Every day the most important news on water and sanitation from around the world, compiled by the Blue Community Network, defending water as a common, public good and a human right.
Celebrating UNESCO’s water science legacy and shaping its future
Celebrating UNESCO’s water science legacy and shaping its futureThe year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and 60 years of UNESCO’s dedication to water sciences. Since its inception, UNESCO has contributed to advancing water research and management, addressing global water challenges through international cooperation and scientific excellence. The IHP, as UNESCO’s flagship water science programme, has played a pivotal role in fostering scientific knowledge, technical innovation, and education in water resources management.
“Where is our water?” protesters ask mayor. Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal shut down by protest
“Where is our water?” protesters ask mayor. Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal shut down by protestHundreds of people from rural villages took to the streets of Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, demanding water and better roads.
Protesters say they have endured years of empty promises from the government. They still share water with animals, their gravel roads leading to town are not maintained, and they experience frequent electricity outages.
Thokozile Mkhize, a pensioner, said she travelled from her village to hear “from the horse’s mouth, where is our water?”
Placards carried by the protesters read: “Drinking stinky water for many years – is that a right we vote for in South Africa?” and “We pay rates but have no water – that is a crime!”
Read GroundUp / Tags: SouthAfrica – Right2Water
UK: Warning over ‘dirty secret’ of toxic chemicals on farmers’ fields
UK: Warning over ‘dirty secret’ of toxic chemicals on farmers’ fieldsSuccessive governments have failed to deal with the threat posed by spreading sewage sludge containing toxic chemicals on farmers’ fields, a former chair of the Environment Agency has told the BBC.
About 3.5 million tonnes of sludge – the solid waste produced from human sewage at treatment plants – is put on fields every year as cheap fertiliser.
But campaigners have long warned about a lack of regulation and that sludge could be contaminated with cancer-linked chemicals, microplastics, and other industrial pollutants.
Emma Howard Boyd, who led the EA from 2016 to 2022, says the agency had been aware since 2017 that the sludge can be contaminated with substances, including ‘forever chemicals’.
Read BBC / Tags: UK – Microplastics – PFAS
Development banks to invest 3 billion euros in ocean plastics fight
Development banks to invest 3 billion euros in ocean plastics fightA group of development banks plans to invest at least 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) by the end of the decade in tackling plastic pollution in the sea, expanding the scope and financial firepower of what remains the world’s biggest effort to fix the growing problem.
The U.N. estimates that, on current trends, plastic waste entering the water could triple to up to 37 million metric tons per year by 2040, from around 11 million tons in 2021.
Read Reuters / Tags: Plastics
We wonder: Wouldn’t it be smarter to stop producing plastics and polluting the oceans? Cleaning up is fine, but we will never be able to clean as much as they are polluting.
Germany: The head of the water board said there was ‘a lot of wishful thinking at the political level’ on Elon Musk’s Tesla factory
Germany: The head of the water board said there was ‘a lot of wishful thinking at the political level’ on Elon Musk’s Tesla factoryAndré Bähler is the head of the water board that supplies the Gigafactory. He complains about the pressure from politicians and the water shortage.
André Bähler rarely gives interviews, yet he exudes the composure of a man who has nothing left to lose. He has already experienced too many battles and accusations. The 57-year-old is the head of the WSE water association in eastern Berlin, which supplies water to the only European Tesla Gigafactory, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Bähler is under attack from many sides: Some fear that he is making too many concessions to the Tesla Group at the largest industrial site to be developed in eastern Germany for decades. Others accuse him of being too critical of Elon Musk’s company.
Read Berliner Zeitung (German, Paywall) / Tags: Germany – Berlin
Survey: What Austrians think about the drinking water supply
Survey: What Austrians think about the drinking water supplyThe Austrian Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW) will present the results of an Austria-wide drinking water supply survey at the upcoming TRINK’WASSERTAG on 13 June.
The survey focuses on the population’s views on water quality, their knowledge of drinking water, and their perception of, and satisfaction with, the services provided by water suppliers. Conducted by Hoffmann & Forcher Marketing Research in March and April 2025, the survey was based on 1,000 telephone interviews and is commissioned by the ÖVGW every four years.
The survey shows a clear majority in favour of groundwater protection and against the privatisation of the drinking water supply: 89% are firmly against the privatisation of the drinking water supply, despite repeated discussions about possible liberalisation. “There is a clear result regarding liberalisation trends and possible privatisation in the water supply sector. 89% of respondents support the model of public, non-profit, regional water supply. No profits are made in a non-profit system. The revenue is reinvested in maintaining and expanding the infrastructure,’ says ÖVGW Vice President Nikolaus Sauer.
Read Vienna Online (German) / Tags: Austria – Privatisation – PublicWater
US: Miami’s Drinking Water Is Threatened by a Florida Nuclear Plant
US: Miami’s Drinking Water Is Threatened by a Florida Nuclear PlantA plume of super-salty water is seeping out of the aging Turkey Point plant and into a critical aquifer. A race is on to contain it.
Kazakhstan: New Water Code Sets Framework for Smarter Resource Use
Kazakhstan has introduced a new Water Code developed by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, aimed at enhancing water security and sustainable management of water resources across the country.
For the first time, the code defines “water security” as the protection of citizens and the economy from water shortages and pollution, including safeguarding transboundary water interests. It also introduces the concept of “ecological flow,” setting minimum water levels needed to maintain healthy ecosystems in rivers, lakes, and seas, reported the ministry’s press service on June 10.
The code mandates the creation of general and basin water management plans, which will guide state policies based on water availability forecasts and projections. Public participation is expanded through basin councils that can advise on water use limits and flood or drought response measures.
Read The Astana Times / Tags: Kazakhstan
The Effects of Climate Change on Groundwater Resources in the IGAD Region
The Effects of Climate Change on Groundwater Resources in the IGAD RegionGroundwater is the foundation of water security in the IGAD region (East African countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda), particularly in arid and semi-arid zones where surface water is increasingly unreliable. As climate change accelerates, groundwater has become both a lifeline and a point of vulnerability for millions of people. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and land degradation have disrupted natural recharge processes, placing unprecedented pressure on these invisible reserves.
Climate change is reshaping the water landscape in the Horn of Africa. It is not only reducing the reliability of rainfall but also altering the timing, intensity, and distribution of precipitation events. This leads to fewer opportunities for recharge, greater evaporation losses, and more frequent contamination of groundwater due to flash flooding and infrastructure failure.
Read IGAD / Tags: Djibouti – Eritrea – Ethiopia – Kenya – Somalia – SouthSudan – Sudan – Uganda
Central Asian countries partner on new programme to protect water, land, and livelihoods
Central Asian countries partner on new programme to protect water, land, and livelihoods“Water Strategy” — how the US is going to destabilize Central Asia
“Water Strategy” — how the US is going to destabilize Central AsiaThe idea of a “global water strategy” is, in fact, an application for hegemony, said Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs. According to him, Westerners want to use regional competition for natural resources in Central Asia for their own purposes.
The US Geological Survey is preparing a plan to attract contractors to study the water regime of rivers in Uzbekistan. Of particular interest is the Kashkadarya River, which is a key part of the local irrigation infrastructure. This interest fits into the “global water strategy for 2022-2027”, for which in 2022 the Biden administration allocated more than $ 1 billion through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal is “the need for rational and universal access to the use of the planet’s water resources.”
Read EurAsia Daily / Tags: CentralAsia – WaterConflicts
Hundreds die after flash floods tear through Nigerian market town
Hundreds die after flash floods tear through Nigerian market townAt least 200 people have been confirmed dead and 500 more remain missing after flash floods devastated a Nigerian market town, media reported.
Torrential rain started early on May 29, and within just a few hours caused intense flooding in the town of Mokwa, Niger state, a major trading hub for northern farmers selling beans, onions and other crops to southern traders. The town, with a population of 400,000, is 350 kilometers (about 220 miles) west of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Musa Kimboku, deputy chair of the local government, told the Associated Press that rescue operations have already stopped and those missing are presumed dead. The retrieval of bodies from beneath rubble is continuing in a bid to prevent disease outbreak, Kimboku added.
Read Mongabay / Tags: Nigeria
Thames Water bonus payments ‘obscene’
Thames Water bonus payments ‘obscene’Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said:
“Thames Water is sinking under a torrent of debt, fines, and pollution.
“It is obscene that the company think it’s acceptable to dish out £18 million in extras to twenty one senior managers.
“These payouts are a kick in the teeth to the frontline workers getting a 4% pay rise and the customers who’ve seen their bills hiked up by hundreds of pounds a year.
“Thames Water is laughing in the face of the Government and regulators’ freeze on bonuses – the only way to stop this is nationalisation.”
Read GMB Union / Tags: UK
