The News Review:

- KARACHI: Shamspir set to get piped water
- Reservoir expansion gets boost.
- Heavy rain floods parts of the southern Cape
- China contains chemical spill in river
- Apartment residents decry hefty water bills

KARACHI: Shamspir set to get piped water
Pakistan Dawn – Aug 24, 2006
The project for sinking such a pipeline connecting the islands with Yunisbad had been conceived in 1985 but the plan to make the project functional could not materialise in the next two decades for various reasons. Availability of drinking water facility at the island has long been the most pressing problem for its backward population which is lacks other basic amenities. In the absence of a water supply network, the islanders have been getting potable water in drums brought by boat operators who would sell the water on the island. The islanders complain that the tap water supply project had been in doldrums because the quota of water meant for them used to be diverted to some other areas allegedly to the benefit of a national security agency. According to Keamari Town Nazim Humayun Khan, the project would now be made operational from Friday with its formal inauguration. The nazim said that the town administration had accorded top priority to this issue and the efforts made in this regard had produced positive results. He pointed out that an understanding had been reached with the concerned government agency for water supply through the already laid pipeline…
Availability of drinking water facility at the island has long been the most pressing problem for its backward population which is lacks other basic amenities. In the absence of a water supply network, the islanders have been getting potable water in drums brought by boat operators who would sell the water on the island. The islanders complain that the tap water supply project had been in doldrums because the quota of water meant for them used to be diverted to some other areas allegedly to the benefit of a national security agency. According to Keamari Town Nazim Humayun Khan, the project would now be made operational from Friday with its formal inauguration. The nazim said that the town administration had accorded top priority to this issue and the efforts made in this regard had produced positive results. He pointed out that an understanding had been reached with the concerned government agency for water supply through the already laid pipeline. He also said that stagnant rainwater elsewhere in the town had been drained out in most areas, including Mauripur Village and Machhar Colony.

Reservoir expansion gets boost.
Free with registration – Contra Costa Times – AccessMyLibrary.com – Aug 24, 2006
“It appears to be a viable project. ” The economic evaluation, posted Wednesday on the reclamation bureau’s Web site, considered a more modest enlargement than the maximum expansion voters approved for further consideration in 2004. In that ballot, water district.

Heavy rain floods parts of the southern Cape
Independent Online – Aug 24, 2006
“But we managed to get into Suurbraak by road to evacuate people from 50 houses. Some of the houses at Buffeljags were waist-deep in water and the Tradouw Pass had been closed. There were some people stuck in the pass but we got them out. Suurbraak’s water supply is gone so we’ve trucked water in,” Geldenhuys said.

China contains chemical spill in river
The Age – Aug 24, 2006
The Mangniu River was polluted with xylidine by a local chemicalcompany, sending a 5km slick of bubbly, red water downstream, theChina Daily reported. The government brought in more than 1,000 soldiers andfirefighters to stop the pollution drifting, the newspapersaid. In Harbin, where the November spill cut water supplies tomillions of people, alarmed residents rushed to shops to stock upon bottled water, the newspaper added, though officials assuredpeople there was no problem. China has experienced a series of industrial accidents that havecontaminated rivers. Earlier this month, a ship carrying more than 200 tonnes ofsulphuric acid ran aground near the eastern Chinese city ofHangzhou, leaking chemicals into an ancient canal. And in June, a truck carrying coal tar overturned, dumping theload into the Dasha River in the northern province of Shanxi andcontaminating water supplies for 50,000 people.

Apartment residents decry hefty water bills
Hindu – Aug 24, 2006
`Unilateral decision’ Mr. Suresh said that the corporation had unilaterally decided the water tariff without the approval of the council and termed it undemocratic. He wanted the corporation to revert to the old system by keeping the water supply under `domestic’ category. On behalf of the association, he demanded that till elections were held and the tariff decided in the council, the collection of water bills should be kept in abeyance.