BLUE DIGEST 02-07-2025

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.

Today: Australia, BottledWater, France, Guatemala, India, Liberia, Mexico, MidEast, Nepal, PFAS, Publication, Right2Water, Spain, Uganda, Ukraine, WASH, WaterConflicts, WaterCrisis, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The coming water crisis

Having access to clean drinking water is no longer guaranteed. In the face of the growing scarcity of this resource, public authorities are planning ahead. However, according to Gaspard Koenig, water management should be decentralised, allowing citizens to devise local solutions.
Half a century ago, René Dumont — the first environmentalist to stand in a presidential election — drank ‘a glass of precious water’ on camera, warning that it would soon run out unless human society took better care of the environment. We have now reached that point. Almost every day, new information emerges about the contamination of groundwater by pesticide metabolites, microplastics, and persistent pollutants. The scandal involving mineral water companies, which allegedly used banned treatments, is only the tip of the iceberg of a staggering truth: pure water no longer exists. This is not just the case in France, but everywhere on the planet. A few years ago, a study by Stockholm University showed that even rainwater falling on the Tibetan plateau contained toxic synthetic products.

Read LesEchos (French, paywall) / Tags: WaterCrisis

Liberia: Deputy Finance Minister Urges Renewed Focus on DRM to Rescue WASH Sector

Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh G. Brunson, has issued a clarion call for increased domestic financing of national development programs, with a particular emphasis on the underfunded Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Speaking virtually on Monday during a high-level side event at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), Minister Brunson described Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) as “imperative, deeply practical, immediate, and vital,” especially as countries like Liberia face dwindling levels of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from major international partners such as USAID.

Read Daily Observer / Tags: Liberia – WASH

Decolonizing Indigenous Drinking Water Challenges and Implications: Focusing on Indigenous Water Governance and Sovereignty

Indigenous Peoples in Canada have shown great strength and resilience in maintaining their cultures and ways of life to date in the face of settler colonialism. Centering the Water crises within Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, we explore the impacts these crises have on community members. Particularly, the continuous failure of the Canadian government to end the Water crises in remote Indigenous communities, Star Blanket Cree Nation, is investigated in this paper. What implications have these Water governance gaps had on Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination? We adopted an Indigenist theoretical framework to guide the study. Additionally, a community-based participatory research approach was adopted. To achieve our research goals of investigating the implications of the current Water crises for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, specific methods of sharing circles were used to gather knowledge from community members, Elders, and knowledge keepers. The research findings strongly highlight the strength and resilience shown by remote Indigenous communities in the face of the current Water crises and continuous government failure. Solving the current Water crises will involve remote Indigenous communities taking charge of their own Water governance through Indigenous-led Water governance systems. Additionally, taking steps to rebuild trust through genuine reconciliation will be key. Therefore, listening to remote Indigenous communities and taking collaborative action are fundamental.

Read mdpi / Tags: Publication

Spain: According to environmentalists, there are eight water conflicts in the region.

Five of these are related to agricultural overexploitation.
Ecologistas en Acción has identified eight water-related conflicts affecting the Region of Murcia. Five of these are related to agricultural overexploitation, two to infrastructure and morphological alterations, and one to nitrate pollution.
One of the conflicts highlighted by the environmental organisation relates to the Tajo-Segura water transfer project and its numerous environmental and social impacts on the Segura river basin.

Read La Opinion de Murcia (Spanish) / Tags: Spain – WaterCrisis

Is bottled or tap water healthier for us? Find out on France 5.

Tap water or mineral water: which is better? The programme Enquête de Santé (Health Investigation), broadcast on Tuesday on France 5, offers a special evening dedicated to water, an essential element for our survival. The documentary ‘When Water Causes Trouble’, shown before a debate, brilliantly demonstrates that not everything flows smoothly from the source!

Read ouest france (French) / Tags: France – BottledWater

Zambia-Uganda Partnership Strengthens Water Utility Leadership in Africa, to Boost Performance and Accountability in the Sector

The training, conducted in a hybrid format, is part of a broader drive under The Partnership, a component of The Projected training framework that aims to fuel performance-driven leadership.
In a major boost to Africa’s drive for stronger water utility performance and operational resilience, the Nkana Water and Sanitation Company (NWSC-Zambia) and Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC-Uganda) convened a four-day operations training workshop from June 17th to 20th, 2025.
The initiative is part of the EU-funded Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOP) project, “Strengthening Equitable Water and Sanitation Services Provision in Nkana Water (SEWATSAN),” implemented by NWSC–Uganda under the oversight of GWOPA and UN-Habitat.

Read The Investigator / Tags: Uganda – Zambia

Global water wars: Who’s at risk and could Ukraine be next?

From Africa to Asia, countries are already fighting over rivers, dams, and access to freshwater. As the world faces growing water scarcity and more frequent droughts, tensions are rising. What does this mean for global security and for Ukraine, where Russia has already weaponized water? RBC-Ukraine explores the issue.(…)
Ukraine’s water crisis has direct global implications, particularly for Africa and the Middle East. Irrigation systems fed by the Kakhovka Reservoir once provided water to about 584,000 hectares of farmland. In 2021, these fields produced 4 million tons of grain and oilseeds, much of which was destined for export. But after the dam was destroyed, irrigation virtually ceased. Crop yields are now entirely dependent on rainfall.

Read RBC Ukraine / Tags: Ukraine – WaterConflicts

India: The River Parliament. A Sacred Confluence Speaks Out

Good day and night, friends! Recently, I was a lucky observer of what was surely the first ever gathering of this kind, at least in living memory. South Asia’s rivers came together to discuss the various issues they are facing, and work out strategies to deal with them. Each was represented by a tightly bound set of water drops that travelled to the meeting place courtesy some obliging clouds. The confluence was hosted by the Narmada in central India, a respected elder, being kind of equidistant for rivers across the region.

Read Dark’n’Light / Tags: India

The Gulf’s water crisis: Why cooperation is crucial — and complicated

On June 19, false reports of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant sparked alarm across the Gulf. Though denied by Israeli officials, the claim traces back to a warning from Qatar’s prime minister of a potential catastrophe in the event of nuclear contamination — no water, no food, no life — due to the Gulf’s reliance on desalinated seawater. Gulf governments moved quickly to reassure the public that no radiation had been detected, but the episode underscored the region’s growing sense of vulnerability. A regional approach to water security could help to mitigate such risks.

Read Middle East Institute / Tags: MidEast – WaterConflicts

Weathering Risk: Climate, Peace and Environmental Resilience in the Asia-Pacific Region

From rising sea levels to intensifying competition over natural resources, climate change is posing critical threats to peace, stability and development across the Asia-Pacific region. Despite increasing climate-related security risks, international discussions have often overlooked the region’s experiences and expertise. This report seeks to address that gap.
Home to approximately 60 per cent of the global population, the Asia-Pacific region faces some of the most diverse and complex climate-related security risks globally. Regional cooperation will be essential to avert the worst impacts of the crisis on populations. In addition, tackling shared risks in solidarity provides a key opportunity to enhance the Asia-Pacific region’s collective strength.

Read reliefweb / Tags: Publication

‘Even if we stop drinking we will be exposed’: A French region has banned tap water. Is it a warning for the rest of Europe?

Forever chemicals have polluted the water supply of 60,000 people, threatening human health, wildlife and the wider ecosystem. But activists say this is just the tip of the Pfas iceberg
One quiet Saturday night, Sandra Wiedemann was curled up on the sofa when a story broke on TV news: the water coming from her tap could be poisoning her. The 36-year-old, who is breastfeeding her six-month-old son Côme, lives in the quiet French commune of Buschwiller in Saint-Louis, near the Swiss city of Basel. Perched on a hill not far from the Swiss and German borders, it feels like a safe place to raise a child – spacious houses are surrounded by manicured gardens, framed by the wild Jura mountains.

Read The Guardian / Tags: France – PFAS

Safeguarding Our Drinking Water Supply

What’s in your drinking water? Research Scientist Shimon Anisfeld discusses how dangerous chemicals are an increasing threat and what can be done to protect the water coming from your tap.
When Shimon Anisfeld turns on his tap to get a glass of water, he often thinks about how far we’ve come in creating a safe water supply — and also about the emerging threats facing our water systems. Anisfeld, a senior lecturer and research scientist in water resources, who recently authored the book “Water Management: Prioritizing Justice and Sustainability,” says our drinking water is safer than ever, but we need to pay more attention to chemical contamination if we want to make sure it stays that way.

Read Yale School of the Environment / Tags: Publication

PM Oli urges development partners to continue supports in WASH

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that waterborne diseases remain a major public health crisis in many countries and to meet the goal of universal WASH coverage by 2030, we must accelerate progress—by as much as six-fold.
“This demands not only commitment, but collective action. We must work together to build a world where clean water, safe sanitation, and hygiene are guaranteed rights—not distant dreams.”

Read The Rising Nepal / Tags: Nepal – WASH

Water is a universal language and water scarcity also has same language: Nimal Raghavan

The water conservationist says Africa understands sustainability better than India, despite facing the same challenges.
Nimal Raghavan speaks from experience. The 36-year-old has worked in the parched villages of Tamil Nadu and the drought-stricken communities of Kenya, where locals call him “Wa Muva”—Son of Rain. In both places, he’s seen the same problem: not a lack of water, but a lack of understanding about how to keep it. That difference has defined his work. In Kenya, communities monitor and maintain the water bodies he restores. In India, he returns to find the same lakes polluted again, the same channels clogged with waste.

Read Frontline The Hindu / Tags: India – WaterCrisis

Mexico: Renacimiento Maya (Mayan Renaissance) Brings Drinking Water to Tekax Communities with International Support

With backing from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and the Mexican government, the state government is allocating resources to provide ten Tekax communities with quality drinking water, benefiting over 1,000 families.
Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena launched and is supervising the international ‘Water Cooperation’ programme, which is being implemented through a partnership between the state and federal governments and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Díaz Mena noted that this initiative will improve access to drinking water in the communities of San Antonio Tuk, Houitz, Chacmultún, San Salvador, Chan Dzinup, San Juan, Candelaria, Becanchén, Pocoboch and Kinil.

Read Yucatan / Tags: Mexico

Australia: Climatologists warn higher June rainfall not enough to break Victorian drought

After 15 months of below-average rainfall, drought-stricken south-west Victoria has had a wetter-than-usual June.
While the rain is welcome, cold weather means fodder is not likely to grow any time soon.
Climatologists say the rainfall outlook for the next three months is below average for some parts of south-west Victoria.

Read ABC News / Tags: Australia – WaterCrisis

Zimbabwe: No Water From the Tap. They’re Asked to Pay a Tax Anyway.

With Chinese bank loans overdue, Harare charges residents for major upgrades that were never completed.
The cholera outbreak that swept through Zimbabwe in 2008-2009 killed more than 4,000 people and sickened nearly 100,000. Parts of Harare and its surrounding suburbs were especially hard hit, and in the aftermath, attention fell on the unreliability of the capital city’s aging infrastructure. The government ultimately secured a US$144 million loan from China Exim Bank to overhaul the city’s water treatment network.
The promised upgrades never came, but now, the city wants ratepayers to foot the bill with a water levy introduced in March.

Read Global Press Journal / Tags: Zimbabwe

Guatemala: Water Law Urgently Needed

Inadequate Access to Water, Sanitation; Indigenous People Especially Affected.
Widespread lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation puts the health and other rights of millions of Guatemalans, especially Indigenous people and women, at risk.
Guatemala is an upper-middle-income country, yet a significant portion of its population is forced to live without access to something as basic as clean water.
Guatemalan authorities should pass a water law that guarantees the human rights to water and sanitation.

Read and see Human Rights Watch / Tags: Guatemala – Right2Water