The Nestlé water scandal: UFC-Que Choisir files a complaint against the food giant and several ministers.

In a press release, the consumer association announced that it was lodging two complaints against Nestlé, following revelations about the illegal microfiltration of Perrier water and suspicions of a cover-up by the state. This follows the scandal surrounding the illegal filtering of several mineral waters, including Perrier, during the bottling process. UFC-Que Choisir says that the complaint was also prompted by the publication of the Senate committee’s report, which states that ‘the State deliberately concealed Nestlé’s large-scale fraud’.

Read franceinfo (French) / Tags: Nestle – France 

France: Map showing all the drinking fountains in the Lyon metropolitan area.

With the return of warm weather, staying hydrated is essential. But how can you find out where your nearest drinking water fountain is? The French city of Lyon Capitale has compiled a list of all the fountains available in the Lyon metropolitan area.
There are 792 fountains in the area, including 539 in Lyon itself. June has just begun, but the heat is already upon us in the Rhône. It’s therefore important to stay well hydrated, but people often don’t know where to find water fountains. Lyon Capitale uses data from Greater Lyon to show you where most of these drinking water points are located on a map.

Read Lyon Capitale (French) / Tags: France – PublicWater

Nicaragua: Drinking water coverage now stands at 95 percent.

According to Alina Lagos, the executive vice-president of the Nicaraguan Water and Sewage Company (Enacal), drinking water coverage in Nicaragua has now reached 95 percent nationwide.
In an interview with the Informe Pastrán bulletin, Lagos highlighted this figure as a significant improvement in the sector, considering that the coverage of drinking water was only 65 percent before the Sandinista government came to power in 2007.
Lagos emphasised that this achievement is thanks to the executive branch’s vision and commitment to restoring the right to water and sanitation to Nicaraguan families.

Read ElPais.cr (Spanish) / Tags: Nicaragua

Burkina Faso/Water resources management: In Ziga, the IWRM generation is tracing the first furrows of water awareness

Under an already relentless sun heralding the rainy season, the courtyard of Ziga’s departmental high school was transformed on this particular morning into a meeting place: some 100 students from three schools gathered to form the first multi-school “Integrated Water Resources Management” (IWRM) cell. The initiative, spearheaded by Burkina Faso’s National Youth Parliament for Water (PNJBE) and supported by the Belgian Cooperation Agency (ENABEL) within the framework of the Sahel Climate Thematic Portfolio, is part of the drive to turn Ziga’s humble middle and high school students into true relays, guarantors of a measured and respectful use of the “blue gold” that thrives beneath their feet.

Read Jumelages & Partenariats / Tags: BurkinaFaso

Mexico: Juan Carlos Loera presents a report on the alleged overexploitation of aquifers in Chihuahua.

The report reveals the alleged overexploitation of aquifers for agricultural purposes and possible corruption in their management.
During a private meeting held south of the capital, Senator Loera handed Efraín Morales, the director general of the National Water Commission (Conagua), a technical report documenting the critical overexploitation of aquifers in the state of Chihuahua. The legislator attributes this phenomenon to possible corruption by former Conagua officials during Enrique Peña Nieto’s six-year term.
The 19 May document includes graphic evidence, documentary records, and comparative tables showing a sustained increase in the agricultural area under irrigation over the last two decades, particularly in areas subject to closure. According to the report, between 2003 and 2023, irrigated land under cultivation increased from 367,000 to 674,000 hectares in a context of prolonged drought and notable expansion of perennial crops with high water consumption.

Read El Heraldo (Spanish) / Tags: Mexico – WaterCrisis

European Commission launches strategy to enhance water security for people, economy and environment

The Commission adopted the European Water Resilience Strategy aiming at restoring and protecting the water cycle, securing clean and affordable water for all and creating a sustainable, resilient, smart and competitive water-economy in Europe.
This comprehensive strategy will support Member States in managing water more efficiently, both through implementation of current EU water legislation and through over 30 actions. Member States, regions and municipalities, but also citizens and businesses, are the key actors of water resilience.

Read European Commission / Tags: Europe

Toxic pesticide levels found in tampons 40 times higher than legal limit for water

Toxic pesticide levels have been found in tampons at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water.
Traces of glyphosate, a pesticide linked to cancer, has been found at very high levels in menstrual products, according to a report by the Pesticide Action Network UK (Pan UK), the Women’s Environmental Network and the Pesticide Collaboration.
This is concerning, according to the authors, because chemicals absorbed through the vagina directly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the body’s detoxification systems. This means even small traces of chemicals in direct contact with the vagina could cause health risks.

Read The Guardian / Tags: UK

South Asia’s Rivals Are Weaponizing Water for Geopolitical Gain

India’s recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, alongside China’s growing dominance over regional water resources and infrastructure, has heightened tensions in South Asia, one of the world’s most water-stressed regions. Those geopolitical strains are exacerbated by the effects of climate change, which have altered weather patterns in an area that is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population.
Most of those inhabitants depend heavily on rivers fed by the mountains of the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan system. Those ranges are collectively known as the world’s “Third Pole” for their vast frozen reserves of glaciers, which are second only to the Arctic and Antarctic. But their glaciers are vanishing, with downstream implications for the rivers they feed.

Read WPR – World Politics Review / Tags: India – Pakistan – WaterConflicts

US: AI-driven data centers are growing in the drought-stricken Mountain West, analysis finds

A new analysis shows more than two-thirds of data centers built – or in development – since 2022 are in drought-prone areas, including parts of the Mountain West. Experts warn this could strain water supplies for cities and farmers.
Data centers, which power AI tools and cloud services, use massive amounts of water to cool servers so they don’t overheat. An average-sized data center uses about 2 million liters of water per day, roughly the same amount as 6,500 households, according to an April report from the International Energy Agency.

Read Nevada Public Radio / Tags: WaterCrisis – US

Scientists find PFAS chemicals in 95% of US beers: Discover what you’re really drinking

The slogan “Save water, drink beer” is not only stupid, as it takes around 5 liters of water to brew one liter of beer, and up to 300 liters if you include the  water needed to grow the grain etc. The slogan can also do harm:

A new study has revealed that PFAS chemicals, also known as ‘forever chemicals,’ are present in 95% of tested beers brewed across the United States.
These human-made compounds, notorious for their persistence in the environment and potential health risks, are increasingly showing up in unexpected places –  including your favourite pint.
The research found a strong correlation between PFAS levels in local water supplies and the beers brewed with that water.
As concerns grow over widespread PFAS contamination, the findings suggest yet another everyday product being quietly affected by environmental pollution.

Read Innovation News Network / Tags:

South Africa: SIU finds work paid for but not done on critical water infrastructure

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is pursuing civil litigation to set aside and recover all payments made for a contract involving repairs to a critical pump station, and the design, supply, and installation of a water treatment plant in Mpumalanga.
The Grootfontein pump station is critical to supply water via a wider dam system to numerous power stations, while Grootdraai pumps water from the Grootdraai dam near Standerton.
The SIU updated Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts of findings on five active investigations in the water sector on Wednesday. SIU chief national investigations officer Zodwa Xesibe told the committee that Constitutional procurement obligations had been violated.

Read GroundUp / Tags: SouthAfrica