Beijing Pursues Water Conservation, New Infrastructure As Drought Continues
Beijing's municipal government has worked out a five-year plan to guarantee the capital's water supply, especially during the 2008 Olympics, according to the city's water authority.
Bi Xiaogang, deputy head of Beijing Water Authority, said although Beijing is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years, the city still has adequate supplies of water.
Beijing is building a water transmission project linking the city's reservoirs to those in the neighboring province of Hebei. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2007 and will be able to supply water to the capital in the first quarter of 2008.
In emergency cases, the four large reservoirs in Hebei, each with a capacity of more than 300 million cubic meters, will supply Beijing with water, said Bi.
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Scientists Design Cheap, Effective Water Quality Test to Empower Communities
With an estimated 3 billion or more cases worldwide of waterborne disease caused by unsafe water supplies annually, scientists at a AAAS workshop presented the prototype of an inexpensive, easy-to-use water-quality diagnostic that allows communities in the developing world to monitor microbial contamination in their drinking water.
The diagnostic, being developed as part of the joint U.S.-E.U. initiative AQUATEST, will cost less than 10 U.S. cents and will estimate levels of E. coli, bacteria that indicate contamination with human and animal waste and the possible presence of harmful pathogens.
"In previous decades, there has been a greater emphasis on providing people in developing nations with reliable access to water than on the improving water quality," said Ranjiv Khush, principal at The Aquaya Institute, a partner in the AQUATEST initiative. "In recent years, epidemiological studies of simple, household-level water treatment measures have demonstrated that improving water quality, independent of increasing water supplies, also provides significant health benefits. Good, readily available water quality diagnostics are crucial for determining where to focus efforts on improving water quality."
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Africa: 'Extreme Marathon' Runners Cross Two Thirds of Sahara in UN Bid to Focus On Water Needs
Running the equivalent of two marathons a day in some of the harshest conditions on Earth, three young athletes have pounded approximately two thirds of their way across the Sahara Desert in a United Nations-backed bid to raise awareness of the burgeoning global water crisis.
Charlie Engle of the United States, Ray Zahab of Canada and Kevin Lin from Taiwan, province of China, crossed from Niger into Libya on Saturday, completing some 3,800 kilometres of their 6,437-kilometre-long extreme quest that is taking them from Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean to Cairo, UN Development Programme (UNDP) spokesperson Irena Mihova told the UN News Service today.
They expect to cross into Egypt on 13 February, reaching the Red Sea on 23 February before turning north to Cairo, in an awareness-raising odyssey that will be the subject of a feature documentary film, "Running the Sahara," directed by Oscar winner James Moll and narrated by another Oscar laureate, Matt Damon, executive producer, with UNDP as co-producer.
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Saudi Arabia Is Trying To Achieve World Class Water Utility Status
Saudi Arabia is engaged in achieving what is called 'World Class Water Utility' status whereby every citizen could have access to potable water, reasonably priced sanitation services, safe sewage systems and environmental and conservation assurances, according to Loay Ahmed Al Musallam, deputy minister of water and electricity.
"To achieve these goals, the Kingdom's water sector would require an investment of around $40 billion over the next two decades," he said.
It is estimated that 12 million cubic metres of water per day will be needed in the Kingdom by 2024. Enumerating the challenges faced by the government in the water sector, Al Musallam said the Kingdom has limited water resources but the consumption per capita is above 250 litres per day, one of the highest rates in the world.
For more information, please visit: Khaleej Times
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Water Plan To Be World Leader In Irrigation: Turnbull
The incoming Water Resources Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, says the Federal Government's new water plan will make Australia's irrigation systems the most efficient in the world.
Prime Minister John Howard has promised to spend $10 billion over 10 years fixing the nation's water crisis.
The plan includes the Federal Government taking control of the Murray-Darling Basin from the states.
Mr Turnbull says the new plan will make every drop of water count.
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