The News Review:

- Veolia wins 20-yr, 71.5 mln eur Ireland water supply contract
- California anxious about unusually dry January
- North,west Bangalore face water shortage

Veolia wins 20-yr, 71.5 mln eur Ireland water supply contract
Forbes – Jan 31, 2007
5 mln eur of revenues for Veolia. 5 mln eur for the design and construction work and 60 mln over 20 years for operating the plant. Veolia said it also won contracts worth 8.

California anxious about unusually dry January
San Diego Union Tribune – Jan 31, 2007
“We may have a dry year overall, but our reservoir storage is in great shape from last year,” Lynn said. “From the state water storage perspective, it’s not a drought. ”Water agencies around the state are closely monitoring water supplies and hope that February and March will make up for the precipitation shortfall, said Jennifer Persike, spokeswoman for the Association of California Water Agencies, which represents 450 public water agencies in the state. Still, Persike said, “we’re not panicking. ”But for Central Valley farmers, the dry spell marks its latest battle with nature. Last spring brought floods, the summer scorched fields with triple-digit heat and a recent cold snap destroyed much of the state’s $1 billion citrus crop. While most of California’s crops are irrigated, grains and grasses that depend on rainfall are suffering…
”The abnormally dry month ended Wednesday when water managers from around California gathered in San Francisco to discuss how global warming could impact the state’s water supplies. While it’s too early to tell whether the dry spell is linked to broader climate change, experts say global warming could change snowmelt and rainfall patterns in unexpected ways. Lester Snow, who heads the state Department of Water Resources, told the conference of water managers: “You have to be prepared to respond to uncertainty.

North,west Bangalore face water shortage
Times of India – Jan 31, 2007
In the west,the irregular water supply has forced the residents to depend on water tankers. Areas of Bangalore north, east and parts of west, which are dependent onTippagondanahalli reservoir, are facing this severe water crisis. Reason: BWSSBhas reduced pumping of water from TG Halli as water level has come downdrastically. BWSSB normallypumps around 130 to 140 MLD of water. Since the reservoir’s catchment atArkavathy has not received adequate water during last monsoon, it is dryingup…
But there is acute shortage in Sanjaynagar because of the poormanagement of the sub-division and the distribution network. The assistantengineer of the sub-station hardly attends to the problem and the residents areforced to air their grievances to junior level staff like valvemen,” complainedV Sathyamurthy, president, Sanjaynagar residents’ welfareassociation. The area gets only30% to 40% of the normal water supply. Even this supply iserratic. The water supply inthese affected areas is now 20,000 litres per house as against normal supply of35,000 to 40,000 litres. “To tide over the shortage,we are diverting water fromBangalore south areas which are well fed. But the distribution network is not inplace and we are putting it together.