The News Review:
- Cancer Death Rates Remain High Decades After Exposure To Arsenic
- Water Borne Disease a Major Health Problem in Nepal
- Prez gets a dose of water scarcity!
- Council to miss target for restoring Galway water supply
- `Implement Hogenakkal water supply scheme’
Cancer Death Rates Remain High Decades After Exposure To Arsenic
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Jun 13, 2007
Environmental Protection Agency lowered the maximum contaminant level for municipal water supplies to 10 micrograms per liter, effective January 2006, the same standard recommended by the World Health Organization. For 15 years, Smith has been studying Region II of Chile, a northern province that gets its water from arsenic-contaminated rivers originating from the Andes mountains. The municipal water supply of Antofagasta, the region’s largest city, and neighboring communities contained about 90 micrograms per liter of inorganic arsenic up until 1958, when government officials sought out additional sources of water to supply the region’s growing population. Because there is so little rainfall in the region, considered one of the driest in the world, residents rely almost exclusively on municipal water supplies. Unfortunately, the supplemental water came from the Toconce and Holajar rivers, which contained even higher levels of arsenic. From 1958 to 1970, water to Antofagasta and the nearby city of Mejillones averaged 870 micrograms per liter, nearly 90 times higher than today’s WHO standard. In 1971, the first large-scale arsenic removal plant in the world was installed in Antofagasta, but by then, residents had been exposed to high levels of arsenic for 13 years…
From 1958 to 1970, water to Antofagasta and the nearby city of Mejillones averaged 870 micrograms per liter, nearly 90 times higher than today’s WHO standard. In 1971, the first large-scale arsenic removal plant in the world was installed in Antofagasta, but by then, residents had been exposed to high levels of arsenic for 13 years. With further improvements to the water treatment system, the arsenic concentration steadily dropped over the years, reaching levels below 50 micrograms per liter after 1990. The recent addition of treated seawater has further reduced arsenic levels to around 10 micrograms per liter in the city water supply. The well-defined arsenic exposures in Region II in Chile provided researchers with a uniquely large population in which to base their studies. Prior research led by Smith has confirmed higher rates of lung and bladder cancer deaths for Region II compared with the rest of Chile. What was not known until this study was the latency period between the onset and reductions in exposure, and the subsequent rise and fall in cancer rates.
Water Borne Disease a Major Health Problem in Nepal
ìëìëì – Jun 12, 2007
Quality of drinking water has a major issue. Large percentage of drinking water contains bacterial contamination. A fecal Coliform bacteria is the major reason for poor quality water in Nepal. “Water borne disease is transmitted through contaminated water, several bacterial, protozoal and viral water borne disease have posed serious public health problem in Nepal,” said Tista Prasai, Scientific Officer, Environment and Research Division, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, NAST…
A fecal Coliform bacteria is the major reason for poor quality water in Nepal. “Water borne disease is transmitted through contaminated water, several bacterial, protozoal and viral water borne disease have posed serious public health problem in Nepal,” said Tista Prasai, Scientific Officer, Environment and Research Division, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, NAST. “The drinking water supply in most of the rural areas and municipalities are usually inadequate in terms of overall coverage.
Prez gets a dose of water scarcity!
Economic Times – Jun 12, 2007
DJBsources say it will take some more time to restore normal water supply to NDMCareas. The situation has been complicated since Haryana is now supplying only 50MGD of water to Delhi as compared to 300 MGD earlier. The Capital gets Yamunawater through the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants. Both plantsare operating below capacity since water supply from Yamuna has declined. Wazirabad treatment plant supplies 120 MGD to Delhi while Chandrwal accounts foranother 90 MGD. The Wazirabad plant, which supplies water to centralDelhi, Lutyens Bunglaw Zone and Civil Lines, has been pumping below capacity forthe past four months. According to Supreme Courtâs guidelines,Yamunaâs water level should not dip beyond 674.
Council to miss target for restoring Galway water supply
Belfast Telegraph – Jun 12, 2007
The council was initially hoping to restore clean supplies by Friday following the contamination crisis earlier this year. However, it says it will be unable to meet the target due to a three-week delay in securing water from a new treatment plant. The news means the contamination crisis could affect major tourism events like the Arts Festival and the Galway Races later this summer. Post a comment Limit: 500 charactersView all comments that have been posted about this article…
The council was initially hoping to restore clean supplies by Friday following the contamination crisis earlier this year. However, it says it will be unable to meet the target due to a three-week delay in securing water from a new treatment plant. The news means the contamination crisis could affect major tourism events like the Arts Festival and the Galway Races later this summer. Post a comment Limit: 500 charactersView all comments that have been posted about this article.
`Implement Hogenakkal water supply scheme’
Hindu – Jun 12, 2007
BASHKARAN Krishnagiri: Members of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to the CPI(M) staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate on Monday demanding the State Government to implement the long-pending Hogenakkal Combined Water Supply Scheme. The scheme should be expedited to solve the acute drinking water scarcity and contamination of fluoride in water sources in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. Crop loans According to the Sangham district secretary, S. Kannu, the Government should take steps to disburse fresh crop loans through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Banks and nationalised banks to small and marginal farmers. It should initiate steps to include Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.