Mumbai airport recycling 25% of the water used by every passenger (via The Indian Express)

illustration: original post

The Indian Express 7 June 2016: "To reduce its consumption of fresh water, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has set up three sewage treatment plants. The plants recycle 25 per cent of water used by every passenger, which is then utilised for toilet flushing, cooling and in the airport’s green spaces.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark World Environment Day on Sunday, a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson said, “Fresh water is required for airport activities such as concessioners, cooking, drinking, cooling tower, etc. We can’t substitute fresh water requirement by treated sewage totally, but fresh water requirements in some activities, such as toilet flushing, gardening and cooling in HVAC, can be substituted by treated sewage. The sewage generated from... "read on.

A World With Little Water Supply Has Dire Economic Consequences: World Bank (via TechTimes)

Tech Times 24 May 2016: "Too little water supply in an increasingly warming world can spur dire economic consequences, trigger sudden migration and spark conflict around the globe, a new report by the World Bank warns.

High And Dry
The new report examines the long-term effects of diminishing water supply on the world, citing effects on food, urban, energy and environmental systems.

As cities expand, incomes rise and populations continue to grow, and water supply becomes more erratic and uncertain, researchers write.

Unfortunately, unless action is taken immediately, water will become scarce in places where it is currently abundant, including East Asia and Central Africa.

At the same time, scarcity will worsen in places already with short supply, including the Middle East and the Sahel, the..." read on.

A Warming World Means Less Water, With Economic Consequences (via KQED)

illustration: original post

KQED 23 May 2016: "We often associate climate change with too much water — the melting ice caps triggering a rise in sea levels. Now a new World Bank report says we also need to think about too little water — the potable sort.

High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy examines the future effects of diminishing water supplies on the world. “Water-related climate risks cascade through food, energy, urban, and environmental systems,” researchers write. “Growing populations, rising incomes, and expanding cities will converge upon a world where the demand for water rises exponentially, while supply becomes more erratic and uncertain.”

The World Bank says that in areas where water is readily available, like Central Africa and East Asia, it could become harder to find. And in areas like the Middle East, already facing..." read on.

Stop Firms to waste water worth 1'250 Olympic size pools A DAY (via This is Money)

We meet the Ofwat boss demanding firms stop the astonishing 1,250 Olympic-size pools worth of water A DAY leaking out

This is Money 16 may 2016: "Britain's water regulator has a blunt message for companies that provide our water and sewerage service: they need to get ‘a hell of a lot more efficient’.

Energy companies and telecoms groups are used to taking flak over high prices but it sounds like the water sector is about to come under similar pressure – from Ofwat chief Cathryn Ross.

And the challenges are legion: prices must fall and leaks must be reduced, says Ross. The equivalent of 1,250 Olympic-size swimming pools is leaking per day from the network in England and Wales.

‘This sector right now is at a pivotal point,’ says Ross. ‘If you think about the challenges – population change, climate...' read on.

Using treated sewage water to clean trains, railway station

To clean one train, it takes 20,000 liters of water!

Rush Lane 2 May 2016: "Over two lakh liters of fresh water is being used every day to clean 20 trains in Chennai alone. With Indian Railways cleaning hundreds of trains every day, crores of liters of fresh water is being wasted on a daily basis. But, cleaning trains is equally important. So how to clean trains without wasting fresh water? Well, Chennai has an answer.

Basin Bridge Train Care Center is supplying treated sewage water to the Chennai Central Railway Station as they embark on a new strategy to save water. Main pipelines are laid for the transportation of water while branch carries the water to all platforms. This drastically reduces the amount of fresh water being used to..." read on.

Indian Railways comes up with a noble solution to save water

Business Insider India 24 April 2016: To cope up the drought situation slowly gripping the country, Indian Railway has decided to set up automatic coach washing plants at 10 major depots to save water required for cleaning trains.

ACWP will be equipped with an effluent treatment system and water softening plant for recycling water used for cleaning trains and platforms. There are 23 railway depots out of which we will set up modern washing plants with added facilities for treatment of water for reuse at 10 at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in execution of green initiatives of the national...read on.

Lifting weight of water off women

Bethany Caruso:  Females must carry as much as 50kg daily for each family member for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

NZ Herald 28 March 2016: Imagine going through your day without ready access to clean water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing. Around the world, 663 million people face that challenge every day. They get their water from sources considered unsafe because they are vulnerable to contamination, such as rivers, unprotected wells, streams and ponds. And the task of providing household water falls disproportionately to women and girls.

Water, a human right, is critical for human survival and development. A sufficient supply of biologically and chemically safe water is necessary for drinking and personal hygiene to prevent diarrhoeal diseases, trachoma, intestinal...read on.

Thirsty Cities Need Smart Solutions Like Water Reclamation

The New Indian Express 27 March 2016: This week, across cities, conscientious Indians did not use water to celebrate Holi. The unprecedented water crisis compelled the shift in social practices. Essentially, necessity acquired the cloak of virtue.

The magnitude of the crisis of thirst is illustrated by headlines from across the country. In Hyderabad, residents took away a 5,000-litre water tanker of the HMWSSB. Authorities in Latur imposed Section 144 to avoid water riots. Kochi plans to introduce permit raj to ensure water quality supplied by tankers. Navi Mumbai residents are agitated about tanker operators siphoning from pipelines for sale to housing societies. In Gurgaon, authorities warned use of water for car wash or gardens could result in FIRs. Aggrieved women in Dhenkanal, Odisha, forced engineers out of office to check tube wells. Residents of...read on.

Water for Life: For first time in Egypt, UNICEF uses click-funding to seek higher donations for its campaign

The ultimate dream for more than 7 million people in Egypt is to have clean accessible water to use and drink, a dream that UNICEF Egypt is trying to achieve

Daily News Egypt 21 February 2016: When magicians perform a show, they usually impress the children watching by  pulling a rabbit from a top hat, revealing a dove from their clasped hands, or drawing a never ending handkerchief out of their pocket. But for some children, all it would take to make them happy is to find clean, drinkable water pouring from their taps.

The ultimate dream for more than 7 million people in Egypt is to have clean accessible water to use and drink, a dream that UNICEF Egypt is trying to achieve. For the first time in Egypt, UNICEF started using click- funding in its campaign “Water for Life”. The initiative aims to provide access to safe drinking water for the poorest families in Egypt, to protect tens of thousands of...read on.

66% Of World’s Population Faces Severe Water Scarcity [STUDY]

Value Walk 17 February 2016: As many as 4 billion people from across the globe face severe water scarcity. According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the population growth is increasingly putting pressure on freshwater supply. Some past studies have suggested that between 25% and 40% of the global population face water scarcity. But the new study reveals that the situation is even worse.


Some African countries face year-round water shortage
Scientists led by Arjen Y. Hoekstra of the University of Twente in the Netherlands used computer modeling to study the growing shortage of fresh water. Population growth, changing consumption patterns, improved living standards, and the expansion of irrigation in agriculture are collectively responsible for the shortage. The study focused on how the supply of fresh surface water and...read on.

In Mexico's thirsty capital, a renewed focus on recycled rainwater

The Christian Science Monitor 16 February 2016: Yugüelito, Mexico — When Mexico City suspended water services last month to more than five million residents, it was another sign of how acute the situation has become in this metropolis of roughly 20 million. Those who could leave town did; others had to go without water for more than a week while city engineers repaired some of the city's pipes.

Built by Spanish colonialists on top of drained lake beds, Mexico City is sinking, in some places by as much as 8 inches a year. The taps often run dry. In summer come the floods. And its creaky system of water pipes, pumps, and plants loses 40 percent of water in transit.

And as the population grows and the city pumps more ground water, the broad valley on which the city is built will sink...read on.

Navy, Water Department Wary of Massive Fish Farm Project

File photo by Sam Hodgson

Voice of San Diego 8 February 2016: The backers of a massive fish farm off the coast of San Diego are starting to get a sense of all the hurdles they’ll need to overcome to pull the project off.

The city’s water department is afraid pollution from the fish farm could trigger a regulatory chain reaction that could cost city water customers $2 billion.

The Navy worries that cages of fish five miles off the coast could interfere with its operations. Those operations or debris from them could accidentally drift into the cages, the Navy warned in a recent letter.

The agencies’ concerns challenge the project’s backers, the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, a nonprofit, and Cuna del Mar, a private equity firm. Their plan to raise 11 million pounds of fish offshore is the most ambitious aquaculture project of its kind in the United States.
Supporters say fish farming is one way to guarantee a sustainable source of...read on.

White House launches "Moonshot" Effort on Water, Promoting Recycling and Market Forces

S&W Environmental & Natural Resources Law Blog 16 December 2015: The White House has released a new report, “Water Resource Challenges and Opportunities for Water Technology Innovation” (December 2015).  The report describes a strategy of promoting innovation in the water sector, described as a “moonshot” effort.

The report includes a notable emphasis on market forces, especially in the West, stating (page 5) that:

"The Administration will also work to facilitate market mechanisms that enable water management flexibility and create incentives for investment in water efficiency. In particular, through the new Natural Resource Investment Center at the DOI, the Administration will encourage the development of water exchange and transfer in the western United States. By opening up regional water markets, establishing water banks, and facilitating exchange through Federal water assets, the Department of the Interior will begin laying the foundations for a broader voluntary water market that has, and will continue to drive, additional investment in conservation technologies.”

Citing a recent EPA report, the new report notes three areas for innovation (pages 7 to 8):

• New technologies
• New management approaches, especially regional coordination
• Increasing efficiency through use of existing technology such as sensors and controls

The report also discusses (pages 10-11) desalination opportunities (both sweater and brackish groundwater) as well as water recycling or reuse, noting that “[b]eyond desalination, water reuse can provide additional benefit, including water conservation opportunities for areas with limited water resources.”

Lastly, the report also notes the need to reduce “soft costs”, such as delays in permitting and environmental reviews, in order to promote such projects.
- read on for more.

WHO International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies

Publication: Results of Round 1

WHO 2016 - Overview: In 2014, WHO established the International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies. The Scheme aims to consistently and independently evaluate the performance of household water treatment (HWT) technologies against WHO performance recommendations.

This Round I Report of the Scheme is the first ever global assessment of HWT performance, and details the results from a range of HWT technologies including solar, chemical, filtration and ultraviolet (UV). It highlights that of the ten HWT products evaluated, eight were found to meet WHO performance recommendations. The report also recommends specific actions at the national level needed to ensure that health gains from HWT are realized, including strengthening regulation and evaluation of HWT technologies and improving monitoring of use.

Go to WHO website to download the publication.

In a warming world, more rain can mean less water

Countries 'may need to prepare for a world where the snow reservoir no longer exists,' researchers say, highlighting the challenges of both too much water and not enough. 

The Christian Science Monitor 16 November 2015: As California enters its fifth year of severe drought, and as the state pumps more and more groundwater up to the surface, Central Valley farmers watch their fields literally sinking.

They may not think they share much in common with rice growers in Bangladesh, or Sherpas in Tibet, but they are united by one common phenomenon: mountain snowmelt.

In a study published in Environmental Research Letters on Thursday, a team led by Columbia postdoctoral fellow Dr. Justin Mankin predicts just how, and how much, regions around the world will feel the impact of changing snowmelt as global warming frequently turns snow into...read on.

Greywater systems: can they really reduce your bills?

The Guardian: Greywater recycling systems collect the water you’ve used in your sinks, dishwashers, showers and baths, and then clean it up and plumb it straight back into your toilet, washing machine and outside tap.

A system like this can reduce your water usage by about 50% so, if you switch to a water meter, you could potentially halve your water bills as well as reducing your water footprint.

Sounds like a neat way to address the problem of water shortages, doesn’t it? Then why isn’t everyone doing it? How much do these systems cost, how do they work in practice and which one should you get?...read on.

Out of the lab and into refugee camps: STEM and humanitarian aid

The Guardian 13 November 2015: Here in the northern hemisphere the days have become shorter, and the wind colder. Winter is coming, and with it fresh threats to those in the overcrowded refugee camps at Calais, in Greece and elsewhere in Europe. On the streets of our towns and cities, the homeless will face increased challenges from the cold and seasonal illness. And of course, these issues are not isolated to cold-weather climes. Disease, overcrowding, lack of hygiene, lack of shelter: these are the problems that shape the response to homelessness and humanitarian crises worldwide.

Here in London, I’ve been bundling together old warm clothes, coats and jackets to send to Calais and the Wrap Up London appeal, my horror at my ow...read on.

Declining snowpacks may cut many nations' water

Science Codex 12 November 2015: Gradual melting of winter snow helps feed water to farms, cities and ecosystems across much of the world, but this resource may soon be critically imperiled. In a new study, scientists have identified snow-dependent drainage basins across the northern hemisphere currently serving 2 billion people that run the risk of declining supplies in the coming century. The basins take in large parts of the American West, southern Europe, the Mideast and central Asia. They range from productive U.S. farm land to war-torn regions already in the grip of long-term water shortages.

Snow is an important seasonal water source mainly around large mountain chains. From higher elevations, snowmelt runs gradually into the lowlands during spring and summer growing seasons, when human demand peaks. But global warming is upsetting this convenient balance. Studies show that in many areas, more winter precipitation is falling as rain, not snow, and washing away...read on.

How flushing your toilet is helping to power homes in Milton Keynes

Anglian Water scheme helps to power thousands of homes in Milton Keynes

oneMK 30 October 2015: Every flush of your toilet is helping to power homes in Milton Keynes following a multi-million pound investment from Anglian Water.

During the past year the Cotton Valley Water Recycling Centre at Milton Keynes produced enough electricity to power 18,180 homes for a month – the equivalent of a town the size of Bletchley.

The power is produced from the treatment of sewage sludge, a by-product of the water recycling process. The sludge is treated in specialised vessels, a process known as anaerobic digestion, to high temperatures to kill off harmful bacteria meaning what’s left behind can then be used as a soil conditioner in...read on.

Water is the Most Challenging Issue of Our Times

SC Times 25 September 2015: By Lew Avera. "As we all know, we are in the grips of the worst drought of our time. We are now hearing of the expected “EL Niño” rainfall and the suggestion that it could be the answer to our water problems.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it will do very little and worst of all a simple, immediate and desired solution to the drought may be well beyond our control.

I am writing this edition of Views as a matter of real interest to most of us and as a person who has extensive knowledge and experience in the subject of our water supply.

In 2004 and 2005 during the years I served on our Orange County Grand Jury I had the opportunity to travel all over California with the water agencies to view and understand in detail our water supply, where it comes from and how it gets to us. Probably the most important variable is our climate; however, all the variables we hear about are important—amount and location of precipitation annually, geography, population distribution, economic" ...read on.