The News Review:
- MoU for improving water supply in SCB areas on hold
- Restored tap water ‘still unsafe’
- No audit of councils
MoU for improving water supply in SCB areas on hold
Hindu – Sep 22, 2006
Moreover, HMWSSB has not been able to keep its promise of supplying 37 lakh gallons per day to the SCB with the existing supply hovering around 28 to 30 LGPD. This is when the SCB’s daily requirement is 50 LGPD. “If we are to hand it over to HMWSSB, the entire water supply should be entrusted to them, like in MCH or surrounding municipalities like Kukatpally. There is a strong feeling that SCB rushed into this agreement without reading the fine-print of the MoU,” an official says.
Restored tap water ‘still unsafe’
BBC News – Sep 22, 2006
coli was found in water in boreholes Water supplies have been restored to a Berkshire estate following an E. coli outbreak but residents are being warned the tap water is still unsafe to drink. Supplies were cut two weeks ago when 10 people fell ill after drinking tap water which comes from boreholes on the privately owned Englefield Estate. Tests revealed that a sewer blockage was the “most likely source” of the outbreak, which affected 100 homes. Residents are relying on bottled water until supplies are safe to drink again…
“It is hoped that the borehole will be back in use for drinking water soon. “The water company is supplying residents with bottled water for drinking. “The estate’s water supply can be used by residents for washing, bathing and flushing toilets.
No audit of councils
NEWS.com.au – Sep 22, 2006
Mr Turnbull has also failed to act on another of his much-trumpeted ideas – that a pipeline be constructed to carry water from the northern rivers of NSW to southern Queensland. He had initial conversations at a ministerial level about the issue, but nothing has since progressed despite Mr Turnbull saying he "would welcome further discussions with the new Beattie Government" about the pipeline. Similarly, Queensland’s new Water Commission – which has been charged with securing the state’s water supply, setting water restrictions and overseeing infrastructure and pricing – has yet to hear from Mr Turnbull. And state and local applications for federal funding for water projects in southeast Queensland have so far been unsuccessful. One of Mr Turnbull’s national efforts was writing to state and territory ministers and utility CEOs to get a briefing on the state of their water supplies, information he intends to release as a discussion paper in the next few months. He also points to the National Water Commission, which is performing a "stocktake" of state water pricing practices. But Opposition water spokesman Anthony Albanese said Mr Turnbull was clearly not doing enough.