Watershed Management and Water Supplies

U.S. Rules Out Dam Removal to Aid Salmon

The Bush administration will not remove federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers to protect 11 endangered species of salmon and steelhead, even as a last resort.

Water Crisis Looms as Himalayan Glaciers Shrink, Environmental Group Warns

Melting glaciers in the Himalayas thought to be caused by global warming could cause mass flooding followed by long-term, severe water shortages in India, Nepal and China, a World Wildlife Fund report says. According to the report, water from the Himalayas feeds into seven great Asian rivers, and unless more is done to curb climate change, the melting glaciers could impact the lives of hundreds of millions who rely on such rivers for water. Environmental News Network/Associated Press (3/14)

$626 Million to Protect Wildlife Along Colorado River

Federal and state officials committed $626 million over the next 50 years to protect some of the Colorado River's most imperiled wildlife.

South America Wetlands May Be 'Next Everglades,' Report Says

Farming and house construction in South America could make a big dent in the continent's huge wetlands in the near future, causing the wildlife-rich marshes to shrink like Florida's Everglades did in the last century, a United Nations-appointed scientific panel warned. The panel's report also found 85% of the world's wetlands are at risk of devastation because of global warming. Environmental News Network/Reuters (3/22)

Investment in water needed to reduce hunger - FAO

Many poor countries are suffering from food shortages because of inadequate agricultural water systems and bad management, a problem that often can be corrected with proper investments, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Water plays a key role in achieving the world's Millennium targets of halving the number of hungry people by 2015 and reversing the loss of natural resources," FAO Deputy Director-General David Harcharik said Monday at a water conference in the Netherlands. AlertNet.org/Reuters (2/1)

Disappearing Lakes, Shrinking Seas

West Africa's Lake Chad has shrunk to a mere 5 percent of its former size. Central Asia's Aral Sea is shrinking, gradually turning into desert. In Israel, the receding shores of Lake Tiberias-also known as the Sea of Galilee-sometimes allow mere mortals to walk where the water once was. Thousands of lakes in China have disappeared entirely. The diversion of river water in India and Pakistan that allowed for a doubling of irrigated area over the last four decades has depleted many lakes. All told, more than half of the world's 5 million lakes are endangered.

Dam and Waste Will Go, Freeing Two Rivers

The removal of a decaying dam aims to restore two of Montana's major rivers to free-flowing conditions by 2009 at a cost of about $100 million.

Pakistani, Indian Officials Begin Talks on Second Disputed Dam in Kashmir

India and Pakistan on Sunday launched talks about a dam India wants to build in its area of Kashmir that Pakistan says would violate a water-sharing agreement. For about 30 years now, India has sought to build the Kishanganga Dam to generate electric power, but Pakistan says the project would violate a 1960 treaty brokered by the World Bank that regulates the two countries' sharing of river water. Environmental News Network/Associated Press (5/9)

Beneath the Harbor, It's Dig or Else

A public works project is as invisible as it is epic. It is a $2.25 billion to build a deeper harbor to accomodate the world's biggest ships.

Water Agency Officials Are Accused of Silencing Workers

Officials of the Department of Environmental Protection, which runs New York's water supply, tried to impede investigations of violations of health and environmental laws.

D.C. Water Test Finds Toxic Substance

A more refined test of the water in the Washington Aqueduct has revealed the presence of perchlorate, a toxic chemical typically found in weapons and explosives, federal officials said yesterday.

Finally, the world's drinking glass is more than half full

The Christian Science Monitor reports from Honduras, where a woman says she has more time for her children now that her home has clean water for drinking, laundry and dishes. In August, the World Health Organization and UNICEF reported that, for the first time, more than half of the world's people now have tap water in their homes. The Christian Science Monitor (12/30)

Bangladesh's Deadly Wells

Safe drinking water is within reach for the 12 million people who currently rely on poisoned wells.

Like magic: A purifying powder can turn muddy water clear, and safe.

A revolutionary powder that makes even the filthiest water clear and drinkable is on its way to South Asia and other areas heavily impacted by last week's tsunami disaster. The powder, which has seen success in Liberia and other locations where clean drinking water is scarce, is known as PUR and has several advantages over boiling water, which needs an on-site energy source, and fresh water, which is more difficult to transport. The Philadelphia Inquirer (free registration) (1/5)

Health Dept. Issues Warning on Tap Water

New York City's water may have been contaminated, prompting officials to warn that anyone with a weak immune system should boil tap water before drinking it.

Study: Water Purifier Helped Save Kenyans

Kenyan villagers who drank water that had been treated with a purifier suffered significantly fewer cases of diarrhea and death from the disease, a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows. Another method to treat the water using diluted bleach also protected against the illness at an inexpensive cost, the 20-week trial involving 6,650 rural Kenyans showed. Yahoo!/Associated Press (7/28)

Manipulating the Mekong

China's rapid development is changing the global economy as the country absorbs vast quantities of energy and raw materials and presses wages and manufacturing costs lower. But the changes along the Mekong highlight another aspect of China's ascendance: Its threat to the environment.

The Clean Water Act

The ecological integrity of thousands of miles of small streams and at least 20 million acres of wetlands could be at stake in two cases the Supreme Court agreed to take this week.

UNICEF helps Ethiopia in linking water, sanitation projects

UNICEF's water and sanitation chief in Ethiopia, Hans Spruijt, yesterday told attendees of the Global WASH Forum in Dakar that Ethiopians, and those supporting humanitarian projects in the country, were working to decentralize water and sanitation projects. UNICEF is also advising Ethiopians to avoid depending on shallow wells for their water supply. Sudan Tribune (12/2)

With a Push From the U.N., Water Reveals Its Secrets

UN scientists aim to get water flowing At a time when more than 1 billion people around the world lack access to clean drinking water, the United Nations is spearheading cutting-edge developments in the field of isotope hydrology, a technology that allows scientists to gauge the age, origins, amount and flow of various water sources to better meet and manage growing water needs. The scientific advance is being led by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which says it currently funds 84 isotope hydrology projects in more than 50 countries, including those hit hardest by water shortages such as Bangladesh and countries throughout the Middle East and Africa. The New York Times (free registration) (7/26)

South Asia Stares at Looming Water Crisis

Increasing water shortages threaten the livelihood of millions of farmers throughout South Asia due to a drought thought to be caused by global warming. According to the United Nations chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, some of the greatest dangers of global warming are "the adverse impacts on agriculture." The UN predicts more than 2 billion people worldwide will face severe water shortages by 2020. Environmental News Network/Reuters (12/2)

United Nations Marks World Water Day

As the United Nations today marks World Water Day, it noted more than 1.1 billion people worldwide lack safe water, contributing to more than 3 million deaths annually. The UN and governments are now launching an initiative to halve by 2015 the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The Guardian (London)/Associated Press (3/22),

WSSCC Press Release on Roberto Lenton

ROBERTO LENTON ASSUMES POST AS CHAIR OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION COLLABORATIVE COUNCIL

Reach of Clean Water Act Is at Issue in 2 Supreme Court Cases

More than half of the nation's streams and wetlands could be removed from federal protection if the court supports developers' claims that the government lacks authority.

United Nations Marks World Water Day

UN marks World Water Day with new effort to spread clean water access As the United Nations today marks World Water Day, it noted more than 1.1 billion people worldwide lack safe water, contributing to more than 3 million deaths annually. The UN and governments are now launching an initiative to halve by 2015 the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The Guardian (London)/Associated Press (3/22)

Official Says Efforts to Solve Global Water Crisis Falling Short

Hundreds of billions of dollars will be needed annually to meet the growing water needs of the world's developing countries, water experts testified on Capitol Hill this week. They said even if United Nations Millennium Development Goals are met by 2015, the global water crisis will remain a critical issue for years. House International Relations Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., expressed shock at figures given by State Department and UN officials about water conditions worldwide, and said funds need to be better directed to help address the issue. Environmental News Network/Associated Press (6/30)

Maplecroft Global Map of Water

Maplecroft and Alcan provided 1000 delegates and visitors at the recent World Water Forum in Mexico (16-22 March) with hard copies of the ‘Global map of water’. The map was researched, developed and designed by Maplecroft in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as well as Alcan, De Beers and Shell. The map sets out the relative ‘risk status’ of 162 countries in terms of the proportion of the population that have access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The map uses data from the UNICEF/WHO (2004) Joint Monitoring Programme report, and a traffic light system to indicate changes in combined access to safe drinking water and sanitation between 1990 and 2002. It also includes ‘spotlights on engagement’ case studies which provide examples of where business is positively engaging in the challenge of increasing water access and security.

Dying for Water in Somalia's Drought

As drought continues to plague Somalia, rival gangs are fighting and killing each other over precious water resources. The World Food Programme is hiring security personnel to protect villagers picking up water from wells, but gunmen still sometimes force women to hand over their water. The Washington Post (free registration) (4/14)

Debating the Course of Chile’s Rivers

Chile’s government has embraced a plan to build a series of dams in Patagonia, but environmental groups say it would threaten ranching and tourism.

Need for Water Could Double in 50 Years, U.N. Study Finds

More than two billion people already live in regions facing a scarcity of water, and unless the world changes its ways over the next 50 years, the amount of water needed for a rapidly growing population will double, scientists warned in a study.

Soaring Water-Use Fees Prod California Farmers, Ranchers to Seek More Control

In a state where water disputes often have played out like old Sunday morning Westerns, Kevin Taylor is one of those who tries to keep the peace.

Nightline Nevada Water Wars Story

April 5, 2007, Nightline video clip website link. Story of Nevada water wars.

Water for urban poor in India, Nepal

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme has teamed up with Coca-Cola to promote safe drinking water in poor parts of India and Nepal. The undertaking "is an innovative example of how public-private community partnerships can help meet the challenge of the millennium development goals, especially those committed to halving the number of people not having access to clean water and adequate sanitation by the year 2015," said Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of UN-HABITAT. Read the UN News Centre's release. The Times of India (4/19)

Mighty Lake Superior Mystifies Scientists

 

From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking

The controversial process of turning sewage into drinking water is getting a close look in several American cities.

A Fountain on Every Corner

 

Mideast Facing Choice Between Crops and Water

Some countries in the region import 90 percent or more of their staples, but the worldwide food crisis is making many of them rethink that math.