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."