Max TapWater builds and operates small-scale water grids in rural areas in Bangladesh. Each grid covers around 75 households, who pay a monthly fee for the upkeep and maintenance of the water supply service

05 June, 2022, 09:30 am

Last modified: 05 June, 2022, 09:57 am

Safe water is one of the most effective ways to improve children’s health and save lives. photo: Courtesy

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Safe water is one of the most effective ways to improve children’s health and save lives. photo: Courtesy

Dibapur village in Patuakhali is home to around 60 families, including that of Umme Kulsum. Since time immemorial, they had been using canal water for daily tasks such as bathing, washing, etc. While they used tube well water for drinking, not all of them had tube wells of their own. 

Umme Kulsum used to fetch drinking water from a nearby school. But the tube well water failed to meet the needs of the villagers. Often, in the dry season, the villagers would not get enough water.

On top of that, in recent years, the canal water had become filthy and foul-smelling. There had been some instances of skin diseases in Kulsum’s family. In other families that used the river water even for drinking, diarrhoea among small children was prevalent.

Last year, Kulsum’s family came to know about a water project through their local authority. They heard that an NGO would establish a water supply grid in their village and provide clean water to the village households. And all the families in her village got on board.

The project was undertaken by Max TapWater, a social enterprise that works to ensure safe water. They build and operate small-scale water grids in rural areas in Bangladesh. Each grid covers around 75 households, who pay a monthly fee for the upkeep and maintenance of the water supply service.

“Max TapWater connects households to easy, safe and affordable water through piped water grids,” said Saiful Islam, CEO of the enterprise, in an interview with The Business Standard.

“We are a social safe water enterprise: all our profits go towards maintenance and management of the piped water grids and towards building new grids in new communities so that we can serve more people with safe water,” he added.

Max TapWater connects households to easy, safe and affordable water through piped water grids. Photo: Courtesy

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Max TapWater connects households to easy, safe and affordable water through piped water grids. Photo: Courtesy

The beginning

Max TapWater is working in partnership with an NGO named Max Foundation. 

“We wanted to ensure safe water to all through a business approach, not through a charity approach,” said Riad Imam Mahmud, co-founder and managing director, “to serve as an example to the private sector that social water business is possible.”

The journey of Max TapWater began with a personal tragedy. In 2005, eight-month-old Max Le Poole died of a rare viral infectious disease in the Netherlands. His parents, Steven and Joke Le Poole, heartbroken, had decided to do something out of their grief.

“What I felt was that no parents should have to go through this. We wanted to save as many children’s lives as possible,” said Joke Le Poole, “Safe water is one of the most effective ways to improve children’s health and save lives.”

That is why Joke, together with Riad Imam Mahmud, decided to start a social water enterprise and name it after her son Max.

Photo: Courtesy

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Photo: Courtesy

Umme Kulsum said that the introduction of Max Tapwater has significantly improved their lifestyle. 

Even people who had a tube well in their homes had to pump a lot for only a little bit of water. “The tubewell water is not enough to meet the daily requirements. Sometimes, in the dry season, as the water level falls, it is difficult to get water. 

After a few minutes of pumping, you would not get water. You would have to wait for a while. Moreover, there is iron in the water and some level of contamination,” said another beneficiary named Abdul Selim.

Selim further added that water-related problems have been solved in their entire locality thanks to Max TapWater. He said that each family has to pay a small amount of monthly fee. The amount ranges from Tk200 to Tk300, depending on the household size.

Max TapWater serves communities mainly in the rural and peri-urban areas, where municipal water services are unavailable. As a result, people in these areas either have to use tube wells or canal water.

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Sudbury –

Public Health Sudbury & Districts officially lifted the drinking water advisory for the Skead Road area Saturday evening.

The advisory was impacting residents in the area north of 514 Skead Road to 284 Old Skead Road, including all streets coming off Old Skead Road.

“The bacteriological quality of the water supply has been tested with no adverse results being reported,” said Burgess Hawkins, a manager in Public Health’s Health Protection Division in a media release Saturday evening. “Residents in the affected areas may notice chlorine odours and discoloured water.”

Officials say the drinking water advisory was issued because of a temporary loss of pressure in the municipal water system.

Before using the water, resident are being advised to run cold water faucets until the water runs clear, run water softeners through a regeneration cycle, drain and refill hot water heaters, and to get rid of sediment, faucet screens should be removed, rinsed and put back into place.

The drinking water advisory was first put into effect Wednesday.

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Trichy: Commissioner of Trichy Corporation R Vaithinathan on Saturday said that all ward-level officials were instructed to ensure that the safety parameters of the drinking water supplied by the local body were within the permissible limits. The commissioner who inspected the quality of drinking water supplied to residents in Anbu Nagar near Crawford in Trichy city on Saturday, also said that the health officials have been instructed to check for 13 indicators of the water daily.
Sourced from the massive collector wells on Kollidam and Cauvery riverbeds, corporation supplies 135 MLD of drinking every day to more than 10 lakh people. Residents of certain areas like E Pudur, Ponmalaipatti and Thiruverumbur complain frequently about the poor quality of water.
Although the civic body must check the quality of water every day and disclose the safety parameters, the practice was rarely adhered to. “We will be repeating the frequent and surprise screenings. All wards will be covered,” the commissioner told TOI. Officials said that the screening kits are available with the sanitary department which is supposed to check the water quality level by around 6am. Residents have welcomed the decision. Meanwhile, the commissioner inspected the micro compost centres (MCC) in Kulimikkarai and Birds Road. The officials were instructed to ensure source segregation of waste at the very beginning of the doorstep collection process.
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Both the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County are urging residents to reduce water use by 20% to conserve water in California’s continued drought.

But what does reducing water use by 20% look like, practically? How can it be measured in your daily life?

The Sacramento Bee talked to spokesman Carlos Eliason with Sacramento’s Department of Utilities for useful, achievable tips residents can use to reduce their water use in their everyday routine.

Cut your water use by 20%

First, conserving water looks different for everyone.

Eliason said people living in single-family homes use the most water, particularly outdoors — and especially on their grass. And it makes sense because homeowners water their grass, landscapes, outdoor plants, trees and more.

“Reducing water use by person is going to look very very different depending on a person’s lifestyle, whether they live in an apartment, whether they live in a home,” he said.

The ‘10-minute rule’

Eliason goes by the “10-minute rule,” analogy mainly because it’s “easy math,” but the time can be tweaked to any water activity. In his example, if a resident typically waters their lawn for 10 minutes, conserving water by 20% would mean watering for eight minutes instead.

The same applies to your showers.

But there’s no concrete rule to conserve water, rather “give a little hear and take a little there” to not only save water but be more efficient. Here’s what Eliason said residents can do in their everyday routine to reach an overall reduction of 20%:

• Use a sprinkler cycle.
• Cut shower times.
• Wash full loads of laundry.
• Run a full dishwasher load.
• Fill the sink with soapy water to wash dishes instead of running water continuously.

Here are a couple of tips to save water during the drought, according to Regional Water Authority’s Be Water Smart website:

Your grass can get brown but your trees shouldn’t

A biker peddles down a Sacramento neighborhood where several of its lawns are brown. Randall Benton [email protected]

A tree’s importance is planted in its range of benefits including shade, oxygen, better air quality, less erosion and pollution and more.

“Lawns can get a little stressed, a little bit more brown in the summer time,” Eliason said. “The important thing is we want people to water their trees.”

In Sacramento, trees provide shade for homes and buildings, helping to reduce energy consumption and because drought has killed millions of California’s trees — Eliason said the city is putting an emphasis on its canopy. An idea: Cut your lawn watering time in half and use some of that water time for the trees.

“You can get water reductions by using water more efficiently,” he said.

What are current water restrictions in the city of Sacramento?

Sacramento is in a “water alert,” meaning it’s asking for 20% reductions and waste fines double. Here’s what the water restrictions look like for both city residents and businesses, according to the city’s drought conditions page:

People are only allowed to wash their cars with a shutoff nozzle and on watering days.

People with even-numbered addresses can water on Wednesdays and Sundays and people with odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays and Saturdays

Typical fines for wasting water in the city of Sacramento range from $50 to $1,000.

What are Sacramento County water rules?

As part of Sacramento County’s emergency conservation regulations, all county residents, businesses and statewide water supplies must follow these rules, according to Sacramento County’s water resources page:

• Don’t use safe drinking water to wash sidewalks and driveways.
• Avoid irrigation runoff when using safe drinking water. Don’t use hoses with no shutoff nozzles to wash cars.
• Don’t use safe drinking water in decorative water features that do not recirculate the water.
• Avoid outdoor irrigation during and 48 hours following measurable rainfall.

WHAT ABOUT BUSINESSES?

Businesses are required to do the following, according to Sacramento County’s website:

• Food service establishments must serve water to customers on request.

For rules on hotels and motels, visit Sacramento County’s water resources page.

WHAT ABOUT WATER SUPPLIERS?

Water suppliers must do the following, according to Sacramento County’s website:

Impose restrictions on outdoor irrigation

• Notify customers about leaks that are within the customer’s control
• Report on water use monthly
• Report on compliance and enforcement

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our California Utility Team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email [email protected].

This story was originally published June 4, 2022 5:00 AM.

Related stories from Sacramento Bee

Brianna Taylor is a reporter on The Sacramento Bee’s utility desk. A former Bee intern, Brianna also reported in Missouri and Maryland. She is a graduate of Morgan State University.

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CANANDAIGUA — The state Health Department has determined that public drinking water in the towns of Canandaigua and Bristol met all state standards for quality in 2021.

Water for districts serving portions of both towns comes from the city of Canandaigua water treatment plant on West Lake Road.

The report noted the town of Bristol water district was cited for two violations. Both were for exceeding the maximum contaminant level of stage 2 disinfection by chlorine.

The state’s source-water assessment for Canandaigua Lake found a moderate susceptibility to contamination due to the number of agricultural lands in the assessment area that could result in elevated potential for protozoa, phosphorus, disinfection byproduct precursors and pesticide contamination.

Drinking water provided by a public water system is tested for total coliform or bacteria, turbidity, inorganic compounds, nitrates, nitrites, lead, copper, volatile organic compounds, total trihalomethanes and synthetic organic compounds.

“Our system had no violations. We’re proud that your drinking water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements,” said James Fletcher, water superintendent for both town water districts.

The city of Canandaigua operates a water treatment plant on West Lake Road that takes in raw water from Canandaigua Lake. The plant provides treated water to the city as well as the town of Canandaigua’s consolidated water districts.

The town of Canandaigua, in turn, supplies the town of Bristol Water District Extension No. 1 through a pump station on Goodale Road in the hamlet of Cheshire. The town also provides city water to parts of the towns of East Bloomfield, Farmington, Hopewell and Gorham.

• The town of Canandaigua serves about 7,280 residents through 2,734 service connections. The town purchased 249 million gallons of water from the city in 2021.

• Average daily water use was 640,000 gallons a day, with a high of 841,000 gallons on a single day.

• The amount of water sold to customers was 235.5 million gallons. An estimated 2.2 million gallons was purchased and used to fill two new, 1.1 million-gallon storage tanks. Another 14 million gallons was used to flush water mains and fire hydrants, fight fires, and for sale of bulk water.

• Water customers were charged a minimum quarterly bill of $26.10 for a 3/4-inch water meter for the first 6,000 gallons of water used. Any water used beyond that was charged at $4.35 per 1,000 gallons of water used.

• The Bristol water district buys its water from the town of Canandaigua and serves about 203 people through 63 service connections. The district purchased 4.9 million gallons in 2021.

The city of Canandaigua adds fluoride to the water for dental health protection.

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Kottayam: Wastewater has come to be regarded as a potential resource with economic benefits if recycled after suitable treatment. The Kerala Water Authority is set to recycle sewage water flowing into the drains and also make manure as per an ambitious central government initiative.

The KWA scheme will be implemented under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aimed at beautification of cities.

The survey being conducted as part of this ambitious scheme has already begun in cities. Pipe connection would be given to bring sewage water from homes to the drainages. From there the water would be brought to treatment plants and transformed into manure as well as for reuse purposes.

(Wastewater or sewage is the polluted water generated from rainwater runoff and human activities.)

The objective is to prevent the flow of wastewater from homes and drains into rivers and other water sources in cities.

With the completion of the first phase of the Amrut scheme which is aimed at providing pipe water connection to all houses, the scheme pertaining to treatment of wastewater and reuse of manure will also take off.

The scheme will be implemented in more than half of the municipalities. The list of the municipalities will be known after the completion of the survey.

“Amrut 2.0 is a scheme which seeks to prove clean drinking water in 100 percent households in the city. The scheme envisages distribution of clean drinking water and treatment of waste water. Administrative sanction for Rs 1,151.69 crores has been received for clean drinking scheme,” said Roshy Augustine, Kerala Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation.

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To make sure Fort Smith is in federal compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, the ADH will be testing water from some residents for lead and copper levels.

FORT SMITH, Ark. — In a few weeks, approximately 60 residents from north and south Fort Smith will find a door hanger, bottle, and information to collect a water sample to test for lead and copper. 

The test samples will then be sent to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) to be tested to ensure the drinking water is in compliance with the EPA’s Safe Water Drinking Act. As part of that act, the Department of Health looks at the lead and copper rule which states lead and copper cannot exceed an action level of 15 parts per billion for lead and 1.3 parts per million for copper.

“The lead and copper rule requires water utilities to sample water at customer’s tap throughout the distribution system for lead and copper levels and properly verify levels are within limits,” said Lance Jones, the Director of Engineering at the ADH.

The homes that will be asked for samples are randomly selected from areas identified by the ADH for homes that were built with plumbing using copper pipes and lead solder. This type of plumbing can lead to leaching due to the acidity of water running through homes. Homes built after 1990, are not in the sample as plumbing processes improved.

“Does our water cause corrosion of pipes,” asked Lance McAvoy, the Utility Director for the City of Fort Smith. For the last decade, the answer is no.

“We’re compliant, we have been for a long time,” said McAvoy.

No sample has resulted in a home over the EPA’s action level since 2006. This was the only time the city has ever experienced any issues and it was a result of a drought that forced the city to pull water from the Arkansas River instead of their normal source from Lee Creek and Lake Fort Smith.

When testing supplies are distributed to customers, it will be critical for residents to follow the instructions provided closely. All water will need to be off for a minimum of six hours, and only cold water from a frequently used tap, such as from the kitchen or common bathroom. It will also need to be the first draw of water during that time for the most accurate reading.

The testing is done annually across the state by ADH, but Fort Smith has tested with no issues for so long, the city is on a three-year testing cycle.

“I would say the water here is some of the best in the U.S. and I would say even some of the best in the state,” said McAvoy.

Anyone who is not part of the sample can test their water through an at-home testing kit that can be purchased at a hardware store, however, McAvoy says it isn’t necessary and is not sure how accurate the test will be.

On the horizon, the EPA is updating its lead and copper rule for the first time in two decades. The City of Fort Smith says they will continue to exceed the standards set in testing and provide clean, safe drinking water for all residents.

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BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — On Friday, FOX 17 received a copy of the complaint Benton Harbor community members filed against the state of Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and several other state officials.

The complaint, filed in May 2022, alleges that the defendants ignored the exceedingly high levels of lead in Benton Harbor’s water supply; therefore, poisoning residents.

The complaint references the state of emergency declared in Flint, just six years prior, and also accuses the defendants of concealing the known lead, bacteria and other contaminants in the public water supply.

According to the complaint, the defendants knew about the lead contamination as early as June-September 2018, when water-testing results exceeded the EPA-established legal lead limit.

FOX 17

The state of Michigan is taking action in Benton Harbor to ensure residents there have clean and safe water to drink.

The plaintiffs argue that the lead in the city’s tap water continued to increase for the next three years and, by the January-June 2021 testing period, some tests measured at nearly 60 times the legal limit.

They claim Benton Harbor was the only city in Michigan to have six straight monitoring periods where lead levels exceeded that legal limit.

Reported Results of Lead Samples:

Sampling Period	90th Percentile (in parts per billion)	Number of Sites Above Action Level	Range of Sample Results (in parts per billion)
June 1, 2018-September 30, 2018	22	8	0-60
January 1, 2019-June 30, 2019	27	12	0-59
July 1, 2019-December 31, 2019	32	10	0-72
January 1, 2020-June 30, 2020	26	9	0-440
July 1, 2020-December 31, 2020	24	11	0-240
January 1, 2021-June 30, 2021	24	11	0-889

The city and state have since admitted that municipal tap water is not safe for drinking, cooking or oral hygiene, but, according to the complaint, they did not warn community members about the unsafe municipal water until October 14, 2021, when Governor Whitmer signed an executive directive to help Benton Harbor community members get access to safe drinking water.

Michigan Executive Office of the Governor

Michigan Executive Office of the Governor

Then on October 20, 2021, EGLE Director Liesl Clark admitted the water isn’t safe to drink during a Michigan State Legislative hearing.

Plaintiff claims according to complaint:

Plaintiff Daretha Braziel fed her grandson formula made with the contaminated tap water up until “news got out” on or around October 14, 2021.

Plaintiffs Keesha and Ieasha Jones used the tap water for drinking, cooking, bathing, sanitation and hygiene from 2018 to 2021, while living with five children under 18.

Plaintiff Emma Kinnard asked Mayor Marcus Muhammad to test her water because of the smell and look. She was told he would “get back to [her],” but never did.

Plaintiff Michael Duane Brigham was given a blood lead test, which showed he had lead in his blood even though he had not ingested the water for two weeks.

Plaintiffs Rebecca and Stacey Branscumb had a pet dog who died after ingesting the tap water in their home.

Each plaintiff “suffered concrete injuries” because of the defendants’ actions, including “physical and emotional injuries, annoyance and discomfort, interference with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property and economic loss from the exposure to contaminated water.”

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Rev. Edward Pinkey of the Benton Harbor Community Water Council will moderate the Benton Harbor Water Crisis Town Hall on Saturday, June 4.

The town hall will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn (1300 Cineaway) at 12 p.m.

This event will include the legal team representing the citizens of Benton Harbor in the class-action lawsuit, and several hundred community members are expected to attend.

Listed Defendants:

• Governor Gretchen Whitmer
• State of Michigan which operates EGLE, which is responsible for the environmental health and safety of Michigan residents
• Liesl Clark, Director of EGLE
• Eric Oswald, Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division Director of EGLE
• Robert Gordon, Director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from January 2019 through January 2021
• Elizabeth Hertel, Director of Michigan Health and Human Services
• City of Benton Harbor
• Marcus Muhammad, Benton Harbor Mayor
• Darwin Watson, Benton Harbor City Manager from 2014 to 2020.
• Ellis Mitchell, Benton Harbor City Manager
• Michael O’Malley, former Water Plant Director of Benton Harbor Public Water System
• Elhorn Engineering Company, former agent contractor for Benton Harbor
• F&V Operations and Resource Management, Inc., agent contractor for Benton Harbor

As of May 25, 2022, the city of Benton Harbor said more than 50% of its lead lines were replaced or verified as lead-free with new copper lines.

You can check the project’s progress daily on the Benton Harbor project dashboard.

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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The New Mexico Environment Department’s Drinking Water Bureau has lifted advisories for several water systems in Mora and San Miguel Counties affected by the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire.

Advisories have been lifted for:

• Mike Mateo Elementary School, San Miguel County
• Ledoux MDWCA, Mora County
• Mora MDWCA, Mora County
• South Holman MDWCA, Mora County
• Upper Holman MDWCA, Mora County
• San Antonio de Cleveland, Mora County
• North Cleveland, Mora County
• Guadalupita MDWCA, Mora County
• Mora Inn & RV, Mora County

Several water systems remain on a precautionary drinking water advisory which include:

• Pendaries MDWCA, San Miguel County
• Pendaries RV Resort, San Miguel County
• Camp Blue Haven, San Miguel County
• El Porvenir Christian Camp, San Miguel County
• Buena Vista MDWCA, Mora County
• Agua Nega MDWCA, Mora County
• Agua Pura MDWCA, Mora County

Water from systems under precautionary advisories can be used for other activities such as washing clothes and dishes, showering, and general non-drinking uses. Use caution when bathing infants and young children. Those who are immunocompromised/immunosuppressed, or have open cuts, wounds, or sores should not use the water to bathe until told the water is safe.

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In what could be a successful fight won, the railways have decided to restart water vending machines at railway stations. The Central Railway will install these WVMs at 35 stations. This will ensure that people get 1-litre water for Rs 5 instead of spending Rs 15 on Rail Neer.

The Central Railway authorities will soon install 36 WVMs at 34 railway stations in Mumbai Division. Sources in the railways said that they are installing these WVMs at Reay Road, Cotton Green, Sewri, Wadala, Parel, Sion, Mankhurd, Thane, Mulund, Bhandup, Mumbra, Neral, Matheran, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Vasind, Atgaon etc among other stations. Thane will be the only station where three WVMs will be installed.

Sources said that the main reasons were a shortage of bottled water at railway stations and consistent demand from railway passenger associations for providing drinking water at stations.

“We had been asking the railway authorities to recall the decision of discontinuing WVMs. We are glad that the Central Railway are reintroducing it,” said Subhash Gupta, president, of Rail Yatri Parishad.

The tenders for the same have been called. The size of the WVMs will be 30 sq. feet and tender has been called for 5 years during which time the private contractor will be appointed. “There was demand from passenger associations for improving the situation of providing water to commuters. We have called tenders and hoping that soon the stations will have these WVMs,” said a senior CR official.

The rates of water provided through vending machines are very reasonable as compared to bottled water sold. Last month the top bureaucrat of Indian Railways, VK Tripathi the Chairman and CEO had informed that WVMs won’t be restarted.

Sources said that in the past IRCTC had also installed WVMs at railway stations. Moreover, there were problems with meeting the demand for bottled water and supplying the same at railway stations.

There were 80 WVMs on the Central Railway and over 50 on the Western Railway in the past. The WVMs used to sell water at Rs 2 for 300ml glasses and Rs 3 with their own container. For a 1 litre bottle, WVM will provide water at Rs 5 and Rs 8 will take in a container for refilling. This is way cheaper than the bottled water sold under the Rail Neer brand at stations at Rs 15.

The availability of WVMs was a good way of providing clean water to the public. The passenger associations claimed that the decision of shutting WVMs would have only benefitted the canteen and food stalls. The IRCTC produces 14500 cartons of Packaged Drinking Water with each containing 12 bottles of 1 litre each.

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