The News Review:

- KARACHI: Power breakdown hits water supply
- Benevolent societies to manage rural water systems
- Management strategy to overcome water shortage
- Premier steamed over halted water service

KARACHI: Power breakdown hits water supply
Pakistan Dawn – Feb 27, 2006
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KARACHI: Power breakdown hits water supply
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Feb 26: Frequent power failures affected water supply position in various parts of the city, forcing the residents of the affected localities to either purchase private tankers or consume sub-soil unhygienic water. Residents of various localities in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B’ Area, Old City area, Liaquatabad and Malir complained that they had been receiving scant supply of water for the last one week as power failures had become matter of routine. Admitting that water supply schedule of the localities whose power supply was being disrupted nowadays has been affected badly during the last three or four days, KWSB sources said that localities could go dry for a day or two if power failure timings coincided with its water supply schedule. Residents of affected localities complained that since they had been experiencing acute water shortage owing to frequent failures, especially occurring during nights, they had no choice but to either purchase private tankers at exorbitant rates or consume unhygienic water at the cost of their health. Some affected residents told Dawn that they could not pump water to their overhead tanks despite having water in their underground tanks owing to major power breakdown on Sunday… com ———- –>

KARACHI: Power breakdown hits water supply
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Feb 26: Frequent power failures affected water supply position in various parts of the city, forcing the residents of the affected localities to either purchase private tankers or consume sub-soil unhygienic water. Residents of various localities in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B’ Area, Old City area, Liaquatabad and Malir complained that they had been receiving scant supply of water for the last one week as power failures had become matter of routine. Admitting that water supply schedule of the localities whose power supply was being disrupted nowadays has been affected badly during the last three or four days, KWSB sources said that localities could go dry for a day or two if power failure timings coincided with its water supply schedule. Residents of affected localities complained that since they had been experiencing acute water shortage owing to frequent failures, especially occurring during nights, they had no choice but to either purchase private tankers at exorbitant rates or consume unhygienic water at the cost of their health. Some affected residents told Dawn that they could not pump water to their overhead tanks despite having water in their underground tanks owing to major power breakdown on Sunday. “Our locality will now remain dry till Tuesday as we are supplied water on alternatives days,” a resident of Gulshan’s Block-3 remarked.

Benevolent societies to manage rural water systems
Jamaica Observer – Feb 27, 2006
“The government intends to expand this modality through the establishment of a rural water supply company, so that the work that we are doing is going to be merged with the work of Caribbean Engineering to set up a rural water supply company that will focus on community-managed water systems, as well as systems managed by the parish councils and so forth,” Vassel explained. She said the benevolent societies would be patterned off those set up under the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). Vassel said that similar water supply systems for rural areas had been set up in such Latin American countries as Colombia, Uruguay and Costa Rica, in South Africa and Tanzania and in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Desmond Munroe, the Water and Housing Ministry’s chief technical director of water, said that women had an important role to play in the management of the water and sanitation systems to be established in rural communities. Women who used a major portion of the water supply for domestic chores had a key interest in its proper management, Munroe said. “Gone are the days when men were paramount in the management of water supply systems… Vassel said that similar water supply systems for rural areas had been set up in such Latin American countries as Colombia, Uruguay and Costa Rica, in South Africa and Tanzania and in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Desmond Munroe, the Water and Housing Ministry’s chief technical director of water, said that women had an important role to play in the management of the water and sanitation systems to be established in rural communities. Women who used a major portion of the water supply for domestic chores had a key interest in its proper management, Munroe said. “Gone are the days when men were paramount in the management of water supply systems.

Management strategy to overcome water shortage
Pakistan Dawn – Feb 27, 2006
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Management strategy to overcome water shortage
By Dr Muhammad Yaseen
THE policies and practices to manage water resources in Pakistan are debatable, being still far off from the initial stage. The country has good soils, abundant sunshine and excellent farmers. There is a lack of coordination in management of water reservoirs, both surface and underground. It is being misused by poor distribution system and over pumping and over irrigation. There are no new reservoirs being built… The country has to rely on surface-water and ground-water resources. The main source is Indus River and its tributaries having origin in mountains. The sources of water supply to these rivers are glacial melt, snowmelt, seepage from geological formations and the run-off generated by seasonal rains in the watershed areas. These water sources also recharge the groundwater. The Indus Basin is formed by alluvial deposits. Out of 15 million acres surface of water aquifer about 79 per cent area is in Punjab and 28 per cent in Sindh is underlain by fresh water. This is used as supplemental irrigation water and pumped through tube-wells.
Related: Lower Ark Valley continues quest for ‘Super Ditch’.

Premier steamed over halted water service
Taipei Times – Feb 27, 2006
This kind of problem should not happen again,” Su said while inspecting the reservoir. A suspension of water services to the areas started on Saturday afternoon without warning. Deforestation, farming and road construction in mountainous areas means that heavy rains frequently wash soil and other debris into the Shihmen Reservoir, a major water source for northern Taiwan, often resulting in the suspension of water services. “Related personnel should thoroughly review why they caused such inconvenience and rectify the problems immediately. This kind of problem should not happen again. Su Tseng-chang, premier Su asked local officials why they hadn’t noticed the degree of seriousness of the silt deposits ahead of the suspension, and why they hadn’t taken emergency measures to deal with the problem… We tentatively believe that a large amount of silt washed into the reservoir and formed around the dam gates. ”
Chen said silt deposits in the reservoir are monitored frequently, but that the dam gate was outside the monitoring area. The problem marked the second time in four days that the water supply to Taoyuan County has been suspended. 22, some 150,000 households in the northern part of the county were affected by urgent water rationing measures, also caused by turbidity problems. Copyright © 1999-2008 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.
Related: Lower Ark Valley continues quest for ‘Super Ditch’.