URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — For the third straight year, Illinois American Water’s Champaign County District placed first in a regional water taste test competition.

15 counties in Central Illinois submitted entries for the competition, which were judged on taste, odor and clarity. A water sample from the Champaign’s Mattis Water Treatment Plant was the winning entry.

As the regional winner, the Champaign County District’s team will represent the region in a statewide competition next month at the Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) conference in Springfield. The winner of that competition will represent Illinois in the North America-wide competition at the AWWA’s national conference and exposition in June.

“We are passionate about delivering safe drinking water; it’s what we do,” said Brian Wiemers, senior manager of operations for Illinois American Water’s Eastern Division. “We take great pride in the product we deliver to homes and businesses every day. Winning the regional taste test and the opportunity to compete on a state and, possible, national level is a testament to our team’s commitment. We’re proud to provide award-winning drinking water to our friends and neighbors.”

This if the fifth time overall the Champaign County District has won the regional taste test. The district won in 2005, 2006, 2019 and 2020 as well as this year. The taste test was not held in 2021 due to COVID. The district was also recognized in 2005 and 2006 with the National Best of the Best title.

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Three water-housing & transport projects in Djibouti funded by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), a Saudi Arabian government agency that provides development assistance to developing countries by financing social and infrastructure projects, have been launched.

The projects were launched by Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, the Prime Minister of Djibouti, Amina Abdi Aden, the Minister of Cities, Urban Planning, and Housing in Djibouti, and Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, the CEO of the SFD, during the latter’s recent visit to the East African country.

Overview of the water, housing & transport projects in Djibouti.

The first project entails the construction of approximately 105km of water pipelines and eight water tanks to pump clean water from the Bissidiro region. Upon completion, this project, funded by the SFD to the tune of US$ 10m, will provide clean drinking water to 45,000 people in the coastal province of Obock.

Also Read: Japan to Fund New Zanzibar Drinking Water project

The second project, launched by H.E. Mrs. Aden and Al-Marshad,  entails the construction of a total of 120-housing units at a cost of US$ 7M  provided by the Saudi government through the SFD.

The third and the last project concerns the upgrading of 60 kilometers of the Djibouti-Galafi arterial route that was originally sponsored with US$ 120M by Saudi Arabia through the SFD. The route offers a significant economic and commercial link with its bordering nations.

Remarks on these projects, and the Djibouti-Saudi relationship

Djibouti’s Prime Minister commended Saudi Arabia and SFD for their commitment to long-term development projects in the East African country and their relationship over the last four decades.  He noted that the investment made a significant contribution to economic development and progress and provided significant social advantages that resulted in improved prosperity and stability.

The SFD CEO on the other hand said that Saudi Arabia is pleased with its close connections with Djibouti, adding that the Saudi Fund for Development has a proven track record of supporting sustainable economic and social projects in developing countries.

If you have a remark or more information on this post please share with us in the comments section below

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Work will also include flushing of water mains and fire hydrants

Belleville, Ill. (Feb. 21, 2021) – This week, Illinois American Water’s Metro East water system will undergo a treatment change as a part of a project to install Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection at the Water Treatment Plant located near East St. Louis.

This treatment change is temporary. Work will also include the flushing of water mains and fire hydrants. This work will occur across the Metro East water distribution system for the next month. A list of communities served by Illinois American Water’s Metro East system is located at the end of this release.

Ultraviolet Disinfection Installation
The new treatment technology will support continued delivery of safe drinking water to customers. As part of the project, five new UV reactors (4 in service and 1 backup) will be installed and will be capable of treating up to 56 million gallons of water a day. UV technology is effective in inhibiting infection-causing microorganisms and adds another layer of protection for customers. The project will also help meet more stringent water quality regulations.

Treatment Change
Illinois American Water’s water quality team will be switching treatment to a form of chlorine known as “free chlorine,” which does not contain ammonia. This stronger disinfectant is typically used by water utilities when flushing water mains and fire hydrants. Chlorine is commonly used in public water systems as a disinfectant and is monitored closely by our water quality professionals.

During the temporary treatment change, customers may experience a more noticeable chlorine taste or odor in

their water. There is no reason for concern. This is due to the switch in chlorine types.

Institutions with additional water purification filters for special needs, for instance hospitals and dialysis centers,

have been contacted about this work and are aware of the treatment change. Anyone with questions about home

health care equipment should reach out to their health-care provider.

Fire Hydrant and Water Main Flushing

During this period, fire hydrants and water mains will be flushed. Through the discharge of water from the fire hydrant(s), water flow rates are increased to provide a scouring effect that removes mineral deposits that may accumulate in the water main. While the majority of mineral deposits are removed from the hydrant discharge, it is not uncommon for customers to experience a temporary discoloration of water within their residence or dwelling. The removal of these deposits is critical in maintaining water quality. When fire hydrant flushing is occurring, the following items should be considered:

• If possible, avoid using water while flushing is taking place. Use of water during the flushing event may result in discolored water entering the premise plumbing of the residence or dwelling.
• If you encounter discolored water during hydrant flushing, run water from the cold water tap only until discoloration subsides. Do not use hot water until discoloration is no longer present when flushing from the cold water tap. This may require flushing of cold water from multiple taps.
• Do not do laundry during, or shortly after, the hydrant flushing event. Discolored water may stain fabrics.
• If, after flushing from the cold water tap(s), water pressure appears lower than normal, clean the faucet aerator. Mineral deposits may obstruct flow through the aerator (screen), resulting in lower pressure.
  – MORE –
• When water discoloration or pressure problems persist, contact Illinois American Water at 800-422-2782.
• For additional concerns, regarding potential water quality issues, contact the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency at 217-782-1020 or Illinois Emergency Management Agency at 800-782-7860.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The maintenance program will occur in all direct service communities in the Belleville, East St. Louis and Granite

City areas and also sale-for-resale (wholesale) communities. Customers are being notified of this work by Illinois American Water via the company’s notification system which calls, emails and/or texts customers based on their preferences. Customers are encouraged to update their contact information so they can receive communications about water service emergencies and work. Customers can update their information online via MyWater or by calling 800-422-2782. For additional information, customers can visit www.illinoisamwater.com or contact Illinois American Water’s customer service center at 1-800-422-2782.

COMMUNITIES SERVED BY ILLINOIS AMERICAN WATER’S METRO EAST SYSTEM
Communities served directly by Illinois American Water:

Cahokia Heights (Alorton, Centreville and parts of Cahokia)
Belleville East St. Louis

Brooklyn Fairmont City
Sauget Shiloh Washington Park Alorton
Swansea Canteen Township
St. Clair Township Stookey Township
Smithton Township Granite City
Madison Venice
Nameoki Township

Sale-for-resale (wholesale) communities:
Scott Air Force Base O’Fallon (Also provides water to Fairview Heights)
Glen Carbon Millstadt
Caseyville Columbia (which serves Prairie Dupont Water District)
Concordia Water District Waterloo Pontoon Beach Water District Mitchell Water District

Bond Madison Water Company which serves: Livingston, Hamel, Worden, Williamson, Pierron, Pocahontas, St. Jacob, Grantfork, Marine, Three County Water District and Alhambra.

Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. For more information, visit www.illinoisamwater.com and follow Illinois American Water on Twitter and Facebook.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE:AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to an estimated 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWTI) — A boil water advisory has been issued for several residential blocks in Ogdensburg.

On February 20, City of Ogdensburg officials issued a boil water advisory for the 200 block of Williams Street and the 500 to 600 blocks of Lisbon Street.

Flood watch issued for St. Lawrence County

According to City Officials, this was issued due to a water break in the 200 block of Williams Street where there was little or no water pressure. When water mains lose pressure, there is an increased chance that untreated water and harmful microbes can enter drinking water sources.

Experts warn that harmful microbes in drinking water can cause health issues, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches. This can pose a special health risk for infants, some elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

To avoid these risks, residents on the affected blocks should bring tap water to a rolling boil, boil for one minute and cool before using. Residents can also use bottled water certified for sale by the New York State Department of Health.

While the boil water advisory remains active, boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food.

SUNY Potsdam hosting memorial for student who died in homicide

Ogdensburg is currently working to repair the water main break. Officials confirmed that once it is fixed and water service is restored, bacteriological samples will be collected to confirm that the water is safe. This is expected to take two to three days.

ABC50 will provide updates on the boil water advisory as more information is made available.

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The NICD says people can prevent infection of enteric fever by practising good hand hygiene and consuming safe drinking water.

CAPE TOWN – The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says people can prevent infection of enteric fever, also known at Typhoid fever, by practising good hand hygiene and consuming safe drinking water.

There has been a recent increase in cases of enteric fever in South Africa.

The last time there was a large outbreak in the country was in Delmas in 2005 but since then South Africa averaged less than 150 cases per year.

During 2020 and 2021, the total number of cases reported didn’t differ much from previous years but the NICD noticed an increase in the Western Cape and North West’s numbers.

The NICD’s Dr Juno Thomas said using whole genome sequencing they found there were clusters or small localised outbreaks caused by different strains in three districts of the Western Cape and one district in the North West.

She said the number of cases in each cluster was relatively small, ranging from 11 to 16.

“The provinces are aware of these clusters and are investigating them. Contaminated municipal water is extremely unlikely to be the source of infection in any of these clusters and the root of transmission are probably quite complicated and challenging to investigate at this point.”

This article first appeared on EWN : NICD punts hand hygiene, clean water as preventative steps against Typhoid fever

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KENTUCKY — Over $8 million in funding for water, sewer and other infrastructure improvements will soon be flowing to several Kentucky counties as part of Gov. Andy Beshear’s Cleaner Water Program.

What You Need To Know

• Millions in additional funding was recently announced to improve water and sewer infrastructure across Kentucky
• Kentucky’s water infrastructure received C-ratings in 2019 from the American Society of Civil Engineers
• Over $5.6 million would target Allen, Barren, Clinton, Cumberland, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe, Russell and Wayne counties to provide cleaner drinking water and improved sewer and wastewater systems
• Officials estimate the Cleaner Water Program will create over 3,800 jobs across Kentucky

Beshear recently announced over $5.6 million would target Allen, Barren, Clinton, Cumberland, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe, Russell and Wayne counties to provide cleaner drinking water and improved sewer and wastewater systems. An additional $2.5 million will help Boyle, Mercer and Washington counties with their water infrastructure.

“Working together, we are building a better Kentucky with improved, resilient infrastructure that supports our residents and meets the needs of our growing economy,” Beshear said in a press release. “Every Kentuckian has the right to expect access to clean drinking water.”

The expansive funding comes from the Better Kentucky Plan’s $250 million Cleaner Water Program, which uses funds sourced from the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress.

Officials estimate the Cleaner Water Program will create over 3,800 jobs across Kentucky.

Big-ticket improvements

Over $1.6 million will be provided to the Glasgow Water and Sewer Commission to advance a project constructing a transmission line from the water treatment plant at Barren River Lake to the site of a proposed water tank on the west side of the city. State Rep. Steve Riley, who represents Barren and parts of Warren County, said the program will help his constituents live a safer, better life.

“With the improvements to the water systems, we are ensuring that Kentuckians have access to clean water,” Riley said recently. “I am proud to support these improvements that will directly impact lives across the Commonwealth.”

In Monticello, $746,751 will fund an extensive project which will include a new pump station at Powersburg. The City of Scottsville will use $679,000 to install new sewer infrastructure to serve the new, 100-acre Allen Springs Industrial Park.

In Boyle County, $1,103,985 was awarded to the Mercer County Sanitation District to improve protect the health and water quality of Lake Herrington, which provides water supply to four neighboring counties.

You can read more about each Cleaner Water Program award here.

Over $106 million has been awarded to grantees to fund projects since the call was announced June 1, 2021. Eligible government agencies, such as city-owned water or sewer utilities, water commissions, water and sewer districts and counties, collaborated with their local Area Development Districts and Area Water Management Councils to submit projects for Cleaner Water Program funding.

There are 713 public drinking water and wastewater utilities in Kentucky. The state earned a C+ on its drinking water and C- on wastewater ratings, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2019 infrastructure report card.

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MIDLAND — One local said it sounded like a pickup had rammed into the side of their house. Another said it sounded like the air conditioner fell off the roof. A third compared the experience to getting off of a rollercoaster, dizzy and a bit shaky.

“In the hardest ones we’ve experienced, there is a bunch of shaking, and the pictures shook off the walls,” said Christina Bock, 45, who lives in Gardendale, a rural community north of Odessa in the heart of West Texas oil and gas country. Earthquakes have dislodged her deck from the house and left cracks in her walls, she said.

“You’ll hear a loud bang. If you’re inside, you assume it’s a car wreck or that something exploded outside,” said Bock, a paralegal who has lived in Gardendale for 13 years. “The scary thing is that they are happening pretty much daily at this point.”

More than 200 earthquakes of 3 magnitude and greater shook Texans in 2021, more than double the 98 recorded in 2020, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of state data maintained by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

The record-setting seismic activity is largely concentrated in West Texas’ Permian Basin, the most productive oil and gas region in the state. Scientific studies show that the spike in earthquakes is almost certainly a consequence of disposing huge quantities of contaminated, salty water deep underground — a common practice by oil companies at the end of the hydraulic fracturing process that can awaken dormant fault lines.

During hydraulic fracking, oil companies shoot a mixture of fluids and sand through ancient shale formations, fracturing the rock to free the flow of oil. But oil isn’t the only thing that’s been trapped underground for millions of years: Between three and six barrels of salty, polluted water also come up to the surface with every barrel of oil.

The cheapest, and most commonly used, way to dispose of this “produced water” is to drill another well and inject it into porous rock formations deep underground.

For years, oil companies have loaded those formations with hundreds of millions of gallons of the black watery mixture — which contains a slurry of minerals, oil and chemicals used in fracking — every day, slowly increasing the pressure on ancient fault lines. An analysis by Rystad Energy provided to The Texas Tribune found that the amount of wastewater injected underground in the Permian Basin quadrupled in a decade, from 54 billion gallons in 2011 to 217 billion gallons last year.

In a 2021 study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Texas found that the vast majority of seismicity since 2000 near Pecos — a city roughly 100 miles southwest of Midland — was likely triggered by increased wastewater disposal. State regulators, too, have found that an increase in seismic activity most likely occurs as a consequence of saltwater disposal.

“The cumulative volumes [of water] increase the pressure, and that is the force that triggers the fault to slip,” said Alexandros Savvaidis, a research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT-Austin.

The result is that communities like Gardendale, where Bock lives, as well as the bustling cities of Odessa and Midland — which many oilfield workers, engineers and service workers call home — are experiencing not only more frequent earthquakes, but stronger ones.

Between 2018 and 2020, Texas recorded nine earthquakes above magnitude 4, almost all of them in the western half of the state. Last year, Texans were shaken by 15 earthquakes above magnitude 4 — including a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in late December that rattled homes from an epicenter about 30 miles northeast of Midland.

“That was different,” said David Rosen, a geologist who has lived in Midland for almost 50 years. “That was like riding a bicycle over cobblestones.”

While distance, soil composition and other factors determine at what magnitude earthquakes cause damage, earthquakes above magnitude 3 can typically be felt indoors; above a 4, walls may make a cracking sound and dishes can be disturbed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Rosen, who was also a former Democratic Party chair for the county, said it used to be a novel thing, feeling an earthquake in West Texas. His wife felt one in 1991; he didn’t. Now, they both feel the quakes fairly often in their home on the north side of Midland.

The huge jump in seismic activity compelled the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency, to indefinitely suspend underground water injections late last year in a swath of land from Odessa north to Midland, and west to Andrews and Martin counties. The decision affected all 33 disposal wells in the targeted area.

“RRC staff has determined that [produced water] injection into deep geologic strata — below the top of the Strawn Formation and especially the Ellenburger Formation — across the area is likely contributing to recent seismic activity,” the agency wrote in its justification for suspensions.

It may take months after the injections halt for the area to stop shaking, scientists said, since the pressure needs time to ease.

Since October, two other areas of West Texas — a region north of Stanton, about 25 miles east of Midland, and an area that straddles Culberson and Reeves counties between the Guadalupe Mountains and Pecos — have also been categorized as areas of concern by the agency because seismic activity has increased, though regulators have not yet suspended produced water injections there.

Instead, the agency instructed companies to work together and come up with a plan to limit seismicity to earthquakes under 3.5 magnitude after 18 months.

Andrew Keese, spokesperson for the Railroad Commission, said in a statement that the agency hopes the industry can cooperate to reduce the magnitude and frequency of the quakes. If it fails, the agency is “prepared to implement actions of its own if needed,” he wrote. An industry plan to reduce seismicity in the Stanton region is due in mid-April, Keese said.

“Operators have already made adjustments in the volume of water injected,” Keese said.

Rosen, the former Democratic Party chair, said he considered buying earthquake insurance before deciding it wasn’t worth the cost unless the quakes get even stronger. Still, he’s disappointed in what seems to him to be reluctant action by state regulators to the increasing seismic activity.

“[The Railroad Commission] has been getting feedback for months,” he said, “and finally they decided to temporarily suspend disposal for a couple of wells. That’s a pretty sluggish response.”

‘Just paying the price’

Residents of the Permian Basin are used to the noise of drilling construction; the damaged roads from heavy trucks hauling sand, water and more; the trash snagged in mesquite branches blown from camps of the here-today-gone-tomorrow oilfield workers. Many say they have switched to bottled water or installed water softeners because their tap water turned cloudy with minerals and tastes metallic and salty since fracking took off in the area a decade ago.

But the earthquakes are different, said Bock, the paralegal and mother of two in Gardendale. One contractor’s estimate to level her home’s foundation was $8,000, she said. At least for her family, the shaking was the last straw.

“I don’t want to stay out here,” she said. “Not like this.”

She and her family will likely sell the house and relocate to Central or Southwest Texas in a couple of years, she said.

“Were the earthquakes a reason? I would say about 50% of it, yes,” Bock said. “The damage [from fracking] is done, and now we’re just paying that price. And this is what it is.”

Eli Hilbert, 20, a political science student at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, said many locals view the earthquakes as part of the natural environment — like the strong winds or tumbleweeds — despite science that shows the phenomena is almost certainly caused by humans.

“People treat them as just a part of life around here,” said Hilbert, an environmental advocate who will soon help launch a nonprofit organization focused on pollution and climate change in the Permian Basin.

Hilbert said it’s difficult to get community buy-in to organize around environmental issues because much of the population moves in and out with the oil industry. “You aren’t particularly invested in stopping air pollution if you’re only going to be here for two years,” Hilbert said. “But with the increase in [seismicity] last year, I feel like it’s a thing people are becoming more worried about.”

Other residents of Midland, Odessa and surrounding areas echoed Hilbert’s sentiment that the near-daily shakes were beginning to crack the community’s long-hardened endurance to the nuisances and environmental consequences of living with the oil industry.

Ashley Gunter, 40, whose family has lived in Midland for three generations, wonders if the quakes will keep getting stronger and more frequent and eventually make the free-spirited, religious city where she grew up unlivable. “I’m no scientist, but this is not supposed to be happening,” Gunter said. “We don’t live in California.”

Catherine Allen, an artist in Midland, said she has considered relocating because of the quakes. Allen lives in a midcentury house just a few minutes from downtown. It’s the kind of place she says she would love to live the rest of her life in — but she’s not sure if she can.

“The earthquakes seem to be getting closer, and I’m also not sure if our groundwater is going to be safe for much longer,” Allen said. “It seems like disaster is getting closer, but I always question if I am overreacting.”

Where the water goes

The earthquakes often make the local news, and they spark regular alerts on the neighborhood app Nextdoor. Still, Allen said, she’s disappointed at the lack of a broader community discussion about what should or could be done to prevent the seismic activity in Midland.

“Our local leaders do not talk about it, and I don’t know how that’s possible,” Allen said.

Allen and other residents concerned about the quakes point to the oil industry’s power in the Permian Basin as the reason there hasn’t been a more aggressive response by local officials. About 30% of Midland’s workers are employed directly by the energy and mining industry, according to federal employment data.

Midland’s City Council has not had a meeting to address the rise in seismic activity, according to recent City Council agendas and member John Norman, who confirmed that the council has discussed seismicity only in casual conversations. He wasn’t surprised that it hasn’t come up yet, he said.

Norman, who grew up in Midland and worked in the oilfield for more than two decades, said the reason the council has not taken action or formally discussed the quakes is that the injection wells are largely outside city limits. While the quakes shake Midland, it’s difficult to see what the city might do to prevent the practice, he said. That’s for the Railroad Commission to decide. (Norman praised the agency’s most recent response.)

But the industry itself isn’t blind to the business risk the quakes pose: At an annual oil and gas industry luncheon hosted by the Midland Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 26, an executive with Chevron Corp. listed the increase in seismic activity as one of the industry’s biggest challenges in the Permian Basin.

Ryder Booth, Chevron’s vice president of North America exploration and production, called on the roughly 300-person crowd of Midland oil and gas executives, workers and leaders to work together to reduce the earthquakes, pointing to the increase in seismic activity from water injections as one of the industry’s major challenges in the Permian.

“We’re going to have to work together, partner together, to make sure we’re tackling it,” Booth said.

A few companies in the Permian Basin have built recycling facilities for produced water — an alternative to pumping it underground. One such facility outside of Big Spring, northeast of Midland, pipes in produced water from surrounding drill sites up to 20 miles away.

“What’s cool about this is that ordinarily, that kind of stuff might be going downhole, instead of coming to us,” said Jim Hudgins, midstream operations manager at Breakwater Energy Partners, which opened the facility in 2020.

The facility separates the solids from the liquids and presses them into a cake-like material that can be dumped at a landfill. “It looks like a brownie,” said Zac Hall, the recycling operations manager at Breakwater Energy. “You wouldn’t want to eat it.”

Then the brackish-looking water is pushed through 10 large tanks, where chemical reactions remove the impurities until the water looks clear enough to drink — although it’s far too salty for that.

“This is probably five to seven times saltier than the ocean,” Hall said. “It would taste like crap.”

The water is stored in a large, open pool that can hold roughly 63 million gallons of water. The company then sells the water back to oil companies for the next round of fracking.

But recycling facilities, while helpful, are only a partial solution over the long term, Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright pointed out in a recent statement and op-ed. The amount of water needed by oil companies for the hydraulic fracturing process is far less than the amount of produced water being dislodged and dredged up from underground each day. Without a more promising solution on the horizon, the Texas Legislature in 2021 directed scholars and industry leaders to study the problem.

In the meantime, the earth continues to shake under the feet of West Texas residents. On a recent brisk but sunny Friday afternoon, a howling West Texas wind pushed tumbleweeds across roads, natural gas flares burned across the horizon and a seismometer recorded another earthquake — this one a 3.1 magnitude, just outside Odessa, 14 miles west of Midland.

That same day, Norman, the Midland City Council member, sat in a local coffee shop in his district. He said he worries that the earthquakes could make the area unsafe. He hopes the industry, state regulators and the city can find a solution.

“The oil industry has been good to me and my family, but if you die from an earthquake what does it matter?” he said. “I know this is how we make our money [in Midland]. That’s fine, but the safety and the empathy for human beings — that’s what I try to focus on.”

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GTD also addressed several woes of the villagers and tried to resolves as many as possible on the spot

GTD also addressed several woes of the villagers and tried to resolves as many as possible on the spot

Keeping in mind the approaching summer season, former Minister and MLA representing Chamundeshwari assembly segment in Mysuru G T Deve Gowda has urged the officials to construct water tanks in villages to ensure availability of drinking water for animals including cattle.

Mr Gowda made this suggestion during the State Government’s programme to take administration to the doorstep of the people – Jilla Adhikarigala Nade Halliya Kade – at Rattahalli village in Yelwala hobli of Mysuru taluk on Saturday.

By constructing such water tanks in the villages, drinking water can be made available to the animals during the severe hot weather conditions during summers.

Mr Gowda also heard the woes of the villagers and issued directions to the officials present on the occasion to redress the grievances. The villagers raised a host of issues ranging from problems in revenue records, electricity supply, allotment of sites and houses under Ashraya and other Government schemes, sanction of land for burial ground, road repair works etc.

With a highway connecting Kushal Nagar with Bengaluru passing through Rattahalli village, the villagers drew the MLA’s attention to issues in revenue records for receiving compensation for land acquisition. Mr Gowda directed the Tahsildar and officials of Survey Settlement and Land Records, who were present on the spot to camp in the village and ensure that the matter was resolved.

He also directed the officials of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) to install electricity poles in the villages so that the residents can avail electricity connections.

With regard to pending applications for sanction of sites and houses under Ashraya scheme, Mr Gowda asked the Tahsildar to identify lands available in different villages that can be set aside for the Ashraya scheme.

BURIAL GROUNDS

In view of the demand for burial grounds in rural areas, Mr Gowda constituted a team of officials comprising Deputy Tahsildar, Village Accountant, Surveyor, Panchayat Development Officer and an engineer to visit all villages and prepare a blue print for allotment of land for burial grounds.

Also, a decision was taken to sanction pension to a total of 52 persons during the meeting.

Meanwhile, a Janaspandana programme was organised in villages falling under Karpuravalli gram panchayat in Saligrama taluk on Saturday attended by former Minister and MLA representing K R Nagar assembly constituency S R Mahesh and Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Bagadi Gautham. A number of grievances from the villagers were heard in Rampur, Yeladahalli, Dadadahalli, Madapura, Salukoppalu, Doddakoppalu, Munduru, Basavarajapura and Senabinakuppe villages.

Further, the officials received grievance petitions from the villagers and tried to resolve as many as them on the spot.

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Most hill districts of Lumbini Province are gradually losing natural springs due to the haphazard extraction of limestone.

While the local residents have been hugely affected by the drying up of natural water sources in the catchment area, the authorities remain indifferent to the environmental impacts caused by limestone exploitation in Palpa, Arghakhanchi, Rolpa and Pyuthan districts.

Residue substances from the excavation sites are carried downhill during the rainy season, blocking, burying and destroying natural springs and damaging drinking water supply lines snaking through the hillsides.

The haphazard mining has directly affected the settlements below the limestone mines, exposing them to the risk of landslides and floods during the rainy season.

Kim Bahadur Ale Magar, a resident of Mathekharka settlement in Nisdi Rural Municipality-7, Palpa, says 34 households in his settlement are at risk of being buried by landslides.

“The haphazard mining of limestones in the area has put us all at risk of landslides and floods during the rainy season,” said Magar. “There is no respite for us during the dry season too as residue substances from the mining site have damaged our water supply lines.”

Hongshi Shivam Cement has been extracting limestone from a quarry at Jyamire, which is just above Mathekharka settlement.

“Water supplied by the drinking water project gets murky if it rains in the area. We have been facing drinking water problems ever since the limestone mine came into operation a few years ago,” said Magar.

Limestone is being extracted in 10 different places of Palpa by Satyawati Cement, BS Cement, Hongshi Shivam Cement, Palpa Cement, Siddhartha Minerals, Kanchan Quarries, Sarbottam Cement and Alpha Cement.

Residents of Shreedanda in Tinau Rural Municipality-3 have also been living with the repercussions of haphazard mining in the area. The limestone mine above the settlement has caused damages to the drinking water project and irrigation canal.

“The residue from mining over the years has damaged the drinking water project. The water we get is undrinkable. The concerned authorities and stakeholders remain indifferent to the problem,” said Bishnumaya Somai of Shreedanda.

According to the local people, drinking water sources have dried up at Adhamara while the reservoir, pipeline and intake in Jyamire have been damaged by the mine residue substances.

In Siddheshwar of Rainadevi Chhahara-1, a drinking water project has been left incomplete mainly due to the limestone mining by Sarbottam Cement.

The construction work of Marshyangdi-Chisapani Drinking Water Project was initiated in the fiscal year 2015-16 at the cost of Rs 49.8 million. The project aimed to supply drinking water to 462 households in the area.

“But the drinking water project has been left in limbo as an intake tank had to be shifted to another place and the alignment of the pipeline had to be changed due to the limestone mine,” said Gyan Bahadur BK, the chairman of the drinking water project.

Sarbottam Cement has been excavating limestone from just above the water source of the drinking water project for the past four years.

“The drinking water project has been affected due to the mining. The limestone mining has left the pipeline at risk, forcing us to change the pipeline alignment,” said Romakanta Neupane, a technician at the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office in Palpa.

The Marshyangdi-Chisapani Drinking Water Project was supposed to be completed within two years of its initiation. But the project is still incomplete even after six years of its commencement due to the limestone mine. The residents of Tallo Asarre, Mathillo Asare, Bhutukdi and Manabha, among other settlements in Siddeshwar, have been facing water shortage problems owing to the delay in completing the drinking water project.

Similarly, water sources in Rolpa district are drying up due to the unchecked limestone mining at Goderiche in Runtigadhi Rural Municipality-6.

“Water sources are gradually drying up in the area due to the rampant extraction of limestone near water sources and haphazard construction of roads. If the mining goes unchecked, people in the area will be facing a water crisis soon,” said Janak Pun of Holeri.

According to Pun, several water springs were buried while constructing the access road to the limestone mine in Goderiche. Drinking water projects, irrigation projects and other infrastructures have also sustained damages due to the floods that bring limestone residues while several human settlements below the mine are at risk of floods and landslides.

The local people have started protesting against the haphazard extraction of limestone, stating that the mines are drying up water sources, destroying forests and polluting the environment.

The residents of Budhagaun in Tribeni Rural Municipality-4 started protesting after Rolpa Limestone Pvt Ltd got permission to extract stones in the area. They claim that the operation of the limestone mine will leave the settlements at risk of floods and landslides and degrade the environment.

Similarly, the local people of Holeri formed a struggle committee to ‘save’ Murulelek from being spoiled by limestone extraction.

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies issued a license to operate mines on the recommendation of the local unit. The local people complained that the local unit did not hold discussions with them before making the recommendation.

“We got to know about the operation of the mine only after the businesspersons came to the area with the license issued by the federal government. The local unit did not hold talks with the local people about the mine operation. It seems that the local unit does not take the sentiments of the local people into consideration,” said Keshav Chand of Murele in Rolpa.

The residents of Arghakhanchi are also living with similar problems caused by limestone operation. Several water springs have dried up in the area after a limestone mine came into operation in Narpani hill a few years ago.

“The water springs dried up two years after Arghakhanchi Cement started extracting limestones from the area. We took to the street demanding that the mine be closed,” said Padam KC of Narpani.

After a series of protests from the local residents, authorities finally closed the mine at Narpani.

“It’s been 10 years since the mine’s closure and water levels in the springs are slowly increasing now,” said KC.

(Kashiram Dangi in Rolpa and Birendra KC in Arghakhanchi contributed reporting.)

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(BIVN) – Normal water use may resume in Laupāhoehoe, officials say.

“Effective immediately, the Water Restriction Notice for affected Laupāhoehoe customers is cancelled,” a Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply news release announced on Friday. “The Department of Water Supply thanks its affected customers for reducing their water use during this period,” the department stated.

The Water Restriction Notice was issued last week, due to equipment malfunctions affecting the Laupāhoehoe Water System. Customers were asked to reduce water use by 25 percent to ensure everyone’s water needs would be met.

“The DWS reminds everyone that safe drinking water is a finite resource that should be used efficiently and wisely,” the water department said. “To learn more about water conservation, please visit our website at www.hawaiidws.org. For more information, please call 961-8050 during normal business hours, 961-8790 for after-hour emergencies, or email: [email protected].”

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