The News Review:

- Mountain Climate Change Trends Could Predict Water Resources
- 15-hr water supply for Mohali soon
- BJP protests against irregular water supply
- Prospect residents protest lack of potable water
- Lead found in schools’ water

Mountain Climate Change Trends Could Predict Water Resources
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Aug 25, 2006
These trends, combined with an increase in snow and rainfall – a finding from earlier in their research – could be causing glaciers to grow, at least in the higher mountain regions. These findings are particularly significant because temperature and rain and snow trends in the Upper Indus Basin also impact on the water availability for more than 50 million Pakistani people. Melt water from glaciers and the previous winter’s snow supplies water for the summer ‘runoff’ which feeds irrigation both in the mountains and in the plains of the Lower Indus. The vast Indus Basin Irrigation System is the mainstay of the national economy of Pakistan, which has 170,000 square kilometres of irrigated land, an area two-thirds the size of the United Kingdom. Being able to predict trends could contribute to more effective, forward-thinking management of the two major dams in the Upper Indus Basin – called the Mangla Dam and the Tarbela Dam – and thus allow a better long-term control of water for irrigation and power supplies. These dams have the capacity to produce around 5,000 Megawatts of electric power. The amount of runoff depends on the elaborate interplay of weather conditions…
Heavy winter snowfall is followed by a greater volume of summer runoff. Dr Hayley Fowler, lead author on the research paper and a senior research associate with Newcastle University’s School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, said: “Very little research of this kind has been carried out in this region and yet the findings from our work have implications for the water supplies of around 50 million people in Pakistan who are dependent on the activity of the glaciers. “Our research suggests we could be able to predict in advance the volume of summer runoff, which is very useful in planning ahead for water resources and also the output from the dams. ”Co-researcher Mr David Archer, a visiting fellow with Newcastle University, added: “Our research is concerned with both climate change and the climate variability that is happening from year to year. “Information on variability is more important for the management of the water system as it will help to forecast the inflow into reservoirs and allow for better planning of water use for irrigation. “However, information on the impacts of climatic change is important for the longer term management of water resources and to help us understand what is happening in the mountains under global warming. ” Adapted from materials provided by.

15-hr water supply for Mohali soon
Times of India – Aug 25, 2006
AmarjeetSingh Sekhon, executive officer (EO), Mohali Municipal Council, informed thatwith the additional 2. 5 MGD water, the city would be getting sufficient water tocater to the needs of its residents. “We will provide more than 15hours’ water supply daily against the present supply of 8 hours only. It is surethat water woes will came to an end by next month,” hesaid. At present, Mohali isreceiving 12. 5 MGD water from all sources, which includes 7. 5 MGD from the threephases of Kajauli water works and the rest from tube wells bored at variousplaces in the city.

BJP protests against irregular water supply
Hindu – Aug 25, 2006
Led by MLC Thontadarya, the activists said several areas, including Vidyaranya Puram and Chamundi Puram in Krishna Raja Mohalla, had been facing scarcity of water. They said that one of the oldest areas in the city, K. Mohalla did not have the facility of underground sump and people had to store water in containers when it was supplied.

Prospect residents protest lack of potable water
Jamaica Observer – Aug 25, 2006
The roadblock, which was mounted at about 6:30 am, was later cleared by heavy-duty equipment under the watchful eyes of the police. Lisa Golding, the NWC’s community relations officer for the western region, admitted in an interview with the Observer that the residents had been experiencing a shortage of piped water for some time but said that the commission had been trucking water to the affected communities. Meanwhile, she said that the residents would see an improvement in their water supply within the next few months, on completion of the US$40-million Martha Brae Water Supply expansion and Rehabilitation project. At present, the pipelines in the affected communities are tied into the Dornoch Water Supply system, at Dornoch near Rio Bueno. The community relations officer said that Samuel Prospect and adjoining communities would further benefit from an improved supply, when the Rio Bueno Water Supply Expansion Programmes got off the ground. – cummingsm@jamaicaobserver. com Talk Back No comments have been posted.

Lead found in schools’ water
News & Observer – Aug 25, 2006
Arguably, Durham students are safer now than they have been. “Clearly this whole episode has made us all more aware of the issue of lead exposure from drinking water,” Letourneau said. Durham’s water supply has been under scrutiny since April, when a child was found to have been poisoned by lead after drinking from a faucet in a South Durham apartment. The case is the second time in state history an incident of lead poisoning has been linked to a city water system. Lead is especially dangerous to young children and fetuses, causing developmental difficulties and brain damage. Letourneau said his department would continue to work with the media to get the word out about the risk of lead contamination from Durham’s tap water, as well as potentially making direct contact with other places frequented by children — such as day-care centers and nurseries — to urge businesses to get their taps tested. It is suspected a chemical until recently used to treat much of Durham’s water might have contributed to an increase in the amounts of lead leaching from old plumbing fixtures…
County health officials have also suggested that young children, pregnant women and those nursing should have their blood tested for lead if they live in homes built before 1986, the year after the lead ban took effect. Asked for his response to the growing body of evidence about the risk of lead exposure in Durham, City Manager Patrick Baker referred questions to Deputy City Manager Ted Voorhees, who oversees the city’s water department. In an e-mail message, Voorhees reiterated the city’s prior statements — that no lead is coming from the city treatment plants, that the city has always met federal guidelines for water quality and that, in the city’s view, the issue is largely a “plumbing problem. “In its rules covering lead, the U. Environmental Protection Agency holds water providers accountable for the quality of what comes out of residential taps, not out of the treatment plant. Durham last passed its federal certification process in 2004.