The News Review:

- Nandigram shadow on water treatment plant
- Water supply market waiting to be tapped_Insight—China Economic Net
- … Warming Response — Markets or Taxes? California’s water…

Nandigram shadow on water treatment plant
Times of India – Mar 23, 2007
For, farmers who grow vegetables on theland are against giving it up. However, mayor Bikash Bhattacharya soundedoptimistic. “It’s our land and we will take it back for construction of thetreatment plant. The plant is necessary to enable us supply filtered water tomillions of city residents,” Bhattacharya said on Friday. The 65million gallons a day capacity water treatment plant is aimed at providingfiltered water to the million-odd residents on the Beliaghata-Garia stretch oneither side of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass who live on ground water now. Besides, the proposed plant will also supply water to Salt Lake and Dum Dum. Souces said farmers recently gave visiting KMC officials a piece oftheir mind.

Water supply market waiting to be tapped_Insight—China Economic Net
China Economic Net – Mar 23, 2007
25 million tons each day with an average growth rate of 19. 82 percent during 10 years. The biochemical treatment capacities of all waste water treatment plants added up to 47. 91 million tons each day with an average growth rate of 24. 67 percent during 10 years. The proportion of biochemical treatment capacities had been increasing year after year and reached 83. 69 percent in 2005…
A group of large and new cross-regional water companies which focus on investment are taking the lead to introduce management patterns suitable for the water industry in China, and such companies have gradually become the leaders in the water market in China in market competitions. The water market will drive and accelerate a large number of service companies dealing with engineering, technology and operation playing a serving role to develop with it together. In recent years, some cities have taken all kinds of modes and measures to get their respective water supply and drainage resources integrated by either uniting with foreign funds or attracting funds from the society, and there have preliminarily appeared regional water operation companies. On such a basis, a kind of longitudinal strategic unions with investment companies as leaders while getting investment, design, engineering, operation and equipment supply integrated, which takes expansion as the goal, is on the stage of planning and developing; such unions have become a major form and channel to participate into competitions, resist risks, lower costs and achieve competitive advantages. Relevant experts predict that in the future 10 to 15 years, there will appear 10 to 20 national water companies in China. What’s more, the healthy development of water market in China has attracted attention from all over the world. In 2006, the 5th World Water Conference was held successfully in China.

… Warming Response — Markets or Taxes? California’s water…
San Francisco Chronicle – Mar 23, 2007
We built the world’s most elaborate water system, with more than 1,000 dams, but in the process, we also created major water quality and environmental problems. Meeting today’s water challenges requires modern, realistic, cost-effective solutions that incorporate lessons from the last century. The most obvious of these is to better use existing water supplies. Thanks to investments in conservation and recycling, California’s water demand has been relatively flat despite the tremendous population increase over the past few decades. For example, in the past 30 years, the population of Los Angeles grew by 33 percent, yet its total water use did not increase. With ever-improving plumbing fixtures, appliances, irrigation techniques and recycled water technologies, this trend can continue. Similarly, we can clean up and better protect water supplies that have been placed in jeopardy by contamination…
While these promising strategies are playing an increasingly vital role in meeting our water needs, some argue that building one or two new dams should be California’s top priority. Whether you believe dams are good or bad, one thing is certain: new dams are expensive. With limited resources, the state of California must be smart and practical in evaluating these proposals. We need increased water storage, and global climate change adds to that need. But unlike 100 years ago, we have choices. That’s why policymakers should require answers to the following questions before approving billions of dollars in state funding for new dams. First, how will the proposed dam benefit us? If the answer is water supply, what is the amount, cost and reliability of that water, and are there cheaper, more reliable alternative supplies? If it’s flood protection, what level of protection and can other strategies achieve that protection more cost-effectively? Second, how quickly can a dam provide these benefits? In the past, large dams have taken many years, sometimes decades to plan, design and construct.