India-China Water Stress - Potential Conflict

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Editorial/TOP_ARTICLE__Beware_Of_Water_Wars/articleshow/3747837.cms
This Times of India article describes the potential for conflict between India and China over water.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently visited China and discussed with his counter-part water that flows out of the Tibetan Himalayas to feed India. China's control over the Tibetan plateau means that it controls the source of most of the river systems that sustain south and southeast Asia. The Indus, Gang-Bramapurta, Yangtze, and Mekong rivers all originate in the Himalayas - and 1.3 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers.

China and India, the two most populous countries in the world are already water-stressed and China has embarked on massive water diversion projects.

"China is toying with massive inter-basin and inter-river water transfer projects. Its Great South-North Water Transfer Project is an overly ambitious engineering attempt to take water through man-made canals to its semi-arid north. The diversion of waters from the Tibetan plateau in this project's third leg is an idea enthusiastically backed by President Hu Jintao, a hydrologist by training."

007: Art Imitates Life

In "Quantum of Solace," 2008's contribution to the James Bond franchise, the principal villain, one Dominic Greene, seeks to help a corrupt dictator stage a coup in Bolivia in exchange for what appears to be a worthless piece of scrub desert in a remote corner of the Andean country, devoid of oil or precious minerals.  

The movie pans to a scene where Bolivian villagers crowd around a cistern that has run dry, the last few drops falling listlessly from the spigot.  For years, Greene's corporation had been secretly shutting off water supplies and storing them under the desert.  In fact, Greene's nefarious plan is revealed in a scene when Greene forces the would-be Bolivian dictatorto sign over the rights to take over operations of the water utilities in the country.    Stage a coup in exchange for being water commissioner?  

Sound familiar? 

It should.  During the late 1990s, as a condition for continued loans, the World Bank insisted that Bolivia privatize its water services.  In 1999, the state-run water utility in Cochabamba, Bolivia's third-largest city was  privatized by a consortium led by several international partners including the US-based Bechtel Corporation.   Although ambitious in its plan to expand water coverage in the Cochabamba area, the consortium raised rates by over 30% which made payment untenable for many of the poor water consumers in Cochabamba.  Residents took to the streets to protest the rate hikes and the threats by the consortium to shut off water to any resident who could not pay.  A general strike was called and violent protests errupted with many arrests, several killed and a state of emergency called. 

The consortium pulled out of Bolivia after several months of turmoil and subsequently Becthtel took legal action before the World Bank's ICSID against the Government of Bolivia to recover its lost investments. 

Israel offers to pass along desalinated water to Jordan

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225910086247&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

In an example of how water scarcity can compel cooperation between rival states competing over scarce resources, the Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel has offered to supply desalinated water from the Mediterranean Sea to Jordan (the world's 10th water-poorest country).

International Crisis Group recently released a report on Climate Change and Conflict which read in part:

"Importantly, climate and environmental stress may also play a role in producing collaboration instead of violence. Water is an important example. Historically, water scarcity has often – though certainly not always – worked to favour cooperation between states. Interstate dialogue prompted by diminished water supplies, particularly, can build trust, institutionalise cooperation on a broader range of issues and create common regional identities."
see: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4932

UNESCO publishes map of trans-boundary aquifers

UNESCO has published a map of trans-boundary aquifers which highlights the potential for international conflict. 273 trans-boundary aquifers have been identified: 68 in the Americas, 38 in Africa, 155 in Europe and 12 in Asia. Currently, international legal regimes such as treaties or regional agreements largely govern surface waters.

Here's an article about the map from New Scientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn15030

There's a link to the map on this page.

South Africa braces for water crisis

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-11-06-worlds-water-dries-up

Each American consumes 6 800 litres a day, compared to 2 500 litres in South Africa.

Heavy past investment in water infrastructure, such as dams, had saved South Africa from having to tackle water scarcity. Climate change, however, will prevent dams from filling up.

Other factoids:

l Meat, milk, leather and other livestock products account for 23% of global water use in agriculture. The industry uses up to 1 150 litres of water per person per day.

l Wearing a cotton T-shirt today? It took 2 900 litres to produce it — and that’s before you’ve put it in the washing machine. About 3,7% of the world’s water used for crop cultivation goes on cotton.

l The average person uses 70g of sugar per day, equivalent to 100 litres of water. Cane sugar consumes 3,4% of the water used for crops worldwide.

l It takes 75 litres of water to produce a 250ml glass of beer — most of it used in growing the barley.

Protests over lack of drinking water in India

http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=8..031108.nov08

Protests may escalate over lac of drinking water available in Yumnam Leikai, Imphal, India.

Guardian UK: Is water the new oil?

A great summary of water scarcity issues including conflict, pricing, trade, to name a few.

Is water the new oil?It's the world's most precious commodity, yet many of us take it for granted. But that's all about to change

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/02/water

By Juliette Jowit

Global population, economic development and a growing appetite for meat, dairy and fish protein have raised human water demand sixfold in 50 years. Meanwhile, supplies have been diminished in several ways: an estimated 845,000 dams block most of the world's rivers, depriving downstream communities of water and sediment, and increasing evaporation; up to half of water is lost in leakage; another 1bn people simply have no proper infrastructure; and the water left is often polluted by chemicals and heavy metals from farms and industry, blamed by the UN for poisoning more than 100m people. And still the rains are getting less reliable in many areas.

Underlying these problems is a paradox. Because water, and the movement of water, is essential for life, and central to many religions, it is traditionally regarded as a 'common' good. But no individuals are responsible for it. From Wadi Esseir to the arid American Midwest, farmers either do not pay for water or pay a fraction of what homeowners pay, so they have less incentive to conserve it and might deprive suppliers of funds to improve infrastructure.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/02/water

Maryland village threatened with loss of its water

The tiny village of Rosemont, MD, is suffering from a problem that is plaguing many American towns and cities - crumbling and decaying water infrastructure. Its pipes - laid down by the Federal Government more than 70 years ago are dilapidated and need a three million dollar overhaul which the village (pop. 600) cannot afford. The neighboring city of Brunswick which supplies their water will not pay for repairs, nor will the county.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/bal-id.scenes02nov02,0,2177684.story?page=2

ADB funds Chinese Efforts to Create Framework for Water Management

http://finchannel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22723&Itemid=50

The Asian Development Bank will provide a half million dollar grant to China to help prepare a framework for managing the allocation of water resources. There is great disparity in water allocation in China now - with, for example, massive volumes of water being diverted to quench the Beijing Olympics to the detriment of surrounding provinces.

"China has 20% of the world’s population but just 7% of its fresh water. The north of the country accounts for 45% of total population and 65% of fertile land but only 19% of water resources. On the other hand, the south comprises 55% of total population and 35% of fertile land but 81% of water resources."

Intelligence Chief: Water shortages a source of instability that next president will have to confront

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004172.html

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell in a speech last week cited competition for freshwater as a source of stability that will confront the next administration:

Meanwhile, population growth will create instability by increasing the strain on natural resources -- not only energy but also fresh water and food supplies, he said. At the same time, large swaths of the planet will struggle to find reliable supplies of fresh water, because of urbanization and climate change. By 2025, 1.4 billion people in 36 countries will face water shortages, McConnell said. The scarcity of basic necessities will "create significant tensions on the globe," he said.

Water Wars Hit Rural Zimbabwe

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=44294

Zimbabwe - hit hard by political conflict, man-made famine, poor government land policies and drought - is suffering from water scarcity and on the cusp of conflict over water.

This piece cites the Zimbabwean government's "failure to provide adequate resources to reduce water scarcity -- including skilled water experts, fuel for field technicians to reach remote areas, drilling machines to make boreholes and water purification chemicals -- have worsened water woes."

Wells have dried up throughout Zimbabwe and there has not been an effort to drill more boreholes.

The Ramakgoebana River which separates Zimbabwe from Botswana has become a source of tension between residents on both banks.

"Residents from the Botswana side of the river have claimed parts of the river as their own, threatening those from the Zimbabwean side with assault if they come to fetch water...out of desperation, villagers have started to bring their livestock to drink from the river too, as there is no alternative water source for animals."

CSIS Report: GLOBAL WATER FUTURES - a roadmap for future US water policy

http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,4876/

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies has produced a report on the state and future of United States international water policy. The current state of US water policy is one focused largely around water as a humanitarian relief and development issue. USAID has taken a lead in this realm, but the report encourages a re-tooling of government efforts to bring more strategic thinking about water as an economic and security issue.

The report promotes forging a cohesive integrated effort to pull together currently disjointed agencies dealing with water - the State Department's Bureau of Oceans and Intenraitonal Environmental and Scientific Affairs, USAID, EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, Agriculture Department, Interior (reclamation etc.) under a unified water policy committee or secretariat. These traditional water actors would act in concert with partners in defense, national security, health and intelligence. (There are currently 15 agencies involved in US international water projects.)

Water must be integrated into key strategic elements of US foreign policy planning, the report argues, in recognition that the rapidly growing significance of water as a factor in international security and stability and economic opportunity.

One factor that guided the report was Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, signed into the law on Dec. 1, 2005 which calls for an increase in the percentage of drinking water and sanitiation asssitance directed towards high-priority developing countries and for the State department to develop a strategy to provde affordable and equitable safe drinking water and sanitiation.

See: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/events/docs/WFPA%20-%20LAW.pdf

EU Parliament adopts report on water scarcity

EU Report calls for revamping water infrastructure and use of improved technology for water savings. Report acknowledges unrestrained urban sprawl and deforestation leading to dangerous water scarcity conditions.

PRESS RELEASE:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-39027-282-10-41-911-20081008IPR39026-08-10-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm

In adopting an own-initiative report on water scarcity and droughts in the European Union, MEPs urge the Commission and Member States to acknowledge that deforestation and unrestrained urban development are contributing to growing water scarcity. The House calls on the Member States and the authorities concerned to pay heed to water-related considerations in their land-use planning. The report was adopted with 594 votes in favour, 45 against and 12 abstentions.

Parliament stresses that any supply of water regardless of the purpose of its consumption must comply with the principle of fair water tarification, thereby encouraging companies especially to use water more efficiently.

The report stresses that the cross-regional and trans-border nature of river basins can have a serious cross-border impact on upstream and downstream regions, and that it is thus indispensable for the Member States, as well as regional and local authorities, to cooperate on the issue of water scarcity and drought ensuring sustainable and fair use of water resources. The House considers that the specificity of the water scarcity and droughts issue requires coordinated action at EU and Member State level as well as at regional and local government level.

Structural funds

The House calls on regional and local authorities to take advantage of the great opportunities offered by the Structural Funds and invest in the improvement or renewal of existing infrastructure and technology (in particular in regions where water resources are wasted due to leakages from water pipes) including, notably, clean technologies that facilitate the efficient use of water and can be linked to integrated water resource management (IRM), in particular to address the challenge of water efficiency (in terms of savings and reutilisation) in the industrial and agricultural sectors as well as on the part of domestic consumers.

The report stresses that planning for the European agricultural model should take account of the most frequent and acute environmental hazards as well as water scarcity and drought and that, in that context, an effective crisis management mechanism should constitute a fundamental element of the CAP.

MEPs take the view that the environmental value of forests and agricultural production must be reassessed in a context of climate change where it is absolutely vital to balance the increase in greenhouse gas emissions with an increase in forest cover, whose contribution as a carbon sink must be taken into account in all policies on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The European Parliament supports the Commission's commitment to continue to highlight the challenge of water scarcity and drought at international level, in particular through the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

NYT: On Parched Farms, Divining for Water

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/09water.html?scp=1&sq=water%20farm&st=cse

Dowsing water diviners in need in California's drought-ridden Central valley. The State estimates $250 million in drought damage to crops.

Texas Tech researchers receive grant to study societal attitudes towards water scarcity in diminishing Ogallala Aquifier region

The Ogalla aquifier is an underground water table lying beneath 8 midwest/plains states - spanning from Texas to South Dakota.  The aquifier provides much of the irrigation water for plains states farming.  The aquifier is being depleted at an alarming rate, exceeding natural recharging (replenishing) of the table. 

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/100608/loc_340719522.shtml 

Tech researchers receive Ogallala water study grant

Two Texas Tech researchers are part of a team receiving a $747,528 grant from the National Science Foundation to study water scarcity in the Ogallala Aquifer.

Researchers Lucia Barbato, associate director of the Center for Geospatial Technology, and Colleen Barry-Goodman, director of the Earl Survey Research Lab in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech, will use the three-year grant from the Human and Social Dynamics competition to study changing societal attitudes toward water scarcity as affected by ethanol production and increasing groundwater depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer.

IHT: Water scarcity in Cairo

Forty percent of Cairo's 17 million inhabitants get drinking water for no more than three hours a day, according to the Egyptian government's National Research Center. At least four large districts receive no water at all from the municipal system, including a swath of Saft al-Laban, home to 100,000 people.


http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/30/africa/letter.php

UN Secretary General on Clean Water and Sanitation

http://mediaglobal.org/article/2008-09-28/ban-ki-moon-addresses-water-scarcity-and-sanitation

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has focused on trying to meet Millennium Development Goals of bringing safe drinking water and sanitation to those who currently lack it. However, the UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS), published by the WHO in early 2008, found that sanitation trails behind access to safe water everywhere and targeted South Asia and Africa as the most affected regions.

“In sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is alarming. To meet the targets, the region will need to more than double the annual number of additional people served with drinking water, and increase by six-fold the additional number served with basic sanitation,” said Ban Ki Moon.

Tajik leader, speaking at UN General Assembly calls for urgent action on water

President Emomali Rahmon, addressing the UN General Assembly has urged the world body to convene a special session to review steps taken towards meeting water-related goals (set forth in Millenium Development goals) and identify what steps can be taken to accelerate progress.

Tajikstan has suffered drought, low river levels, and locusts which have resulted in social unrest. Dushanbe will be hosting the World Water Forum in 2010.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28252&Cr=General%20+%20Assembly&Cr1=Debate

OC students challenged to be creative about water scarcity

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/environmental-news/orange-county-department-of-education-launches-water-innovation-now-win-contest_18750/

Water Unifies, the international conference on water scarcity, global changes, and groundwater management resources convened by the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and UNESCO, announces a partnership with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) in the Water Innovation Now (WIN) contest which will challenge students from kindergarten through twelfth grade to create presentations via PowerPoint, video, or poster board that demonstrate innovative solutions to the water crisis. Winning entries will be presented by students to international delegates at the conference on December 3, 2008.Water Unifies, the international conference on water scarcity, global changes, and groundwater management resources convened by the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and UNESCO, announces a partnership with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) in the Water Innovation Now (WIN) contest which will challenge students from kindergarten through twelfth grade to create presentations via PowerPoint, video, or poster board that demonstrate innovative solutions to the water crisis. Winning entries will be presented by students to international delegates at the conference on December 3, 2008.l be presented by students to international delegates at the conference on December 3, 2008.

Peak Water: Aquifiers and Rivers Running Dry. How Three Regions are Coping

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-05/ff_peakwater?currentPage=all 

An in-depth article from Wired Magazine about how three regions of the world struggling with disappearing water are coping with the future.   

Profiled:  the Intel company's water-intensive chip-manufacturing process at its Chandler Arizona plant - which utilizes 2 million gallons of super-filtered water per day.  1.5 million gallons are pumped through a desalination plant which is relcaimed as drinking water.  

Chandler is banking water - pumping it (including Intel's contributions) back into underground aquafiers - storing it for hard times when it's anticipated that the Colorado River will not be able to provide. 

London is also profiled - 8 million thirsty mouths are the main users of water rather than industry or agriculture.   Smart metering technology is being deployed along with proposing a half-billion dollar desalination plantto drought-proof the city. 

In wake of bloody fighting over water, Bolivia looks beyond corporate control of water

http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.10-online-exclusive-daniel-aldana-cohen-bolivia-water-violence

After violence plagued Cochabamba's experience dealing with privatization of the municipal water system in 2000, a new effort has begun to reform water law relying on traditional usos y costumbres (uses and customs) that provide for flexible (albeit perhaps more time-intensive) dispute resolution processes.

ABA Journal: GULP - Litigation Won't End the Battles Over Depleted Water in Several Regions of the US

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/gulp/

ABA Journal profiles three hot spots in the US water-access debate -

1) The Colorado Basin (with a good introduction to the Colorado River Compact between California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico and the Western US doctrine of prior appropriation ["first in time, first in right"]

2) The Great Lakes (see previous post - Congress has just passed the Great Lakes Compact)

3) Apalachicola Basin - Georgia, Florida and Alabama are fighting it out over Georgia's claims to set aside 20% of the water in Lake Lanier.

Good discussion also of East Coast doctrine of riparian rights and how it has been evolving into "regulated riparianism" where water is seen as a public good that hte state may reuglate.

House Passes Great Lakes Compact

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/washington/24lakes.html?scp=1&sq=great%20lakes%20compact&st=cse

The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Great Lakes Compact by a vote of 390 - 25. The bill, already passed by the Senate is expected to be signed into law by the President. The Great Lakes Compact, agreed to by the eight US states that border the Great Lakes, would limit the amount and circumstances under which water from the Lakes could be diverted outside of the region. Parallel legislation that would work with the Great Lakes Compact has been enacted in Canada.

Molson Coors signs on to UN committment on water stewardship

Beer composition is 90% water and companies are looking for ways to reduce water waste - perhaps primarily to reduce the bottom line, but CSR benefits also accrue.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Molson-Coors-Brewing-Company-NYSE-TAP-900926.html

Pakistan to seek compensation from India over reduced flow in Chenab River

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Pak_may_move_WB_against_India_over_stopping_Chenab_flow/articleshow/3495496.cms

Claiming that India has violated the Indus Water Treaty by reducing flow in the Chenab River in order to fill one of its reservoirs, Pakistan is demanding compensation and may seek World Bank arbitration to resolve the dispute.

Interview with Irena Salina, director of FLOW: For Love of Water

Huffington Post interview with Irena Salina.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-goldstein/for-love-of-water----an-i_b_125984.html 

FLOW, the movie, website:  http://www.flowthefilm.com/ 

In America's Heartland - a growing list of impaired waters

Iowa - the Sioux City Journal reports an increasing number of the state's waterways have been categorized as impaired - largely by large scale agricultural use, but also in part due to stricter monitoring.

According to the Journal, "Iowa's rivers, lakes and streams are under increasing pressure from urban development and an agricultural sector driven by high corn and soybean prices to move more Iowa acres out of conservation into production.

Land taken out of conservation can lead to greater soil erosion, meaning soil runs off land along with rainwater into waterways, reducing water quality.

The state's growing urban areas also contribute to the problem, as concrete replaces soil that normally would absorb rainwater."

Read more at: http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/09/14/news/top/5e4a610c44c1cd39862574c2008067e6.txt

European Parliamentarian calls for water to be integrated into all policies

Austrian center-right MEP Richard Seeber says that:
"[w]ater should be one of the main issues on the political agenda and integrated into all policies. This is the most important idea of the initiative because if you look at the policies, whether at national or regional level - there is a lot of talk about climate change of course - water issues will be the most pressing in the very near future. Everything has to be rethought in terms of the water problem.

Secondly, businesses and citizens have to take into account that we shall face water scarcity in large parts of Europe that will hinder successful economic development."

One problem facing the EU of course is that the Union, like the US, is divided in terms of need, supply, environment - in some parts of the EU - Spain, the Mediterranean, water is scarce and desertification is encroaching, whereas in the British Isles and Scandinavia have ample supplies. Furthermore, like in the US, EU policy on water is largely decentralized with member states deciding aspects like pricing and financing.

http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/mep-water-integrated-policies/article-175233

Presidential candidates asked about stances on scientific issues: Question 10 - WATER

http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=40

Science Debate 2008 posed the top 14 questions asked by scientists, engineers and other concerned Americans for the two presidential candidates. Senator Obama has already submitted his response with Senator McCain to follow. Below is question 10 - "What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?"

10. Water. Thirty-nine states expect some level of water shortage over the next decade, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of our water resources are at risk. What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?

Solutions to this critical problem will require close collaboration between federal, state, and local governments and the people and businesses affected. First, prices and policies must be set in a ways that give everyone a clear incentive to use water efficiently and avoid waste. Regulations affecting water use in appliances and incentives to shift from irrigated lawns to "water smart" landscapes are examples. Second, information, training, and, in some cases, economic assistance should be provided to farms and businesses that will need to shift to more efficient water practices. Many communities are offering kits to help businesses and homeowners audit their water use and find ways to reduce use. These should be evaluated, with the most successful programs expanded to other states and regions. I will establish a national plan to help high-growth regions with the challenges of managing their water supplies.In addition, it is also critical that we undertake a concerted program of research, development, and testing of new technologies that can reduce water use.

Recent hurricane activity highlights risks to populations lacking clean water

In hurricane-ravaged Haiti, families are washing and bathing in dirty flood water from the storms - with no clean water for cooking. After a damaging hurricane, the problem of inundation by flood water affects those who previously had access to clean water and those who didn't - but in poor regions without the ability to pay for bottled water in an emergency or the ability to buy fuel to boil water, the crisis is exacerbated. Proper infrastructure including piped water and adequate sewage and drainage would do much to abate the problem.

Top five food and beverage companies use 150 BILLION gallons of water each year

"40% of Fortune 100 companies recognize that the impact of a water shortage on their businesses would be ‘severe’ or ‘catastrophic.’ Some are taking measures to mitigate water intake as water scarcity issues become more important."

Water scarcity responsible for gender inequality in education

As is well known, young girls are often called upon to fetch water in many countries where piped water is lacking and access to water remote or difficult. All Africa reports that a new sociological study in Uganda has shown that the practice of having girls collect water has impeded that country's efforts to attain gender equality in primary schooling.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200809030345.html

Largest water settlement in US history returns water to Native American tribes

In the Western United States, water rights have been hotly contested for decades. Native American tribes have demonstrated their priority ahead of most claims as they've been using the water for centuries beforehand -- and after thirty years of litigation, the largest water settlement in Indian country has been reached between the Pima and Maricopa tribes and state and federal entities.

The water that the tribes lived off of for generations was diverted for commercial agriculture in the earlier part of the century. Now it will slowly return and hopefully help local agricultural efforts by tribes in an effort to restore health of members against the onset of problems like diabetes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/us/31diabetes.html?ref=health

More on corruption in the water sector

National Geographic's article on corruption in the water sector.

"Water Mafias" Put Stranglehold on Public Water Supply

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080821-water-mafias.html

"In Honduras, for example, residents who either cannot afford connections to centralized water systems or live in places where water is not easily accessible pay 40 percent more for informal water supplies, said TI's Donal O'Leary."

See Transparency International's report (link at the right).

Dutch website to come on line to consolidate information on water technology

The Netherlands wants to make all knowledge related to water technology more accessible to all users.

A Wikipedia-like open source website has been developed for this purpose. The site - www.akvo.org - was launched last week at the World Water Week in Stockholm.

Director Jeroen van der Sommen of the umbrella organisation Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) says the English-language site Akvopedia - 'akvo' means water in Esperanto - will become a centre of knowledge for financing and communication.

At Akvopedia, scientists, development organisations and private individuals can exchange information. The site will also be a virtual meeting place for donors and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Mr Van der Sommen says,

"You can compare it to a community on the web.

By Willemien Groot*

*RNW translation

26 August 2008

Radio Netherlands

Water Cube? The cost of China's Olympic Water Diversion

The diversion of water from thirsty Chinese provinces to feed the Beijing's Olympic endeavor has endangered livelihoods of many - here's a look back at the potential damage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/726681.stm

http://www.uusc.org/blog/entry/1605/water_beijing_and_darfur_political_will_everything

Florida, Alabama and Georgia Battle for Water

http://www.ajc.com/eveningedge/content/metro/stories/2008/08/17/water_georgia.html
Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Florida, Georgia (the Atlanta metro area) and Alabama are fighting it out for rights to the Chattahoochee River's Lake Lanier reservoir.

Georgia wants the US Army Corps of Engineers to guarantee enough water in the reservoir to supply the Metro Atlanta area for the next 20 years). The case, which will be heard by the Supreme Court of the United States will examine a settlement agreement signed in 2003 between Georgia, local leaders, federal officials and federal hydropower customers that would reserve up to 50% more water in Lanier for Atlanta's supply.

Meanwhile, Florida and Alabama are suing Georgia in a Federal District Court in Florida over whether Atlanta even has the right to extract water from the Lanier reservoir. Florida and Alabama argue that the federal project to dam the Chattachoochee and create Lake Lanier was primarily to control flooding and generate hydroelectric power and not to supply Atlanta with water.

First Water and Business Summit to take place in London

http://www.ethicalcorp.com/water/

Representatives from major corporations including Nestle, Unilever, PepisCo and Coca Cola will be in attendance, where water experts will interact with business to discuss water scarcity issues and how those issue affect business practices.

Jury awards $11 million verdict in civil rights case

A federal grand jury in Ohio ordered the City of Zanesville and Muskingum County to pay 67 resident-plaintiffs $11 million for denial of piped water to the mostly black community for nearly 50 years. between 1956 and 2004, residents collected rainwater from their rooftops, or pumped from cisterns in their yards.

A jury found decades of racial discrimination in the distribution of piped water.

The case will be appealed to the 6th Circuit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/us/12ohio.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1218596483-tWvE/MGdmkpcpeJkar0XsA

Money Week - Can water trading prevent drought?

Is water trading inevitable, and can water be privatized? Or can water trading and public control over water coexist?

Times of India: India's Water Crisis Can Incite More Conflicts

"India's water crisis is predominantly a manmade problem. Extremely poor management, unclear laws, government corruption, and industrial and human waste have caused this water supply crunch," the Assocham secretary-general said.

Police in Rajkot, India, deployed to prevent water thefts

"The villages of Surednranagar district were illegally lifting water from the Maliya canal by setting up pumps, to save their crops. Due to this illegal water lifting, the Naramda authorities were not able to maintain the water level in the canal, which resulted in insufficient and irregular water supply to Rajkot and other cities."

Over 100 police officials were deployed to seize illegal pumps and patrol the canal.

Colorado farmers rely on above-average snow pack for irrigation

The large snowpack has allowed farmers to irrigate their farmland despite lower-than average precipitation. Note the senior and junior water rights ordering for access.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jul/26/dry-hot-summer-could-hurt-boulder-county-farms/

Parents in Indian village threaten to remove students from classes due to lack of water

Water scarcity, stemming from lowered water table and overall scarcity in village leads to lack of water supply and prompts parents to threaten to pull their children from school.

Global Markets Institute (Goldman Sachs) Conference on Water Scarcity

Goldman Sachs on Water Scarcity - Irish Times article:

"There is a gathering scientific consensus, the conference concluded, that water is the key conduit through which climate change affects world energy and agricultural markets, reinforcing the structure of rising food prices.

The challenges are most acute in emerging economies where agriculture contributes a large share of national GDP, and average incomes are low."

The article discusses the importance of the Himalayas - as the source of water for all the major river basins in Asia (Ganges, Yellow, Yangtze) and as a sponge which holds rainwater which would otherwise flood through Asia removing critical topsoil.

But as Goldman Sachs is hosting this forum, note the identification of "conflict between private capital and public services" in harnessing water - "Development activists like the Latin American Solidarity Centre here campaign against the inclusion of water in any new free trade agreement between the EU and Latin American states."

midwest farmer perspective on water issues

http://www.hpj.com/archives/2008/jul08/jul28/ThisGenieisstillinthebottle.cfm (one midwest farmer's view on water - and a recognition that water straddles the line between commodity and sacred resource - what is clear is that we must work towards greater "crop per drop."

Australia considers "scarcity pricing"

Higher prices during dry times, lower prices during wet......as well as a tiered system with households being charged more for greater usage. Household usage however, is not where most of our water goes - it's mostly destined for agriculture or industry - will pricing reform for large-scale water use drive up food prices?

US Company secures contract to pipe filtered seawater into high Chilean desert for copper/gold mining

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/itt-chosen-move-filtered-seawater/story.aspx?guid=%7B89F5A557-A4F6-4227-A4F2-2FD9012F426C%7D&dist=hppr

Bill to create new federal research programs to expand water supplies passes committee

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700243583,00.html Deseret News, Utah

While expressing worry that a water crisis could be looming from drought and population growth, a House committee passed Wednesday a bill by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to create new federal research programs on how to expand water supplies.

Matheson's bill would create the new program in the Environmental Protection Agency to research such things as how to expand supplies through collection and reuse of rainwater and greywater; research on water storage and distribution systems; and research on social and economic barriers to greater water efficiency.

The bill was passed by the House Science and Technology Committee, and now goes to the full House

CSR and Water - Water in the supply chain

http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5487

Businesses realize that there are risks in production surrounding their water use. How are they responding?

Beverage bottlers use 575 BILLION liters of water each year

According to Fred Dubee, keynote speaker at the recent water summit in Milwaukee, 200 liters of water go into the the raw materials to produce one glass of milk or one slice of bread.

Aguanomics - the water myth stems from irrational pricing that does not reflect scarcity

Water is underpriced which leads to the perception that there is no shortage and dissuades conservation. In this piece appearing in Forbes, David Zetland argues that "We can solve America's water "shortage" in the same way that we would solve a shortage in any market. Increase prices until the quantity demanded falls to equal supply. This pricing system would ensure that everyone gets a basic allocation of cheap water while forcing guzzlers to pay a high price." http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/07/14/california-supply-demand-oped-cx_dz_0715water.html


www.Aguanomics.com

New York Times: Mideast Facing Choice Between Crops and Water

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/worldbusiness/21arabfood.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

"Egypt is establishing an estimated 200,000 acres of farmland in the desert each year, even as it loses 60,000 acres of its best farmland to urbanization, said Richard Tutwiler, director of the Desert Development Center at the American University in Cairo. “It’s sand,” he said, referring to the reclaimed desert land. “It’s not the world’s most fertile soil.”

...

For more than 5,000 years, farmers have worked the land along the Nile and in the Nile Delta, the lotus-shaped plain north of Cairo where centuries of accumulated silt have produced a deep, rich layer of topsoil. They have endured drought, flood, locust and pestilence.
Now the scourge is development. For farmers like Magdy Abdel-Rahman, the new buildings not only ruin the rural tranquillity of his ancient fields, with the constant hammering and commotion, but they also reduce his yields."

Is it urban development that is the scourge or is it the damming of the Nile and the fact that the natural cyclical flooding of the river which has produeced the "deep rich layer of topsoil" can now only be produced from irrigation. The accumulated silt may help the stability of river banks.

Drought-plagued Iraq - negotiating with neighbors for increased water supply

Iraq negotiates with Turkey to increase water flow to combat drought conditions.

In their recent joint declaration of July 10, water has a major role. See: http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc071508MES.html

Encouraging cooperation in the field of water resources and agriculture to assist Iraq in meeting its agricultural needs and water requirements including irrigation by taking into account Turkey’s agricultural needs and water requirements to provide such assistance

Water Water Everywhere, and Little to Drink in Kerela, India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20080713015052&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0
World Bank to finance 'Jalanidhi project' in Kerala, India. The World Bank has had a reputation of financing costly damming projects that have led to decreased water availability for individual users, though such projects do overwhelmingly benefit 1) agro-businesses and industries who are the major users, and 2) construction firms who build the dams and irrigation works.

CSR Wire - Water Scarcity

http://www.csrwire.com/News/12592.html


U.S. Faces Era Of Water Scarcity: Profligate Use Hurts In Unexpected Places; Quest For New Supplies Nationwide
Circle of Blue reports on emerging water crisis

Water Academy Launched in Abu Dhabi

The launch of the first Arab Water Academy brings everyone from academics to policy makers to implement new training initiatives for better water management.

Great Lakes States Enter Compact to Prevent Water from Being Diverted

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92297955

The Great Lakes contain 90% of sufrace freshwater in the US and one fifth of the world's surface freshwater. Great Lakes states have agreed to protect their water from being diverted to drier, thirstier areas - but will the US Congress approve such an endeavor?

A Maine Community Struggles Over Whether to Lease its Water to Poland Spring (Nestle)

Even communities with an abundance of clean water face difficult questions about how to manage the water and who should have access. A community in Maine struggles with the question of whether to lease access to its water supply to a for-profit company. Citizens have raised enough concern to delay a vote on implementation of a deal between the towns of Wells, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and Poland Spring. The questions they raise include:
Why should the district sell water for commercial extraction at all?Should the district sell water to Poland Spring, which is owned by a multi-national company, Nestle?
Is this deal privatizing a public source of water?
See full article with the community's Q&A:
www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/OPINION/807030356&sfad=1
Also see the following for more background:
www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=55195

The World's Water Future

The problems of water management are at the heart of an integrated crisis of global development that includes climate change and food insecurity, says Mike Muller, former Director of South Africa's Department of Water Affairs and Forrestry.

"Intregrated" is the key word for Muller - he notes there is a lack of intergrated goveranance and planning to manage water by governments.

Climate Change and Global Security (Center for American Progress)

Center for American Progress piece by John Podesta and Peter Ogden on G8 Summit as platform to address climate change impact on global security issues - here's what they say about water:


"We should also begin to plan for the implications of increased water scarcity due to climate change in the Middle East. The water politics of the region are enormously complex and volatile: The Jordan River physically links the water interests of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority; the Tigris and Euphrates links Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. While we are not likely to see “water wars” per se, these countries will have no choice but to pursue more aggressively the kinds of technological and political arrangements that will enable them to survive in this water-stressed region."

GE in water filtration treatment joint venture

Milwaukee to become hub of water technology.

We should keep track of all water technology business ventures

Western American Governors Confront Water Scarcity

Wyoming Star-Tribune, By CHRIS MERRILLStar-Tribune environment reporter
"Governors Hear Water Warning"

In a discussion following presentations on the report, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said the challenges of the West’s scarce water supply have been ignored for “far too long.”The region needs, among other things, a better understanding of the total water inventory available, and scientists need to get a better handle on the relationship between streams, runoff and groundwater, Otter said.“We’ve got to know what we have in order to know if we can sustain that growth,” Otter said.Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman said water is “the issue of the decade” in his state, as it, like other states, has faced “historic drought.”Otter agreed with the panelists that the “lowest-hanging fruit” in the water shortage crisis is conservation, but also called for an expanded infrastructure for water development, including increasing the heights of dams wherever possible.

Reuters: Water firms hope profits will flow from Asia

"There is fantastic growth potential in Asia due to the many issues of water shortages, water scarcity, plus the fact that more and more people are living in bigger cities," said Jean-Michel Herrewyn, chief executive of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, a unit of Veolia Environment the world's largest listed water supplier.

Transparency International: Corruption in the Water Sector

http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/wwd_redbox_18_march
Transparency International's will be releasing a report on corruption in the water sector.

http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2008/2008_06_06_gcr2008_ny

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector will be released on 25 June 2008 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Corruption undermines development as it exacerbates the global water crisis that threatens billions of lives and facilitates environmental degradation. It represents a risk for efforts to tackle the food crisis and affects all aspects of the water sector, from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower.
In this timely report, scholars and professionals document the impact of corruption in the sector, with case studies from all around the world offering practical suggestions for reform.
Panel discussion followed by press conference
Wednesday 25 June, 200810.00 - 11.30 am

Water Summit in Singapore and New Water Institute

Biofuels exacerbating water crisis - solutions? Competitive pricing v. transferable water rights

An oped piece by the chairman of multinational Nestlé.

"We also need to encourage the responsible use of water. And the only way to do that is to introduce competitive pricing. Water is being wasted and misused because few people are even aware of its worth. Today, 94% of available water is used by agriculture – and because there are no cost consequences for the farmer, almost all of that water is underused or misused."

************************************************************************
A RESPONSE by John Briscoe, Country Director for Brazil, World Bank

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121417640158095337.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

"There is only one way of getting users to consider opportunity costs and that is to give users well-specified, transferable water rights."

EXPO ZARAGOZA: World's Biggest Water Festival in Spain

This should be monitored: "A goal of the expo is to produce a 'Zaragoza Charter' which will detail recommendations to address such issues as access to clean water, water scarcity, water wars, and water conservation."
http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/18/biggest-water-festival-on-earth-opens-in-spain/

Watching Water: Corporate Risks and Opportunities in a Thirsty World

The folks at JP Morgan's Environmental, Social and Governance Research practice have put together a report on doing business in an environment plagued by water scarcity. This report analyzes both risks (environmental liabilities etc.) and opportunities (sectors like water treatment) to help clients navigate water issues. The link is posted and I'd be eager to hear some CSR analysis - is there a CSR component in play? a rights-based analysis present?

http://pdf.wri.org/jpmorgan_watching_water.pdf

NYT: Entrepreneurs get into the clean water business

Small businesses are meeting demand for clean water - not only for municipal residential uses, but for industry. Small firms are developing high-tech solutions in desalination, water purefication, and treatment processes. The Suez company is often mentioned (it's the world's largest water company) - who has more info about Suez? Also, these companies will soon be bringing this technology to the developing world and drought-stricken areas or areas lacking clean water. What is the balance between profit making and making a profit using someone else's public good?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/business/smallbusiness/19edge.html?ex=1214452800&en=e1413e4128b7375e&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Business responses to world water shortages

GE has announced plans to cut its own water consumption by 20% by 2012, citing anticipated rising costs in water as well as environmental concerns. DuPont, the US chemicals group, has set itself a target of a 30% reduction in water consumption by 2015, while Coca-Cola has said it has achieved a cut of almost 20% since 2003.

A potentially promising start, but what industrial activities carried out by companies such as these (e.g. extractive, manufacturing, chemical) have led to groundwater contamination?

See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/29/generalelectric.greenbusiness

The High Court of South Africa: Mazibuko and The City of Johannesburg (April 30, 2008)

In a decision involving the rights to water for poor residents of the township of Phiri, South Africa, the High Court (Court) held that the forced installation of a prepayment water meter system without the option of an “all available” water supply option was unconstitutional and unlawful. The Court ordered the City of Johannesburg to provide each applicant and other similarly situated residents of Phiri with free basic water supply of 50 liters per person per day, thus setting aside the City’s decision to limit the water supply to 25 liters per person per day. The Court required Johannesburg to pay for the installation of a metered water supply to allow residents of Phiri that option....

http://www.asil.org/ilib/2008/06/ilib080603.htm#j2

HR 5770 - Congressional Bill to provide for study of climate change on water resources and water quality

H.R. 5770 (climate change) was reported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rep. No. 110-685 Pt. 1, 154 Cong. Rec. H4973 (daily ed. June 4, 2008). The bill would provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences of potential impacts of climate change on water resources and water quality.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:hr5770:

110th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5770
To provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences of potential impacts of climate change on water resources and water quality.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 10, 2008
Mr. HALL of New York (for himself, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, and Ms. LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned


A BILL
To provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences of potential impacts of climate change on water resources and water quality.

Media coverage of water issues (June 2008)

When it rains it pours, and that is appropos of recent media coverage of water issues. A sampling includes:

• Special Report: The Global Freshwater Crisis and the Quest for Solutions, American Prospect, June 2008

http://www.prospect.org/cs/special_report

• Susan Berfield, There Will Be Water, Businessweek

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_25/b4089040017753.htm?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories

• Elisabeth Rosenthal, In Spain, Water is the New Battleground, New York Times, June 3, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/world/europe/03dry.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=spain+water&st=nyt&oref=slogin

• Sabrina Tavernise, Old Farming Habits Leave Uzbekistan a Legacy of Salt, New York Times, June 15, 2008

Cotton is king in Uzbekistan and salinity is rising in irrigated land and the Aral Sea is drying up.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/world/asia/15uzbek.html

• Elizabeth Royte, Book review of BOTTLEMANIA How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, New York Times, June 15, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/books/review/Margonelli-t.html?ex=1214193600&en=816d5bfaae0d0304&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Welcome to WaterBlogged: A blog about access to safe, physically accessible, sufficient and affordable clean water

Welcome to WaterBlogged: Clean Water for Life.

We set up this blog to discuss issues surrounding worldwide access to safe, physically accessible, sufficient and affordable clean water. These issues include, but are not limited to: 1) whether access to clean water should be enshrined as a fundamental human right; 2) how to respond to the increasingly prevalent treatment of water as a commodity rather than a public good (corporate social responsibility and water); 3) clean water as global health issue; 4) clean water as a poverty issue; 5) clean water as a global security issue; 6) clean water as a gender issue.