Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has been taking measures to supply pure drinking water to grassroots people up to union levels to bring 90% population under its coverage.

“We are adopting steps to supply pure drinking water not only to Dhaka and Chittagong, but also to the union levels to bring 90 percent people under the coverage,” she said on Wednesday.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating Sheikh Hasina Water Treatment Plant-2 of Chattogram WASA at Hotel Radisson Blu in Chittagong, joining the programme virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence.

She said her government has started implementing the Delta Plan-2100 as the grassroots people can get pure drinking water and lead an improved life.

The prime minister said her government has given special focus on materialising the goal no 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is to ensure safe water and proper drainage system for the people as everyone demands safe water.

She asked all concerned to harvest the rainwater and increase the use of surface water instead of groundwater to check the risk of earthquakes as Bangladesh is an earthquake-prone country.

The prime minister also asked to take effective measures to save the rivers particularly the Karnaphuli from pollution and preserve the river water to use for drinking purpose.

She directed the mills and factories’ owners to build their own mechanism for waste management to save the river from pollution.

She also stressed building water reservoirs while taking any project to harvest rainwater.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam and Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, spoke on the occasion.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud was present among others.

Local Government Division Senior Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed moderated the function and Chattogram WASA Managing Director Engineer AKM Fazlullah delivered the welcome address.

A video documentary on the development of Chattogram WASA was screened.

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Nestlé Pakistan is stepping up its efforts to support vulnerable communities. The company is mobilizing relief supplies, in the form of donating 250,000 liters of clean drinking water and 10,000 liters of milk, in the second phase to support vulnerable communities affected by the devastating floods following National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) calls for flood relief efforts across Pakistan.

Nestlé has already sent 60,000 liters of water to NDMA for flood relief efforts in Balochistan earlier last month.

Highlighting the efforts, Samer Chedid, CEO Nestlé Pakistan said, “Access to clean drinking water is the biggest concern for communities displaced by flooding across Pakistan and that’s where we are focusing the bulk of our efforts.”

He added that the company had invited its employees to make voluntary donations for the affected communities. The donation intimations by employees will be matched 1:1 by Nestlé Pakistan.

Nestlé Pakistan will be working closely with national and provincial disaster management authorities to support them in relief work for the people and the communities affected by natural calamities. The company is working tirelessly to ensure that much-needed food and beverage products are available for our consumers across Pakistan.

At Nestlé, we care deeply for people and for the communities in which we operate, and we believe we have an essential role to play during times of crisis.

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By Patricia Obozuwa – Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Africa at The Coca-Cola Company.  

The World Economic Forum ranks water crises as a top global risk. About 2.2 billion people across the globe lack access to safe drinking water. And the World Resources Institute projects that by 2030, there will be a 56% gap between the demand for water and the supply globally. These challenges affect our business, our customers, and the communities in which we operate. They are also the driving force behind our more in-depth 2030 water strategy.  

It is fundamental that we, collectively rethink how we address and overcome these challenges. 

Our story begins with water 

Water is essential to every person and every ecosystem in the world. It is the lifeblood of communities. It is also essential to the products we make and the agricultural ingredients we use. 

For over a decade, along with our bottling partners, The Coca-Cola Company has set a leading example in shared water management inside and outside our operations. Additionally, we have continued to improve the efficiency of our water use globally. We use 1.81 liters of water to produce 1 liter of our finished beverage, which is a 20% improvement compared to 2010. Globally we have continued to replenish more than 100% of the water we use in our finished beverages back to communities and nature since 2015. In 2021, we returned 167% of the water used in our finished beverages to nature and communities. And the work does not stop there. 

The Coca-Cola Company has established leadership in community-based water programs with the support of The Coca-Cola Foundation, governments, civil society actors and other partners. Together, we have delivered sustainable community water interventions ranging from improving access to Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) to capacity building. In 2009, backed by a $65 million commitment, The Coca-Cola Foundation introduced the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) to improve water access — and measurably improve lives.  The initiative has improved the lives of more than 6.7 million Africans by providing access to clean water and sanitation, productive use of water, and watershed protection in more than 4,000 communities across the Continent.

Building on our lasting legacy through JAMII 

Coca-Cola’s Africa-focused sustainability platform JAMII is guided by our vision of building on our lasting legacy and leadership in water stewardship.   

Along with our bottling partners, we recognize the need and urgency to do more to not only ensure the long-term sustainability of water for our business but for our communities across Africa.  

The Coca-Cola Company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy outlines a vision of increasing water security for our operations, watersheds and communities.  

We focus our attention and resources, as a system, on enhancing water management that helps our business, supply chain and local communities build resilience to a changing climate. This means improving capacities to withstand, recover from and adapt to the shocks and stressors related to climate change. 

Collaboration and collective action needed, now more than ever 

No entity can solve the water challenges alone. However, through JAMII, we believe in collective action and partnership to tackle this issue together. It is important that all relevant stakeholders have a voice, an investment, and a shared understanding of the outcomes to ensure we make the lack of access to safe water an issue of the past. 

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People need to become “less squeamish” about drinking water that is derived from wastewater, the head of Britain’s Environment Agency says, as a way to tackle water shortages and increasingly severe droughts.

The idea of recycling wastewater for human consumption — once the realm of dystopian sci-fi films — is gaining traction globally as climate change intensifies droughts.

“Part of the solution will be to reprocess the water that results from sewage treatment and turn it back into drinking water — perfectly safe and healthy, but not something many people fancy,” James Bevan wrote in Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper, as the country swelters through a record-breaking hot and dry summer.

In Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, “Dune,” inhabitants of a desert planet wear “stillsuits” designed to capture their sweat, urine and, yes — feces — and recycle it. That idea is still mired in fiction, but once-derided “toilet-to-tap” programs are becoming a reality in places including the Los Angeles area. Perth, Australia’s most water-parched big city, has said that eventually all of its wastewater could be recycled and put back into drinking water.

Water officials in London faced backlash in 2013 when they first proposed introducing recycled toilet waste into the city’s tap water to avoid looming water shortages. Now, many parts of the United Kingdom are grappling with low water supplies in reservoirs and rivers following months of record-low rainfall and unprecedented high temperatures. The government officially declared a drought across swaths of England this month.

“We need to remember where it comes from: when we turn on the tap, what comes out started in a river, lake or aquifer. The more we take, the more we drain those sources and put stress on nature and wildlife,” Bevan wrote.

Extreme drought is gripping Europe, intensifying heat and fueling fires

Many parts of Europe have seen their driest summer on record as rivers dwindle to a trickle. Water shortages have become a problem in Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands.

Bevan acknowledged that recycling wastewater for drinking could be “unpopular,” but he said people need to change the way they think about water.

Britain’s water companies have been under the spotlight lately amid water leakages and sewage dumps that have polluted waterways, killing fish in the toxic waste and eroding trust in water regulators.

Proponents of recycled drinking water say it goes through a stringent process before it reaches household taps. First, it is treated at a waste treatment plant, before being passed through course and fine screens to filter out debris. It then goes through a process known as reverse osmosis, water experts say, to remove pathogens, viruses and bacteria. In the final step, the water is disinfected using ultraviolet light.

In Singapore, a craft brewing company announced in July that it was working with the national water agency to produce a beer made entirely from recycled wastewater — to help raise awareness of environmental issues. Brewerkz said at the time that it was “an opportunity to cast the spotlight on climate change impacts such as droughts and floods, which threaten the world’s freshwater supply.”

The tasting notes describe the beer as “highly quaffable” — perfect for Singapore’s tropical climate — with a “smooth, toasted honey-like aftertaste.”

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Although much of the Bay State is feeling the effects of this summer’s lack of significant rainfall, Haverhill’s interim Department of Public Works director says the city remains in reasonably good shape.

Director Robert E. Ward responded in advance of last week’s City Council meeting, answering questions expected by City Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua about the city’s drought status and conservation efforts.

“Is there something we should be doing that would help to conserve water so that we don’t get to the point where we find ourselves in a serious issue or a serious concern?” Bevilacqua asked.

The councilor also speculated about how drought conditions could affect plans to use the Merrimack River as a potential water source and whether the city should consider constructing a second water storage tank for any eventualities.

“We’re spending millions and millions of dollars to develop a program that will take drinking water from the Merrimack River. One thing we’ve seen with this drought is that the rivers are dramatically low and I do believe that we need to be proactive, and one of the ways in which we can do that is, in fact, by building another water storage tank,” the councilor said.

Although Ward was not on hand to answer questions, Councilor Melinda E. Barrett said she spoke with him and was comfortable with his assessment.

“I don’t want people to get overly concerned. We are a very lucky community. Our city has three different bodies of water that we draw our water from. Hopefully, the weather pattern breaks but, if not, we are ready to take the necessary steps to save water,” she said.

In addition to Kenoza Lake, the city’s primary water source, Haverhill also draws from Crystal Lake and the Millvale reservoir which, Ward says, have enough water available to provide the city for 60 days and 30 days respectively.

Despite those assurances, councilors voted to send a letter to Mayor James J. Fiorentini and Ward, asking about what conservation efforts, if any, should be taking place now; how the drought could affect the Merrimack River plan; and opinions on building a new water tank.

The vote was 6-1 with Councilor Michael S. McGonagle dissenting and Council President Timothy J. Jordan and Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski absent.

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Wild swimmers “don’t trust the water” in British rivers and are testing it themselves after some unwelcome experiences. Hundreds of swimmers in Suffolk have switched to bathing only in the sea because of the problem.

Ruth Leach, who campaigns for better water quality in the River Deben, said she saw a swimmer collide with faeces at Martlesham Creek, Woodbridge. The sight and stench brought home what many members of the Deben and Orwell Bluetits swimming group had read about rivers and prompted about 300 to start sea swimming instead.

“They don’t trust the water, they’re scared of getting sick and getting viruses,” Leach, the co-founder of the Save the Deben campaign group, said. “In a first-world country where things are supposed to be running effectively,

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The mayor of Stockton in Tooele County warned that the small, rural town needs $3 million to buy a new water system — or the town might need to dissolve.

The announcement came after the town leaders issued a boil order Wednesday for tap water due to the aftermath of the Jacob City Fire, which burned earlier this month upstream of the water treatment plant intake. The plant was temporarily shut down due to the risk of contamination from sediment and debris entering the water supply.

“Due to the town’s water system being in such disarray, we will need to take a $3 million loan out to replace the water system. This loan will cost each resident $66 a month additional on their water bill, paying a total of $96 a month for water, not to include trash or sewer,” Stockton Mayor Nando Meli said in a letter to residents.

He also instituted a ban on “all outside watering” until the community can get its water plant up to full capacity.

“If these steps are not taken, we may need to unincorporate the town,” Meli added in the letter.

That letter posted on social media prompted outcry from some residents, who questioned the price tag, as well as why the new plant wasn’t budgeted for in the past.

An emergency meeting was held Thursday at a ballpark to provide enough room for the anticipated crowd to discuss the water issue and the proposed fee increase.

When reached on Thursday, Meli hesitated about whether he believes the town might really need to lose its incorporated status. “Probably not. I’m just trying to get people’s attention how bad the situation is,” he said.

Incorporated cities and towns have their own leadership and departments. Unincorporated areas are governed by county officials and served by county facilities.

Meli said the water supply has long been an issue. A past mayor several years ago commissioned a study on the plant, which was built in 1985. The study found it would cost $2.6 million to repair, according to Meli.

As of the most recent U.S. census count, Stockton had just 1,072 residents.

He said he’s been working to get funding to replace the treatment plant since January when he took office. He’s been speaking to state and federal agencies trying to get funding for a new facility and to protect the water supply.

“But then after this fire, it’s become more relevant just how bad our water situation is at the town, and so our treatment plant needs to be replaced,” he said.

The water treatment plant in Stockton, Tooele County, is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. The city’s treatment plant was built in 1985 and has had problems for the past several years. Residents are currently under a boil order for tap water due to the aftermath of the Jacob City Fire, which burned earlier this month upstream of the water treatment plant intake.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The pipes are in poor condition, and the foundation and roof need to be replaced. “More or less, the whole plant needs to be rebuilt,” the mayor said.

Since the fire and the subsequent shutoff at the water treatment plant, city residents have been receiving water from a well.

When the plant was taken offline during the fire, the generator at the well was “not up to repair,” according to Meli. The town needed to get an emergency generator for the water supply, and the county assisted. When Stockton’s generator was fixed, the county removed the emergency generator.

But the town’s generator continued to have issues and ultimately became inoperable, Meli said.

“So right now, we had to do the treatment plant,” Meli said, adding that the Utah Division of Drinking Water told Stockton leaders that residents would need to boil the drinking water to make sure it’s safe.

The treatment plant is processing water, but it is not designed to handle the high amount of sediment that may be entering the system, according to officials. The fire burnt the vegetation upstream of the plant, causing mud to come down the canyon, Meli noted. Crews used a grader and dozer to clear the roads so workers could get up to the treatment plant.

Now, the city can’t use all the water it’s allotted because of the poor operation of the treatment plant, which can’t process it all, according to the mayor.

A man was arrested in July after police said he unintentionally sparked the Jacob City Fire, which burned over 4,000 acres in Tooele County. Police said the man told them the fire started after he plugged a circular saw with a faulty cord into a generator and left it next to a sealed gas can.

Contributing: Adam Small

Fire responders fight the Jacob City Fire near Stockton, Tooele County, on Monday July 11, 2022.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

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CHANDIGARH: Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shankar Jimpa issued directions that the structure of 15 ongoing potable canal water supply projects in Punjab is completed at the earliest. He was holding a meeting with the top officials of the departments of water supply and sanitation, water resources and local government to bring about better coordination among them.

About 1700 villages of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts will get potable canal water through these projects, said the minister.

He said that better facilities could be provided to the people of the state through proper coordination between these departments and the Bhagwant Mann-led government was fully committed to ensure holistic development of the state.

Jimpa directed the officials of these departments to work in coordination and execute the proposed projects on time. He said that in many areas of Punjab, many projects get delayed due to lack of coordination between the two departments, while such works can be carried out easily with mutual coordination. He categorically directed the officers to work in coordination therefore people do not have to bear the brunt of lack of coordination among the departments.

He directed officials to ensure clean drinking water excess to people and said the water tanks should be cleaned on time. Arrangements for water sampling and testing should be conducted time to time.

He said that RO should be installed immediately in areas of the state where water is not potable. He said that in many arsenic-affected areas, arsenic-iron removal plants are being started with the help of IIT Madras so that people can drink pure water.

Jimpa also directed officials of the water resources department to finalise the taping point from the Sutlej River near Nurpur Bedi. The proposed project will ensure supply of potable surface water to 350 villages of Kandi region besides Hoshiarpur city, Garhshankar and Mahilpur blocks. He said that the entire Hoshiarpur district would be connected with surface water supply.

The Water Supply and Sanitation Minister asked the officials to work dedicatedly and implement the government schemes on time to fulfill CM Mann’s dream of providing tap drinking water to every household in the state.

Jimpa directed the officials of the Local Government Department to inspect the 59 STPs being built in urban areas. He also directed to explore the possibilities of treating the dirty water of nearby villages. Apart from this, he also directed to make efforts regarding the solid and liquid waste management in the urban and rural areas.

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British people need to be “less squeamish” about drinking water derived from sewage, the boss of the Environment Agency has said.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Sir James Bevan outlined measures the government, water companies and ordinary people should be taking to avoid severe droughts.

He said: “Part of the solution will be to reprocess the water that results from sewage treatment and turn it back into drinking water – perfectly safe and healthy, but not something many people fancy.”

Bevan admitted the move would be “unpopular” and reactions on social media have been mixed but he said there was a need to “change how we think about water”.

“We need to remember where it comes from: when we turn on the tap, what comes out started in a river, lake or aquifer. The more we take, the more we drain those sources and put stress on nature and wildlife.”

It comes after a drought was declared in large portions of England. On Friday, Yorkshire Water joined five water companies across the south of England and Wales to enforce a hosepipe ban, due to low water supplies in the region’s reservoirs and rivers.

Data from the UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology shows that most of south and east England have very dry conditions underground, caused by heatwaves and a lack of rainfall.

Farmers have warned the dry soil could affect key crops, such as potatoes, with the price of chips expected to rise next year, the Grocer magazine reported.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

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Bevan, who has been chief executive of the Environment Agency since 2015, called on the government to “show political will” to make changes and also called on members of the public to do their bit to help reduce water waste.

“We need to treat water as a precious resource, not a free good. We will have to be more selective about what we use drinking water for. It makes no sense to use it to clean the car or water the lawn.

“Each of us can be part of the solution, starting now. Small things make a big difference. Take showers, not baths. Cram the dishwasher or washing machine and only run it when it’s full. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Fix leaks: many are in our own homes, not water company pipes. Get a water meter: your company will install one free. Outside the house, get a water butt: plants prefer rainwater. Use a watering can, not a hose, and don’t water the grass – it doesn’t need it.

“Use water wisely” is not a slogan. It’s a guide for how to survive. Let’s follow it,” he added.

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SHILLONG, Aug 27: The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has established a network of water quality monitoring stations in the state.
According to the latest data available with the MSPCB, the present network comprises of 54 stations in the state under the National Water Monitoring Programme (NWMP) and the monitoring network covers 20 rivers, four lakes and seven spring wells.
Out of the 54 stations, few water bodies that have been identified as polluted stretch in the state in respect to the BOD level by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) include Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers in East Khasi Hills, Kyrhukhla river and Lunar river (tributary of Lukha river) at Myndihati, East Jaintia Hills, Umtrew Byrnihat rivers, Ri-Bhoi district, Myntdu (Jowai) West Jaintia Hills and Nanbah (Nongstoin) West Khasi Hills.
As per the MSPCB report, the respective Deputy Commissioners have been informed about the status of the water bodies and requested to take necessary action and steps to formulate action plans to control the pollution source.
It was informed that the DCs have taken it up with line departments and also issued prohibitory orders against dumping of solid waste and liquid waste in streams and rivers.
Seventeen sampling stations were located in East Khasi Hills.
In all the monitored locations the pH (potential of hydrogen) level was observed to be in the normal range of 6.5 to 8.5.
“The dissolved oxygen level was found to be very low in some sampling location of Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers with the minimum value of 1.4 mg/L recorded at Umshyrpi River (Law College) and 0.8 mg/L at Umkhrah river at Mawlai abattoir, whereas its concentration in other rivers was always above 4 mg/L, which was the minimum oxygen requirement for propagation of wildlife fisheries,” the report said.
The monitoring results indicated that organic and bacteria were the main pollutants in the water bodies.
This was mainly due to direct discharge of waste water in an untreated form from the residential and commercial centres, it said.
The amount of waste received by two rivers Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers was much beyond their assimilative capacity, and thus the water quality had deteriorated to the extent that the water of these two rivers could not be put to any beneficial uses.
The water quality of Wards’ Lake meets the criteria for propagation of wildlife and fisheries, the pollution control board’s report said, adding that the water quality of other water bodies was satisfactory.
In the sampling stations in West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi as well as Garo Hills districts, the pH level in monitored water bodies was in the normal range.
In Jaintia Hills, however, the pH level in Myntdu River at Leshka (Lunar river) in Lad-Rymbai was found to be very low.
The report said that the low pH indicates that water was acidic in nature which was mainly due to acid effluent from coal mines located on the catchment and in the upstream side the dissolved oxygen in all monitored rivers were always above 4 mg/L — the minimum oxygen requirement for propagation of wildlife fisheries.

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