San Diego County residents can expect more calls for water conservation, even as local water officials insist the region has enough.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to cut back water use across the board around the state.

“California is facing a drought crisis and every local water agency and Californian needs to step up on conservation efforts,” said Newsom in a statement this week.

State Water Board officials, this week, approved rules starting next month that ratchet down residential water use and keep commercial customers from watering ornamental lawns.

“These conservation measures are increasingly important as we enter the summer months,” Newsom said. “I’m asking all Californians to step up, because every single drop counts.”

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Jeff Stephenson said the local region has access to enough water. Investments in a major desalination plant, a planned water purification plant in San Diego and water deals with Imperial County have secured local supplies, even as the rest of the state deals with drought.

“Despite the fact that we’ve developed the supplies and have the water available, it’s never okay to waste and we’re always moving toward becoming more efficient with that water that we do have,” Stephenson said.

Water managers say more than half of the water consumed in San Diego is used for outdoor watering.

That is one reason the San Diego County Water Authority helps subsidize the transition to landscaping that requires less water.

Climate change is not helping the situation.

“The days are hotter than they used to be,” Stephenson says. “We had less rainfall this past winter. So, it’s really going to depend on how the state responds to the Governor’s call for 15%.”

If the state hits those water-use reduction goals, that may help hold off more onerous mandatory reductions in the future.

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SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)’s Senate Bill 1144, the Safe and Efficient Water Act, passed the Senate by a vote of 35-1. It will now head to the Assembly for policy committee hearings. SB 1144 requires public schools and state agencies to complete a water quality and efficiency assessment on their facilities. This bill ensures our public schools and state agencies have safe, drinkable water. Far too many school children and other California residents currently lack access to clean water.

Under SB 1144, the water systems at public schools and state agencies must undergo testing to determine the presence of lead and Legionella. It will also require schools and agencies to test their water systems for water use efficiency. If any plumbing fixture is found to contain levels of contaminants beyond the legal limits, remediation methods such as filters, testing, or full replacement is expected at the earliest practice time, subject to funding. If any fixture or appliance is found to use more water than the current standards for water efficiency, the operating agency must replace the fixture with a more efficient equivalent at the earliest practical time, subject to funding.

School drinking water is frequently contaminated at unacceptable levels. 53% of reporting school districts in California found lead in at least one of their drinking water fountains on a campus. As with many other environmental pollutants, children are particularly at risk of experiencing the adverse health effects of water contamination. Exposure to contaminated water can result in an array of health issues that vary depending on the contaminant, as well as the intensity and duration of the exposure. Common health complications can include Legionnaires’ disease, liver and kidney problems, developmental and behavioral issues, and in some cases, cancer.

In addition to water quality and efficiency assessment, SB 1144 will require schools and state agencies to determine the feasibility of operating a graywater system on site (or an alternative to a graywater site that connects to existing water recycling systems). Graywater systems are critically important for the environment, particularly when it comes to addressing California’s drought and water shortage crisis. These systems recycle wastewater for irrigation, or send water to be treated and then recycled for other uses. Schools or agencies that find a graywater system or an alternative water recycling system is feasible onsite must then install it at the earliest practical time, subject to funding.

Finally, under SB 1144, agencies or schools with any covered buildings that use a cooling tower system must create a Legionella management program. This program will include routine bacteriological culture sampling and Legionella culture sampling, as well as remediation and disinfection plans. Legionella is bacteria that can grow in water, HVAC or cooling tower systems and can cause a serious type of pneumonia, known as Legionnaire’s disease.

For environmental and health reasons, California must do better when it comes to water safety and efficiency. We cannot allow people across the state – including children and low income communities – to continue to be exposed to harmful contaminants. California’s water shortage is another serious problem that threatens the future of our state. Increasing water efficiency and employing graywater (or other water recycling) systems for water reuse are two important strategies for saving California’s water supply and protecting our environment.

SB 1144 is sponsored by the California Pipe Trades Council.

“Access to clean water is a basic human right,” said Senator Scott Wiener. “California is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking places in the world, and still, far too many California children attend schools where their only option is to drink contaminated water. That is unacceptable and must change. Everyone deserves clean water, and we can help make that a reality for millions across the state with SB 1144.”

 

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Originally Appeared Here

Excited children at the newly inaugurated borehole in Ojegbe

 

By Maureen Okon

American healthcare, a non-profit, United Vessels of Love Foundation (U-VOL), has built a solar-powered borehole in Ojegbe community of Obi Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State for 1,500 people.

The Founder of U-VOL, Ms Faith Adole, said this in a statement by the Foundation’s Public Relations Unit on Wednesday in Abuja,

Adole said that the clean water project is powered by public support, donations, and a local project management team.

The founder, who spoke at the inauguration of the solar-powered borehole, is a trained Nurse and an experienced Global Health Leader, currently pursuing her Doctoral studies at The Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Adole said that the water project was carried out due to the lack of potable driving water in Ojegbe community which was a huge challenge during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

She added because of the lockdown and the lack of clean water in the area, the people of Ojegbe experienced a strange illness which claimed over 270 lives and left hundreds ill.

“I am pleased to announce the successful completion of a solar-powered borehole located in the Ojegbe community of Obi LGA in Benue State.

“Thanks to the borehole located next to Ojegbe Primary School, 1,500 people will now have access to clean drinking water.

“Not too long ago, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic uncertainty, residents had to confront the harsh reality of no access to clean drinkable water.

“A strange water illness claimed over 270 lives and affected hundreds more within the same local government area,” she said.

Adole further added that aside from U-VOL’s borehole intervention, a swift follow up on medical mission in the same Obi community say more than 600 patients treated by a team of medical volunteers.

At the inauguration, Ms Juliet Obahi, a resident of Ojegbe, said that before the borehole, residents frequented a local stream within the village, called Orowu.

“The Orowu dries up seasonally and gets contaminated easily during the rainy season as the same water source is used for multiple purpose.

“Our children will go for long hours and fetch water, and when they bring it back home and drink it, they start purging,” she said.

NAN reports that U-VOL plans to continue expanding its newly-launched Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme to empower vulnerable rural communities throughout various parts of Nigeria.

According to sources close to U-VOL, there are hopes to assist both governmental and other NGO efforts to eradicate open defecation.

It will also provide and promote health education activities on hygiene and sanitation, and promote the construction of public toilet facilities. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vincent Obi

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Originally Appeared Here

There’s nothing like New York City tap water — often referred to as “the champagne of tap water” and mythically credited as the source of our nonpareil bagels. The Big Apple’s hydration supply has long been known for its clear, clean taste with minimal need for filtration — though, as some killjoy detractors have pointed out, we’re only 13th on the EWG’s water rankings.

Where does New York tap water come from? Photo: Andres Slimon/Unsplash

But regardless of whether you think our water supply should be number 1 or not — if you’ve ever wondered where New York’s water comes from, here’s a hint: it’s not being sourced from the Hudson River or East River…and it’s absolutely not coming from the Gowanus Canal. 

Instead, like much of our farm-to-table meat, produce, and handcrafted IPAs, New York City tap water comes from upstate. According to the NYC.GOV website, “Each day, more than 1 billion gallons of fresh, clean water is delivered from large upstate reservoirs — some more than 125 miles from the City — to the taps of nine million customers throughout New York state.” 

The two main sources of the city’s water are the Delaware and Croton aqueducts. Feeding from Catskill mountain streams and reservoirs, fresh water is frequently tested through floating robotic DEP sensors for harmful pathogens. Once cleared, water is moved through the upstate aqueducts and disinfected further through chlorine and UV light technology in Westchester County before it is separated into numerous NYC-specific distribution tunnels. 

Water comes to New York city from upstate. Photo: John Angel/Unsplash.

If you’ve ever been tempted to take a shortcut by opening up an NYC fire hydrant for a sip, we suggest you hold off. While hydrants receive the same supply of water from upstate aqueducts, they are not regularly flushed out, and rust and sediments from the structures do not meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Act. Public works advocates have, however, proposed the idea of refitting hydrants with flushing fountains to increase public drinking water access throughout the 118,000 hydrants around town.

Prior to the creation of the distribution tunnels, water was collected in a massive, 50-foot tall reservoir right here in Midtown, on the current site of the New York Public Library at W42nd and 5th Avenue. Built in 1842, the 20 million gallon reservoir was torn down in 1900 to make way for the flagship branch’s construction, though remnants of it remain in the South Court of the Schwarzman Building. Additionally, a nearby bar at W40th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway, aptly named the Croton Reservoir Tavern, pays homage to the structure with water and beer!

Croton Fortress Reservoir on the corner of W42nd Street and 5th Avenue was replaced by the New York Public Library. Photo: NYPL Collection

Currently operating NYC Water Tunnels 1 and 2 were respectively built in 1917 and 1935, and are in significant need of repair — leading to a massive, $6 billion-dollar project to create a new water tunnel (as you might guess, to be named Water Tunnel 3). The construction, which was initially authorized in 1954 and began work in 1970, is still ongoing and not expected to be complete until 2026. 

The project (much like New York’s other never-ending venture, the Second Avenue Subway), has suffered its own series of blows, including funding shortages, the waxing and waning interests of various mayors, and as many as 24 construction-related deaths for its hard-working “sandhogs” in its earliest years. Said then mayor Bloomberg of the enterprise to the New York Times in 2013, “It’s not sexy. And no one says thank you. I still want to be the mayor when this is finished, so I can dedicate it.” While that is no longer looking likely, perhaps Mayor Adams will get the chance. 

The sources of the city’s water from upstate New York. Map via NYC DEP

If all of this sounds close to home, you’re correct — part of the newly created Tunnel 3 runs down the West Side and is currently being refitted with miles of new water main connections from 9th Avenue, leading to the recent takedown of Hell’s Kitchen’s most-controversial structure, the outdoor dining shed. 

Strolling by the big dig on 9th, you may not see much, but there’s even more to behold far below New York’s sidewalks. While water mains are generally buried about 4 feet below the city’s concrete jungle, at around the same depth, some New York neighborhoods contain the vestiges of the citys now-defunct pneumatic mail tunnels. Originally built in 1897, the 27-mile route connected intra-city mail between 23 post offices and was operational until 1953. 

Other unique underground treasures include asbestos covered heating pipes buried at 6 feet, an unexplained hidden room filled with mirrors (!!!)  buried 8 feet below the intersection of Bowery and Canal, tunnels used by the late Al Capone to transport illegal booze during Prohibition 20 feet under Chinatown, and the 1 train stop at 190th Street, buried 180 feet beneath the sidewalk. Furthest below the surface are the water tunnels 1, 2, and 3 themselves — each 600-800 feet underground. 

And if all of this sounds more crowded than the A train at rush hour, it is. Fascinatingly, there is no one consolidated map demonstrating where all of the city’s electrical wiring, gas pipes, and water mains are located, leading to a yearly cost of $300 million in citywide construction mishaps. While our taxes may be high🥴, at least we can take solace in the fact that our tap water is free and tasty…

Out of the Archives: Drilling in progress on the tunnel bench where the Catskill Aqueduct passes under Bonticou Crag in New Paltz. October 3, 1910. Photo: NYC Water

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Originally Appeared Here

Power outages among reasons for spill, says general manager

PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend Paper has been fined $27,000 by the state Department of Ecology for repeated water quality violations.

Ecology said in a press release that between November and March, the mill spilled more than 800 gallons of untreated process wastewater into Port Townsend Bay.

That exceeded the allowable pollution discharge levels of its water quality permit, Ecology said.

“The company has undertaken remedial measures to address the underlying issues that led to the violations, most of which were the result of power outages and other issues caused by the severe freeze that struck the area late last year,” said mill General Manager Nick Nachbar.

“Port Townsend Paper takes its environmental obligations seriously, and will continue to work to be an environmental steward of our community,” Nachbar said.

The permit requires that the paper mill treat its wastewater prior to discharging it because the solids and chemicals in the processed water can harm aquatic life.

The mill allegedly violated this permit at least 14 times warranting the fine, which they have 30 days to pay or appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.

The funds from the fine have been placed in the state’s Coastal Protection Fund, which gives grants to public agencies and tribes for water quality projects, according to Ecology.

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Originally Appeared Here

Since 2018, the lakeside community of Benton Harbor, Michigan, has been embroiled in a struggle for the right to clean drinking water. With a nearly 90% African American population hovering around 10,000, residents of Benton Harbor say they feel like they’ve been abandoned by the state after tap water samples returned lead levels well above the national standard for remedial action of 15 parts per million. 

Grassroots activists have raised the issue of dangerously high lead levels to various state and federal government agencies for years, to no avail. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer only took things seriously in Benton Harbor when national media attention occurred and lawsuits were filed that could hurt her reelection campaign.  

In Benton Harbor, 45% of the population lives below the poverty line. The residents have very restricted access to quality health care, if any, and are subjected to a number of factors that can intensify the effects of lead exposure. Lead is particularly harmful to children. Symptoms from lead exposure include anemia, learning and behavioral problems, lowered IQ and attention span, and other health dangers. Most experts agree than any level of lead in the drinking water can create these and other long-term effects on children who are exposed. In adults, lead poisoning from toxic drinking water manifests most commonly as a form of kidney, heart or liver disease.

Tests show dangerously high lead levels

Reverend Edward Pinkney is a longtime activist in Benton Harbor and founder of the Benton Harbor Community Water Council. The group, along with water activists from throughout Michigan, brought the lead water crisis in the city to light through a complaint they filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Rev. Pinkney has been organizing and speaking out on the crisis, as well as distributing bottled water to Benton Harbor residents over the past couple of years to ensure the community has some access to safe drinking water.

Rev. Pinkney described the struggle for safe drinking water to Liberation News, “It all started with my good friend Emma Kinnard. Her daughter came back from Texas, and when she came in and turned on the bath the water came out golden. She went to the kitchen to test the faucet water and it came out the same way.”

Kinnard collected two quarts of the water and took it to the city of Benton Harbor to be tested, only to be turned away after the city council and Mayor Marcus Mohammed refused her demand. “I think it was because he knew the water was bad,” said Pinkney.

After Kinnard sent the water sample to the University of Michigan, the test returned a number of 300 parts per billion of lead for that particular sample, far surpassing the national action level of 15 parts per billion.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is required to make a report that would set in motion a series of measures to rid the water supply of contamination, but no such measures were taken. Pinkney said residents even received contradictory advice from city officials who told them Benton Harbor is “delivering clean water right to the tap and you should have no problem drinking it.”

Despite local pressure, and despite state and federal agencies being informed of the lead contamination, Benton Harbor actually reported an increase in the average water lead count over the following three years, at one point reaching an average of 33 parts per billion. That is more than double the federal action level and significantly more than the levels found in Flint, Michigan, which had received international attention in previous years for its residents being exposed to contaminated water. 

‘They didn’t know we were fighters’

“But they didn’t know we were fighters,” said Rev. Pinkney. “They didn’t know the Black community would stand up and fight a government that they knew was doing wrong.”

Since spearheading the effort to expose the toxic water to which Benton Harbor residents are being exposed, Rev. Pinkney has been hounded by the state for blowing the whistle on the dirty water. The government has attempted media smear campaigns, claimed that he tampered with the water test results and even alleged that Rev. Pinkney had been going out of state to South Bend, Indiana, to sell the bottled water provided by the state. 

Rev. Pinkney is a former political prisoner. As an elder in his 60s, he was arrested, falsely convicted and served two-and-a-half years in a state prison for “tampering with a petition” in an attempt to recall the mayor of Benton Harbor. The case was eventually overturned by the Michigan Supreme Court. 

Rev. Pinkney is asking progressive activists to join him at an “Occupy the PGA” demonstration on May 28, beginning at 11:00 a.m., at 275 Pipestone Street in Benton Harbor. The demonstration is demanding clean water, return of public lands and jobs, jobs, jobs. It will march on the Harbor Shores Golf Club which is hosting the Senior Professional Golf Association tournament taking place on that date, a major tournament in which the eyes of the country will be on Benton Harbor. 

The entire Harbor Shores Development is an attempt to seize Benton Harbor’s property on Lake Michigan from the city’s Black community and turn it over to white, rich gentrifiers. The Harbor Shores Development is funded with tax captures that rob property tax dollars to fund the development, while Benton Harbor’s only high school has been shut down.

For more information on the Occupy the PGA demonstration and the ongoing water struggle in Benton Harbor, go to https://bhcwc.org/.

Feature photo: Reverend Edward Pinkney speaks out at a demonstration against gentrification in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Family photo, used with permission. 

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Originally Appeared Here

Patna, May 24 (UNI) Expressing happiness over successful trial of Ganga water supply scheme under the ambitious Ganga water upliftment project, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday directed the authorities to ensure supply of pure drinking water in Nawada, Rajgir, Gaya and Bodhgaya after storing and purifying them near Nawada town.

After inspecting the project in Motenaje village of Dohra Panchayat under Nardiganj block in

Nawada district, the Chief Minister said that the water of river Ganga has to be supplied to Rajgir, Nawada Gaya and Bodhgaya.

He asked the authorities to store and purify the water before supplying to it’s destinations.

Kumar said under the scheme the water of river Ganga would be supplied throughout the year to the people people of Nawada, Rajgir, Gaya and Bodhgaya will get. For this he said that the water of river Ganga would be uplifted from Hathidah in Mokama during the period of 4 months of rainy season and would be stored in sufficient quantity in Nawada .

The Chief Minister said out of 70 acre land acquired for Nalanda International University, 10 acre would be utilised for Ganga water supply project.

After inspecting the trial of the ambitious Ganga water supply scheme in Motenaje of Nawada District the Chief Minister also inspected water treatment plant, detention tank, Pump House, chlorine house, filter bed utility building and other related infrastructures in Nawada reservoir in Rajgir of Nalanda District.

During his visit the water of river Ganga was made to flow at Motnaje water treatment plant on trial basis after uplifting it from Hathoda Ganga Ghat in Mokama.

MORE UNI RS BM

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Originally Appeared Here

Since 2018, residents in the remote community of Laramba, 200 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs, have been loathe to drink water from the taps in their homes. 

Key points:

• Laramba’s residents have lost an appeal at NTCAT meaning landlords aren’t required to provide safe drinking water
• Residents are considering appealing the decision in the NT Supreme Court
• A tender has been awarded to a company to clean Laramba’s water

The community’s 300 residents fork out for bottled water instead because they know Laramba’s tap water contains triple the recommended levels of uranium. 

While the community has known their local bore water contained uranium as early as 2008, it was only in 2018, when NT Power and Water studied the drinking water closely, that the scale of the problem became apparent. 

Despite this revelation, the taps in Laramba continue to dispense unsafe drinking water because this is entirely legal in the Territory. 

And Laramba isn’t alone.

In its latest water quality report, NT Power and Water identified nine remote communities with tap water that had levels of uranium, manganese and fluoride that surpassed guidelines. 

Why is it OK to dispense unsafe drinking water? 

In a nutshell, there is no legal requirement for landlords in the Northern Territory to provide safe drinking water to their tenants. 

Unlike in all other Australian jurisdictions, the Territory does not have safe water laws. 

These safe water laws mean that there are enforceable minimum standards for the water that people drink and clean in every day. 

The community’s lawyer, Dan Kelly from Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights, called it a “legal black hole.”

“No government department wants to or has to take responsibility or accept liability for the water that they’re delivering to remote Aboriginal people,” he said. 

He said, at the moment, no-one was liable for any negative health impacts that could come from drinking unsafe drinking water and that there was no recourse for affected residents. 

Lawyer Dan Kelly says water safety in the Northern Territory falls into a “legal black hole.”(ABC News: Michael Franchi)

Are Laramba’s residents taking action?

In 2018, Laramba’s residents took their landlords, the NT Department of Housing, to court to argue that they had a right to safe drinking water — they lost that first case in Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT). 

The tribunal member presiding over the case. Mark O’Reilly, said the uranium in the water was not the responsibility of the landlord.

“In my view, the landlord’s obligation for habitability is limited to the premises themselves,” the decision read.

A recent review of this decision by NTCAT has upheld the original finding.

The appeal agreed that landlords in the NT did not have an obligation to provide safe drinking water to their tenants. 

What’s next for residents? 

Mr Kelly said the community was “reassessing its options” but had further legal avenues to explore. 

“The next step from the community in the legal proceedings would be an appeal to the NT Supreme Court,” he said.

This pathway follows the legal steps taken by residents in Santa Teresa, another remote community in Central Australia, that recently won the right to be leased habitable housing in the NT Supreme court. 

“We’re talking to the community about their options and what they want to do,” Mr Kelly said. 

Mr Kelly said if they won their case it would mean remote tenants would be able to seek recourse for any health impacts caused by unsafe drinking water and would have a right to demand their water quality be improved if it was below par.

A 2020 Power and Water report found Laramba’s water was contaminated with more than three times the concentration limit of uranium recommended in the Australian drinking water guidelines.(ABC News: Isaac Nowroozi)

Is bottled water the only solution for Laramba? 

Even if they don’t have a legal right to safe drinking water, there is hope on the horizon for Laramba’s residents. 

The NT government recently awarded a $5 million tender to a company called Clean TeQ Water to remove pollutants from the community’s water supply. 

In a statement, Clean TeQ said it would “design, manufacture, and deliver the plant using [the company’s] ion exchange technology.”

In ion exchange, small beads — called resins — are made of hydrocarbons that work like magnets for the targeted chemical, which is uranium in Laramba’s case.

Uranium will stick to the beads and be removed as the water passes through the plant. 

Mr Kelly said this was a “great outcome for Laramnba”, but the new plant did not address the legal issue that created the problem in the first place. 

“It doesn’t answer the question for other communities in the Northern Territory, about who’s responsible for their water,” he said. 

The company said the plant is due to be operational by December 16, 2022. 

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Originally Appeared Here

• A Nigerian man has come out to say that he was dumped by his girlfriend after she saw him selling pure water in the streets
• According to the video, the girl must have seen the man as a kind of low life who sells pure water on the streets and decided to call it quits
• The video has generated huge arguments on Instagram with some contending that the man should move on to a more responsible girl

A Nigerian girl has reportedly dumped her boyfriend after she saw him selling pure water on the streets.

The man shared a video of himself doing the busines, saying it has cost him his relationship.

The man offloads water for his customers. Photo credit: @gossipmilltv.
Source: Instagram

He owns the water company

According to the video, the said girl did not know that the man owns the water company, that he was not working for anyone but for himself.

Read also

Una dey use internet children play? Intelligent little girl with shiny black skin challenges adult in video

A writeup on the video reads:

“A girl I love saw this video and she stopped talking to me not knowing I own the company.”

In the video, the man was seen offloading bags of sachet water, apparently to supply to customers.

It has generated hot arguements on Instagram where it as shared by @gossipmilltv.

Watch the video below:

Instagram users react

@igboboy_ reacted:

“This is a zobo a cold zobo.”

@iam_slimcase

“Don’t date a girl you love date a girl that loves you.”

@rich_promise_1800 said:

“Na lie! No be you get get company. Na hustle you dey. No think say you wan motivate us.”

@adorables_fashionn commented:

“Why didn’t you tell her from the beginning?”

@pinky_splash01 said:

“Na mumu girl go Vex say he guy dey hustle.”

@iamyetundebakare commented:

“I don’t know who lie pass. Twitter peeps or TikTokers. Anyway God bless our hustle oo.”

Read also

Comedian MC Pashun warms hearts after giving money to hustling elderly man sitting on top of blocks in traffic

Nigerian man collects bank loan, uses it to buy engagement ring for his girl

In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian man collected loan from a bank and used the money to buy a ring for his girlfrined.

According to the story, the man later ended things with the girl as they never got married as planned.

The commercial bank later started to ask the man for the money, tackling him to pay up his debt.

Source: Legit.ng

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Originally Appeared Here

Davos, Switzerland, May 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Water Resilience Coalition, an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative that aims to put water stress at the top of corporate agendas and preserve the world’s freshwater resources, today announced its corporate sector-led 2030 strategy to increase global water resilience through collective action. By 2030, the strategy sets to achieve quantifiable positive water impact in 100 water-stressed basins, contributing to water security for 3 billion people. The plan also commits by 2030 to enable equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for more than 300 million people.

The Water Resilience Coalition is part of the CEO Water Mandate, a partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute. The Coalition includes companies such as Ecolab, Microsoft, Starbucks, GSK, Danone, Gap Inc., and ABInBev, and partners such as WaterAid, water.org, UNICEF.

The Coalition’s 2030 strategy will be achieved through scalable collective action projects, which unite companies, NGOs and the public sector to act locally on water, leveraging member companies’ knowledge and unique capabilities, and developing innovative financing mechanisms. The strategy announced today calls for Coalition companies to rapidly scale collective action on water, initiating collective action in 100 basins by 2025 and fully scaling that work by 2030. Water Resilience Coalition member companies are currently engaged in 12 co-funded collective action water projects in 11 prioritized basins. These projects increase water resilience through investments in nature-based solutions, regenerative agriculture, wastewater recycling, water reuse and other resilient approaches.

As part of the strategy announced today, Water Resilience Coalition companies commit to achieve Net Positive Water Impact (NPWI), by 2050. Launched by the Coalition in 2020 as part of the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition, NPWI is a global framework for quantifying how companies ensure their contributions exceed their impacts on water stress in the same region. Achieving NPWI contributes to reducing water stress measured through water availability, water quality, and water accessibility.

More than 2 billion people currently live in water-stressed regions, more than 2.2 billion lack safe drinking water access and a 56 percent global water deficit is projected by 2030. According to the UN, we must quadruple the speed of action to achieve our global goals for water.

Speaking during the launch event, Sanda Ojiambo Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the UN Global Compact said:

“Both public and private actors have begun to recognize that solving global water challenges is not a solitary endeavor. This awareness has led to increased interest in undertaking coordinated, collective action. This Global Water Resilience collective action strategy is a crucial first step in ensuring we work together to achieve more sustainable water management.”

“With a growing critical mass of the corporate sector on board, the Water Resilience Coalition is poised to be a game changer for water action against the backdrop of climate change,” said Jason Morrison, President of the Pacific Institute and Head of the CEO Water Mandate.

The Water Resilience Coalition today also announced its goal to increase membership to 150 companies by 2030. The Coalition has nearly quadrupled its corporate membership since being founded by seven companies in 2020.

“Global water use, storage and distribution, including the lack of wastewater treatment, contributes 10% of global greenhouse gases. Industry can no longer ignore the vital link between water and climate,” said Christophe Beck, Chairman and CEO of Ecolab. “Water scarcity represents a potential risk to every business and clean, safe drinking water should be available to everyone on the planet. Prioritizing smart water management, water stewardship, and a commitment to collective action starts within our operations and extends through our extensive customer network. As founders and active members of the Water Resilience Coalition, we will continue to demonstrate that companies can accelerate their growth while prioritizing superior water stewardship and the health of people and the planet.”

Water Resilience Coalition member companies include 3M, ABInBev, Cargill, Diageo, Dow, Ecolab, Gap Inc., Kurita, Microsoft, PVH, Starbucks, Bayer, Braskem, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate, Cummins, Danone, Dupont, GSK, HEINEKEN, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Levi Strauss & Co., MARS, Reckitt, Phosagro, and Woolworths.

Notes to Editors

About the Water Resilience Coalition

The Water Resilience Coalition is an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative of the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate that aims to elevate the long-term mounting crisis of global water stress to the top of the corporate agenda and to preserve the world’s freshwater resources through collective action in water-stressed basins and ambitious, quantifiable commitments. For more information visit our website at www.ceowatermandate.org/resilience.

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 13,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.

About the CEO Water Mandate

The CEO Water Mandate is a partnership between the UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute that mobilizes business leaders on water, sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals for corporate water stewardship. Mandate endorsers commit to continuous progress against six core elements (direct operations, supply chain and watershed management, collective action, public policy, community engagement and transparency) and in so doing understand and manage their own water risks. Established in 2007 and implemented in partnership with the Pacific Institute, the Mandate was created out of the acknowledgement that global water challenges create risk for a wide range of industry sectors, the public sector, local communities and ecosystems alike. For more information, follow @H2O_stewards on Twitter or visit ceowatermandate.org.

About the Pacific Institute

Founded in 1987, the Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies. From working with Fortune 500 companies to disenfranchised communities, our mission is to create and advance solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. Since 2009, the Pacific Institute has also acted as co-secretariat for the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, a global commitment platform that mobilizes a critical mass of business leaders to address global water challenges through corporate water stewardship. For more information, follow @PacificInstitut on Twitter and visit our website at www.pacinst.org.

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