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26 Jan 2012 - 11:48 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
ASUNCION, Paraguay (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Paraguay on January 17 declared a national food emergency due to “prolonged drought” and called for an “urgent response” from the government to help vulnerable families.
Authorities have already begun distributing water to indigenous communities in the Chaco region.
They have drilled over 200 wells, and tanker trucks are distributing water.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:46 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Mexico, COMARCA LAGUNERA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Members of The Citizen’s Council for Water, a water advocacy group in Mexico’s Comarca Lagunera region, said they are confident the region will achieve its strategic goals in the sector in 2012.
These include recharging the main aquifer and modernizing irrigation infrastructure.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:43 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Colombia, BOGOTA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — After oil company Global Energy Development announced it was shifting the focus of its oil exploitation in Colombia to the Middle Magdalena River Valley, representatives of environmental group Nature Conservancy Colombia raised concerns about the accelerating development of the Magdalena River basin.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:41 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Mexico, CHIHUAHUA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The governor of Mexico’s Chihuahua state, César Duarte Jáquez, is calling for revisions to the International Water Treaty between the United States and Mexico in light of the drought in Mexico.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:39 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Mexico, VERACRUZ (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Approximately 1,500 barrels of oil spilled from a leak in a Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipeline in Mexico’s Veracruz state, affecting an area of about 30,000 square kilometers of land and nine kilometers of the Coatzacoalcos River and leaving the populations in the area without drinking water.
Officials announced that 97 percent of the oil had been cleaned up as of January 18.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:34 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Colombia, CUCUTA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — One month after the oil spill that shut down the water supply in the city of Cucuta, Colombia, water utility Aguas Kapital Cucuta said discussions were under way to find a permanent solution to the problem.
Aguas Kapital reportedly said the oil spill emergency had been successfully overcome.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:31 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Mexico, MEXICO CITY (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The governments of Mexico’s Aguascalientes and Zacatecas states, in coordination with the federal government, will carry out a joint project to restore rivers and watersheds in the two states, with the goal of replenishing aquifers and finding a balance between extraction and recharge of groundwater.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:28 by Local Press Report
BUENOS AIRES (Local Press Report) — The Argentine government and farmers’ organizations are squaring off over measures to deal with the ongoing severe drought in the region. The government is refusing to increase the emergency fund for situations like the drought, and is also refusing to alleviate the tax burden on farmers.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:26 by Local Press Report
BRIDGETOWN (Local Press Report) — Barbados now faces a major environmental risk from a former refinery site of the Mobile Oil Company at Gravesend, St. Michael. The site is still contaminated by crude oil, and there are concerns the oil could eventually reach the area’s groundwater supply, according to a government official.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:20 by Local Press Report
ST. THOMAS, PROSPECT (Local Press Report) — Residents of Crystal City, Prospect in eastern St. Thomas will have access to improved sanitation facilities under a project to construct bathroom facilities for 22 houses. The $467,000 USD project is expected to start later this month. It is to be completed by May 2012.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:17 by Local Press Report
KINGSTON (Local Press Report) — Jamaica’s Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister Robert Pickersgill says he is making it a top priority to sensitize residents on climate change and its impacts. He noted that weather-related problems cost Jamaica $160 million USD per year. He added that he was set to meet with representatives of the National Water Commission (NWC) to discuss upcoming projects.
26 Jan 2012 - 11:14 by Local Press Report
GEORGE TOWN (Local Press Report) — Cayman Islands-based Consolidated Water, a partner in the group planning to build a desalination plant in Mexico, said the project has hit a snag because it is having trouble securing land on which to build the plant to supply Otay Water District.
26 Jan 2012 - 10:55 by Local Press Report
LIMA (Local Press Report) — Peru is not lacking in water resources, with 159 river basins and 1.768 billion cubic meters of water available each year, according to the National Water Authority. However, half of the 38 billion cubic meters of water produced during annual rains runs into the ocean, said Jorge Luis Montenegro, director of hydraulic project studies for the water authority.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:48 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
MOSCOW, Russia (OOSKAnews Corre...) — As part of his campaign to be re-elected president of Russia, Vladimir Putin has said that should he win he will remove from their posts regional governors who have allowed water utility prices to increase far above the rate of inflation.
Utility prices in Russia have traditionally increased in January, although in 2011 it happened in July.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:47 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
BUCHAREST, Romania (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Apa Nova Bucuresti, the water supply and sewage utility in Romania’s capital, is raising water and sewage rates again this year.
Effective January 1, water supply tariffs increased from $1.07 USD to $1.16 USD per cubic meter. Sewage rates went from $0.17 USD to $0.26 USD per cubic meter.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:46 by Local Press Report
Ukraine, KYIV (Local Press Report) — Although the prices charged for water and sewage services in Ukraine did not rise as usual on January 1, a government commission examining utility bills in the country has said that increased prices for gas charged by Russia, along with ongoing works to upgrade the water networks, mean prices will have to rise, possibly considerably, within the first six months of the year.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:41 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The melting of Kyrgyzstan’s glaciers, which feed Central Asian rivers, is accelerating, according to a hydrogeological expert.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:39 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Lithuania, VILNIUS (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Vilniaus Vandenys, the water company operating in the Lithuanian capital, signed a contract for expansion of the water supply and wastewater network in the town of Buivydiskes.
Work is expected to start soon, and will be completed within 12 months.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:34 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Ukraine, KYIV (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The water utility in the Ukrainian city of Lutsk will stop using chlorine to treat water starting this year, the Lutsk City Council announced.
In addition, the city water utility, Lutskvodokanal, will upgrade the technology at its drinking water treatment plant this year as part of a $3 million USD project.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:29 by Local Press Report
YEREVAN (Local Press Report) — Environmental activists held a protest at Teghut Forest in northern Armenia, which is to be transformed into an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine by the Armenian Copper Program mining company. Critics of the project have long warned that it will destroy green areas in the country. Protesters also said the open-pit mining would severely pollute the air, water and land in the area.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:27 by Local Press Report
BAKU (Local Press Report) — National water operator Azersu said in a recent report that it is working to improve water supply in rural areas. It is building five artesian wells with a capacity of 30 liters per second in the Beylagan region of Azerbaijan, in order to improve supply to the city of Imishli. The company said one of the wells is ready to start operations.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:25 by Local Press Report
BAKU (Local Press Report) — Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev says development of social infrastructure and agricultural self-sufficiency are among his top objectives for the country in 2012. He said the government would soon submit a $7.25 billion USD investment program for 2012, with social infrastructure such as clean drinking water and sewerage systems as the spending priority.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:17 by Local Press Report
TBILISI (Local Press Report) — The Green Party in Georgia is warning that the Beshik Haya Dam in northeastern Turkey, which will divert most of the Mtkvari River from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, could cause an environmental catastrophe. They say that if the dam changes the flow of the Mtkvari River, it will cause water levels to fall in the part of the river that flows through Georgia.
25 Jan 2012 - 09:16 by Local Press Report
BUDAPEST (Local Press Report) — The national agricultural strategy presented last week by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeks to “protect farmland and water supplies.” Orban also called for amendment of the country’s Farmland Act and adoption of new laws to protect land and property. He said the agricultural strategy would improve living standards in the provinces.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:58 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
India, GANDHINAGAR (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The government of Gujarat is considering a proposal to invite private sector participation in the effort to supply metered water to rural households here in India’s western-most state.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:55 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
India, BHUBANESWAR (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The Orissa state government may impose a tax on groundwater for industrial and commercial users.
The move comes because industries and commercial establishments in and around capital city, Bhubaneswar, and throughout the state have engaged in widespread overextraction of groundwater.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:53 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Sri Lanka is starting a $176 million USD reservoir project in February that will supply drinking and irrigation water to the country’s Eastern and North Central provinces.
The Yaan Oya Reservoir project will be completed in four years, according to the Irrigation and Water Resource Management Ministry.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:36 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Malaysia, SHAH ALAM (OOSKAnews Corre...) — On January 13, the Stop Lynas Coalition announced it was filing an injunction against the Lynas Rare Earth Mineral development project in Malaysia.
The coalition, whose members include concerned residents, told OOSKAnews it had raised $51,000 USD from a charity dinner and will use the funds to finance the legal action.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:26 by Local Press Report
JIUJIANG (Local Press Report) — Dry weather is the main reason Poyang Lake has been shrinking, but the numerous water resource projects are also contributing to the problem, according to Wang Shigang, deputy director of the Jiangxi Poyang Lake Hydrologic Bureau. Wang said precipitation in the lake hit a record low last year.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:14 by Local Press Report
JAKARTA (Local Press Report) — The World Bank approved a $139.64 million USD loan for the Jakarta Urgent Flood Mitigation Project. The central government and the Jakarta government will also contribute $49.71 million USD to the project. It is the bank’s first engagement with the Jakarta administration to address the city’s flood and urban development problems, said World Bank country director for Indonesia Stefan G.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:12 by Local Press Report
PETALING JAYA (Local Press Report) — Selangor may experience a water crisis before 2014 if the state government continues to delay construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant, the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia warned. President S. Piarapakaran said a study carried out by the association found that crisis was possible by 2014 if demand for water increased between 2 and 2.5 percent.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:03 by Local Press Report
ULAN BATOR (Local Press Report) — Mongolia’s Ministry of Finance signed two grant agreements with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve urban services in the expanding ger (yurt) areas in Ulan Bator and to improve financial services for low-income households.
24 Jan 2012 - 10:01 by Local Press Report
KATHMANDU (Local Press Report) — International environmental group Greenpeace found toxic waste stored in two unsecured facilities in Nepal. Greenpeace has secured the waste in larger barrels and asked the German companies storing them to take care of the problem. Some of the products, like pesticides maunfactured by Bayer, pose a threat to drinking water supplies in Kathmandu city.
24 Jan 2012 - 09:55 by Local Press Report
MANILA (Local Press Report) — The new compensation package passed by President Benigno Aquino means local water district officials can say good-bye to big paychecks and other perks. The package for board members of the local water districts includes a per diem and performance-based incentives.
24 Jan 2012 - 09:53 by Local Press Report
MANILA (Local Press Report) — Hair product company Pantene has launched a “Healthy Hair for Healthy Water” campaign in the Philippines to raise awareness about the scarcity of clean water access to reduce the number of deaths resulting from unsafe water by at least half.
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