The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Erbil Governorate completed the rehabilitation of the main water treatment plant in Rawanduz sub-district, which provided safe drinking water to over 33,000 people, including 2,000 internally displaced people (IDPs).
With support from the Government of Germany, UNDP’s Iraq Crisis Response and Resilience Programme (ICRRP) and Erbil Governorate upgraded key components of the treatment plant, including construction of a pumping station, main transmission pipeline, and water treatment unit.
At a ceremony marking the completion of the project, the Minister of Municipalities and Tourism (MOMAT) for the Kurdistan Regional Government, H.E.
Mrs Newroz Mawlood Amin, said: “I feel very lucky to be here today to open the Bekhal-Rawanduz water plant.
This project will increase the supply of drinking water to households from 1.5 hours over two days to 24 hours a day/seven days a week.
UNDP’s Programme Manager for ICRRP, Mr Ashley Carl, noted: “One of the first steps to recovery after a crisis is ensuring people have access to basic services.
ICRRP is strengthening access to basic services and improving the lives of vulnerable communities throughout Iraq.
With donor support, ICRRP has launched more than 30 new infrastructure projects across the country.
We are glad to have contributed to such an important project focused on supporting local authorities in meeting the increased demands for essential services to at-risk communities.” UNDP’s Iraq Crisis Response and Resilience Programme (ICRRP) promotes the recovery and resilience of communities vulnerable to multi-dimensional shocks associated with large-scale returns and protracted displacement of Iraqis and Syrian refugees.
This is achieved through a medium-term, 24-36 month period of programming integrating crisis management capacity building, rehabilitating basic service infrastructure, livelihood recovery and social cohesion.

DomeCropped.jpg The West Virginia State Capitol building in Charleston sits on the Kanawha River, which is fed in part by the Elk River — the main water supply for nearly 300,000 of the state’s residents.
That is the case for MCHM, a chemical that was created to help in the washing of coal.
You could smell it in the parts per billion, and what that means is that with the tiniest, tiniest fraction of a drop, if you were to put it in a pool, you would still be able to smell it, and that smell was licorice,” says Hoback, who first entered the national scene with his acclaimed 2013 film about the information that is collected by the government and corporations through online browsing, “Terms and Conditions May Apply.” “So, had there been no smell the contamination wouldn’t have been uncovered, and people would have just drank the water without knowing.” ‘A lot more harmful than we thought it was’ Amazingly enough, Hoback discovered MCHM had received the classification of being a nonhazardous chemical, giving it fewer regulations and no required inspections of tanks that hold it.
“This chemical, because it had an odor, people started looking into it, looking into the data behind it and uncovering that, gosh, this chemical is actually a lot more harmful than we thought it was,” Hoback says, who adds MCHM has found to be twice as toxic as the initial report that came out from its manufacturer, Eastman Chemical.
Hoback recalls one family where one person’s neck “inflated to the size of a balloon.” Says Hoback: “They had no idea what was causing this originally, and at the same time, the government was coming out and saying, ‘No, the data says that this chemical couldn’t have this effect, certainly not at these levels.
This included a meeting between industry lobbyists and members of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
One of the questions Hoback asked Edwards centered around the following: How could agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the CDC knowingly publish false reports when the reason for their existence is to protect the public’s health?
Don’t find bad things,” Hoback says.
“Scientists who try to do the right thing, they get fired.
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In the North Bay and across California, our health and economy depend on reliable supplies of clean water — water we need for everyday drinking and to support our farms and fish.
Water also is the bedrock of an outdoor recreation industry that employs more than 4,000 people and contributes $731 million annually to the economy of Sonoma County, according to a recent study by the county’s Economic Development Board.
Sonoma County residents take pride in this beautiful place we call home, and most locals take good care of the land and waters we share.
California’s next governor will inherit some of the strongest water laws in the country, but laws are only effective if they are adequately enforced.
Whoever takes the reins from Gov.
Jerry Brown must establish a strong, transparent enforcement strategy to protect clean water for our communities, economy and environment.
With the federal government actively working to defund and eviscerate clean water laws, we need strong champions in Sacramento and throughout the state to hold polluters accountable.
Perhaps the most important water-related decisions our next governor will have to make will be appointments to the state and regional water boards.
All too often, California water boards lack the resources and political support to pursue and punish polluters.
She lives in Duncans Mills.

Mohammad Al-Qadi, a 28-year-old long distance runner, participated in the London Marathon on Sunday, April 22 in order to raise awareness about Gaza’s dirty water.
Al-Qadi is the founder of Runners For Freedom, a global community comprising runners from all over the world who practice the sport to advocate peace, freedom, and human rights.
Based in France since 2013, Al-Qadi is a proud Palestinian from the West Bank.
In just 20 months, he has already finished 11 international marathons, each time making sure to raise the Palestinian flag in order to bring attention to the plight of his people.
The water resources of Palestine are fully controlled by Israel.
Today, 97 percent of Gaza’s drinking water is contaminated by sewage, leaving residents with no option than to buy water at six times the standard rate from private enterprises.
Earlier this year, Israel cut drinking water supplies and the almost two million residents of Gaza are not allowed to dig wells more than 100 meters deep.
According to Oxfam, water pollution in Gaza has caused a dramatic increase in kidney problems.
Citing Dr. Abdallah al-Kishawi, head of nephrology at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the NGO states that there has been a 13-14 percent increase every year in the number of patients admitted with kidney problems to the hospital.
According to Stepfeed, Al-Qadi’s dream is to participate in six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world, which take place in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City, taking his message to the world.

Amidst the conflict in Pulka, north-east Nigeria, displaced people struggle to access basic amenities like safe water.
She has to cook, bathe and feed her family.
Nothing is possible if she cannot fill her jerry can today.
Hauwa, like others in the camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Pulka, Borno state, north-east Nigeria, is struggling to cope with an acute water shortage.
Crowds, mostly women, jostle to get their mugs under the mouths of the hand pumps.
Every inch gained in the melee counts; every drop in the bucket increases the chance of survival in the excruciating dry heat.
International standards for humanitarian aid recommend that people have access to between 15 and 20 litres of water every day in emergency conditions.
Community members have come together to dig wells.
“The struggle for water in the camps also increases tensions between the host community and the displaced populations.
In Pulka, 5,000 IDPs are living in makeshift tents in the transit camp.

Merritt Secondary School’s We Care Crew wants locals to walk a mile in the shoes of those living without access to clean drinking water.
Well — 3.2 kilometres to be exact.
The club hopes to raise awareness and funds by hosting a local version of the “Walk for Water” event, organized by the WE Charity.
Participants in the local Walk for Water campaign will be encouraged to walk 3.2 kilometres while carrying 40 lb of weight, an approximation of the average distance and weight carried by women and children to access clean water in water scarce countries.
But if people want to participate without carrying the weight, they are more than welcome to join the walk on May 9, said Olivia Schmid, a Grade 10 student who is a part of the We Care Crew.
The club is also accepting donations for WE’s global Walk for Water campaign, which aims to build wells and increase access to clean water in impoverished countries.
Donations can be dropped off at the MSS front office, or to any students who are a part of the We Care Crew, Schmid said.
The local walk is set to get underway at 2 p.m. on May 9, with participants leaving from Merritt Secondary School.
There is no sign-up necessary to take part, said Schmid.

Conservation measures by Cape Town residents, businesses and government have helped to stave this off at least until 2019, but the situation remains dire.
Hydro-power At the same time, many cities and regions rely heavily on hydro-power as a source to address current electricity demands, and are increasing its use in addressing sustainability goals.
Smarter water In recent years, for example, ICT platforms have emerged that can bring greater intelligence to water distribution, hydro-electric power generation and both stormwater and wastewater management systems.
These networks are designed to transport the data and support a variety of emerging and legacy critical applications, which can help streamline operations and increase efficiency — saving money along the way.
These newer packet-based networks can be tailored specifically to the needs of utility operations, addressing stringent requirements for security, reliability and resiliency, which is particularly important for these services on which so many communities depend.
Utilities of all kinds are exploring the use of IoT technologies to reach farther out into their systems by deploying connected sensors that can gather information — including data from quite literal “dumb” pipes (i.e. those that just carry water).
In flood-prone cities, having access to data about water levels is critical to reducing the risk of flooding.
To help identify these sources of leakage more quickly and provide the information needed to take quick corrective action, sensors can be deployed in water supply systems.
What they can do, however, is help ensure that the water systems used to manage distribution, power generation and flood abatement perform as effectively as possible, providing the information needed to mitigate problems quickly, and the capacity for new applications to secure this vital resource.
Increasing the intelligence of the network that supports a city’s water infrastructure would be a smart move, especially as every other area of these cities become “smarter” as well.

A report recently published in the Albuquerque Journal revealed that nearly 99 percent of New Mexico is in extreme, severe or moderate drought.
Long before the report was issued, we at the State Land Office (SLO) have been acting with great urgency to protect New Mexico water and I have implemented long-term water conservation initiatives.
Oil and gas activity on state trust lands generates 92 percent of the agency’s annual revenues, most of which supplements the operating budgets of public schools, therefore the industry’s investment in New Mexico is critical to our mission.
The oil and gas industry has used Ogallala water for production and related activity for decades and I have made efforts to curtail usage of water from the aquifer.
Under my direction, the SLO adopted a policy to review hydrologic reports before approving new, or renewing, land access applications to drill water wells on trust lands that involve the use of water from the Ogallala.
I have encouraged oil and gas and agricultural lessees to voluntarily enroll their leased acreage into the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), which provides incentives to implement water conservation practices.
Some conservation measures include avoiding drilling activities in certain areas; reducing sediment through erosion mitigation; avoiding low water crossings; and implementing habitat restoration programs.
In conjunction with that effort, I have asked State Engineer Tom Blaine to consider these issues when granting groundwater permits and surface water diversions that could very well cause the Black River to run dry.
The Permian Basin has a 50-year supply of oil and we need to ensure that we have a 50-year supply of fresh water.
As of February 28, 2018, the State Trust Lands Restoration and Remediation Fund has accrued nearly $1.3 million which is entirely earmarked for watershed stabilization projects.

Now, on the anniversary of the start of the crisis, two members of Congress have introduced legislation to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Representatives Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Ro Khanna (D- Calif.) introduced The Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act in Congress today.
It seeks to make water service safer, more affordable and more accessible for urban and rural communities across the nation.
If passed, the legislation would provide $35 billion a year in federal funding to improve community drinking water and wastewater services.
“The WATER Act is the path our elected officials need to take in order to fix our inexcusable and long-standing water issues in the United States,” Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement.
Says Ellison, “We are one of the richest nations in the world, and we have an abundance of natural resources, including water.
[Flint] is unacceptable and I’m proud to introduce the WATER Act to guarantee clean, safe water for all.” Flint and its residents continue to suffer from its unsafe water.
In an article on ongoing health consequences in the majority-Black city, The Guardian reports on a rise in miscarriages, fetal deaths, Legionnaire’s disease and other illnesses, all connected to the 2014 water source change.
In addition, per the Guardian: “The biggest thing that people are not talking about is the psychological damage,” said [activist LeeAnn] Walters.
“I’ve seen people go into full-on panic attacks, hyperventilating, trying to take a sip of water at a restaurant, and they just can’t do it.

The group says about 20 percent of water samples taken from across Newark last year exceeded acceptable federal lead levels, raising serious health concerns over safe drinking water.
"Newark’s water meets all federal and state standards … this issue is confined to a limited number of homes with lead service lines."
Lead is measured in parts per billion; although no amount of lead in water is safe, lead concentration should not exceed the federal action level of 15 parts per billion.
Failing to follow the rules The NRDC said lead contamination was a citywide problem.
The group compared levels found in Newark to those in Flint, which caused a national uproar several years ago when water there was found to have lead levels among the highest recorded by a large water system in the country, the group said.
While Newark lists 131 high-risk sites in its sampling pool, only 40 of those were sampled in the first six months last year, according to the notice of intent.
The DEP required semi-annual testing in Newark last year.
The high lead levels in the water are likely coming from lead pipes that are also corroding and dissolving into the water, she said.
She said city water was not contaminated with lead, but that the metal was introduced to the water system through lead service lines belonging to homes built before 1986.
Adebowale said any information the city did not provide was not in its possession.