Over 180 million people in conflict-affected countries lack safe water.
More than 180 million people in countries affected by conflict and instability do not have access to safe water, the United Nations Children’s Fund reported on Tuesday.
"In countries beset by violence, displacement, conflict and instability, children’s most basic means of survival – water – must be a priority," said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s global chief of water, sanitation and hygiene.
In a statement released to mark World Water Week, held this year from Aug. 27 to Sep. 1, Wijesekera asserted that "children’s access to safe water and sanitation, especially in conflicts and emergencies, is a right, not a privilege".
A recent UNICEF analysis, conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO), found that in 2015, out of some 484 million people living in fragile situations, 183 million lacked basic drinking water services.
The organization highlighted the situation in Syria, where after 7 years of conflict 15 million people, of whom 6.4 million are minors, are in need of safe water, adding that this basic need has frequently been used as a weapon of war.
"In 2016 alone, there were at least 30 deliberate water cuts – including in Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Raqqa and Dara, with pumps destroyed and water sources contaminated," the UNICEF statement said.
It also underscored the case of northeastern Nigeria, where conflicts have damaged or destroyed 75 percent of water and sanitation infrastructure, leaving 3.6 million people without basic water services, leading to malnutrition and diseases.
"When children have no safe water to drink, and when health systems are left in ruins, malnutrition and potentially fatal diseases like cholera will inevitably follow," Wijesekera said.
In Yemen, more than 53 percent of the 500,000 cases of suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhea have been recorded in children so far.

Tom Steyer, the San Francisco billionaire and environmentalist, promised his support Tuesday for a proposed safe and affordable drinking water fund to help communities with contaminated water in the San Joaquin Valley.
“It’s unjust for a million Californians to be exposed to unsafe water on a daily basis,” Steyer said.
According to the state, 36 public water systems serving more than 35,000 people in Fresno County are currently out of compliance for a range of contaminants, including arsenic and nitrates.
And of 306 communities across California that are out of compliance with primary safe drinking water standards, 154 are in the eight counties of the Valley.
The 154 water systems serve 218,000 people.
Lucy Hernandez, representing Agua Coalition y West Goshen, told Steyer: “In our community, we had three days and three nights without water because our well collapsed; and it was like the worst days of our lives.” In our community, we had three days and three nights without water because our well collapsed; and it was like the worst days of our lives.
During a news conference Tuesday, Steyer said in 2012 California declared that clean drinking water is a human right, but the state has not lived up to that pledge.
Clean drinking water is a justice issue, he said.
“People absolutely have a right to clean, safe drinking water.” Fresno has gained Steyer’s attention before.
And that’s why I say, as strange as it is, I think this is a very good time to be making that argument and to be making this fight for clean water for everybody.” As for his own political ambitions, Steyer has been rumored to have an eye on the governor’s race, but on Tuesday he laughed off a question about a run for the top state office.

The Government of Canada Works with First Nation to end three long-term Drinking Water Advisories at Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, announced new investments that will lift three long-term drinking water advisories at the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation is contributing approximately $2.3 million toward this project and through the significant efforts of Chief Kelly LaRocca, secured an additional $4.6 million from the Small Communities Fund, a partnership between the Governments of Canada and Ontario to help bring needed infrastructure projects to communities in the province.
"The Government of Canada is working with First Nation communities and our federal and provincial partners to bring dependable sources of clean, safe drinking water to First Nation residents across the country.
Today’s investment will enable the community to lift three long-term drinking water advisories at Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs "Once our water treatment plant has been constructed, we will be able to end three long-term drinking water advisories in Scugog First Nation.
Having a new water treatment plant will provide safe, clean drinking water in our members’ homes."
Quick Facts As part of a long-term strategy, the Government of Canada is working with First Nations on sustainable approaches to eliminate long-term drinking water advisories affecting public systems financially supported by INAC by March 2021, and to prevent new long-term advisories from happening.
Seven long-term drinking water advisories (LTDWA) have been lifted in six Ontario First Nation communities between November 2015 and May 2017.
Progress was achieved in part through the tripartite water working group, which brings together experts from the Government of Canada (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and Health Canada), the Government of Ontario (Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change), and the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation.

Runner aims to raise awareness of clean water issue in Canada.
It was at a social gathering more than a year ago that nursing school graduate Hasan Syed came to a shocking revelation of the clean drinking water problem that still plagues Canada.
“When you think of Canada, you don’t think a problem like having access to a clean water would exist here.
They then started a campaign that would have him run from Vancouver to Ottawa – spanning roughly 4,500 kilometres — to bring awareness of the ongoing water crisis in First Nations.
“I did about 24 kilometres that day – literally went from zero to 24,” Syed said, of the campaign’s start.
He said he was “in pain” and couldn’t walk properly for hours.
Syed now drives from city to city and runs – and walks – in the community, still aiming to hit the 4,500-kilometre goal.
Marie stop at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday, as he waited for people to join him on a three-kilometre run, Syed told The Sault Start that next to the physical challenges, trying to maintain positivity is a tough task.
Sault native Ruth Galinis was one of them.
Syed’s next stop is Sudbury.

Two weeks after the 3M Co. said it would refuse to pay the cost for providing clean drinking water to several hundred homeowners in the southeastern Twin Cities suburbs, state officials are asking the company to reconsider its position.
In a letter released Monday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) claims 3M is violating a legal agreement it signed 10 years ago that detailed how it would pay for the costs of PFC-contaminated drinking water in east-metro suburbs.
State officials said that if a resolution cannot be found, the costs for providing clean drinking water for those homeowners will be paid by taxpayers, and the state will take legal steps to seek reimbursement from the company.
“3M will meet with the state, but first requires information which the state has not supplied regarding the sources of the PFCs in question,” Brewer said.
For example, firefighting foam used by the Cottage Grove Fire Department didn’t contain PFCs.
A plastics company fire contaminated soil but not the groundwater, officials said.
Although 3M says that there is no proven health risk to PFCs in drinking water, the state said that doesn’t matter.
The 2007 legal agreement between the state and 3M states that the company will provide clean drinking water if supplies are shown to exceed any safe level established by the Minnesota Department of Health.
The standoff comes at a time when mitigation costs are escalating for the affected communities — Cottage Grove, Oakdale, Woodbury and St. Paul Park.
It’s possible that the dispute won’t be resolved until the conclusion of a long-awaited lawsuit Minnesota filed against 3M alleging damage to groundwater and the Mississippi River.

2 years later, mandatory boil order still in place for some Goshen residents.
The spring that supplies drinking water to the town was considered “unacceptable for human use” in 2015 after water samples returned to the Department of Environmental Quality tested positive for E. coli and other bacteria.
“What can we do other than boil the water and keep doing what we’re doing?” Wolf said.
According to Goshen Mayor Fred Jensen, the five households living under the boil order “ought to be happy they’ve got water at all.” In an interview with Jensen on July 19, KSL asked when the water situation is going to be fixed.
Jensen, blamed the state officials for the delay, saying, “If the state is mad at what I say to you, that will be a delay."
To fix that, Owens said one option is for Goshen officials to fund and install a water chlorination system at the spring source above the homes in question.
However, DEQ records indicate it took Goshen officials nine months to submit an initial plan to the state — a plan that fell short and the spring still tested positive for E. coli.
They just actually need to proceed with their plans,” Owens said.
“Because they’ve been mean to us," Jensen said.
Only July 26, 2017, the DEQ kicked back the plan Goshen officials submitted on July 21, citing they have some “comments that need to be addressed.” DEQ officials also explained they won’t be able to collect good water samples until after 2018’s spring runoff season, which means the boil order for the five households in Goshen likely isn’t ending anytime soon.

Walden: Making bipartisan progress on safe drinking water.
Many of these pipes were laid in the early to mid-20th century with an expected lifespan of 75 to 100 years.
Our legislation focuses on addressing drinking water systems’ physical needs, aiding states and utilities with compliance and operation of the drinking water program, and encouraging the wisest use of money that is spent.
From the end of 1997 through 2016, Oregon has received more than $274 million in grants to help improve the safety and quality of tap water, comply with drinking water rules and reporting requirements, and give a helping hand to the most economically distressed communities struggling to provide their residents safe drinking water.
This fiscal year, Oregon is set to receive nearly $12 million in funding to improve its water systems.
In Umatilla County, the city of Pendleton is upgrading more than 30 miles of water lines that are nearly a century old — Mayor John Turner said this project would be impossible without the program.
Our bill, the Drinking Water System Improvement Act, continues those important investments and authorizes $8 billion over five years for the drinking water fund while also expanding the number of ways in which the fund can be used to improve delivery systems.
In fact, we’re authorizing an increase of $350 million in funding for next year from which states such as Oregon could benefit.
The ability to have up-to-the-minute information helps ensure water is safe and clean, system leaks and recent contamination are identified quickly, and the accuracy and availability of compliance data is maintained.
We also included a program to help our schools replace drinking fountains that might contain lead.

Walden: Making bipartisan progress on safe drinking water.
Many of these pipes were laid in the early to mid-20th century with an expected lifespan of 75 to 100 years.
While in most places, drinking water quality remains high, we also have seen horrible problems from Flint, Michigan to drinking fountains in Oregon schools.
From the end of 1997 through 2016, Oregon has received more than $274 million in grants to help improve the safety and quality of tap water, comply with drinking water rules and reporting requirements, and give a helping hand to the most economically distressed communities struggling to provide their residents safe drinking water.
This fiscal year, Oregon is set to receive nearly $12 million in funding to improve its water systems.
Our bill, the Drinking Water System Improvement Act, continues those important investments and authorizes $8 billion over five years for the drinking water fund while also expanding the number of ways in which the fund can be used to improve delivery systems.
In fact, we’re authorizing an increase of $350 million in funding for next year from which states such as Oregon could benefit.
Perhaps most important is how the bill looks to the future, using smart-technology to monitor drinking water quality in real-time.
The ability to have up-to-the-minute information helps ensure water is safe and clean, system leaks and recent contamination are identified quickly, and the accuracy and availability of compliance data is maintained.
■ Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, represents Oregon’s second congressional district, which includes 20 counties in central, southern and Eastern Oregon.

Two Billion People Worldwide Lack Access To Clean Water.
(IPS) – More than two billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water, according to a new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Although significant progress to ensure access to drinking water has been achieved, there is still a long way to go to ensure its quality—deemed free from pollutants and safe for drinking.
“Every day, 800 children under the age of five die from waterborne diseases like diarrhoea.
In many countries, open defecation due to the lack of in-house toilets poses a significant challenge.
While the global drop in open defecation from 20 to 12 percent between 2000 and 2015 is a welcome fact, the rate of decline, at just .7 percent every year, puts pressure on governments to do more.
Still, some countries like Ethiopia have combatted the issue of open defecation successfully.
Critical building blocks like stronger policies at the government levels and dutiful allocation of funds can go a long way,” Wijesekera said.
These issues—from access to safe drinking water to sanitation supplies—mostly affect the poorest families.
For example, Angola, which has performed better than other sub-Saharan African countries and achieved overall basic access to water for its citizens, still shows a gap of 40 percent between people who live in urban and rural areas.

Ohsweken waits for funding to deliver clean water to more people.
Four years after a multi-million dollar water treatment plant was built in the Six Nations of the Grand River community of Ohsweken, the public utility service is hoping to receive new federal funding to feed new lines of fresh drinking water into approximately 480 more homes.
Michael Montour, Director of Public Works for Six Nations of the Grand River, has been waiting since March of this year and says the government’s commitment to lift boil water advisories in other first nations community may put their project plans lower on the priority list.
"We’re all shovel-ready: meaning we’ve had the extension designed, gone through INAC’s approval processes, but now we’re just waiting for the money and we’re basically being told we’re not a priority because we don’t have a Health Canada boil advisory imposed on us."
In 2013 the community opened a water treatment plant outside Ohsweken that could treat water for 27,000 people living in the community.
Michael Montour describes it as "a picture of success."
The other 91 per cent of residents not on the treated water line get their water through various methods.
She lives in Cayuga on the Six Nations of the Grand Reserve, and tells CBC she buys bottled water because the water from the well system she is on is "undrinkable" and burns her skin when she bathes in it.
Sheri Longboat, assistant professor at the University of Guelph in the rural planning and development program, says because the First Nations community is under the jurisdiction and responsibility of the federal government, people aren’t getting the same sort of municipal water services other communities would expect to have.
Longboat says the federal government five year plan may address the water problems, but she doesn’t think it addresses the fundamental issues that have left many Indigenous towns without the infrastructure and services seen outside First Nations communities.