The News Review:

- Water supply crisis looming large in Bidar
- Sialkot potable water supply project soon
- Govt. exceeds target on safe drinking water
- Water firm bares project to supply islands in Camotes, Or. Neg., Leyte

Water supply crisis looming large in Bidar
Hindu – Jul 24, 2006
Doctors said this would have a bearing on the large number of jaundice cases reported in the city. Ultimatum to CMC The board had given an ultimatum to the CMC to pay its dues. “Or else, we will be forced to stop drinking water supply to Bidar without notice,” the board said in a letter to the CMC. Higher Education Minister and floor leader in the Legislative Council D. Shankaramurthy said the State Government would take up drinking water projects on priority. It would rectify the problems with regard to water supply on priority…
Shankaramurthy said the State Government would take up drinking water projects on priority. It would rectify the problems with regard to water supply on priority. He was answering a question in the Legislative Council by Quazi Arshad Ali. He assured the House that there was no shortage of funds for “any drinking water supply project or scheme anywhere in the State”. Water users blamed The CMC said it had no money to pay the dues. It blamed the water users who had defaulted on bill payments for 13 years now.

Sialkot potable water supply project soon
Pakistan Dawn – Jul 24, 2006
The provincial secretary said that decades old rusted pipelines supplying contaminated water had become a major cause of fatal water borne diseases among citizens. He said the PHED and the local health department had already declared the potable water being supplied by the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration contaminated and unhygienic. The decision, he said, had been made for laying new water supply pipelines and the drainage system with the collaboration of the Sialkot TMA. Currently, Sialkot has 35,000 registered water supply connections. He said the multi-phased plan would be started within the next two months while meters, to reduce the misuse of water, would also fixed on all connections. For this purpose, Sialkot had been divided into 10 zones. The PHED secretary said the provincial government would also install chlorine and sucker machines at all the 85 tubewells that would supply drinking water to citizens…
He said the PHED and the local health department had already declared the potable water being supplied by the Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administration contaminated and unhygienic. The decision, he said, had been made for laying new water supply pipelines and the drainage system with the collaboration of the Sialkot TMA. Currently, Sialkot has 35,000 registered water supply connections. He said the multi-phased plan would be started within the next two months while meters, to reduce the misuse of water, would also fixed on all connections. For this purpose, Sialkot had been divided into 10 zones. The PHED secretary said the provincial government would also install chlorine and sucker machines at all the 85 tubewells that would supply drinking water to citizens. Quality of water, he said, would be monitored regularly through the maximum chemical and bacterial examinations.

Govt. exceeds target on safe drinking water
Hindu – Jul 24, 2006
Against a target of supplying safe drinking water in 2,961 villages, 8,451 villages in the State were provided access to it during the three- month period between February and March this year. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy has conducted a survey and ranked Madhya Pradesh second in the country when it came to implementing the safe drinking water project. Under the accelerated rural water supply programme, 20,500 rural habitations were provided access to safe drinking water in Madhya Pradesh within a two- year period. While access to safe drinking water was ensured in 10,700 habitats in 2004-05, the number of habitats covered under it was 9,924 in 2005-06. A State Public Health Engineering department spokesman said that they were taking special steps to institutionalise community- based water supply programme.

Water firm bares project to supply islands in Camotes, Or. Neg., Leyte
sunstar.com.ph – Jul 24, 2006
(MRII) is initiating the move to supply water in some remote islands in the region as part of the companys missionary projects. The company is now in the process of completing its water supply project for the islands of Kinatarcan in Sta. Fe, Camotes, Cebu; Apo Island in Dauin, Oriental Negros and Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte. Non-earningThe company may not be earning on these projects in the next five years. But we are humbly honored to start the ball of investments rolling in these islands with the availability of potable water supply, a very important component of business, he said in an interview. Tompar said the companys total investment in the projects is about P6 million…
But we are humbly honored to start the ball of investments rolling in these islands with the availability of potable water supply, a very important component of business, he said in an interview. Tompar said the companys total investment in the projects is about P6 million. The 20-year water supply contracts in the three islands will make use of brackish water from the wells, which will be treated with the use of the brackish reverse osmosis system. The water cost is about P3 per 20-liter pail. Tompar said MRII aims to finish the projects by the end of the year. CompaniesMRII is now serving the water needs of more than 350 companies nationwide. It is the first company in Asia that introduced the desalination process, which purifies sea water turning it into potable water.