BLUE DIGEST 03-07-2025

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: Africa, Amazonia, Cholera, CocaCola, France, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Palestine, PFAS, Plastics, Publication, Right2Water, SouthAfrica, UK, UN, US, Vanuatu, WASH, WaterCrisis, Zimbabwe

South Africa: Plans Are Underway to Establish a Single Water Resource Agency

The Department of Water and Sanitation is making headway in establishing the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA), which it aims to establish by April 2026. The Department of Water and Sanitation briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on progress in establishing the agency.
“While we acknowledge the value proposition offered by rationalisation of various entities within the DWS to a single entity to ensure effective development and maintenance of the country’s water infrastructure, it is important that risk mitigation procedures are built into the system to ensure efficiency and success. Effective operation of assets and ensuring revenue collection through water sales is critical to ensure the sustainability of the entity,” said Mr Leon Basson, the Chairperson of the committee.

Read Parliament of the Republic of South Africa / Tags: SouthAfrica

Read also: Media Statement: Committee Welcomes Progress Report on Establishment of NWRIA but Calls for Diligence in Mitigating Risks

Zimbabwe: Southern Africa faces water, energy crisis

The Southern Africa region is at a critical juncture, facing pressing water and energy challenges as a result of climate change.
Energy and Power Development permanent secretary Gloria Magombo highlighted the significance of these resources during the ongoing 43rd joint meeting of Sadc ministers responsible for Energy and Water being held in Harare.
Magombo described the gathering as “a clarion call to action” amid a “triple crisis” of rapid population growth, rising energy and water demand and intensifying climate change impacts.

Read NewsDay / Tags: Africa – Zimbabwe

France’s largest tap water ban exposes widespread PFAS pollution risk across Europe

About 60,000 people in the Saint-Louis area of France, including infants and pregnant women, have been ordered to stop using tap water due to PFAS contamination traced to decades of firefighting foam use at a nearby airport.
Authorities detected PFAS levels in the water at four times the soon-to-be-enforced EU safety limit, but contamination was first identified as early as 2017, prompting accusations of government inaction and public mistrust.
Researchers warn that the Saint-Louis case may signal similar crises across Europe, with over 2,300 sites already exceeding upcoming PFAS limits and potential health and ecological impacts not yet fully assessed.

Read EHN – Environmental Health News / Tags: France – PFAS

US: Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.

Growing up in Chicago, Chakena D. Perry knew not to trust the water coming out of her tap.
“It was just one of these unspoken truths within households like mine — low-income, Black households — that there was some sort of distrust with the water,” said Perry, who later learned that Chicago is the city with the most lead service lines in the country. “No one really talked about it, but we never used our tap for just regular drinking.”

Read GreatLakesNow / Tags: US

Read also: Flint Completes Required Lead Pipe Replacements. Michigan has replaced the majority of lead water service lines in Flint, but millions still remain across the country. Inside Climate News.

US: Wastewater Treatment Plants Channel ‘Forever Chemicals’ Into Waterways Nationwide

A study by the Waterkeeper Alliance documented elevated PFAS concentrations downstream of wastewater treatment facilities and fields treated with biosolids in 19 states. Unregulated discharge from industry sources are to blame, the group says.
Harmful “forever chemicals” flow from wastewater treatment plants into surface water across the U.S., according to a new report by a clean-water advocacy group.

Read Inside Climate News / Tags: US – PFAS

US: Thirsty detainees forced to drink from toilet water at Los Angeles immigration center

At a Los Angeles immigration center, families endure hours-long waits seeking news of detained loved ones amid aggressive ICE raids. Detainees report squalid conditions, while confusion, heartbreak, and fear mount among relatives outside, desperate for answers and humane treatment.

Read Telagana Today / Tags: US

Recent droughts are ‘slow-moving global catastrophe’ – UN report

From Somalia to mainland Europe, the past two years have seen some of the most ravaging droughts in recorded history, made worse by climate change, according to a UN-backed report.
Describing drought as a “silent killer” which “creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion” the report said it had exacerbated issues like poverty and ecosystem collapse.
The report highlighted impacts in Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America and Southeast Asia, including an estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia facing crisis-level food insecurity at the beginning of this year.

Read BBC / Tags: UN – WaterCrisis

Droughts increasingly hitting global supply chains

A drought spell today carries an economic cost at least twice as high as in 2000.
Countries need to be better prepared to counter the effects of longer-lasting droughts, as climate change is draining water and land resources, a UN-backed study warns.
Research by the US National Drought Mitigation Center and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, with support from the International Drought Resilience Alliance, found that persistent droughts are having a negative effect on the production and distribution of food items.
The report analysed global drought hotspots between 2023 and 2025, looking at how they not only trigger hunger and poverty on the ground but also lead to wider supply chain bottlenecks.

Read Sustainable Views / Tags: WaterCrisis – UN – Publication

Italy: Water crisis on the Amalfi Coast: immediate reduction of supplies by Ausino

The Conference of Mayors of the Amalfi Coast announces that, with official communication received on 1 July 2025, the company Ausino SpA – Servizi Idrici Integrati has ordered an immediate reduction in water supplies for all municipalities on the Amalfi Coast.
The intervention was necessary following anomalous absorptions found in the external aqueduct serving the territory, which caused a significant drop in the accumulation level in the main reservoirs of Croce and Iaconti. The situation, according to what was reported by Ausino, risks compromising the balance of the entire aqueduct network if timely intervention is not done.

Read Il Quotidiano della Costiera / Tags: Italy  – WaterCrisis

UK: Company renews urgent plea to save water

A renewed urgent plea has been issued to residents to reduce water usage, with South East Water reporting nearly 700 million litres of water was used in a single day.
The company has asked customers to restrict water usage for “essential purposes only” which are drinking, washing and cooking.
Meanwhile, some customers have been asking the company to prioritise fixing water leaks.
The company said it supplied nearly one billion litres more water in the last two weeks compared with June 2022 – with Monday being the highest usage of 680 million litres in June.

Read BBC / Tags: UK – WaterCrisis

Lebanon: Right to water: ‘Everyone must pay for water in Lebanon.’

In an interview with L’Orient-Le Jour, researcher Roland Riachi answers questions on the ongoing challenges facing the management of the water sector in Lebanon and offers his recommendations.
The water sector in Lebanon, synonymous with poor national management, was the subject of a chapter in the 8th Arab Watch Report by the Arab Network of NGOs for Development (ANND). Focusing particularly on inequalities in access to this vital resource across the Arab world, the report was discussed at a consultation event held on Monday at the American University of Beirut (AUB), which was organised jointly by the ANND and the AUB’s Centre for Nature Conservation. Roland Riachi, the lead researcher on the report and author of the chapter on Lebanon, answered questions from L’Orient-Le Jour.

Read L’Orient – Le Jour (French, paywall) / Tags: Lebanon

Ireland: Quality of drinking water ‘remains high’, but long-term resilience not guaranteed

The quality of drinking water in Ireland ‘remains high’, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said, with over 99.8% of samples compliant with safety standards.
However, many of Ireland’s water supplies still lack ‘robust treatment to guarantee their long-term resilience’, the EPA said in its Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies Report 2024.
“Our public water quality remains very high,” commented Dr Micheál Lehane, EPA director. “This means that the public can remain confident that drinking water supplied to their homes is safe to drink.”

Read Sustainability Online / Tags: Ireland

In Gaza, summer heat amplifies the daily struggle to survive

The heat in Gaza has intensified hardships for its 2 million residents. Reduced water availability, crippled sanitation networks, and shrinking living spaces threaten to cause illnesses to cascade through communities, aid groups have long warned.
The scorching summer coincides with a lack of clean water for the majority of Gaza’s population, most of whom are displaced in tented communities. Many Palestinians in the enclave must walk long distances to fetch water and ration each drop, limiting their ability to wash and keep cool.

Read AP – Associated Press / Tags: Israel – Palestine – Right2Water

Also read: Gaza: Access to key water facility in Khan Younis disrupted, UN reports

Mexico: The government has announced more than 101 drinking water and drainage projects. Which states will benefit?

Currently, 21 projects are already underway, and 2.588 billion pesos will be spent on projects in 2025.
Over the next three years, the Mexican government will allocate more than 9 billion pesos to water infrastructure projects with the aim of addressing historical drinking water and flooding problems in ten municipalities in the State of Mexico.
In 2025 alone, 2.588 billion pesos will be invested in 101 drinking water and drainage projects, directly benefiting 6.4 million people.
During Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning conference, Efraín Morales López, the director general of the National Water Commission (Conagua), explained that these projects aim to reduce the risk of flooding during the rainy season and ensure a consistent supply of drinking water in areas experiencing shortages.

Read infobae (Spanish) / Tags: Mexico

US: Honolulu Water Agency Sues US Navy Over Red Hill Fuel Spill Damage

Guatemala : Rights group raises concerns over water crisis amid government inaction

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned in a new report released Wednesday of dire consequences from Guatemala’s water crisis, which it stressed endangers the health and fundamental rights of millions of Guatemalans, particularly Indigenous communities and women.
The 88-page report, titled “Without Water, We Are Nothing: The Urgent Need for a Water Law in Guatemala,” highlights how decades of government neglect, weak infrastructure, and a lack of legal framework have left nearly half the population without access to clean, reliable water. This is despite Guatemala being an upper-middle-income country with more freshwater per capita than the global average. In July 2023, the UN reported that 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, closing the gap would require a six-fold increase in global progress—an urgent challenge for countries with limited infrastructure and institutional strain.

Read JuristNews / Tags: Guatemala – Right2Water

Vanuatu: Safe Water, Safe Care: A New Era For Healthcare Facilities

The Government of Japan and UNICEF handover an additional 10 healthcare facilities with upgraded WASH infrastructure worth VUV 50 million to the Ministry of Health
In Shefa and Torba Provinces, more than 13,000 people, including 5,000 children, will now have access to 10 healthcare facilities equipped with clean, safe, and climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. This vital upgrade is expected to significantly improve health outcomes and strengthen the well-being of entire communities.
Funded by the Government of Japan* and implemented by UNICEF under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, this handover is in addition to 12 healthcare facilities that have already been upgraded with WASH facilities across Shefa and Torba Provinces as well as in Pentecost, Tanna, and Malekula.

Read Unicef / Tags: Vanuatu

UK: Half of sewage treatment works ‘cannot handle’ demand

More than half of Thames Water’s sewage treatment works are unable to deal with the volume of sewage they receive, campaigners have claimed.
Research conducted by the Oxford Rivers Improvement Campaign (ORIC) identified 181 treatment works that could not handle the amount of sewage arriving.
It said in some cases, such as Hanwell and Bourton-on-the-Water, facilities were treating less than half of the sewage received.
Thames Water said it was putting in a “record amount of investment” to address “ageing infrastructure” and meet the demands of population growth and climate change.

Read BBC / Tags: UK

South Africa: Coca-Cola hit with massive protest over harmful impacts of its operations — here’s what’s happening

The protest came at an important moment.
At the demonstration, organized by Greenpeace on World Environment Day, protesters displayed a massive bottle cap bearing the message “Cap It, Coke.”
The protesters voiced concerns about the amount of single-use plastics Coke produces for its consumer products.
For the sixth year running, the soda manufacturer ranked as the leading plastic polluter worldwide in Break Free From Plastic’s annual audit.
Hellen Kahaso Dena, a Greenpeace representative at the event, shared alarming statistics about the scale of plastic packaging the company uses. Speaking with reporters, she also challenged the company’s recycling initiatives.

Read tcd – The Cool Down / Tags: SouthAfrica – CocaCola – Plastics

South Africa: Managing Extremes. How Cities Are Tackling Water Crises

With about 464 millimeters of rainfall per year — less than half the global average — South Africa is one of the driest countries in the world. Its semi-arid climate, uneven rainfall distribution and persistent droughts leave the country facing chronic water shortages. At the same time, ecosystem degradation and climate change are causing increasingly frequent and intense flash floods.
Unlike tropical regions in Central and West Africa, where rainfall is relatively reliable, or parts of Eastern Africa with steady seasonal rains, South Africa must manage the growing demand on its limited water resources with extreme care: With high evaporation rates that sometimes exceed average annual rainfall, less than 9% of the country’s rainfall runs into rivers and less than 5% recharges groundwater aquifers. In its cities, rapid urbanization and industrial demand place additional pressure on already fragile water systems.

Read World Resources Institute / Tags: SouthAfrica – WaterCrisis

Africa’s battle against cholera: ‘It’s not just a health crisis’

The continent is combating cholera with basic measures such as providing clean water, rehydration points and vaccines where these are most needed.
Over 40 countries reported outbreaks last year alone, continuing a trend that resumed in 2021. Various studies peg the number of cholera cases at 1.3 to 4 million annually, with up to 143,000 deaths.
WHO warns that a billion people are at direct risk of contracting cholera, with endemicity being the highest in areas riddled with poverty, poor sanitation and climate-related disasters.

Read TRT Global / Tags: Africa – Cholera