Nyala, as water supply stations have become ‘commercialised’.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga from the camp, Sheikh Mahjoub Tabeldiya said access to drinking water has become difficult over the last two months since the national organisation WEST stopped supplying fuel for the pumps, or salaries for the staff.

“Six of the water stations operating in the camp have turned into commercial stations after the organisation stopped supplying fuel and disbursement of the salaries of employees. This has resulted in soaring water prices,” Sheikh Tabeldiya said.

He appealed to WEST to resume its support for the water stations, especially considering the holy month of Ramadan is approaching.

Sheikh Tabeldiya revealed to Radio Dabanga that there are three health centres in the camp to serve 112,000 people.

He pointed out that while about 1,000 patients visit the three centres every day, each centre can only treat about 50 patients a day. “The patients cannot afford to pay for medicines from outside pharmacies.”

He called on the authorities and organisations to increase the number of health centres so as to increase the number of patients who can be treated per day, and to provide medicines.

originally posted on June 8, 2016

BOSTON, MA –(Marketwired – June 08, 2016) – Between 2010 and 2015, water and wastewater costs rose 41 percent, nearly five times the rate of inflation over that same time period. This has created a crisis of water unaffordability for many Americans, according to a new report released today by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). The report, “The Invisible Crisis: Water Unaffordability in the United States,” sheds new light on the breadth of the country’s water crisis, pinpoints drivers of inequality, reveals damaging impacts people face when they can’t afford or access basic water and sanitation services, and argues that real affordability programs can and must be established to ensure that all people in the United States have access to needed water and sanitation services.

“Water is essential for life, but universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation has not been achieved in the United States,” said Amber Moulton, the researcher in UUSC’s Programs, Advocacy, and Action Department, and co-author of the report. “Lower income Americans and those facing economic crises struggle to pay rising water and sanitation costs resulting in shutoffs and other negative consequences.”

For many Americans, the problem begins before they even face the question of water quality — before they turn on the faucet. The problem begins with whether there is any water coming out of the tap and how much it costs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses median income to determine affordability when evaluating compliance measures, not whether the cost of services is actually affordable to low-income households. This means that the wealthiest Americans’ water service costs are often considered a negligible part of households’ budgets. Many people even consider water cheap. Meanwhile, low-income individuals and families are often left paying more.

“The lack of data we have on the number of Americans struggling to afford basic water services is criminal,” said Roger Colton, an economist and principal of Fisher, Sheehan & Colton. “What we do know, however, is that the number is large and that rethinking the way that costs are calculated will not only benefit consumers, but utilities who will see more people paying bills on time under a more equitable system.”

Right now, cities and utilities not only lose when consumers can’t afford to pay their bills; they actually miss out on potential revenue that could be gained through affordable rate structures. Still, the consequences are far more dire for consumers and their families: an inability to pay a water bill can lead to shutoffs and other collateral impacts ranging from home evictions and tax liens to foreclosure and the loss of one’s home. In 21 states, a parent’s inability to provide running water in the home can be considered “child neglect” and contribute to a child being removed from a home.

Furthermore, an inability to gain or maintain access to affordable, clean drinking water has detrimental impacts on one’s health. For example, a lack of investment in water and sanitation services can lead to health and hygiene problems. Lower-income children of color without adequate sanitation facilities in Alabama, for instance, have contracted hookworm, a tropical parasite that is no longer commonly found in the United States. Communities lacking basic sanitation services and access to affordable water also tend to have lower property values, which helps to contribute to the cycle of poverty. This also helps to explain the disproportionate impact that water injustice has on communities of color. Still, these impacts are not limited geographically and negative impacts are already being felt across the country.

“It makes no sense that in the richest nation in the world, rural poor children living along the historic Selma to Montgomery March trail are forced to live in third world conditions playing amongst raw sewage,” said Catherine Flowers, Director of Environmental Justice at the Center for Earth Ethics in Alabama. “Unfortunately, the lack of investment is rural infrastructure is common through the United States.”

With inadequate regulatory policy in place to make water affordable to consumers, the cost of system upgrades and the cost to treat and clean water contaminated by agricultural and industrial pollution can be passed downstream. At the same time, vast sections of the country are without water-related infrastructure or have historically been excluded from infrastructure upgrades that are desperately needed. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 2 million Americans — many Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and those living in communities along the U.S. southern border — do not have access to complete plumbing facilities. These barriers speak to the need for prioritized investment in upgrades and funding to excluded and vulnerable communities, the report noted.

“Millions of Americans still lack consistent access to safe water sources or adequate sanitation due to historic discrimination, ailing and inadequate infrastructure, pollution, and other factors,” said Alice Jennings, a civil and human rights attorney who is currently representing plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit related to water shut-offs in Detroit. “It’s time that the richest nation on earth take steps to advance an omnibus, national Water Civil Rights Act in order to establish water as a human right.”

In order to address the gaps in the system and ensure that all people in the United States have universal access to clean and affordable water, UUSC outlined a set of recommended policy reforms at the local, state, and federal levels. The recommendations include establishing legal bans on water shutoffs for those who cannot pay, protections for the most vulnerable populations, and national recognition of the human right to water and sanitation. UUSC also called for affordability programs at all levels of government to ensure that safe drinking water and sanitation costs do not exceed 2.5 percent of a family’s monthly household income. In addition, UUSC calls for extensive data collection down to the household level in order to better track water and sanitation costs and lack of access.

While some strides have been made at the local level to introduce and advance legislation to address affordability, there is still much work to be done. In order to begin to make headway in making water affordable for all, UUSC recommended:

• Banning water shutoffs for nonpayment when customers do not have the ability to pay. At a minimum, mandate protections against water shutoffs for low-income children (under age 18), individuals over 65 years old, persons with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and persons with chronic and catastrophic illness
• Requiring regulatory agencies to study and work to remedy the impact of unregulated pollution on the cost of water and sanitation for customers
• Prioritizing and targeting water and sanitation funding to those who do not have it and vulnerable populations first, followed by other investments as needed
• Adopting the human right to water and sanitation in domestic law with clear enforcement mechanisms and remedies.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a human rights organization powered by grassroots collaboration, working throughout the United States and more than a dozen other countries worldwide. Since 1940, UUSC has fostered social, economic, and environmental justice, protected civil liberties, worked toward a world free from oppression, delivered aid with dignity, and advanced the rights of people left behind during conflicts and natural disasters.

by Rohith BRI, originally posted on June 8, 2016

BENGALURU: Located about 330km from Bengaluru, Hirekerur town in Haveri district could pose a serious problem to the state government. The new set of census 2011 data accessed by TOI, revealed that nearly 86% of households there used untreated tap water for drinking.

Mulbagal Urban and Srinivaspur Urban (Kolar), Kalaghatagi Rural (Dharwad), Koratagere Urban (Tumakuru) are the other places in the state where a majority of households have no access to treated water.

by Richmond Mercurio, originally posted on May 6, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila and other key cities in the Philippines are in danger of experiencing drought in water supply in a decade’s time unless immediate measures in improving water security are put in place, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said.

To avert the water crisis, Schumacher said there is need for the government, private sector, and water stakeholders to meet and come up with solutions as the country at present experiences El Nino and with water levels dropping to critical levels.

The ECCP, for its part, intends to push hard for the creation of a super agency that will be responsible for all water-related matters in the country.

“We need to come out with ways where everyone will continue to have access to sustainable water supply.  There has to be water security in the country.  Filipinos must learn how to conserve water and reduce water pollution” he said.

For Schumacher, ensuring there is enough water supply for the agriculture sector and drinking water remains readily available should be two of the top priorities.

He said the agriculture sector accounts for up to 85 percent usage of fresh water in the country annually, with the rest divided among the other industries and household consumption.

“A lot of communities in the provinces right now are being deprived of reliable water supply.  In 10 years, these very same communities, heavily dependent on farming, will have no water supply if water resources are not managed properly,” he said.

With the abundance of freshwater supply like dams, lakes, rivers and streams in the Philippines,  Schumacher said it is unacceptable for the country to be experiencing water crisis.

“There is enough freshwater that can be tapped.  It is just a matter of proper management, infrastructure development, coordination between the government and private sector, and the public learning how to use them properly,” he said.

Schumacher likewise added the need to push for increased investments in tapping fresh water sources and the use of technology including sewerage treatment and desalination.

According to ECCP, the Philippines is the second Southeast Asian country to sound the alarm on scarcity of water supply after Thailand did last month.