Greg Roberts | November 19, 2008 The Australian
ANNA Bligh has reversed her position on the science relating to recycled sewage and industrial effluent, declaring it is unwise to allow dam levels in southeast Queensland to fall to critically low levels before such water is added to the drinking supply.
The Queensland Premier signalled that recycled waste water might not be added to the drinking water supply, as planned next year, if sufficient quantities were purchased by industry users.
Ms Bligh’s comments came as splits emerged in the Liberal National Party over recycled water, and pressure mounted on the Government to scrap its plans.
The average level of the three main storages in southeast Queensland rose yesterday to 41.5per cent — the highest in 3 1/2 years, following heavy rain in catchments since Sunday.
The level is expected to rise further as more rain is forecast this week, and above-average falls are expected over summer. Last year, when the level was 23 per cent and Ms Bligh was infrastructure minister, she said the Queensland Water Commission had advised the Government that the emergency use of recycled water should be triggered when the level reached 40 per cent. (more…)
The New Nation
Bangladesh’s Independant News Source
Khalid Md. BahauddinWater pervades all aspects of human development and human freedom. Water security is an integral part of this broader conception of human security. In broad terms water security is about ensuring that every person has reliable access to enough safe water at an affordable price to lead a healthy, dignified and productive life, while maintaining the ecological systems that provide water and also depend on water. When these conditions are not met, or when access to water is disrupted, people face acute human security risks transmitted through poor health and the disruption of livelihoods and vulnerability. While the world’s population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50 %. This population growth - coupled with industrialization and urbanization - will result in an increasing demand for water and will have serious consequences on the environment.Worldwide, over a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and approximately one-third of the world’s population lives under water stress. Water stress results from an imbalance between water use and water resources. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over-exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.) Humans use water in many ways, and we typically classify water use by three major use groups: agriculture, industry, and urban use. These are generally considered the three principal consumers of water, with most water consumed by agriculture for the production of food. However, there is also a fourth group; ecosystems also have water needs and requirements. Each river and lake requires a certain amount of water to continue to exist, and plants and animals require water for their survival too. This fourth need is often overlooked as we work to meet the immediate day-to-day water needs of humankind. However, its importance is becoming apparent as rivers are suffering from reduced flow or no flow before they reach the ocean, and fresh water dependent ecosystems are being compromised. Ultimately, our sustainable future on Earth is linked to the health of Earth’s ecosystems. (more…)
- Kelly Burke
- November 12, 2008 The Age
BOTTLED water may soon contain an additive the beverage industry and health experts have lobbied for in unison: fluoride.
- Industry, experts united on fluoride
- Move subject to mandatory labelling
- ‘No health and safety concerns’
Little more than three weeks ago Coca-Cola Amatil and the Australian Dental Association were at loggerheads over a “myth-busting” print advertisement trying to assuage parents’ fears that drinking the world’s most recognised brand of soft drink might be making their children fat and rotting their teeth.
Now, as the dentists’ formal complaints against the giant multinational progress through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Advertising Standards Bureau, the warring parties have found something they can agree upon.
After concluding there were no public health and safety concerns, Food Standards Australia New Zealand has called for submissions to show why the authority shouldn’t approve an application by the Australian Beverages Council to add fluoride to bottled water.
The move has the support of the peak dentists’ body, the Australian Medical Association, and the Public Health Association of Australia among others.
Approval of the voluntary addition of fluoride is being considered with the proviso the maximum level of one milligram per litre is adhered to, in line with the existing level for fluoridated tap water. The bottled water would also be subject to mandatory labelling. (more…)
ABC News
Irrigators on the Campaspe system say they are facing another season with no water allocation.
Goulburn Murray Water announced yesterday a 2 per cent allocation increase for Murray irrigators to 21 per cent, and a 4 per cent boost for Goulburn irrigators to 18 per cent.
Irrigators on the Campaspe, Loddon and Broken systems have no water allocation so far this season.
Rochester dairy farmer Trevor Campbell says they did not expect an allocation, and they are not optimistic for the rest of the season.
“People keep saying to me, ‘there’s more in Eppalock than there was this time last year’, and I say, ‘yes but it’s not our water’,” he said.
“We fully realise that the rains haven’t fallen there, there’s been no inflows so you can’t get what’s not there, we’d give anything to have some sort of an allocation, but it’s not to be at the moment anyway.”
November 17, 2008 Weeklytimes now
ALLOCATIONS on the Goulburn and Murray systems have risen to 18 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
However, allocations on all other systems in Victoria’s northern irrigation region remain at zero.
The Goulburn allocation includes 7 per cent obtained by pumping from the Waranga basin next year.
Goulburn Murray Water managing director David Stewart said some welcome rainfall recently have not led to large inflows because of the dry state of the catchments.
“The biggest advantage of the rain was reduced demand, which added to the savings achieved in systemOperations,” Mr Stewart said.
In the Broken system, the delivery period has been extended to 15 December 2008 following some minorinflows in the catchment.
If there is no further improvement, deliveries after 15 December will be strictlyrostered to ensure supplies remain available through the season.
Delivery of carryover in the Campaspe Irrigation District should be discussed with Rochester-Campaspeoperations area staff.
Diverters seeking delivery of carryover in the Campaspe and Loddon systemsshould discuss their requirements with their Diversion Inspector.
Mr Stewart said water users considering purchase of carryover water in the Broken, Campaspe and Loddon systems needed to ensure they understood the delivery constraints that may occur this season.
“These systems are being operated very tightly, and the operational flexibility needed for delivery ofcarryover may not be available,” he said.
Mr Stewart said the allocations on the systems were unlikely to improve significantly this season.
Peter Ker
November 15, 2008 The Age
ONE of the biggest buybacks of water entitlement in Australian history was on the verge of completion last night, with a major irrigation firm agreeing to return 250 billion litres worth of entitlement to the ailing Murray River.
The proposed $34 million deal between Tandou Farms and the NSW Government would be more expensive than September’s historic purchase of water from Toorale Station.
It came as water ministers from around the Murray-Darling Basin met in Canberra to agree on ways to save or sacrifice the basin’s lower lakes, and as Victoria’s north-south pipeline faced growing opposition in the Senate.
The in-principle agreement with Tandou will take 250 billion litres of “supplementary” entitlement back into public hands from the company’s main farm several hundred kilometres north of Mildura.
Supplementary entitlements allow the owner to take water in times of flood, and are held on top of normal entitlements.
Under the current dry conditions, the entitlement does not enable Tandou to extract water. However, it enables extraction to begin when a flood occurs on the Darling River.
Australian Conservation Foundation spokeswoman Arlene Buchan said she was not aware of a bigger or more expensive buyback in Australian history. “It’s a good deal for the taxpayer and it should have some good outcomes for the environment,” she said.
The purchase was made with a $5 million contribution from the Federal Government. Tandou chief executive Guy Kingwill said the company intended to continue farming. (more…)
October 6, 2008
Safe water equals better health. Members at the recent annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) have taken this equation seriously, announcing their aspirations to improve access to quality water and health care for 8.5 million people across the world.
The commitments in sum totaled over $400 million and extend over the next five years. “Addressing the world water crisis is an immense challenge that requires a partnership of resources and expertise,” said Gary White, executive director and co-founder of WaterPartners — an organization partnered with PepsiCo to provide micro-credit solutions to people in Asia.
According to a CGI press release, the initiative members acknowledge that water is the source of life. “Without clean water and sanitation people get sick, children miss school: the cycle of poverty is perpetuated indefinitely. This crisis will become even more deadly as water scarcity becomes more acute and leads to violent conflicts,” CGI said. Their current focus on water and sanitation responds to this crisis.
Scientists, researchers, and others warn that the U.S. is entering a new era of water scarcity. A General Accounting Office (GAO) report from 2003 projected that 36 states could face water shortages by 2013. Five years sooner than forecast, the report has proved disturbingly prophetic.
The states’ water authorities responded to a survey asking them to categorize their potential water problems, and their responses are highlighted here. At least three states that face water challenges — California, New Mexico, and Michigan — did not respond to the survey.
Graphic by Eric Daigh/Circle of Blue
Data source : Freshwater Supply: States’ View of How Federal Agencies Could Help Them Meet the Challenges of Expected Shortages
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/world/graphic-36-states-to-face-water-shortages-us-government-warns/#more-599
June 5, 2008 Circle of Blue /WaterNews http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/
A new UN map highlights bottled water’s patterns of international trade. With France being the major exporter of bottled water, trade routes in Europe (between France, Germany, and Belgium) often involve intracontinental trade. The United States also imports a large quantity of water from France and Fiji.
Original image available here.
Source/Design : UN Comtrade/Emmanuelle Bournay
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/
November 10, 2008
GM-W’s annual report shows a profit of $5.2 million with most of the surplus resulting from works deferred due to the drought.
The report shows 37 per cent of GM-W’s revenue was from government funds, including funding for water savings projects, salinity and Landcare projects and for costs associated with pumping water from the Waranga basin.
During 2007/08 approximately 1,200,000ML of water was released from storages and diverted from rivers and streams.
A further 197,000 ML was pumped from groundwater aquifers.
Approximately 720,000 ML was used by irrigators, stock and domestic users, urban water corporations and the environment.
Chairman Stephen Mills said losses were kept to only 372,000 ML due to “extreme operating measures.”
“Without these extreme measures we estimate the system losses would have been closer to 580,000 ML where only 638,000 ML was delivered,” Mr Mills said.
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