The News Review:

- New Weather, Old Pipes Challenge Nation’s Water Supply
- Water distribution system soon to be under KUWSSB
- Meeting to take stock of jaundice outbreak
- Water way to mark the past.
- Water company lifts hosepipe ban

New Weather, Old Pipes Challenge Nation’s Water Supply
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Feb 27, 2007
We need to pay attention to our infrastructure, and were not doing it. "Rose’s Great Lakes work is part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration effort to develop forecasts of water quality problems for lakes, rivers and streams. She said much of her Great Lakes work is focused on a water resources system that puts its faith more in water treatment than watershed protection for providing safe water. Focusing solely on treatment, she says, puts the water systems in peril from both overwhelming weather events and contaminants that resist conventional treatment. The recipe for disaster is there, including intake points for drinking water are not consistently shielded from the sewage that periodically spills into surface waters; there is inadequate monitoring of the rivers, lakes and streams that provide drinking water and the quality of the treated drinking water; and there are signs that the water and sewer pipes are getting old. Much of the United States — particularly in the Great Lakes and the Northeast — has combined sewer systems, in which sewage is carried to treatment facilities, but can overflow into rivers and lakes during storms. Add climate change to the recipe, which already has brought significantly higher rainfall to some parts of the country, and Rose said, "This means more people in danger of getting sick, and likely more people are getting sick already.

Water distribution system soon to be under KUWSSB
Hindu – Feb 27, 2007
A Government Order (GO) in this regard is likely to be issued by March-end. Official sources told The Hindu that the decision to hand over maintenance of water distribution to the board was taken since it has been entrusted with the task of implementing the Rs. 194-crore project to overhaul the water distribution system in the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Moreover, the MCC had come under strong criticism for mismanagement of water distribution…
Chandrashekar said the decision to hand over water distribution was a step in the right direction as the board was implementing the Rs. 194-crore project under JNNURM. But, the corporation’s decision to hand over the task of water supply to KUWSSB has also come under criticism. Former corporator Sandesh Swamy said this could lead to more problems as the board cannot handle water distribution for a city such as Mysore. “If at all a water board has to be established for the supply, it has to be established in Mysore and not in Bangalore,” he suggested. People in Mysore are in favour of a separate water board for Mysore such as BWSSB. “We wonder how the city could face water crisis when Krishnaraja Sagar dam is just 15 km away.

Meeting to take stock of jaundice outbreak
Hindu – Feb 27, 2007
Sreenivasan, Deputy District Medical Officer. The water distribution system has to be strengthened to check water-borne diseases, he said. If people get 24-hour water supply in adequate pressure, there would not be any need to put illegal suction pumps on the main supply system. The pump sucks in not just the water but also contaminated water lying around the pipes through the pores or other leakages that occurs. A modern water supply and sewage system is needed to cut the faecal-oral route of disease transmission, said Dr. The district health authorities have documented the needs of the district and will give a video presentation too…
The district health authorities have documented the needs of the district and will give a video presentation too. The underground sewerage treatment system is a heavy capital-investment plan, said Dr. But unless a good system of waste disposal is in place, there will be innumerable hurdles in checking communicable diseases, especially in the context of increasing population of the city, he said.

Water way to mark the past.
Free with registration – Europe Intelligence Wire – AccessMyLibrary.com – Feb 27, 2007
Water way to mark the past. | Europe Intelligence Wire (February, 2007). Gerry Brooke goes underground to find out more.

Water company lifts hosepipe ban
BBC News – Feb 27, 2007
Mid Kent Water said water levels in the underground aquifers across the region were now rising thanks to above average rainfall this winter. The company imposed the ban on its 580,000 customers in August 2005. It said given normal rainfall levels, there should be sufficient resources to take it through to next winter. Managing director Paul Seeley said the efforts of customers combined with the ban had enabled it to maintain essential supplies during the worst drought since 1933. ‘Precious’ waterMid Kent Water gets nearly 90% of its water supplies from underground aquifers, with the remainder coming from the Bewl Water reservoir and the River Medway. Mr Seeley added: “The legacy of this record drought is that it has reminded us of just how precious water is both to ourselves and the environment. Thames Water, Southern Water, Three Valleys Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water lifted their hosepipe bans in January, while South East Water removed its restrictions at the start of February…
It said given normal rainfall levels, there should be sufficient resources to take it through to next winter. Managing director Paul Seeley said the efforts of customers combined with the ban had enabled it to maintain essential supplies during the worst drought since 1933. ‘Precious’ waterMid Kent Water gets nearly 90% of its water supplies from underground aquifers, with the remainder coming from the Bewl Water reservoir and the River Medway. Mr Seeley added: “The legacy of this record drought is that it has reminded us of just how precious water is both to ourselves and the environment. Thames Water, Southern Water, Three Valleys Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water lifted their hosepipe bans in January, while South East Water removed its restrictions at the start of February. Cholderton and District Water, the only other company to introduce a hosepipe ban, lifted restrictions in December.