The News Review:

- … real cost of a bag of salad: You pay 99p. Africa pays 50…
- … falls flat with critics: The rock-mining industry’s…
- Move to fix meters to water taps draws flak
- Victoria’s new water district gearing up to get down to work.

… real cost of a bag of salad: You pay 99p. Africa pays 50…
The Independent – Independent – Apr 29, 2006
* Ecuador Ecuadorian rose producers typically use 15 to 20 fungicides, insecticides and herbicides for each hectare of flowers transported to Europe. Overuse of chemicals is poisoning waterways and groundwater – devastating animals and plants and tainting drinking water. * Tanzania The rural population of the central dry areas of Tanzania faces severe constraints due to the lack of available water supply. Increases in agricultural production, predominately for export to Europe, are partly to blame for reducing the watershed of a country already struggling to balance declining per-capita water supplies with the demands of a rapidly rising population. * Vietnam The expansion of coffee plantations in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province has brought economic prosperity to the region, but at the cost of damage to the watershed. Social conflicts due to water scarcity have become more common and much of the remaining drinking supply of water is now contaminated by overuse of pesticides and fertiliser. * China For every ton of rice produced, Chinese paddyfields expel 2,000 tons of water.

… falls flat with critics: The rock-mining industry’s…
Free with registration – Miami Herald – AccessMyLibrary.com – Apr 29, 2006
–> COPYRIGHT 2006 The Miami Herald Byline: Curtis Morgan and Jennifer Mooney Piedra Apr. 29–Rock miners in Miami-Dade County, facing a serious legal challenge to their billion-dollar industry, say they’re ready to shell out big bucks to address environmental problems. They’re pushing a bill in Tallahassee that would increase fees they pay for destroying wetlands and also have the industry pick up the whole $100-million-plus tab for drinking water treatment plants to reduce contamination risks. The bill, said industry attorney Kerri Barsh, aims to resolve long-standing concerns over effects on the county’s largest well field in Northwest Miami-Dade, the source of water for one million people. While she stressed quarries pose no threat to the public water supply, “What we’re trying to do is be good neighbors and move beyond this issue. ” But environmentalists say the proposal amounts to a shrewd deal to benefit miners. They argue that a $112…
They’re pushing a bill in Tallahassee that would increase fees they pay for destroying wetlands and also have the industry pick up the whole $100-million-plus tab for drinking water treatment plants to reduce contamination risks. The bill, said industry attorney Kerri Barsh, aims to resolve long-standing concerns over effects on the county’s largest well field in Northwest Miami-Dade, the source of water for one million people. While she stressed quarries pose no threat to the public water supply, “What we’re trying to do is be good neighbors and move beyond this issue. ” But environmentalists say the proposal amounts to a shrewd deal to benefit miners. They argue that a $112.

Move to fix meters to water taps draws flak
Hindu – Apr 29, 2006
Hariprasad alleged that Kadapa municipality was upgraded into a corporation to benefit a ruling party leader. He demanded provision of basic facilities to people of the town before removing tap connections and fixing meters to tap connections. CITU district president A. Raghunatha Reddy decried moves to remove public taps and fix water meters without ensuring proper water supply. CPI leader Bogadi Setty and others spoke.

Victoria’s new water district gearing up to get down to work.
Free with registration – Victoria Advocate – AccessMyLibrary.com – Apr 29, 2006
“We’re still getting the phone and Internet hooked up. ” Over the coming months, the district’s board will be busy doing such things as establishing district rules, developing a budget and defining the research studies that will have to be performed in order to better understand the aquifer the district will be managing. Plans and rules The Victoria County Groundwater Conservation District is already working to draft its initial management plan and rules, which will outline just how it will go about looking after the county’s vital underground water resources, which help supply home, ranch, business, industrial and municipal water needs. “We have a lot to do, and we will be working very hard to get the management plan and rules done as quickly as possible,” said Garrett Engelking, the district’s general manager. District directors say the district will work to preserve the local.