07-01-2009
Lake Guiers Riverbank Villages: 1.3 billion francs from Nordic Development Fund for water distribution
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 Senegal -
[Senegal] The residents of some 30 villages surrounding Lake Guiers in Senegal's Louga Region will soon have potable water service, thanks to a 1.3-billion-franc grant from the Nordic Development Fund, an international development fund run jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The program will be completed in December. The SONES and Senegalaise des Eaux utilities are constructing additional water pipelines from the lake to communities to the north and east, and the completion of a water treatment plant in nearby Mbane (Department of Dagana) will also improve water service, said the Minister of Hydraulics.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Le Soleil byD. Mane
Original Language: French
Check for stories with: lake, water pipeline, water treatment plant, international aid
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06-29-2009
National Integration releases 274.8 million reales for projects in northeastern region
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 Brazil -
[Brazil] Brazil's Ministry of National Integration allocated a whopping 246 million reales (approximately $123 million US) to carry out public works projects in five states. Most of the funding has been earmarked for flood recovery, aid to flood victims, and stormwater drainage infrastructure in Bahia, Ceara, Maranhao, Piaui, and Rio Grande do Norte. Another 28.7 million was budgeted for the ongoing Sao Francisco River Integration Project.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ministerio da Integracao Nacional by
Original Language: Portuguese
Check for stories with: flood, river, disaster plan, stormwater drainage
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06-29-2009
Great Salt Lake cleans itself of natural pollutant
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Utah -
[Utah] Selenium, a toxic element in runoff that flows into the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah, ought to be killing off many of the 12 million migratory birds that populate the lake every year. They, and the lake, remain healthy, however - a mystery partially cleared up by geologists Bill Johnson of the University of Utah and David Naftz of the US Geological Survey. The team discovered that the selenium undergoes a chemical transformation in the salty water that allows the surface air to carry it away: it's cleaning itself, in effect. Another question is the source of up to 1.6 tons of selenium a year. The state is hoping to fund several future studies to shed more light on these issues.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Salt Lake Tribune byJudy Fahys
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: lake, salinization, pollution
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06-29-2009
Turkey raises amount of water it gives to Iraq
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 Iraq -
[Iraq] The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources in Baghdad announced that Turkey had increased the amount of water that it was releasing from the Euphrates River into Iraq to 570 cubic meters per second. An urgent demand from Iraq prodded the Turks to increase the flow to 360 cubic meters per second a month ago.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Today's Zaman by (taken from Anatolia News Agency)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: river, water treaty, water allocation, water conflict
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06-28-2009
Dead Sea canal plan approved
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 Israel -
[Israel] The World Bank approved a loan of $1.25 billion US to build a canal linking the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, a move that will give new life to a much-discussed but much-delayed project. Israeli Development Minister Sylvan Shalom made the announcement after a meeting with World Bank President Robert Zoellick in Washington, DC. The Dead Sea, which has been steadily drying out, is in urgent need of replenishment, and the pilot stage of the proposal will run a channel from the Red Sea to recharge it. Half of the seawater will feed a giant desalination plant, to be operated jointly by Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. In the second stage, a bigger canal would supply 2 billion cubic meters of water a year to maintain and increase water levels in the Dead Sea.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Arab News byMohammed Mar'i
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: lake, artificial recharge, desalination plant, international aid, water treaty
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06-27-2009
Manufacturing firms in the red
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 Ethiopia -
[Ethiopia] In the past three months, severe drought has forced the Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo) to disconnect businesses of all sizes from the country's power grid in order to conserve the shrinking water levels in hydroelectric dams. Many firms declared financial losses for May, and the power cuts have also affected the overall economy. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi reported that the country's Gross Domestic Product was expected to be a percentage point less this year as a direct result of power cuts interrupting manufacturing, and substantial job cuts are expected. EEPCo insists that the problem will be solved when the Gilgel Gibe II hydroelectric dam on the Omo River starts operation.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ethiopian Reporter by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: drought, dam, power plant
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06-27-2009
Sophisticated weather satellite rockets into orbit
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 Florida -
[Florida] A sophisticated new weather satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida on 27 June. It's the second of an advanced series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) whose function is to monitor weather across 60% of the planet, monitor solar flares that can disrupt communications, and track climate change. GOES 14 is headed towards a 22,000-mile-high orbit, where it will undergo six months of testing before being used as a backup for other spacecraft. NASA manages the GOES satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Yahoo News byMarcia Dunn (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: spacecraft, forecasting, global warming, hurricane
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06-26-2009
Wastewater: 500 communities are outside the law
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 Italy -
[Italy] Capri, Ischia, Maratea, Rocella Jonica, Favignana, Tarquinia, Sanremo, Imperia, Port Rotondo, and Gallipoli are among the 500 Italian municipalities that are violating a European Union directive on waste disposal and sewage treatment. European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas urged the Italian government to act quickly to halt sewage discharges into the sea, which promote the growth of toxic algae, and to obey an order by the EU Court to remedy the widespread problem of illegal rubbish tips. Italy has missed years of deadlines and now has only two months left before the court imposes a hefty fine.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
La Stampa byMarco Zatterin
Original Language: Italian
Check for stories with: sewage pollution, waste disposal, ocean, algal bloom, international law
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