Urinating in the shower -Save water

Brazilian environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica says the campaign, running on several television stations, uses humour to persuade people to reduce flushes.

The group says if a household avoids one flush a day, it can save up to 4,380 litres of water annually, reports Metro.

SOS spokeswoman Adriana Kfouri said the campaign was “a way to be playful about a serious subject”.

The ads feature cartoon drawings of people from all walks of life – a trapeze artist, a basketball player, even an alien – urinating in the shower.

Narrated by children’s voices, the ad ends with: “Pee in the shower! Save the Atlantic rainforest!”

See video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ_DNc1zbxI

Chile: Senators present bill to modify water concessions

A group of Chilean senators, led by Ricardo Núñez of the socialist party, has presented a bill to eliminate full and perpetual ownership of water concessions and mining resources, as well as special contracts for hydrocarbons, among others.

The bill proposes a 30-year limit on concessions, which can be extended for another 15 years but only with senate approval. The length of current concessions, including water rights, would be counted from the day the bill is passed, a senate release said.

Núñez said the way the state currently grants water concessions is generating an unprecedented crisis as it is carried out in an “irregular, absolutely irrational and poorly supervised” fashion.

The proposal, according to Núñez, does not mean the re-nationalization of water but rather a new way of supervising concessions which would require a modification to the country’s water law.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 10 Sep 2009

Mexico, Mexico City: Human rights commission warns water scarcity could cause “spiral of violence”

Mexico’s federal district (DF) human rights commission CDHDF has warned that the capital’s growing water shortage could cause a “spiral of violence”.

CDHDF president Emilio Álvarez Icaza Longoria said that low-income families are paying more for water of lower quality and only receive it at certain hours of the day, a situation that is causing social unrest. “We have already seen protests in some areas, with blocked avenues and demonstrations specifically about the lack of water in the places that are most affected,” he said.

Local authorities recently said that the capital’s water supply is only guaranteed for the next six months due to an ongoing drought, considered the worst in the last 40 years.

According to mayor Marcelo Ebrard, residents in all areas will see their water supply cut for a few days a week in the first half of 2010. However, the mayor denied suggestions that the water shortage would cause an outbreak of violence.

Ebrard asked residents to save water, adding that his administration has redoubled efforts to carry out maintenance on main pipelines to prevent leaks and to build wastewater treatment plants.

Starting 1 September 2009, Mexico City water utility SACM will start imposing fines ranging from 1,500-16,000 pesos (US$114-1,215) on individuals and businesses that are caught wasting water. People will no longer be allowed to wash their vehicles with domestic water hoses and water their lawns during the day.

In early August 2009, the head of Mexico’s water authority Conagua José Luis Luege announced an imminent and indefinite increase in water rationing in the Mexico valley and federal district (DF). Luege, together with Mexico state (Edomex) and DF authorities, are looking at ways to reduce water supply by 20-25% in 17 municipalities and 16 boroughs at least until 2011.

The plan involves reducing supply by 10% from Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays supply is reduced by 25% and 50%, respectively. However, it is necessary to increase this to an average of 20-25%, according to Luege. Average reduction in water supply is at 17.8% in the Mexico valley and DF areas but this is not sufficient.

The dams that feed the Cutzamala system are at historically low levels. “We are 20% below the average levels of the last 25 years. This means a deficit of 150Mm3 of water,” Villalón said.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 01 Sep 2009 ; 26 Aug 2009 ; 06 Aug 2009

Nicaragua, Managua: World Bank to finance US$30mn water project

The World Bank (WB) is to finance a US$30mn project to install pipelines in the driest areas of Nicaraguan capital Managua. The project, announced by national water and sewerage utility Enacal, seeks to solve the city’s water supply problem by installing potable water and sewerage systems in 36 locations, mainly in districts five and six.

Enacal executive president Ruth Selma Herrera said that WB is donating US$15mn for the project, and will lend Enacal the rest of the money at an interest rate of 1%, to be repaid over 30 years. The project will begin in 2010 and will benefit some 60,000 residents.

Managua’s mayor Daysi Torres Torres said the municipality will support Enacal throughout the project, including an ongoing awareness campaign to teach people not to dump trash in streams and streets.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 27 Aug 2009

Peru: authorities to launch campaign to prevent drug-related contamination in rivers

Authorities from Peru’s Apurímac and Ene river valleys (VRAE) are preparing to launch a national campaign to prevent further contamination in the two river basins.

The waters of Apurímac and Ene have high levels of contamination caused by chemicals used in drug production, congresswoman Elizabeth León said.

“The Apurímac river forms part of the Amazon river network and the contamination generated by drug trafficking and the use of toxic materials [for drug production] represents not only a national, but a continental problem, because the Amazon also involves other countries,” León said.

Local authorities are coordinating the campaign and are calling on state institutions to provide technical assistance to clean up the rivers and prevent further damage caused by the chemicals used to turn coca leaves into cocaine, as well as by the indiscriminate use of pesticides, she added.

Authorities are also looking to involve indigenous communities in the initiative, as they are also being affected by the rivers’ contamination levels.

The campaign will be launched on 23 September 2009.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 27 Aug 2009

Honduras: Congress approves national water law

The plenary of the Honduran congress has approved the nation’s general water law, which declares access to water a human right.

The new legislation updates a framework dating from 1927 and its approval was necessary for the country to access international financing, which will be used to improve quality of life for the poorest segments of the population.

Comprised of more than 100 articles, the law establishes the creation of the national water authority, an autonomous entity that will replace the general water resources authority, operating under natural resources ministry Serna.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 21 Aug 2009

Peru: Agualimpia seeks to expand model in Latin America

Peruvian NGO Agualimpia is looking to expand its model to the rest of Latin America to facilitate the expansion of potable water and sanitation services in rural communities, the NGO’s director and general manager, Mercedes Castro, said.

Agualimpia is dedicated to educating poor, rural communities on the importance of having and paying for potable water and sanitation. It also provides technical advice on project planning and the construction of sanitation networks, and promotes the creation of local water and sewerage operators.

The organization is currently helping rural communities in Peruvian regions Ancash, La Libertad and Arequipa to implement potable water and sewerage networks and connect these services to their homes.

The NGO would like to start up activities in the rest of Peru or have similar organizations reproduce its operational model in the rest of Latin America, said Castro.

Agualimpia is mainly funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and with donations from the private sector so it is not easy to expand quickly. “However, our experience could easily serve as an example for other areas and countries that lack basic services in poor rural or urban areas,” said Castro.

Agualimpia’s model could be used in Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, among other Latin American countries, where authorities have had trouble making people understand the need to pay for potable water and sanitation services.

Source: Eva Medalla, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 20 Aug 2009

Bolivia, Chile: Chile to pay for 100% of Silala waters in 4 years, claims foreign minister

Chile will have to begin paying for 100% of the Silala water it uses in four years, Bolivia’s state news agency ABI reported the country’s foreign minister David Choquehuanca as saying.

“According to the preliminary agreement, we have to draw up a long-term agreement with Chile in four years. In the meantime, Chile will have to pay for 50% of the Silala waters it uses. In four years, it will have to pay for 100%,” Choquehuanca said.

The preliminary agreement on rights to the Silala was to be signed around this time, but Bolivian authorities decided to push back the date until 2010 after the opposition and others questioned the agreement.

Both countries have argued for decades over Chile’s right to use Silala waters, which flow from Bolivia into Chile. Chilean authorities have claimed Silala is an international river due to the route it follows and so is regulated by international law. Bolivia, on the other hand, has argued the waters originate from 94 springs on its territory, and so are not governed by international law.

The value of the waters has increased tremendously over the last few years, as they have become vital for mining companies operating in northern Chile, while Bolivian officials argue this leaves Potosí department without sufficient water.

The preliminary document establishes that Chile will pay for 50% of the Silala waters it uses, while further and more detailed studies are carried out to determine whether the Silala is a river or a spring. These studies will indicate if Chile needs to pay for an additional percentage of the waters, which could reach another 50%.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 18 Aug 2009

Bolivia: Epsas to cut water, sewerage rates by up to 50%

The Bolivian government will reduce by up to 50% potable water and sewerage rates charged by state-owned water utility Epsas, serving capital La Paz and neighboring city El Alto. In El Alto 46% of the population lacks access to potable water and sanitation services.

The initiative is part of government efforts to expand these services to a large portion of the cities’ poorest populations. The drop in rates is also part of a government policy that considers basic services a human right.

Authorities decided to halve the price of some connections, while in other cases they were reduced by 30%, García Linera said. According to the vice president, the new rates are financially feasibility for Epsas, which took over the operation of Aguas del Illimani (AISA) after its nationalization in early 2007.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 04 Aug 2009

Venezuela: water resources could diminish by 10-30% in next 20 years, says researcher

Venezuelan sociologist Vanessa Cartaya is predicting a 10-30% reduction in the country’s water resources over the next 20 years due to deforestation and erosion, government news agency ABN reported.

Venezuela’s potable water is extracted from 18 of the country’s 43 national parks. These parks cover the needs of 83% of the country’s urban population, including Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia, said Cartaya.

Deforestation and erosion not only affect potable water supply, but the majority of the country’s agricultural land is irrigated with resources from these national parks.

The study aims to promote policy improvements and boost public funding to preserve these areas.

Source: BNamericas.com [subscription site], 23 Jul 2009