In Washington, this year we’re fortunate to have escaped the historic droughts plaguing other parts of the world. The Columbia River basin water system has been at normal levels, which is good for our agriculture, hydropower generation, barging, local water supplies, and fish and wildlife.

However, 20 years ago, we faced the same severe drought that is afflicting the world’s major river drainages including the Colorado, Rhine and Yangtze rivers. That water scarcity is forcing factories to close, farmland to remain fallow, crops to perish, massive fish kills, barging on rivers to stop, and governments to ration water.

We need to remember that same water scarcity is likely to happened again in the Pacific Northwest — and includes us.

Our world has a “big time” water problem, and it will be even larger by 2050, when the World Bank estimates that a 50 percent increase in agricultural production is needed to feed our planet’s population. That projection carries with it a 15 percent increase in water demand.

That trend is prompting government leaders to consider some mammoth water projects costing hundreds of billions.

For example, to replenish the Colorado River, one proposal is to build a 1,500-mile aqueduct from the Mississippi River in Louisiana to Lake Powell in Utah. It is estimated to cost $23 billion and would divert 5.5 trillion gallons at a rate of 250,000 gallons per second from the lower Mississippi, which has too much water. It would take a year to refill the Glen Canyon Dam reservoir.

The Colorado River and its tributaries serve roughly 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. About 70 percent of its water goes toward irrigation, sustaining a $15 billion-a-year agricultural industry that supplies 90 percent of winter vegetables in the United States.

No business is capable of handling such a gargantuan project. However, something needs to be done because the levels in the Colorado River are so low, the federal government is requiring states drawing water from the river to reduce their consumption by 7 percent to 21 percent next year.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are smaller scale water innovations that private-sector entrepreneurs are developing to increase freshwater supplies. While minuscule compared to the Mississippi-to-Utah canal, they are needed. Every drop of pure water helps.

For example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation teamed with Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, to pilot a system to convert sewage to drinking water. It is called the Omni Processor. It separates wastes from water, burns solids to generate electricity, and condenses steam to create drinkable water. The process kills pathogens that infect billions.

That is important because more than 2 billion people around the world lack sufficient sewage treatment and 748 million do not have clean drinking water. Diseases caused by poor sanitation kill some 700,000 children every year.

Two Omni Processors are in Dakar, Senegal, where 1.2 million people are living without adequate sanitation — no flushing toilets, no connected sewer lines, and people are forced to use pit latrines out in the street.

Janicki’s subsidiary, Sedon Technologies, is working on a similar water purification system for dairy farms and wildland firefighters.

On the water conservation side, another family-owned business develops and manufactures efficient irrigation systems that apply the precise amounts of water to crops at the best time. Like Janicki, Nelson Irrigation Inc. in Walla Walla is a world leader in water innovation technology.

The U.S. has many smart and industrious people who find creative solutions when presented with a problem. That entrepreneurial drive, in combination with the billion-dollar canals, are needed to provide the pure water we need in the next quarter century.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact [email protected].

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Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan Deputy Convener Wasim Akhtar said on Saturday said the country was running because of Karachi’s revenue, but, unfortunately, the people of the city didn’t have access to clean drinking water.

“There’s no drainage system in the metropolis. The whimsy of the electric power has increased to an extent that the life of the people has become a living hell,” said Akhtar while addressing a public protest demonstration in Baldia Town, adding there was a need for the power supply company’s accountability.

The MQM-P leader said that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government had been ruling the province for the past 14 years but it could not ensure a clean drinking water supply and a sustainable drainage system in the city. “The people of Karachi are deprived of their basic human rights defined by the constitution of Pakistan. However, the provincial government has been violating the constitution by not providing basic needs to the people”.

After the recent rains, diseases were spreading due to the gushing gutters and contaminated water. The citizens had been left at the mercy of the Tanker Mafia.

“We demand that the unannounced and long load shedding must be stopped, ensure clean drinking water supply, ban the entry of tanker mafia, and construct drainage systems. If the government does not fulfill its responsibilities, then the party workers would have the right to demonstrate in front of power corridors.”

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Home » General » Environment » Lack of clean drinking water spiking diseases in flood-hit Pak

Islamabad, Sep 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Aid workers warn a lack of clean drinking is causing an increase in diseases in Pakistan, as the death toll from devastating floods crosses 1,200, the media reported.

Access to clean water was the biggest problem for those trying to find food and shelter, said medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the BBC reported.

The government met on Saturday to assess the scale of the floods which have submerged a third of the country.

At least one in three of the victims of the flooding are said to be children.

Some 1.4 million homes had been destroyed in record record monsoon rains which have affected more than 33 million people.

The country’s top disaster management official said that 2022 had brought some harsh realities of climate change for Pakistan, the BBC reported.

“This year we did not witness a spring season… we faced four heatwaves which caused large-scale forest fires across the country,” said Akhtar Nawaz.

Meanwhile, UN children’s agency Unicef said more children were at risk of dying from disease in Pakistan due to the shortage of clean water.

“There is now a high risk of water-borne, deadly diseases spreading rapidly, diarrhoea, cholera, dengue, malaria,” Unicef’s Abdullah Fadil said. “There is therefore a risk of many more child deaths.”

Estimates suggest the floods have caused at least $10 billion of damage in Pakistan, and many people face serious food shortages. Nearly half of the country’s crops have been destroyed. The country was already suffering from an economic crisis, the BBC reported.

Source: IANS

About Gopi

Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.

He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.

When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.

He can be reached at [email protected]

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WILLMAR — Madison Bottling Company partnered with Anheuser-Busch to provide more than 2,350 cans of emergency drinking water to the Willmar Fire Department in support of fire relief efforts.

Mark Thompson, left, and Matt Grave, with the 2,352 cans of water that was delivered by Madison Bottling Company to the Willmar Fire Department. The water was donated by Anheuser-Busch, which bottles it at their plant in Colorado.

Contributed

With volunteers comprising 67% of firefighters in the United States, they are local communities’ first line of defense in a range of emergencies, while often operating with limited resources and staffing. For these local heroes, clean drinking water is essential to ensure they can be at their peak performance when protecting our communities.

From left, Tim Siegert representing Madison Bottling Company, Willmar Fire Chief Frank Hanson and Deputy Chief of Operations Matt Grave with the cans of water that was donated to the Willmar Fire Department.

Contributed

The emergency drinking water came from Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, which periodically pauses beer production to can clean and safe drinking water.

Through its partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council, the national association representing America’s volunteer fire departments, Anheuser-Busch donates emergency drinking water each year to provide critical hydration to volunteer firefighters.

Since its launch in 2019, the program has donated over 4.8 million cans of water to volunteer fire departments across the county to help firefighters stay hydrated and healthy when protecting the communities where we live and work. More information can be found at

www.nvfc.org/water.

Reader News submission guidelines:

Submissions for Reader News may be sent to: [email protected]. Each item should include the writer’s name, mailing address and contact phone number, in case of questions. Photos need to be high resolution, captioned and cannot come from Facebook. The full names of everyone in photos required for publication.

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The twin challenge of urbanisation and climate change are taking their toll in the form of increasing water scarcity in cities around the world. More people are moving to urban areas – already half the world’s population (55 per cent) lives in cities, and the United Nations expects that number to rise to two thirds (68 per cent) within just a few decades. At the same time, climate change is already seeing large swathes of the planet being affected by drought, with coastlines being eroded and livelihoods disappearing. In 2022, more than 2.3 billion people face water stress, almost 160 million children are exposed to severe and prolonged droughts.

Yet, although more than 70 per cent of the planet is covered in water, only 3 per cent of it is drinkable, and a significant portion of these freshwater resources is locked in glaciers and ice caps. Worse, water demand is projected to increase by 30 per cent by 2050, with the UN’s forecasting a global water deficit of up to 40 per cent by 2030.

In response, an increasing number of cities are imposing water restrictions to tackle the problem. Santiago and Los Angles are two of the latest. National governments from The Netherlands to Brazil have formulated policy frameworks to regulate water production and management.

However, ensuring access to water – a fundamental right for everyone and part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – increasingly requires real-time onsite management that helps circumvent the challenges of increasing water scarcity. To that end, municipalities across the world are turning to digital technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to support their water security needs. By generating valuable predictive business insights and improving operational resiliency, these smart city solutions can help authorities understand water needs, preserve existing water sources and minimise leakage in order to increase the availability of clean water for all.

How Naples manages water systems remotely
As hybrid workplaces become the norm but supply and distribution challenges increase, digital technologies are already supporting water and sewage management. Gori centralises water services to 74 Italian municipalities in and around Naples, including Salerno, Vesuvius, and the Isle of Capri, taking over from a patchwork of local providers. But calibrating the delivery of 207 million cubic metres of water to more than 1.5 million people across a 4,000km (2485-mile) network as a single entity was becoming unmanageable at scale. A 2,240km (1391-mile) sewage network spanning 13 treatment plants compounds the problem.

Gori’s SCADA team turned to digital technology solutions to reconcile its significant operational challenges and reduce energy consumption along the way. The smart city solution implemented, provided operators with single-window access from both fixed and mobile stations.

Since implementing the system, Gori’s operations have logged increases in both efficiency and sustainability. At its Mercato Palazzo plant, for instance, the remote monitoring and control system has led to a reduction in energy consumption by 45 per cent or savings of about EUR80,000 per month.

How City of Salem predicts and assures water quality
The effects of climate change are complicating water management for utilities around the world, with events such as droughts and shifting precipitation patterns changing water availability patterns. The City of Salem in Oregon faces a water quality hazard of a different kind. Warming temperatures have led to rising outbreaks of dangerous algal blooms on the lakes and rivers that supply the city with drinking water. Many of these algae produce hazardous cyanotoxins that pose significant challenges to water utilities, including grave safety risks, and costly interferences to treatment processes. One such four-day event in 2018 led to a month-long drinking-water advisory, and eventually a declaration of emergency.

The city turned to our Data Hub to ensure it was never surprised by such a scare again. The scalable cloud data management platform brings together live data points such as water depth, weather information, water turbidity, satellite imagery and lab samples into a single, web-based interface. City officials then share this unified information with engineers, ecologists, mathematicians, and other analysts in real time.

The programme puts previously unreachable data sources within officials’ reach, enabling them to run predictive analysis that forecast the need for water treatment a week in advance of any algal blooms and toxic hazards. That’s enough time for operators to take corrective action such as changing pumps and filters or redirecting water flow, ensuring that Salem residents always have clean and safe drinking water.

How Puerto Rico enhances asset resilience and efficiency
The Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico lacks a source of fresh and clean water. Yet, with more than three million residents and an equal number of annual visitors, demand for water continues to grow. The system serving them has grown to over 16,100km (10,000 miles) of water mains and aqueducts and 3218km (2,000 miles) of sewage lines between 1,500 sites that service the island’s five regions. The island’s diverse and remote terrain means increased visibility and reduced travel is critical.

The Puerto Rico Water and Sewage Authority, already one of the more advanced utilities in the world, recently transitioned to a fully automated system with an integrated suite of digital solutions to reconcile the contradictory goals of increased water output, EPA compliance, improved efficiency and reduced costs.

Manual operations were eliminated wherever possible for proactive management of all aspects of the water and wastewater systems. Real-time diagnostics enables operators to monitor the quality of the water and sewage treatment processes, troubleshoot problems, and make timely changes that help prevent compliance violations. Tangible results include clean, EPA-compliant water, fewer shutdowns and improved customer satisfaction. Output has increased from 12 million gallons (45 million litres) to 20-30 million gallons (75-113 litres), while an estimated $15m has been saved over seven years.

Smart water solutions improve access to water
With the incidence, severity, and complexity of water crises is on the rise, human effort alone cannot solve the mounting water challenges facing the world’s cities today. The use of digital water technologies is transforming water and wastewater management in urban areas around the world. By embracing smart water management, municipalities and utilities can improve resource efficiency, optimise supplies, uphold water quality, and predict maintenance needs – all while avoiding costly disruptions. In the process, affordable access to water can be improved for everyone. Technology can help ease the water crisis – if we deploy it appropriately.

Read: Here’s how Aveva is unlocking the value of industrial data

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The calendar flipped from August to September this past week, and as the summer winds down millions of children have already returned to school or will do so in the coming days.

But the challenges of a new school year go beyond remembering locker combinations, completing homework assignments and studying for tests. The COVID-19 pandemic has created learning challenges due to remote learning and teachers are struggling with mental health.

Learning challenges are not limited to students in the United States. With a war raging in Ukraine, children there began a new academic year for the first time since Russia’s invasion of the country in February.

🎧 Listen to the second chapter of the Crime Beat Chronicles podcast that looks into the disappearance of a 24-year-old Nebraska woman.

On Thursday night outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, President Joe Biden gave a fiery speech about an ongoing battle for the “soul of the nation.” Biden declared that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans “fan the flames of political violence” and are trying to subvert democracy.

People are also reading…

The speech came just hours after a judge heard arguments whether to appoint a special master to review records seized from former President Trump’s Florida home. That hearing came after new details revealed the focus of the investigation may be over criminal obstruction.

In other related news, Georgia is continuing its investigations as to whether Trump tried to pressure officials into overturning the results of the 2020 election. And a man affiliated with the Proud Boys was sentenced for his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot.

🎧 The hosts debate what it means about fairness and the structural funding problems in higher education.

We often take it for granted, but obtaining clean water has become a challenge for residents in Jackson, Mississippi. The city has been dealing with trouble at a water treatment plant which was made worse by recent flooding.

The fencing around the Supreme Court came down this past week, but its ruling on abortion is being felt around the country. Plus, an update on what has happened since the court ruled on tuition reimbursement for religious schools.

In other national news, we look at sexual assaults in the military, gun violence, young people following the news, immigration, an American being held in Venezuela and pay to stay laws for American prisoners.

🎧 The cost to fly remains expensive but there are ways to save money. Listen to the latest PennyWise podcast before you book a flight!

In business and financial news, we look at several reports covering consumer confidence, mortgages and jobs.

In international news, Biden called leaders of veteran groups one year after withdrawing from Afghanistan. The last leader of the Soviet Union died as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued. And Aug. 31 marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. 

And finally, in health, science and technology news, a return to the moon was put on hold. Life expectancy has decreased in the U.S. There are concerns over future heat waves and rising sea levels. And details of a technology tool that is available to law enforcement.

— Compiled and narrated by Terry Lipshetz from Associated Press reports

Here’s a look at the latest news and most interesting developments today.

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The city’s public housing authority discovered traces of arsenic in the tap water at one of its biggest developments in Manhattan, the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village, THE CITY has learned.

Late Friday, NYCHA began distributing bottled water at the sprawling complex that houses 2,600 tenants and opened in 1949. It’s named after the iconic 19th-century muckraker who authored “How the Other Half Lives,” an expose of squalid housing conditions endured by thousands of New York’s immigrants. 

Top NYCHA managers first learned of test results that indicated traces of arsenic were present in the water at the development about two weeks ago, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Riis tenant Malina Barbosa told THE CITY on Friday that she had not been informed of the problem, although she noted that recently, “We don’t drink their water. It kind of smells. When they turn it off and it comes back on, it’s brown.” 

Hours after THE CITY reached out, City Hall announced at 9:56 PM that Mayor Adams was going to distribute water bottles at Jacob Riis Houses at 10:15 PM — and that he would not be taking press questions. 

At about 10:30 on Friday evening, a NYCHA spokesperson Barbara Brancaccio told THE CITY that the water at Riis had indeed previously tested positive for arsenic, but claimed that NYCHA had not confirmed that result until Friday.

In a statement sent to THE CITY at 11:16 PM, Mayor Adams said that “Preliminary results received today from retesting showed arsenic levels higher than the federal standard for drinking water, and while there is no evidence linking it to the cloudy water, the city has taken immediate action, including providing support and drinking water to every household at Riis while we conduct additional water testing.”

NYCHA has been under the oversight of a federal monitor since then Mayor Bill de Blasio settled a 2016 lawsuit filed by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney charged the authority’s management with deliberately covering up unhealthy and unsafe conditions in public housing, including lead-paint exposure to children and mold infestations afflicting residents with asthma.

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More than a million bottles of water have been distributed total to Jackson residents.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi is getting worse with city leaders now telling residents to shower with their mouths closed.

A Portsmouth-based organization, Mercy Chefs, is pledging to do its part to help residents by delivering 16 pallets of water bottles and a mobile water purification unit.

“It’s worse than just about anything, it’s a staple for being a human and being a person is having access to water, especially in this country,” said Nick Beckman, who is the special project manager with Mercy Chefs.

The water purification unit will be able to filter 300 gallons of water each hour to give residents a reliable source of clean water. The water crisis in Jackson has slowly built for a month, but it peaked in late August when the city’s largest water treatment plant failed.

“It’s an aging water system and aging systems are flooded with water which we’ve seen over the past few weeks don’t hold up very well,” Beckman said. 

A state of emergency was declared by Gov. Tate Reeves after the Pearl River flooded the water treatment plant. However, the city has been under a boil-water notice since late July because of “quality issues.”

“To everyone in the city: I know that you’re dealing with a profoundly unfair situation,” said Reeves. “It’s frustrating, it’s wrong and it needs to be fixed.”

Leaders with Mercy Chefs hope their donation will be able to alleviate some of the pressure residents have felt. Currently, there is no word yet for when the water treatment plant will be back in working order. 

If you want to help, you can contribute to the Mercy Chefs’ effort by donating here.

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CUBA, N.M. — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Sandoval County as the village of Cuba’s drinking water infrastructure faces strains.

The emergency declaration provides $400,000 that can be used to supplement Cuba’s water supply, as the village is in the design phase of a $5 million to upgrade and improve its aging drinking water infrastructure.

“The Village of Cuba is grateful to Gov. Lujan Grisham for this emergency declaration made necessary by the significant damage to our water utility infrastructure,” Mayor Denny Herrera said. “Village of Cuba residents, business owners, and surrounding communities depend on this natural resource. We thank the governor for making funding available to deliver water to our community.”

In July, the governor also signed an emergency declaration over the drinking water supply in Las Vegas after burn scar flooding threatened the area’s supply.

MORE: NM governor declares state of emergency over Las Vegas drinking water supply

Read the emergency declaration signed by New Mexico’s governor, regarding the drinking water supply in Cuba:

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The Queenstown Lakes District Council will invest another $9.1 million in the Cardrona Valley drinking water supply, taking the 10-year project estimate to $17.2 million, councillors decided in a six-three split decision this week.

The shovel-ready project is being done in conjunction with the Mount Cardrona Station development at the foot of the skifield access road.

At the moment, many Cardrona residents get water from private suppliers Cardrona Valley Water Supply Ltd and Cardrona Ltd.

The dissenting councillors were Niamh Shaw and Niki Gladding — who called for the decision to be delayed until more financial information and the result of a judicial review of a resource consent condition was available — and Glyn Llewers, who did not speak during the debate.

Crs Shaw and Gladding questioned whether it was fair and equitable to impose the costs of a new public drinking water scheme on Cardrona residents who already had supply contracts with a private water provider but had not got around to connecting.

“I would feel if I lived there and applied for resource consent to build and entered an agreement with another water supplier and paid money for that, [then] being hit with what is effectively a second cost, it would be inequitable. It may be a small number of people — I don’t know the numbers — but it makes me uneasy. So that is why I won’t be voting for it,” Cr Shaw said.

A staff report to the council said a shrinking cap on water-take consents meant the council would not have any similar opportunities to supply drinking water to the Cardrona Valley.

Cr Gladding did not agree.

“[They] say this is a one-off opportunity to do this now, but in 2020 it was urgent then,” she said.

She was concerned about “budget blow-outs” and wanted financial risks “investigated within an inch of their lives”.

A publicly notified hearing on August 2 drew 38 submissions, with 29 opposing.

Concerns included “unaffordable”, “duplicate” and “unfair”connection costs and financial risks to council in recovering debt.

Supporters focused on enabling growth, development and a consistent service.

A hearings panel of Crs Quentin Smith, Penny Clark and Glyn Llewers recommended the budget be increased.

The staff report said the benefits from adopting that recommendation included safe, clean, drinking water and leveraging off the Mount Cardrona Station development, with the developer carrying risks of cost escalations.

QLDC chief executive Mike Theelen said the water scheme was not just about meeting spatial plan growth projections but enabling public supply, “one of the core services councils must deliver”.

There was limited drinking water in the Cardrona Valley and it was prudent to bring it into council control.

There was also “real, tangible” commercial pressure to move ahead, deferral could kill the scheme and there was a risk Mount Cardrona Station would go away and do its own scheme, losing an opportunity for the Cardrona community, Mr Theelen said.

There would never be an easy way to introduce public infrastructure where there had been private supply. The process had been “repeated up and down the country for many local authorities … We are not doing anything untoward,” Mr Theelen said.

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