The News Review:
- Australia in 20 years
- Increase water supply
- Work on phase-II Sayedabad water plant begins next year
- Families ‘left high and dry’
- Calm urged in S Ossetia water row
Australia in 20 years
The Age – Jun 4, 2007
It is an ancient land that if nurtured and respected willcontinue to inspire and sustain us. The great challenge of climate change is already being felt, andin 20 years’ time, the impact of greenhouse pollution throughglobal warming will be even more pronounced. Our city and country water supplies are already under pressure,and over the next two decades, this pressure will intensify. Ourcoastal communities, too, will experience more storms and sea levelrise. The world’s best science tells us we can also expect hotter anddrier summers in the south. In 20 years, we will almost certainlysee more extreme weather events, including drought, bushfires andcyclones. Rising temperatures will bring coral bleaching on ourGreat Barrier Reef, flooding in Kakadu, less snow in our mountainsand less water in our rivers – all big changes to ourenvironment…
The basin’s climate will become hotter and drier,bringing more extreme events such as bushfires and droughts. Inflows and water levels will become more variable and much lesswater will be available for human use. We will need to manage the basin’s water resources in anintegrated way. We’ll probably need to take more ground water andless surface water and so we’ll have to manage and store more inaquifers than we do now. We’ll need to maximise the efficiency ofour farming. In the years when water is available, we’ll have torely more on annual crops such as vegetables, rice and cotton anddevelop more water-efficient strains. Safeguarding the future environmental health of the basin forits people, its agriculture and its ecosystems will depend heavilyon the strategies we implement in the next 10 to 20 years.
Increase water supply
Hindu – Jun 4, 2007
However, the situation is worse now, with the supply only once in five days. Some weeks ago, the Chief Minister announced that Rs. 1,000 crore had been allotted for the municipalities to supply water daily from the year 2009. Leave alone daily supply, let the municipalities supply water at least once in three days from this summer, because of the absence of alternative water sources in this area. Dwarakanatha Rao, Guntakal BSNL service I am a resident of M.
Work on phase-II Sayedabad water plant begins next year
New Nation – The New Nation – Jun 4, 2007
“We have completed a survey at our own cost for the plant for phase-II and are going to float a tender soon. We hope to complete all the process by this year,” they added. “The phase-II of the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant will take four to five years to complete the work and we have already got assurance for fund from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) to set up the plant,” said an official of the WASA. After completion of the work, 22…
“The WASA is diverting to river water as it has to reduce dependence on the groundwater following the sharp fall in the groundwater level in recent years,” said acting WASA Managing Director. While asking about the possible water crisis during this summer, he said, “Some deep tube-wells were installed in 2006. We expect better water supply this year and if nothing unwanted happened, they would be able to reduce the crisis this summer. The WASA is able to produce between 155 crore litres and 160 crore litres of water a day against the demand of more than 200 crore litres. The crisis worsens during summer due to the fall in the groundwater level and frequent power outages. © Copyright 2003 by The New Nation Powered by eBiz Web Services Top of Page.
Families ‘left high and dry’
Gulf Daily News – Jun 4, 2007
They claimed Electricity and Water Ministry officials also switched off their phones to avoid calls for help, as thousands of families across the country were left without water over the last two weeks. Northern Municipal Council members accused the ministry of directing its three emergency water tankers to top up the wealthy’s swimming pools, leaving ordinary people desperate even for a shower. Water supplies to the Northern and Central Governorate, along with parts of the Muharraq Governorate, were hit as maintenance work was carried out at the Al Dur Desalination Plant, robbing the network of seven million gallons a day. At the same time, Alba shut off the three million gallons a day it normally supplies to the government network while it carried out maintenance at its own desalination plant, Northern Municipal Council members heard yesterday. Three ministry officials were summoned to the council meeting yesterday, to explain what went wrong. They said the Al Dur plant was shut down on May 20 for maintenance work that should have continued until yesterday. But the Japanese company carrying out the work was ordered to restart production last week, when the shortage became critical, said officials…
“We lost around seven million gallons a day from Al Dur and three million from Alba. “Those who had ground tanks didn’t face any trouble, while those who didn’t, were the ones mainly affected. “The water supply problem will end (by the end of the year), when the Hidd plant increases its daily production to 33 million gallons instead of 12m, which will lead to a surplus. Council services committee chairman Sayed Ameen Al Mousawi said that the National Disasters Committee should have taken action, since Bahrain was facing a disaster. “This was catastrophic, as people were without water and housemaids were taking cups to scoop water from house water tanks,” he said. Council public relations and information committee chairman Yousif Rabea said that the ministry tankers were for villas and compounds, while the poor were left to suffer. “The water supplies were given to certain officials in my constituency (Hamad Town), as the tankers’ drivers were instructed to give water to people by name,” he said.
Calm urged in S Ossetia water row
BBC News – Jun 4, 2007
South Ossetia accused Georgia of blocking repair work, and in turn cut water to nearby Georgian villages. Tensions between Georgia and the breakaway region have been escalating in recent months. Water trucksThe head of the OSCE mission in Georgia, Roy Reeve, told the BBC that the main town in South Ossetian, Tskhinvali, had been without water supply for more than a week. “For them it’s pretty desperate, having either to try and truck in water, or drive out in the hope of finding some nearby springs and filling up whatever containers they’ve got. The water dispute is just the latest in a series of disputes between Georgia and the breakaway region. Georgia set up a rival local government in South Ossetia in an effort to regain control there. In response, separatists set up roadblocks into the region.