Today: Africa, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, France, Israel, Kenya, Palestine, PFAS, Philippines, Plastics, PublicWater, Right2Water, SouthAfrica, UK, US.
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.
South Africa: Faith leaders call on Minister Dion George to back plan to reduce plastic production
African environment ministers meet in Kenya next week for the 20th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment. Our plea to Minister Dion George is to join other African nations who are calling for a reduction in plastic production.
In March 2022, a conference room in Nairobi erupted with a standing ovation, tears and embraces: the United Nations Environmental Assembly – 175 countries – had agreed on a resolution to “end plastic pollution”, forging a legally binding treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastic, reducing production, consumption and pollution.
GroundUp / Plastics – Africa – Kenya – SouthAfrica
No life without water: How Israel’s actions in Gaza echo past genocides
Of all the many forms of deprivation imposed on Palestinians, Israel’s strategic control and denial of water stand out as particularly insidious. Taken alongside the denial of entry of life-saving aid, dismantlement of medical services, and imposed hunger, Israel’s long-term disruption of water services in Gaza redefines the limits of acceptable suffering of civilians. This weaponization of water echoes historical genocides and threatens to normalize violations of humanitarian standards.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists / Israel – Palestine – Right2Water
UK: Scottish households urged to cut water use as climate crisis limits supplies
Scottish Water boss says average Scot uses 40% more water than people in Yorkshire partly due to mistaken belief water is abundant in Scotland.
Scottish households are being urged to cut back heavily on their water use and instead treat it as a precious resource due to the growing threat to supplies from climate heating.
Alex Plant, the chief executive of Scottish Water, said the average Scot used 40% more water than consumers in Yorkshire, partly because there was a widespread but mistaken assumption that water was abundant in Scotland.
US: Native American filmmaker dives into ‘water wars’ over the Kiamichi River with ‘Drowned Land’
Director Colleen Thurston has won awards at OKC’s deadCenter Film Festival and Tulsa’s upcoming Circle Cinema Film Festival for her new documentary.
US: State orders lithium mine to stop unauthorized water pumping, citing rancher dispute
Cattle rancher Edward Bartell waited patiently to take pictures of Lithium Nevada pumping water from a well the mining company had recently lost the right to use.
“I needed to make sure I caught them pumping and had photographs of them pumping, so I could prove that they were illegally using water,” said Bartell, who holds senior water rights in Thacker Pass.
Philippines: The hidden crisis. Groundwater quality and why it matters
A new study found that land use (agricultural or forested) and the season (wet or dry) significantly impact groundwater quality, but in different ways.
Groundwater—water trapped beneath Earth’s surface—is a resource that may be out of sight, but it is certainly not out of mind for many Filipinos. This invisible resource is vital for everyday life, especially in agriculture, where it provides the lifeblood for irrigation.
Plastic waste quietly invades even the world’s most protected ocean areas
Marine protected areas (MPAs), including no-take zones, are increasingly polluted by microplastics that travel across ocean currents from mainland sources and international fisheries.
Scientists found microplastics in all Galapagos habitats surveyed, including hotspots where endangered species feed and reproduce; 27 marine vertebrates face high risk from plastic ingestion or entanglement.
The Galapagos Conservation Trust and global partners launched the Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos program to trace pollution sources, support cleanup efforts, and inform local policies, but scientists warn these efforts cannot offset global plastic overproduction.
Cambodia: Drinking water stations for more sustainable tourism in Angkor
Five free drinking water stations have been set up in the park. The aim is to reduce plastic waste and promote responsible tourism.
Visitors to the park can now access free drinking water at five locations. Three new filling stations were installed in June to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles and promote more sustainable tourism.
Colombia: A YouTuber has revealed the other side of San Andrés, an island facing health and social collapse. They said: “Sewage flows directly into the water, into the sea.”
Population growth and the presence of criminal gangs have overwhelmed public services and created new risks for residents.
Content creator Pao Pineda has decided to showcase the lesser-known aspects of San Andrés, a Colombian archipelago renowned for its beaches and seven-colour sea. “Today I am in San Andrés, an island in Colombia. We came here to enjoy a holiday, but I also feel the need to show you the side that tourists don’t see when they set foot on these beautiful lands.”
US: Toxic Discovery in U.S. Lake Sets Off Global Alarm
Holloman Lake in southern New Mexico has captured the attention of environmental scientists worldwide, and not for the reasons anyone wanted.
A newly published study found the lake now holds the highest levels of toxic “forever chemicals” ever recorded in natural water.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico discovered staggering concentrations of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in the lake’s water, surrounding soil, vegetation, and wildlife. In some samples, levels exceeded federal drinking water limits by more than 10,000 times. One bird and one plant tested carried the highest PFAS loads ever documented globally.Men’s Journal / US – PFAS
Kenya: How Turkana’s promises of oil riches became a pipe dream
The oil companies arrived with pledges of roads, schools and clean water. Instead there has been negligible production but lots of environmental damage.
More than 15 years have passed since British-based Tullow Oil came to the remote plains of northern Kenya, raising expectations of transformation. Once oil was confirmed, it was meant to bring roads, electricity, clean water, phone networks, hospitals and schools – a new era for Turkana County. Instead, while reserves of 460 million barrels have been announced, production has barely begun. The state has earned just US$2 million in crude oil royalties, and the region around the town of Lokichar bears the scars of heavy environmental damage.
Africa Confidential (Paywall) / Kenya
The social aspect of water resources management in the Lake Chad Basin: A new construct for water resources management
Effective water resource management in developing countries requires a nuanced understanding of the social factors that influence public engagement. This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic variables and pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in the context of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in N’Djamena, Chad. A household survey of 582 participants was conducted using purposive sampling, and data were analyzed through chisquare tests, logistic regression, and univariate analysis.
France: Distributing, purifying and preserving water is a key issue for the Marseille metropolitan area.
Every day, the metropolitan area supplies 1.9 million inhabitants with high-quality drinking water.
Taken from natural sources or drawn from the canals of Marseille and Provence, the water is treated at a purification plant to ensure it is safe to drink. Before that, it will have travelled across much of our territory, passing through complex structures, some of which are centuries old, such as the Saint-Christophe and Réaltor dams, and the Roquefavour Aqueduct. Recently renovated by the Metropolis, this architectural gem plays a vital role in transporting water, particularly to Marseille.
Water firm bills residents for non-existent sewer
A water company has apologised after it tried to charge for sewerage at a group of properties with septic tanks.
Some residents in Stoney Heath, near Baughurst, Hampshire, said they had been unable to persuade Thames Water to withdraw the charges for waste water collection.
One said the firm followed up the mistaken bills with repeated phone calls, which left her neighbours feeling harassed.
When contacted by the BBC, the firm acknowledged the error and said it was “sorry for any confusion”.
