15 Outrageous Facts About The Bottled Water Industry

Water used to be free.
In fact, it still is -- at least in nations blessed with plentiful clean tap water like the U.S. -- but that doesn't stop the world from spending over $100 billion on bottled water a year.
This strange industry is exploding overseas as well.
Who got the idea to sell us something we can get for free? And how did it get so popular that now more than half of Americans drink it?


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L'acqua nell'impiantistica sostenibile

Workshop informativo alla Fiera di Roma, 10 e 11 novembre 2011

Acque perdure

Ridurre gli sprechi e assicurare che l'acqua utilizzata torni all'ambiente in condizioni tali da essere un problema ecologico. Il sistema idrico italiano entro tre anni deve dimostrare di essere in "salute" per non incorrere nelle sanzioni Ue. Il Paese però è molto lontano da questi obiettivi: mancano le fognature, i depuratori e il sistema in alcune regioni è in mano alla criminalità organizzata

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3rd International Film Water Festival

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“When We Speak about Economic Growth We Speak about Water Resources”

Report from GWP’s Side Event at Astana 2011
At the Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, GWP convened a side event titled, “Economic Growth and Water: An Integrated Approach Helps” on September 23, 2011. GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng emphasized that “When we speak about the economy and economic growth we speak about water resources.”
The Conference addressed two main themes: Sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems; and Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development. The GWP side event linked these two aspects: how to make water resources available and yet protected when countries embark on economic development. The Conference recognized the “hydro-centric” and “eco-engineering” themes are closely related.

Four of the speakers at the GWP side event illustrated why water is attracting more political attention, while highlighting water’s complexity and the need for an integrated approach to guide its use, management and development.

Prof. Nariman Kipshakbaev from GWP Kazakhstan presented their experiences of developing a National IWRM Plan (presentation). He made a brief summary of water resources policy reform and emphasized that “there is a need to balance multiple uses of water in a water scarce region.” He stressed the important role of newly established water councils, citing examples of water councils that have a transboundary character, for instance in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

GWP Georgia Chair Ms Nino Chkhobadze looked at role of civil society and non-governmental organizations in support of water reform in the Caucasus (presentation). “It is not well understood the role NGOs play in supporting governments to develop and implement river basin management plans,” said Ms Nino Chkhobadze, who was Georgia’s Minister of Environment for eight years. “Involvement of society is understood as the right of people to be informed, but participation in decision making is moved aside.” She said that stakeholders and the public ensure positive results when they participate in processes that introduce Integrated Water Resources Management principles at local level, and subsequently, better acceptance of future investments.

GWP invited speakers that do not belong directly to the “water family” because GWP acknowledges that for water management to be successful it must involve experts from outside the “water box.” Prof. Laszlo Miklos from the Technical University of Zvolen in Slovakia is a geographer by background and a politician by experience. Having been the Minister of Environment for two terms, and a member of the national Parliament, he reminded the audience of the political commitments made under Agenda 21, and the adoption of the principle of an integrated approach to the management of land resources (presentation).

Recognizing that “integrated management” needs to be understood, he asked, “What exactly do we want to integrate? Different understandings of integration resulted in a myriad of policy reforms that integrated institutions and agencies and administration but not the planning process itself.” He recommended making land use plans the legal, obligatory framework for each sectoral plan because how we use land takes into account every sector including water management.

Prof. Lučka Kajfež Bogataj, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize together with other climatologists, looked at climate change from a national and international security point of view rather than from the environmental perspective (presentation). A number of studies suggest that the worst effects can be avoided by keeping global temperature rise below 2°C. But Prof. Bogataj said that if current problems are not solved, they will be aggravated regardless of mathematical scenarios that predict a temperature rise. She showed the participants the map of continents originally developed by the Ministry of Defense to illustrate, in graphic terms, the security challenges posed by a warming planet. Climate change is likely to make essential resources (notably freshwater, arable land, crop yields and fish stocks) scarcer in many parts of the world, particularly in already vulnerable societies.

“Increased scarcity increases the risk of competition over resources within and between communities and states,” she said. “This can create instability, increasing vulnerability to conflict. On current projections, substantial parts of the world risk being left uninhabitable by rising sea levels, reduced freshwater availability and declining agricultural capacity. This will exacerbate existing migratory pressures from rural areas to cities, from unproductive land to more fertile land, and across international borders.”

www.gwp.org

25 Signs That A Horrific Global Water Crisis Is Coming

Every single day, we are getting closer to a horrific global water crisis. This world was blessed with an awesome amount of fresh water, but because of our foolishness it is rapidly disappearing. Rivers, lakes and major underground aquifers all over the globe are drying up, and many of the fresh water sources that we still have available are so incredibly polluted that we simply cannot use them anymore. Without fresh water, we simply cannot function. Just imagine what would happen if the water got cut off in your house and you were not able to go out and buy any. Just think about it. How long would you be able to last? Well, as sources of fresh water all over the globe dry up, we are seeing drought conditions spread. We are starting to see massive "dust storms" in areas where we have never seem them before. Every single year, most of the major deserts around the world are getting bigger and the amount of usable agricultural land in most areas is becoming smaller. Whether you are aware of this or not, the truth is that we are rapidly approaching a breaking point.

If dramatic changes are not made soon, in the years ahead water shortages are going to force large groups of people to move to new areas. As the global water crisis intensifies, there will be political conflicts and potentially even wars over water. We like to think of ourselves as being so "advanced", but the reality is that we have not figured out how to live without water. When the water dries up in an area, most of the people are going to have to leave.

And yes, it will even happen in the United States too. For example, once Lake Mead dries up there is simply no way that so many people are going to be able to live in and around Las Vegas.

Right now, most of us take for granted that we will always have access to an unlimited amount of clean water.

But when you take a hard look at the data, it quickly becomes clear that everything that we have always taken for granted about water is about to dramatically change.

That following are 25 signs that a horrific global water crisis is coming. The first 12 facts are about the United States, and the last 13 are about the rest of the world....

#1 Today, the United States uses approximately 148 trillion gallons of fresh water a year.

#2 According to the U.S. government, 36 U.S. states are already facing water shortages or will be facing water shortages within the next few years.

#3 Since 1998, the level of water in Lake Mead has plunged by more than 50 percent. Lake Mead supplies about 85 percent of the water used in Las Vegas, and at this point the lake has 5.6 trillion gallons less water than it used to have. Lake Mead is falling so fast that some believe that the Hoover dam could actually stop producing electricity in a few years. Needless to say, that would be a total disaster for that entire region of the country. In addition, if things continue at the current pace, it is being estimated that Lake Mead will run completely dry some time around the year 2021.

#4 According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. interior west is now the driest that it has been in 500 years.

#5 The Ogallala Aquifer, which is a massive underground lake that stretches from South Dakota all the way to Texas, is rapidly drying up. The Ogallala Aquifer is believed to be the largest body of fresh water in the world, and right now it is being drained at a rate of approximately 800 gallons per minute. Right now it covers approximately 174,000 square miles, and since the 1950s we have drained enough water from it "to half-fill Lake Erie". Once upon a time, the Ogallala Aquifer had an average depth of about 240 feet, but today the average depth is just 80 feet. If something is not done, we will definitely see a return of the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. We need to start listening to the experts. Just consider what David Brauer of the Ogallala Research Service had to say when asked about the future of the Ogallala Aquifer....

"Our goal now is to engineer a soft landing. That's all we can do."

#6 A federal judge has ruled that the state of Georgia has very few legal rights to Lake Lanier. Lake Lanier is the main water source for the city of Atlanta. Millions more people are expected to move into the Atlanta area in the coming years, and this is creating an absolute nightmare for city officials.

#7 It is estimated that California only has a 20 year supply of fresh water left.

#8 It is estimated that New Mexico only has a 10 year supply of fresh water left.

#9 Things have gotten so dry in Arizona that now giant "dust storms" have been blowing through the city of Phoenix.

#10 Texas is has experienced one of the driest stretches that it has ever seen. Right now, approximately 81 percent of the state of Texas is experiencing "exceptional drought" conditions, and wildfires have burned an astounding 3.6 million acres in the state.

#11 Approximately 40 percent of all U.S. rivers and approximately 46 percent of all U.S. lakes have become so polluted that they are are now considered to be too dangerous to fish in, swim in or get drinking water from.

#12 Eight states in the Great Lakes region have signed a pact banning the export of water to outsiders - even to other U.S. states.

#13 It is being projected that by the year 2030, global demand for water will be 40 percent higher than it is today.

#14 Worldwide demand for fresh water tripled during the last century, and is now doubling every 21 years.

#15 According to USAID, one-third of the population of the earth will be facing severe or chronic water shortages by the year 2025.

#16 Of the 60 million people added to the world’s cities every year, the vast majority of them live in impoverished areas that have no sanitation facilities whatsoever.

#17 It is estimated that 75 percent of the surface water in India is now contaminated by human and agricultural waste.

#18 If you can believe it, according to a UN study on sanitation, far more people in India have access to a cell phone than to a toilet.

#19 In the developing world, 90 percent of all wastewater is discharged completely untreated into local rivers, streams or lakes.

#20 Every 8 seconds, somewhere in the world a child dies from drinking dirty water.

#21 Due to a lack of water, Saudi Arabia has given up on trying to grow wheat and will be 100 percent dependent on wheat imports by the year 2016.

#22 In northern China, the water table is dropping one meter every single year because of drought and overpumping.

#23 Incredibly, a new desert the size of Rhode Island is created in China every single year because of drought and overpumping.

#24 In China, 80 percent of all major rivers have become so horribly polluted that they do not support any aquatic life at all at this point.

#25 Collectively, the women of South Africa walk the equivalent of the distance to the moon and back 16 times a day just to get water.
Right now, more than a billion people around the globe do not have access to safe drinking water.

That number is going to keep increasing.

Without enough fresh water, people cannot grow enough food. Global food prices are already starting to skyrocket, and the coming global water crisis certainly is not going to help matters.

A massive, massive disaster is on the horizon. The era of gigantic amounts of cheap food and "unlimited" amounts of clean water is over.

A horrific global water crisis is coming.

You better get ready.

The Economic collapse 21-9-2011

L'acqua è dappertutto nell'universo: scoperta la più grande riserva

Gli oceani? Grandi, vasti, addirittura smisurati. Così sono descritti dai viaggiatori e dai poeti e chi è stato in una spiaggia oceanica quest'impressione la capisce bene. Eppure di acqua non ne hanno poi tanta, almeno in confronto ad APM +5255 08 279 un ben strano corpo celeste, un quasar, che sta a 12 miliardi di anni luce da noi. Praticamente ai confini dell'Universo visibile, dato che pensiamo che la sua età sia di 13,5 miliardi di anni. Bene già allora, agli albori dell'espansione, di acqua ce ne era da vendere, dato che questo quasar attorno ne ha una quantità pari a 140 trilioni di volte quella di tutti gli oceani terrestri. E un trilione equivale a un milione di miliardi.

Quindi lontanissima, antichissima e abbondantissima. È la scoperta del giorno, molto sicura dato che è stata fatta e confermata indipendentemente da due gruppi di ricerca americani, gli astronomi del Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Jpl) della Nasa e del California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Un quasar è uno degli oggetti celesti più strani ed enigmatici, presenti fin dalle prime epoche dell'Universo, composto da un enorme buco nero che assorbe costantemente, e potremmo dire voracemente, materia da un altrettanto enorme disco circostante di gas e polveri.

Man mano che il materiale gassoso e le polveri vengono "catturate" dal buco nero, il quasar emette enormi quantità di energia e per questo è ben visibile anche da distanze per noi inimmaginabili, come i 12 miliardi di anni luce in questione. Questo quasar poi è effettivamente di grandi dimensioni, dato che ospita un buco nero almeno 20 miliardi di volte più massiccio del nostro Sole e produce tanta energia, ad ogni secondo, quanto un migliaio di miliardi di stelle simile alla nostra. Tutto insomma in una scala difficile da immaginare, da "Universo violento" come si legge in qualche testo di fantascienza.
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Water good idea

Biomimicry: An improved way to harvest drinking water from fog in remote areas takes its inspiration from an African beetle: this a good idea!

IN THE dry desert on the west coast of Namibia, where the annual average rainfall is a meagre 40mm, the Namib beetle (Stenocara gracilipes) has evolved a unique mechanism to drink. It collects moisture from the early morning fog that is produced when ocean breezes from the Atlantic collide with the hot desert air. Drawing inspiration from this fog-harvesting trick, Shreerang Chhatre, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his colleagues, have developed a simple and inexpensive way to produce drinking water.

The Namibian mist rapidly dissipates once the sun rises, so the beetle has just a brief opportunity to collect water. The insect typically finds a ridge of sand and faces the breeze, tilting its lower body upwards with its specially adapted wings outstretched. The wings have bumps made of a hydrophilic substance that attracts minute water droplets. As they accumulate, the droplets grow larger until their weight causes them to run off into troughs in the beetle’s wings. These troughs are covered with a waxy water-repelling substance which has the effect of rolling the droplets down the beetle’s inclined body and into its mouth.

Fog harvesting is not a new idea. FogQuest, a Canadian charity, has been installing devices using a metallic mesh to catch water droplets in developing countries for more than a decade. But Mr Chhatre says he and his colleagues have increased the efficiency of water collection using a variety of surface coatings.

Water droplets in fog are very small, typically between 1 to 50 microns (one-millionth of a metre) across. Hydrophilic surfaces gather and hold droplets with electrostatic attraction, which prevents them being picked up and carried away in the wind. As more droplets are attracted, they spread out and eventually join together and run off the surface—as they do on a pane of glass. Hydrophobic coatings, like Teflon, are then needed to repel the water and stream it as quickly as possible to a reservoir so it does not evaporate.

Mr Chhatre, a chemist, studied the so-called “wettability” of various coatings and found mathematical formulae which could determine the ideal combination of coatings for the different sizes of fog particles found in any particular region. The surface texture of the coatings also turned out to be important.

The ideal locations for fog harvesting are mountainous and desert regions where fog is present but water sources are far away. Mr Chhatre is setting up a pilot project in South Africa and hopes to organise another in India. Using a coated aluminium mesh, he conservatively estimates that it is possible to collect about one litre of water daily from a mesh of one square metre. Under ideal conditions, he says, that could increase tenfold.

The Economist 2-6-2011

Peter Gleick: Whither Bottled Water Sales?

A year ago, when my book “Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water” was released, new statistics had just come out revealing that annual sales of bottled water had declined for only the second time (2008 and 2009) in the forty-year history of bottled water sale in the United States.

Major public campaigns against bottled water had recently been initiated by students, activist groups, local communities, and even some restaurateurs, including several high-profile ones in the Bay Area and the two-year drop in sales after years of double-digit annual growth was perceived by some, including me, as an indication that the unchallenged claims of the industry were beginning to be met with skepticism, education, and consumer reaction.

Around the same time, the industry launched major pro-bottled water PR campaigns to counter the anti-bottled water movement, pointing to their efforts to go “green” by using thinner bottles, or bottles with more environmentally friendly materials, or touting the purity of their products. The industry also began a series of price cuts to win back customers and they launched new television and print advertisements, while publicly arguing that the drop in sales was simply the result of the bad economy, rather than any success on the part of the “ban the bottle” crowd.

Water Numbers: US bottled water sales in 2010 are up 3.5% from 2009, but still below 2007 levels.

A year has gone by, and new data are out from the bottled water industry showing a slight recovery in sales in the U.S. — up 3.5% from 2009. This is a relief for the bottlers, who are crowing “The Recovery Begins” and the “storm has passed.” Digging deeper, however, reveals that the “recovery” is weak. While the volume of bottled water sold in the U.S. in 2010 was up from 2009, per-capita consumption only rose 2.6%, which is less than it fell in 2009, and total revenue was still below the levels from 2006, 2007, and 2008 due to price cutting. There are no public estimates of profits, which could have been further reduced by increases in the costs of production (especially the high energy costs to make bottled water) and advertising.

Moreover, while sales grew worldwide in 2010, there were some pronounced regional differences. Indeed, according to the industry, four of the top 10 bottled-water consuming countries of the world (Italy, Belgium/Luxembourg, France, and Spain) saw reductions in the amount of bottled water sold per person in 2010 compared to 2005, and in Italy and Spain the total volumes are lower as well.

Like the tobacco industry when U.S. sales began to stagnate as the public became more aware of the adverse consequences of smoking, bottlers are moving offshore to new markets, especially in the developing world where the high-quality tap water here in the U.S. is typically unavailable. While sales stagnate in the industrialized world, they are growing rapidly in places like Mexico, China, the Middle East, and India — at least among the richer segments of those populations. The poor are still condemned to drink contaminated water, or to spend a hugely disproportionate part of their limited incomes on water from private vendors or bottlers.

There is no doubt that bottled water remains popular and it certainly is a big business. It will remain so as long as people don’t have access to reliable, safe drinking water from the tap and don’t know about, or care about, the environmental costs of drinking bottled water. But efforts to eliminate the reasons people buy bottled water should continue: we must reinvest in our superb tap water system to make it safer and better, eliminate false and misleading bottled-water advertising, and make access to public water easier by fixing our public drinking water fountains and expanding access to them.

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Water at 54th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia

These are extraordinary times for Iraq. The project to create an official country Pavilion for the 54th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia is a multiple and participatory work in progress since 2004. It is historically coming at a period of great renewal after more than 30 years of war and conflict in that country.

The Pavilion of Iraq will feature six internationally-known contemporary Iraqi artists who are emblematic in their individual experimental artistic research, a result of both living inside and outside their country. These artists, studying at the Fine Arts Academy in Baghdad, completed their arts studies in Europe and USA. They represent two generations: one, born in the early 1950’s, has experienced both the political instability and the cultural richness of that period in Iraq. Ali Assaf, Azad Nanakeli and Walid Siti came of age in the 1970’s during the period of the creation of political socialism that marked their background. The second generation, to include Adel Abidin, Ahmed Alsoudani and Halim Al Karim, grew up during the drama of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), the invasion of Kuwait, overwhelming UN economic sanctions and subsequent artistic isolation. This generation of artists exited the country before the 2003 invasion, finding refuge in Europe and USA by sheer fortune coupled with the artistic virtue of their work. All six artists thus have identities indubitably forged with contemporary artistic practice that unites the global situation with the Iraqi experience and they represent a sophisticated and experimental approach that is completely international in scope.
The six artists will execute works on site that are inspired by both the Gervasuti Foundation spaces and the thematic choice of water. This is a timely interpretation since the lack of water is a primary source of emergency in Iraq, more than civil war and terrorism. A special video section will feature artists living and working in Iraq today, curated by Rijin Sahakian.
The Pavilion of Iraq has been produced thanks to Shwan I. Taha and Reem Shather-Kubba/Patrons Committee, MerchantBridge Bank, corporate and individual contributors, various Iraqi government agencies and a major grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. Honorary Patron is the architect Zaha Hadid.

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Water carafes

German designer mark braun has created a collection of water carafes for the vienna-based glass and chandelier producer
J. & L. lobmeyr which emphasis the elements of water and glass.
exhibiting at this year's vienna design week as a part of the program passionswege, 'reichtum' (german for 'wealth')
is largely influenced by the characteristics and shapes of austrian bodies of water. using satellite images from google maps as a tool,
braun engraves the outlines of lakes, rivers and glaciers found in the country on the body of the glass using a copper wheel.
the finished carafes is then filled with the water of the respective body of water, resulting in a series that, for braun, symbolizes
the essential wealth of everyday life.

Passionsweg is a feature program of vienna design week where designers are paired together with vienna shop and manufacturers.
the outcome of the creative collaboration is objects or installations that are site-specific to the local establishment or store.

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Water Solar Ball

While you might mistake designer Jonathan Liow’s Solarball for a familiar hamster’s toy, it’s actually a really cool new product for humans that purifies water using the sun. The Monash University graduate’s project is specifically geared towards aiding residents of underdeveloped areas with no clean drinking water, particularly small villages in Africa.

A trip to Cambodia spurred Liow’s desire to design a simple product that could help others, and that’s how the Solarball was born. Each ball can yield just over three quarts of clean drinking water each day if placed in the direct sun. Inside the ball, the dirty water evaporates away, separating the dirt and contaminants out. The resulting condensation is clean and drinkable. The small size is easy to carry, as well as affordable.

The design does pose a few problems. The size, although convenient and extremely portable, does not generate enough water for one person, let alone a village. Another factor is that the Solarball would need to be made of a durable plastic that can withstand constant exposure to the hot sun, and not become weakened easily. Although a great invention, it is not yet suitable to solve the water problem of an entire village.

A finalist in the 2011 Australian Design Award-James Dyson Award, the Solarball prototype will be on display at the Milan International Design Fair.

Viviconstile l'acqua

Come usare meglio l'acqua in casa
Costa poco, vale tanto, e troppo spesso la diamo per scontata. Dalla doccia agli usi in cucina, dallo scarico del water all'irrigazione delle piante, senza tralasciare lavatrice e lavastoviglie, gli accorgimenti per fare un uso più attento dell'acqua di casa.
ABBIAMO 9 CONSIGLI PER TE
DIFFICOLTÀ
CONVENIENZA
1
Sostituisci le guarnizioni (oppure, se necessario, l'intero pezzo) dei rubinetti che perdono.
Costo indicativo: qualche decina di centesimo di euro.

2
Fai attenzione ai rubinetti aperti, chiudili mentre ti lavi i denti o ti fai la barba (in un minuto scendono anche 10 litri d'acqua).

3 Fai la doccia anziché il bagno: risparmierai più di 100 litri d’acqua ogni volta.
4
Se lavi i piatti a mano, evita di lasciare il rubinetto dell'acqua aperto mentre insaponi le stoviglie e riserva l'uso dell'acqua corrente al momento del risciacquo.

5 Usa lavatrice e lavastoviglie ad alta efficienza e falle partire solo quando sono a pieno carico.
6
Controlla lo scarico del WC. Il 30% dell'acqua usata in casa è per il gabinetto: se è a cassetta, vale la pena adottare il pulsante a doppio tasto (poca e tanta acqua).

7
Installa rompigetto areati all'interno del terminale svitabile dei rubinetti. Cambia il getto della doccia con erogatori “a basso flusso”. Si possono ridurre i consumi anche del 40%.
Costo indicativo: circa 1 euro ogni rubinetto, 25-40 euro ogni doccia.

8
Innaffia le piante nei vasi o nel giardino con parsimonia e sempre verso sera, usando l'acqua dei risciacqui e, se c'è bisogno di tanta acqua, installando impianti a goccia programmabili con timer.
Costo indicativo: 100-150 euro.

9
Per lavare l'auto, al posto dell'acqua corrente, usa il secchio. In alternativa, rivolgiti ad un autolavaggio assicurandoti che sia munito di impianto di trattamento e di recupero dell'acqua di scarico.

AGEVOLAZIONI E CONTRIBUTI

Sconti al consumatore sull'acquisto di riduttori di flusso possono essere praticati nell'ambito di campagne di risparmio energetico per concorrere all'acquisizione dei “Titoli d'Efficienza Energetica” (o Certificati Bianchi).
Lo spreco è dietro l'angolo

Ogni giorno in Italia si consumano circa 200 litri d'acqua potabile a testa (dai 104 di Ascoli Piceno ai 350 di Milano). Molto di più di quella che ci serve davvero. E' acqua che è stata prelevata da pompe, talvolta trattata in impianti, analizzata in laboratori sofisticati, distribuita in tutte le nostre case e che, infine, dovrà essere depurata prima di venire restituita ai fiumi o al mare. Sprecare questo bene prezioso è più facile di quel che si creda: un rubinetto che perde una goccia ogni 5 secondi, a fine anno ne ha buttati 2 mila litri! Se poi a perdere è il rubinetto dell'acqua calda, è come se avessimo sprecato anche una decina di metri cubi di metano. Ecco perché i consigli per non sprecare acqua e non sprecare energia si assomigliano così tanto.



Riduttori di flusso

In sostituzione dei normali frangigetto, si possono applicare dei riduttori di flusso (o rompigetto areati) ai rubinetti del bagno e della cucina. Si tratta di semplici e poco costosi apparecchi che miscelano aria all'acqua in uscita, consentendo di ridurre drasticamente i consumi, anche del 40%, senza diminuire la resa lavante o il comfort. Non tutti però sono uguali e alcuni permettono un risparmio molto superiore di altri: prima dell'acquisto, controllare bene l'etichetta. 



Sciacquoni a basso consumo

Lo sciacquone a doppio pulsante permette di scaricare solo 3 litri invece dei 10-12 abituali. Per chi non vuole cambiare la vecchia vaschetta del WC a pulsante unico, è possibile ridurre l'afflusso d'acqua immergendovi una bottiglia di plastica piena chiusa o una busta (vedi www.studioinvenzioni.com/sacchetto-salva-acqua.html). In alternativa, per gli impianti di scarico a cassetta alta esterna si possono acquistare oggi apparecchiature che, a fronte di una piccola spesa e senza bisogno di lavori di muratura, trasformano il nostro sciacquone convenzionale in uno a doppio scarico (vedi www.casasoleil.it).



Lavatrici e lavastoviglie

I vecchi modelli di classe energetica bassa usano anche 25-50 litri a lavaggio, oltre a consumare costosa elettricità per scaldare l'acqua in più. Considerato che l'acqua adoperata per ogni lavaggio è la stessa, vale la pena farli funzionare solo a pieno carico. 

Anche lavare i piatti a mano può non convenire: se si tiene sempre aperto il rubinetto si consuma più acqua, detersivo, energia e si inquina di più che usando la lavastoviglie. Meglio immergere le stoviglie in una bacinella d'acqua calda con poco detersivo e utilizzare l'acqua corrente solo per il risciacquo (leggi qui).



Risparmiare in giardino

Per chi ha il giardino i consumi, specie in estate quando i fiumi sono in secca, aumentano notevolmente. Innaffiare a spruzzo, con la canna o con automatismi, favorisce l'evaporazione (specie se si innaffia quando il sole è ancora alto) e non indirizza l'acqua dove è più necessaria. Meglio utilizzare impianti a goccia programmabili con timer: dotati di tubi con ugelli dosatori, sono molto comodi e consentono risparmi notevoli. 

Per le piccole innaffiature, si può sfruttare l'acqua già usata per lavare frutta e verdura o l'acqua piovana raccolta con bacinelle.



Buona edilizia

Esempi di gestione sostenibile dell'acqua si stanno recentemente diffondendo in Italia sulle nuove costruzioni, grazie anche alla spinta di leggi e di regolamenti comunali. 
Le migliori esperienze ricorrono al recupero dell'acqua piovana, particolarmente adatta all'uso negli elettrodomestici, in quanto priva di calcare, e al trattamento e riuso delle acque grigie (le acque di scarico provenienti da doccia e lavabi) per scopi non potabili, come ad esempio l'irrigazione di aree a verde, il riempimento delle cassette di risciacquo dei WC, il lavaggio di aree esterne. 

Adottando queste soluzioni in fase di costruzione o di ristrutturazione edilizia è possibile ridurre i consumi domestici di acqua potabile del 70% arrivando a consumare – a parità di comfort - circa 60 litri al giorno per abitante.

go there!

http://www.referendumacqua.tv/

http://www.economist.com/node/18744261

http://www.economist.com/node/18744261

Water discussion at detour cinema, Roma 7.6.2011

ACQUA AZZURRA ACQUA CHIARA ACQUA PUBBLICA

20.30 Presentazione del libro "Acqua sporca - Il gorgo nero delle privatizzazioni" (Editori Riuniti, 2011) di Fulvio Di Dio. Interventi di:

Angelo Bonelli (Presidente della Federazione dei Verdi)
Fulvio Di Dio (Autore del libro "Acqua sporca", Editori Riuniti, 2011)
Giulio Conte (AmbienteItalia, Autore del libro "Nuvole e Sciacquoni", Ed. Ambiente, 2008)

21.30 WATER MAKES MONEY - Come le multinazionali fanno profitti sull’acqua di Leslie Franke e Herdolor Lorenz (2010, 82'). Circa 20 anni fa è iniziata in tutto il mondo un’ondata di privatizzazione dei nostri approvvigionamenti d’acqua. In molti paesi oggi l’acqua potabile è un lusso che i più poveri non possono permettersi. Ma anche in quei paesi, come l’Italia, nei quali non c’è ancora scarsità a quei livelli, gli effetti delle privatizzazioni sono sotto gli occhi di tutti : aumenti delle tariffe, nessuna riduzione delle perdite, drastico peggioramento della qualità del servizio. >continua

Urmia: Iranian lake faces extinction warn experts

Water Changes Everything.

GOOD: Water

Acqua, un bene pubblico anche con due no al referendum

Perché l’acqua deve stare fuori dal sistema dei prezzi?
All’approssimarsi della data di due tra i quesiti referendari più emotivamente caratterizzati ed altrettanto fuorvianti della recente storia italiana, una opportuna riflessione di Franco Debenedetti sul tema. Per la serie conoscere per deliberare, impresa ormai disperata in questo paese.

Come è (forse) noto, i due quesiti referendari riguardano essenzialmente la gestione della rete idrica e la tariffa dell’acqua. Nel primo caso, il comitato promotore intende abrogare l’articolo 23 bis della legge 233/2008, che “stabilisce come modalità ordinarie di gestione del servizio idrico l’affidamento a soggetti privati attraverso gara o l’affidamento a società a capitale misto pubblico-privato, all’interno delle quali il privato sia stato scelto attraverso gara e detenga almeno il 40%”. Osserva Debenedetti che il problema che abbiamo di fronte non riguarda l’assetto proprietario dell’acqua (che restrebbe pubblico), bensì i criteri per l’assegnazione delle gare di appalto per ammodernare e sviluppare le reti, ponendo tra l’altro fine all’indecente fenomeno della dispersione, stimata in media al 30 per cento ma che in alcune realtà è ben superiore. Sostituire l’appalto in house da parte dell’ente locale con una regolare procedura di messa a gara serve a contenere quei fenomeni di socialismo municipale che tanto hanno contribuito, sinora, a sottrarre efficienza al sistema economico.

Riguardo le tariffe, oggetto del secondo referendum, il “rischio” evidente è quello di un aumento vertiginoso delle stesse, per finanziare i nuovi investimenti. Per questo motivo, i proponenti del referendum intendono eliminare il comma del cosiddetto “codice dell’ambiente” che dispone che la tariffa per il servizio idrico è determinata tenendo conto dell’“adeguatezza della remunerazione del capitale investito”. Se vincessero i si, per tradurre, il costo degli investimenti finirebbe a carico della fiscalità generale, con effetti ulteriormente depressivi sull’economia dati dal fatto che nei prossimi anni nel settore idrico serviranno, come detto, enormi esborsi.

Sostiene Franco Debenedetti, una delle menti più lucide prodotte dalla sinistra italiana (ammesso e non concesso che la sinistra lo consideri un proprio “prodotto”):

«L’uno-due dei referendari è micidiale: col quesito numero uno vogliono che le opere pubbliche vengano pagate a piè di lista, con il quesito numero due vogliono che la gente non sappia neppure quanto questo le costa. Certamente esisteranno anche fasce di indigenza tali da non poter pagare neanche l’acqua per bere e per lavarsi – anche se in tal caso gli interventi per sopperire alle loro necessità e soprattutto per aiutarli a uscire dalla situazione di povertà dovrebbero essere ben più radicali e mirati -; ma come qualificare chi sfrutta questa indigenza per beneficiare anche chi l’acqua la usa per fontane e piscine, oppure per usi industriali? Perché costoro non debbono pagare l’acqua al prezzo giusto? I prezzi sono uno strumento per l’efficiente allocazione delle risorse, in particolare per decidere gli investimenti. Perché l’acqua deve stare fuori dal sistema dei prezzi?»

Già, perché? Eppure, sarebbe sufficiente lavorare su un welfare realmente dei bisogni, stabilendo esenzioni e sussidi a beneficio di chi è realmente in condizione di disagio economico, e porre a carico della fiscalità generale solo quella parte dell’intervento. L’obiezione più ricorrente all’eliminazione della riserva in house è che l’intervento del privato non è garanzia di efficienza, soprattutto in un paese come il nostro, dove connivenze tra appaltatori e committenti pubblici sono parte integrante del paesaggio. Ma identica obiezione può essere sollevata per l’esecuzione del servizio da parte dell’ente locale, in condizioni di splendida solitudine e di determinazione fantasiosa dei relativi costi. Insomma, serve comunque l’affermazione di una cultura del controllo da parte dei cittadini, che dovrebbe già esistere ma che auspicabilmente si rafforzerà con l’affermazione dell’idea federalista (anche se siamo destinati ad avere un federalismo “alla padana”, cioè molto italiano e gabelliere). Diversamente, i termini della questione non risiederebbero nella dicotomia tra statalisti e liberisti ma nel trasversale dualismo tra guardie e ladri, ed abbiamo non da oggi il sospetto che sia proprio questo il vero problema italiano.

Per questo dobbiamo convincerci che l’acqua è e resta un bene pubblico, anche votando due no al referendum.

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GOOD Transparency: Water Conservation

Festival de l'eau in France, 18-19 Juin

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IceDream: The Iceberg project

Turning iceberg into drinking water

Water shortages plague a fifth of southern Europe. And with temperatures in the region forecast to rise several degrees this century — reducing rainfall another 30% — things will only get worse. Several thousand miles to the northwest, however, global warming is increasing the number of icebergs calving off Greenland; they now number about 15,000 a year. "An iceberg is a floating reservoir. And water from icebergs is the purest water ... It was formed some 10,000 years ago," explains French engineer and eco-entrepreneur Georges Mougin. All those bergs eventually dissolve in the ocean's brine. Such a waste, he says. Why not capture and haul some of them to Europe's arid south?

more here

It’s a common mistake to confuse ice fields, which are composed of frozen seawater and populated with polar bears, with icebergs, our floating mountains composed of frozen drinking water.

And did you know that, each year, the equivalent of the world’s supply in drinking water melts away into the ocean?

Why should just sit by and let this happen? Why not use icebergs as an alternative source for drinking water?

This is French Arts & Métiers Engineer Georges Mougin’s dream since 40 years!

At first this idea may seem too outlandish, but perhaps Mougin is a visionary? Today while the most pessimist prospectors predict a worldwide conflict based on ‘blue gold’ in 2050, Dassault Systèmes has decided to help Mougin reexamine his project with the help of 21st Century technology.

And what if 3D scientific simulation and virtual worlds can give life to an idea that died down last century? Perhaps this was due to technology-linked obstacles and limited knowledge of our oceans and weather. Perhaps Mougin was ahead of his times . . .

A documentary under the direction of Jean-Michel Corillion is being made to tell this story. It’s called Ice Dream and in a few months will be broadcast in various countries.

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Energy from Water

What is the chain of technology development and delivery that enables small scale decentralised electrification of unelectrified rural areas?
An example technology is pico-hydro that uses local streams as a resource.
The technology is transferred as an asset to households of farmers with access to streams, in the Western Ghats region.
Most critically, the households decide the allocation of water between electricity generation and irrigation - they manage their demand for electricity based on water availability. The entire system retrofits into their current irrigation infrastructure.
At the same time, there is an entire value chain of enterprises that develop the technology and deliver it to the farmer's doorstep, integrating access to MNRE subsidies and loans as necessary.


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Water in Cities

"Share - managing water across boundaries" now in Russian

WANI's latest toolkit translation offers "Share - managing water across boundaries" in Russian. The translated version provides Russian audiences with an overview of the world's shared water resources, and insights for managing these.

Transboudary rivers are increasingly being drawn upon to meet competing demands. The newly released Russian version of Share includes a range of potential costs and benefits of cooperation, and of non-cooperation, and principles and mechanisms for sharing the benefits that derive from water.

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L'ambiente tradito, storie di dighe e disastri

Nel libro 'Da Molare al Vajont, storie di dighe' (edizioni Erga), Giorgio Temporelli passa in rassegna i più tragici eventi accaduti nel nostro Paese nell'ultimo secolo. "La progettazione e la gestione delle grandi opere, siano esse un palazzo, un ponte, una strada o una diga - spiega l'autore - devono sempre essere ispirate al buon senso e all'onestà intellettuale. I segnali della natura non possono essere sottovalutati: quando ciò è successo i risultati sono stati tragici.". Il libro ricostruisce le vicende processuali, analizza le tecniche costruttive e propone anche le testimonianze dei superstiti. Ecco una rassegna di foto d'epoca dei casi trattati nello studio (e.d.s.)

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Acqua minerale, primato italiano

Nel nostro Paese record europeo di consumi di minerale: 192 litri a testa nel 2009. Nel mondo secondi soli al Messico. Ma bevendo acqua pubblica si riducono (di molto) le emissioni di gas serra

Acque salutari, pure, e cristalline. Una promessa tutta naturale, che però danneggia l'ambiente. Lo afferma uno studio che mostra come scegliendo l'acqua di casa rispetto a quella imbottigliata gli italiani risparmierebbero annualmente l'emissione di 9000 tonnellate di CO2.

Primi in Europa, secondi al mondo. Non un primato di coscienza ambientale ma quello del consumo pro capite d'acqua imbottigliata. Sono i dati che emergono da un rapporto della Beverage Marketing Corporation, secondo cui nel 2009 gli italiani hanno consumato in media 192 litri di acqua minerale a testa. Un valore che ci proietta al top della classifica dei dieci paesi più attratti dall'acqua in bottiglia. Siamo sotto solo al Messico (234 litri pro capite) e sopra agli aridissimi Emirati Arabi (151 litri).

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WEBINAR WATER ECONOMY - 20 April 2011, ore 17,00

Il 20 aprile BCFN presenta in diretta web "Emergenza acqua tra disponibilità ed interessi economici"

Un seminario per fare luce a 360° sul problema mondiale dell’accesso limitato all’oro liquido’. Si terrà il 20 aprile e sarà trasmesso in diretta web alle 17 sul sito del BCFN (www.barillacfn.it). L’acqua “di qualità”, infatti, non salata e non inquinata, rappresenta solo lo 0,003 % del totale dell’acqua disponibile nel mondo. Proprio qualche giorno fa il segretario generale delle Nazioni Unite Ban Ki-moon ha ricordato che ogni 20 secondi nel mondo un bambino o una bambina muore per una malattia causata dalla mancanza di acqua potabile, e che in questo modo “perdiamo 1,5 milioni di giovani vite ogni anno”.

Per garantire a tutti l’accesso all’acqua ognuno deve fare la sua parte. Servono nuove normative a livello sia locale sia internazionale, per evitare che l’interesse di pochi prevalga e garantire l’acqua per tutti. Per questo motivo è possibile partecipare al dibattito il 20 Aprile alle ore 17 su www.barillacfn.it.

Sourcing water

Drinkable water is essential for human survival, but in many parts of the world people have no immediate access to it and must work to get it. In the deserts of Africa, for example, Samburu herders rely on wild elephants to find waterholes for them, while people living in the Andes have come up with a remarkable way to trap the water in the air – nets.

As anyone who has done a survival course can tell you, we can survive weeks without food but only a matter of days without water. Of course, many of us are lucky enough to have water on tap, but according to the UN, only 42% of people in rural areas had access to clean water in 2004. For those people, sourcing water can take a great deal of effort and ingenuity.
The Hamar of Ethiopia, for example, must walk long distances in grueling temperatures to get water from their nearest wells. And that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is carrying the water back for the other villagers since water is anything but light.
In fact, water is so heavy that carrying it any great distance is often a very inefficient way to keep yourself topped up. When women and children from the Tubu tribe set off across the desert for market, they know that the walk will take them eight days in temperatures that can exceed 45C. They also know that the only way to survive is by remembering the location of a single well along the way, their only lifeline in a sea of emptiness.
Relying on the navigational skills passed down by their mothers, the women must take their bearings from the stars and read the shapes of the sand dunes. But take one wrong turn in these ever-shifting sands and death may be just around the corner.
In Kenya, the Samburu people don’t rely on themselves to find water when the river runs dry, but on the skills of wild elephants. Since the elephants have an amazing ability to detect underground water, the Sumburu keep close tabs on them and then take their water from the shallow wells that the elephants leave open for them. Back in their village, the Samburu thanks the elephants by filling troughs which they leave out for thirsty animals. It is part of their belief system that no living thing should suffer the agony of dying from lack of water, especially those animals who help to keep the herdsmen and their families alive.
But while some people must go in search of water, others like the Chileans of the Atacama Desert have learned to wait for it to come to them. As the wind blows across the Pacific, it draws up water from the sea until it becomes a thick fog. When the fog then hits the desert coastline it is trapped by lichen on cacti and condenses into water that is drunk by the local animals. Inspired by this, local people now set down huge nets that line the hills and trap the fog as it rolls across the desert. As the fog condenses, the precious liquid runs through pipes that lead down to the grateful villages below. As usual, Mother Nature has all the best tricks.

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Deep wells and prudence - Towards pragmatic action for addressing groundwater overexploitation in India - A World Bank document (2010)

India is the largest user of groundwater resources in the world. It is estimated that approximately 230 cubic kilometers per year is used annually, this is more than a quarter of the total world consumption from this resource.

It is in this context that this World Bank report looks at the reasons for this quantum of groundwater usage.

The report delves into socio-economic and political reasons and looks at policies which inadvertently promote so much extraction. The report also analyses various attempts to manage this resource. These attempts range from government and international agency efforts directed to grassroots mobilisations. Finally the report comes out with suggestions to deal with this crisis.

The report is broken into 4 chapters and an introduction. These are:

You cannot manage what you don’t know: Understanding realities under and above the ground
A semblance of sufficiency: Institutional framework of groundwater management in India
A groundswell of change: Potential of community groundwater management in India
Pragmatic approaches for managing over-exploited aquifers in India

Each chapter ends with a 'conclusion' section that is both a summation of the points discussed and an introduction to the next chapter.

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An-tiki crew complete trans-Atlantic raft voyage for WaterAid

An-Tiki, a raft made of polyethylene pipes and a pig shelter, and her intrepid crew of four 'mature' adventurers, including an 85-year-old grandfather from London, have defied sceptics by successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Grandfather, writer and adventurer Anthony Smith and his three-man crew – aged from 56 to 61 years old – arrived yesterday at St Martin in the Caribbean, having safely sailed 3,000 miles across the second largest ocean in the world.

During their 66 days at sea the crew battled bad weather, broken rudders and freight boats sailing too close for comfort. They also baked fresh bread every day, studied plankton with their onboard microscope and last week celebrated Anthony's 85th birthday with a chocolate cake and a tin of pineapple chunks!

The crew have also raised thousands of pounds for WaterAid, which works with some of the world's poorest communities to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

Anthony, former BBC Tomorrow's World TV presenter and science correspondent, who developed the An-Tiki project, said: "We are looking forward to eating fresh food and enjoying some of life's little luxuries again. But the excitement is tinged with some sadness as the arrival means saying goodbye to our trusty partner, the good raft An-Tiki, who has so steadfastly looked after us on this journey.

"We'll also miss the incredible sights and sounds of life at sea, sunrises and sunsets, incredible wildlife, the camaraderie and that special space and solitude that ocean-goers come to love."

John Russel, 61, from Gloucestershire, wrote on the An-tiki blog: "I have to admit that I did have some concerns before setting out, but am really glad that I came on the adventure, and it has been absolutely mind-blowing and wonderful. I cannot use enough superlatives, and would not hesitate to do the same again."

7 April 2011

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Announcing FAO’s Regional ‘Sustainable Water Resource Use in Asia’ Online Conference

The Food and Agricultural Organization’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is pleased to announce a Regional Online Conference Issues and Challenges in Sustainable Water Resource Use in Asia commencing 18 April 2011.
The conference is hosted by FAO in close partnership with a range of regional and international organizations including the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), UNESCAP, AusAID, Global Water Partnership (GWP), the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), IUCN and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).
Conference Objective
The conference is an integral part of the ‘Analysis of Sustainable Water Resource Use in Asia’ project which focuses specifically on issues related to policies and practices of water allocation, particularly to agriculture. The objective of the conference is to identify the issues and challenges related to water allocation, and to explore the agricultural responses at all scales.
The aim is to get people discussing, debating and mobilized about the issues that are key to fostering better water allocation mechanisms in the region. The online conference provides the platform needed to bring together regional and international experts, government staff, researchers, academics, NGOs, system managers and all other stakeholders to share opinions, discuss new ideas and debate controversial issues.

registration

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Acqua!

Il Concorso Fotografico di Beneficenza “ACQUA” promosso da 42mm e SBS Sociale presenta le fotografie vincitrici del concorso, sabato ore 21,00 via del Guadagnolo, Roma

info

James Workman: Boycott World Water Day!

Set aside warm and fuzzy emotion, and use cold logic to revalue our matrix of life.

In case your email isn’t already loaded with 967 well-meaning reminders, the United Nations has officially designated March 22 as a time for us all “to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and to advocate for its sustainable management.”

He is also translating the proven system that has sustained indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert into an online, utility-based system that could be used to conserve water and energy in cities worldwide.
In that spirit—as one who has invested two decades into conserving this precious resource 364 days a year—let me advocate how you can truly honor our supreme liquid asset, the matrix of life, the wet stuff on which we depend: boycott World Water Day.

That’s right. Skip the political speeches, ignore the tired propaganda, bypass the grim statistics, and avoid the marches expressing solidarity and concern.

Instead, do what I plan to do. Hose down your sidewalk. Plant a lawn. Order a Big Mac (1,000 gallons to produce). Buy a new pair of jeans (2,900 gallons to make). Take a long shower. Flush your toilet a few extra times, and put off fixing that leaky sink. And, in that most sinister act of betrayal, brush your teeth while leaving the tap on.

No, I haven’t come unhinged. I recognize more than ever the serious risk we all face from depleting aquifers and draining rivers. I know I’m wasting our finite resource.

So where’s the method behind my deliberate madness? I now realize that World Water Day does more than soften or hide the impact of water depletion. It makes matters worse.

First, it creates the illusion that we value water, when all economic indicators show we clearly do not.
Second, it punishes the very people who strive to be frugal and green, while rewarding profligates.
Third, it reinforces a rigged and perverse centralized system, a vertically integrated absolute monopoly of disincentives that ensures water conservation remains increasingly unsustainable.
You can stop reading right now. You can take part in the annual, feeble “celebration of water.” Or you can face reality in the water world and decide to change it.

“By boycotting World Water Day, you will create a local disturbance.”
If you, like me, decide to boycott World Water Day, you will essentially be taking the red pill that Morpheus offers Neo in The Matrix. You will see the truth behind your local water works. That is to say, you will be exposed to the Three Paradoxes of Water.

......

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The worth of water

An encouraging model suggests urban Asia’s water problems could be easily fixed

PIGS rootle fastidiously through the foothills of the mountain of rubbish dumped at Tuol Sen Chey on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. A few metres away, cross-legged amid the clouds of flies and shaded from a fierce sun by a broad-brimmed hat, Tim Chan Tha is sifting and flattening used plastic bags for recycling. A widow with three children, she earns about 6,000 riels ($1.50) a day for this. She lives nearby down muddy dirt roads, in a cluster of ramshackle huts of corrugated iron, salvaged wood and tarpaulins. Ms Tha’s life seems as miserable an example of urban poverty as could be found anywhere.

In one respect, however, she is lucky. Her home has a constant supply of running water, drinkable straight from the standpipe outside. Perhaps just as remarkably, she pays for it. The provider is a government-owned utility, the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA), which actually makes a profit and pays tax. For its many fans in the world of development experts, its achievement in doing this while serving the very poor makes it a model—proof that all that stands between poor people and a decent water supply is mismanagement.

This is a salutary message. Perhaps two-fifths of the people in Asia’s cities do not have access to piped water. Many of the rest suffer from intermittent supply and unsafe water. And, globally, the provision of water to cities is not keeping pace with urbanisation. In a message for “World Water Day” on March 22nd the United Nations’ secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, claimed that in the past decade the number of city-dwellers without a water tap in their home or immediate vicinity has risen by 114m.

Mr Ban identified the problem as “a crisis of governance, weak policies and poor management”. Asit Biswas, of the Third World Centre for Water Management, an NGO, agrees: “Lack of money, scarcity, and so on—they’re all excuses. The problem everywhere is bad management.” PPWSA has prospered in as unpromising an environment as any. Like much of Cambodia’s infrastructure, Phnom Penh’s water-supply system fell into disrepair under the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975, during which tens of thousands were driven into the countryside.


The isolated, cash-strapped Vietnamese-backed regime that replaced it in 1979 patched up the system. But by 1993, when a new government took office after a peace agreement and UN-supervised elections, PPWSA was producing 65,000 cubic metres of water a day, with connections to just one-fifth of city residents. Of this 72% was “non-revenue water”—given away, or lost to leakage and theft. Chea Visoth of the PPWSA recalls carrying water up to his flat from a roadside tank filled by a pipe illegally tapping the public system.

The government appointed a new boss to PPWSA, Ek Sonn Chan, who remains in charge. It now produces 300,000 cubic metres a day, has 200,000 connections and non-revenue water of less than 6%. It is financing its latest water-treatment plant through commercial borrowing, and will be one of the first companies listed on a planned new stock exchange. To achieve all this Mr Chan solved problems that dog water-suppliers across Asia. One, the physical infrastructure, was relatively easy with the help of aid agencies and development banks. Another, identifying who was using water and putting in meters to measure their consumption, was painstakingly time-consuming.

Harder still, though, was to improve the quality of the staff (in his words, “underqualified, underpaid, unmotivated and mostly inefficient”). As in public utilities in many countries, PPWSA employed too many of them—some 20 per 1,000 connections compared with about three per 1,000 now. Many were corrupt, either pocketing water tariffs or taking bribes for not charging them. When Mr Chan tried to sack one egregious wrongdoer, his well-placed relation in the municipal government objected. Mr Chan made it a resigning issue and got his way (his victim, however, says Mr Visoth, landed on his feet and now works at the electricity utility.) Nor was it easy to persuade the government and army to pay up. One senior officer’s response to a water bill was to point a gun at Mr Chan’s temple.

Another difficulty was to overcome the prejudice against running a public utility as a business. When PPWSA’s proposal for universal tariffs went to the cabinet in 1993, it was unanimously rejected. But Mr Chan earned the trust of Hun Sen, then one of two prime ministers, and, since 1997, the only, increasingly autocratic, one. His support has helped Mr Chan show that the poor will gladly pay for water if it is cheap, reliable and safe.

Ms Tha, for example, pays about 7,500 riels a month for her supply. But much of that she recoups from neighbours. (For the 300 or so “waste-picker” families at Tuol Sen Chey, there are 113 connections.) Before 2008 and the advent of piped water, she had to pay about 20,000 riels a month to the owner of a nearby well for muddy water that had to be left to settle and boiled before it could be drunk. It left your hair feeling like cardboard after washing, her sister recalls. Even happier is their neighbour Oum Sok Ha, who specialises in recycling glass jars and bottles and so is a heavy water-user. Her daily profit has increased by 2,000 riels.

Not rocket science

More important than Miss Ha’s glee are the health benefits of a good water supply. This week the UN children’s agency, Unicef, estimated that in Pakistan, for example, 60m people may not have access to clean drinking water and that 100,000 child deaths a year can be blamed on unsafe water. A frequent estimate in India is that between one-half and two-thirds of hospital beds are occupied by people suffering waterborne diseases. Through the methodical, single-minded pursuit of basic common sense, PPWSA has shown how unnecessary that is.


http://www.economist.com/node/18440717?story_id=18440717

water effects

o mark World Water Day, on March 22nd Solidarités International and its agency BDDP Unlimited will roll out a campaign to build awareness of the scourge of undrinkable water.

Today, it is estimated that 3.6 million people, including 1.5 million children under the age of 5, die every year of diseases borne by undrinkable water, making it the world’s leading cause of death.

Yet the public isn’t aware of it and political leaders do not demonstrate the drive it takes to end the terrible deaths. The campaign calls on journalists to spread awareness of this scourge and appeal to readers to sign a petition that will be personally handed to the French president during the 6th World Water Forum in March 2012. To evoke the silent and invisible threat of unhealthy water, BDDP Unlimited opted for a minimalist approach that is both visually appealing and surprising, using water and ink exclusively. The spot shows the power of ink to reveal the invisible.

The spot, created by BDDP Unlimited, produced by Hush and directed by Clément Beauvais, a young director, illustrator, musician and photographer. His multiple talents and mastery of various techniques enabled him to both create the drawings and direct the spot. The campaign will be seen from mid-March on TV, in cinemas, on the Internet and in print. A dedicated web site, votregouttedeau.org, will gather signatures for the petition.

Ten ways to spend a day

Walking for water or surfing the net – what would you rather be doing?
To mark World Water Day on 22 March, WaterAid has revealed some startling comparisons between the time the UK population spends on everyday activities and the time people in the world's poorest countries spend fetching water.

We would love you to share our list and sign our petition, calling on the UK government to do even more to help people out of water poverty.

Across Africa, the average amount of time spent fetching water is three hours a day with people spending up to 10 hours per day on this time-consuming task.

Responsibility for collecting water usually falls on the shoulders of women and children, preventing them from going to school, earning a living or just having fun. In fact, a total of 40 billion working hours every year are lost to water collection. Too often, the water is dirty, resulting in diseases such as diarrhoea or cholera.

What would you have to miss out on? Our top 10 time comparisons:
1 - Let's get social: In the UK, people spend an average of five hours 48 minutes on social networking sites per week (comScore). In Sub-Saharan Africa, that’s two trips to collect water. What would you rather be doing?

2 - I say! The average man will spend five hours a week staring at different women (Kodak Lens Vision Centres). In one week, the average woman in a developing country would have spent 21 hours collecting water.

3 - Wedding bells: A bride-to-be spends an average of 250 hours preparing for a wedding. For a woman in Africa, that time could be spent making 83 trips to collect water. You can bet she'd rather be planning her big day...

4 - Goal! Mr Average in Britain spends six hours and 12 minutes a week watching, talking about and keeping up-to-date on football (BT Vision). After that amount of time, a woman in the developing world could be making her third trip in one day to collect water.

5 - Break a sweat: The average adult exercises just 50 minutes a week (WeightWatchers) – less than a third of one trip to collect 20kg of water.

6 - Off to the shops: The average British woman spends 94 hours and 55 minutes shopping for food over one year, and more than 100 hours shopping for clothes (OnePoll). Women in sub-Saharan Africa spend the same amount of time collecting water in just one month. This time could be much better spent growing or selling their own food.

7 - School's out: It takes a mighty 3,600 study hours to complete an Open University Honours degree. That's little more than three years spent fetching water – time better spent on education.

8 - Beep, beep! It takes, on average, 47 hours of driving lessons to pass a driving test in the UK (DirectGov). In the same amount of time, millions in Africa will have made just 15 trips to collect water – and they won't be making those journeys by car.

9 - On track: The average daily commute in the UK takes 47 minutes and 48 seconds (TUC). It might feel like 47 minutes too many, but it's still less than a third of the time it takes to collect water in sub-Saharan Africa.

10 - A nice cuppa: We spend about six hours a week drinking tea and coffee (LearnDirect). That's two trips to collect water, with no coffee break.

For 884 million people around the world currently living without one, a safe water supply close to home is both a lifesaver and a time-saver, enabling them to take a crucial step out of poverty.

"Lack of water and sanitation traps people in a vicious circle of disease, lost opportunities, poverty and indignity," said Girish Menon, Director for International Programmes at WaterAid.

"That's why WaterAid and other members of End Water Poverty will hold walking events across the globe on World Water Day to raise awareness of the wasted hours and missed opportunities for millions of people across the globe."
"Water is essential for improving health, education, gender equality and economic growth," added Girish.

"Governments must commit to taking action to provide the world's poorest with access to both clean water and safe sanitation. The world can’t wait any longer."

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It's in Your Hands

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Anupam Mishra: The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting

Anupam Mishra: The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting | Video on TED.com

Thanks water!

Conferenza: water search portal

SEMINARIO
PRESENTAZIONE DELLA PIATTAFORMA SULL'ACQUA
“AQUA SEARCH PORTAL”
Roma, 22 marzo 2011, ore 10:15-13:30
Sala Conferenze IterLegis
Via Uffici del Vicario, 30Programma provvisorio
10.15 Registrazione dei partecipanti
10.30 Introduzione:
L’acqua come sistema. Giornata Mondiale 2011 dedicata
all’acqua e alle città
Gianni De Michelis, Presidente IPALMO
10.45 Presentazione della Piattaforma
Elisabetta Zuanelli, Presidente PRAGMEMA
11.15 Le politiche e gli strumenti d’informazione sull’acqua
Corrado Clini, Direttore Generale, Ministero
dell’Ambiente
Walter Mazzitti, Presidente SEMIDE
Mario Alì, Direttore, Direzione Generale per
l’internazionalizzazione della ricerca, Miur
11.45 Dibattito
Rappresentanti di Istituzioni nazionali e internazionali,
aziende (private e pubbliche), enti consortili
12.45 Per un coordinamento delle politiche dell’acqua
Elisabetta Zuanelli, Presidente PRAGMEMA


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Making every drop count for regional water security

The last decade has seen the highest number of natural disasters in recorded history; called the “warmest decade” and marred by catastrophic water related disasters, in the vein of the tsunami (2004), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the floods in Pakistan (2010). Most recently calamity hit home when the Eastern Province and other parts of the island were pelted with incessant rain. As is common knowledge, these disasters are the manifestation of the greater issue of climate change engulfing the planet and they are followed on by the more tangible tragedy of food scarcity.

Experts gathered last week to address these vital issues at a workshop on the lines of “Climate Change, Food and water security; identifying critical issues and exploring cooperative strategies in an age of increased risk and uncertainty for South Asia.” The discussion facilitated an exchange between experts on this area from all over South Asia and was organised by the Global Water Partnership and the International Water Management Institute (IMWI), which is based in Colombo. The South Asian arm of Water Vision 2025 by the Global Water Partnership envisages “poverty in South Asia will be eradicated and living conditions of all the people will be uplifted to sustainable levels of comfort, health and wellbeing through coordinated and integrated development and management of waster resources of the region.”

The issue at the forefront of the minds of those at the workshop was the preparedness of the South Asian region for the challenge posed by climate change and the inevitable natural disasters it brings. “We are being pushed into a situation where extreme events are overtaking us and the question is; what are we doing enough to be prepared for what seems to be a continuous challenge? I think that this activity where we have brought together all the South Asian countries is an excellent opportunity to discuss this along these lines of collective preparedness,” Chair of the Sri Lanka water partnership Kusum Atukorala said.

Chair of the South Asia Global Water Partnership Sardar Tariq emphasised the need to recognize the conglomerate responsibility of all states in South Asia to water related challenges. “If you consider water management in South Asia every country individually has an impact and is working very fast on our goals of water for all, water for environment and water for development. But in the context of climate change we have found that we have to come out of these territorial boundaries and we have to have a more holistic view and see how we can manage water resources on a regional level and move out from this boundary mentality,” he says.

In the Sri Lankan context Atukorala sees a great overlap in responsibilities which leads to inefficiency and bad water management. “If you take most South Asian countries and we are not an exception we have bifurcated responsibilities for water management; the water board would be doing one thing the irrigation ministry would be doing another thing but then if you look at it seriously there is a great deal of overlap and replication. Now for instance if you take water from irrigation, it is the same water that is being taken for water supply. Integrated water supply management tries to bring all the stakeholders together and this is where the Sri Lanka water partnership comes in -bringing stakeholders together,” she said.

For the everyday individual who can make the whole-scale institutional changes necessary yet is willing to in their own way contribute to protecting the vital resources of water Atukorala says rainwater harvesting is a suitable option. “If you are building a new house this is clearly more expensive but if you consider the amount you will save on your water bill in the long run it tends to pay off. With rainwater you won’t have to pay anything and you will generally have a reliable stored supply- you don’t have to use it for drinking but you can always use it for flushing or washing clothes etc,” she explains.

Fellow of IMWI and Ground water expert Dr. Tushaar Shah explains that ground water utilization is also an apt way for households to save on their water bills while conserving water. “We have to manage groundwater according to the type of acquiface- that is if the ground is full of rock formations or not in the former there is very little water that gathers. In Sri Lanka this is the case. Therefore you must use an open well, In these open wells if you start pumping using an electric or diesel pump then what you can pump in a given period is what is there in the well at that time, then you have to rest that well for 7 to 8 hours,” he cautions.

Water is vital for our everyday needs. Yet our mismanagement of the resources provided to us has caused water to now become this sinister force that could destroy all that mankind had called development. In the face of this challenge all we can do is learn to protect whatever resources we have left and to mitigate the harmful actions of our ancestors to ensure that we are not altogether destroyed.

* The World Meteorological
Organization

Daily Mirror

Una goccia per l'Africa

Concorso Fotografico di Beneficenza "Acqua", presso l'Associazione 42 mm - Associazione Culturale di Arti Fotografiche, Roma Via Guadagnolo n. 3

Il concorso fotografico "Acqua" è un'iniziativa promossa dall'associazione 42mm in collaborazione con SBS Sociale Onlus (www.sbsociale.org) che da un anno opera in proprio sul territorio africano per portare soluzioni costruttive al problema dell'acqua. Lo scopo è realizzare una mostra fotografica che illustri l'importanza dell'acqua, una risorsa di vita che molto spesso viene data per scontata nella nostra quotidianità. Con questo concorso si vuole risvegliare la coscienza di quanto tale tesoro sia tanto prezioso da essere spesso paragonato al petrolio, proponendo immagini nuove che permettano di riscoprire l'elemento acqua in tutta la sua dinamicità e primitiva bellezza.

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World Water Day 22.3.2011

The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

This year theme, Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge, aims to spotlight and encourage governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the defy of urban water management.

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Read, learn and know about water!

What You Should Know about Water


Water is an incredibly important aspect of our daily lives. Every day we drink water, cook with water, bathe in water, and participate in many other activities involving water.

However, even with all of the importance water holds in our lives, many of us know very little about the water we use each day. We drink tap water, enjoying the convenience and cost-effectiveness of this practice, yet, we fail to recognize the serious threat this water may pose to our health. Those who are willing to forgo the convenience of tap water and indulge in bottled water often know very little about the contents of that water and simply trust that bottled water must be better than tap water. Even conscientious consumers, who wisely attempt to treat their own water in an effort to ensure the healthfulness of that water, often know little about the many home water treatment options now available.

In this age of information, with so many resources immediately available, there is no reason why anyone should remain so ill informed about water. It is the goal of this site to offer comprehensive yet accessible information about the water with which we live and work every day, including a brief summary of water treatment alternatives, an exposé on the truth about bottled water, and a fact listing about drinking water and water filtration products. Read, learn, and enjoy!


read more on All about water

Note sul diritto fondamentale all'acqua. Proprietà del bene, gestione del servizio, ideologie della privatizzazione

Diritto all’acqua e previsioni costituzionali. – Il diritto all’acqua – il suo riproporsi come problema, per la negazione di cui soffre in forza degli stati di crisi e di conflitto armato, mai sopiti ovunque e del tutto, e per essere la sua violazione l’indicatore di perduranti diseguaglianze tra singoli o gruppi sociali e tra parti del mondo – è lo “scandalo”, la pietra d’inciampo in ogni percorso, teorico o dogmatico, rivolto a costruire ordinate tassonomie dei diritti fondamentali. Uno scandalo rimosso, sembrerebbe: la Costituzione italiana, come altre Costituzioni, non contiene alcun autonomo riferimento al diritto all’acqua; né formule normative intese a qualificare un diritto soggettivo o collettivo all’acqua si rinvengono nei testi del diritto internazionale .
Il tema del diritto all’acqua viene, dunque, quasi naturalmente attratto nel contesto del dibattito – non risolto e forse, in qualche caso, un po’ consunto – sulla lettura dell’art. 2 Cost. come norma a “fattispecie aperta” o, all’opposto, a “fattispecie chiusa”; o anche – essendo pressoché inevitabile che, nel sedimentarsi del confronto, si creino posizioni “terze” – come norma, per così dire, a “fattispecie semipermeabile” al processo storico di espansione delle garanzie dei diritti (un modo per richiamare l’opportunità di non pervenire ad eccessi, nella ricostruzione del tessuto dei diritti costituzionalmente protetti)...


more info on federalismi.it

Fotografie per l'acqua

Interessante mostra sull'acqua a Roma, libreria Feltrinelli nella Galleria Colonna.

India, Jaisalmer, traditional wells