Ecuador: Chevron contesting US$ 8.6 billion fine for Amazon pollution, calls case an “extortion scheme”

A court in Ecuador has fined US oil multinational Chevron US$ 8.6 billion for polluting a large part of the country’s Amazon region. Speaking to the BBC, company spokesperson Kent Robertson said the case was an “extortion scheme”, blaming Ecuador’s state-run firm Petroecuador for ongoing problems.

“Justice does exist,” said Guillermo Grefa, a Kichwa representative to the Assembly of Affected Communities who brought the class action suit on behalf of 30,000 residents of the Amazon region. “I can now dream of drinking clean water, water with no oil residue, and that the earth will begin to clean and heal.”

The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, is accused of dumping toxic waste into local streams and rivers between 1972 and 1992. Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased. Chevron says Texaco spent US$ 40 million cleaning up the area during the 1990s and spent US$ 5 million on community projects. In 1995 Chevron negotiated a settlement with the Ecuadorian government absolving the company of any further responsibility.

Bolivia, Santa Cruz: mayor “re-municipalises” town water supply in San Miguel de Velasco

The mayor of San Miguel de Velasco in Santa Cruz department, Pedro Damián Dorado, has proposed to “re-municipalise” the town’s water supply, due to poor management and quality of the service.
The mayor expressed anger at the current water operator (Cosesmi Ltd) and the Civic Committee for a recent water cut that lasted three days.

According to media reports, the Civic Committee carried out the cut intentionally because social and indigenous organizations in San Miguel de Velasco refused to attend a Committee meeting.

On 29 September 2010 there were street protests because the water being supplied by Cosemi was said to be contaminated. According to a report by the Department of Health Services, the water in San Miguel de Velasco is unfit for human consumption.

Source: Los Tiempos [in Spanish], 11 Nov 2010 ; El Deber [in Spanish]

Spain Providing $164 Million for Safe Drinking Water Projects in Latin America

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Seven Latin American countries will benefit from contributions approved on the 15th of October by the Spanish government amounting to 117.2 million Euros ($164 million) for projects providing safe drinking water and improving aqueducts and sanitation.

The contributions are intended for projects in Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and will be managed by the Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund of Spain’s AECID international development agency. There will also be a complementary contribution of 12.9 million Euros ($18 million) to finance new projects to be carried out in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank.

About 120 million people lack access systems for potable water and basic health services in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to figures released earlier this year at the 2nd Latin American Sanitation Conference.

Related news: Guatemala: US$ 100 million from Spain and the IDB to improve water and sanitation services, Source News, 21 January 2010.

EFE Source : Herald Tribune, 18 October 2010.

Costa Rica: regulator calls for improved rural water supply

Public services regulator, Aresep, has called on local water utilities to improve the quality of rural water and sanitation systems.

A study by Aresep of 80 rural water and systems run by local local water and sewerage associations (Asadas*) found that water meters and proper disinfection systems were lacking, and that pipes needed to be replaced. Most users rely on septic tanks because there are no sewerage and wastewater treatment systems.

Asadas run 1864 rural water supply systems, which serve 1.2 million people. They operate independently under a delegation agreement with the national water and sewerage utility AyA.

Aresep proposed measures to protect intake works and water catchment areas from contamination. A study by the National Water Laboratory, published in August 2010, revealed that 31% of rural water supplies were contaminated.

In August 2010, AyA president Oscar Nuñez announced that US$ 480 million was needed to improve and maintain rural water supply systems.

* Asociaciones Administradoras de Sistemas de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Comunales

Related web sites (in Spanish):

• Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (Arsep) – Water
• Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) – Rural Water Supply

Source: Alonso Mata B., La Nacion [in Spanish], 31 Aug 2010 ; InsideCostaRica.com, 02 Sep 2010

An American woman’s fight to give Haitians clean water

A case of bottled water (400ml) costs around $36 and may last a family about two weeks before the empty bottles end up in a landfill where they would take hundreds of years to decompose. But, a donation of US$30 or TT$180 can literally save lives by guaranteeing that a destitute family living in Haiti has access to clean and safe water; not for two weeks or one month, but for as much as five years.

Recently, FilterPure partnered with another NGO – Global Effect, and established a factory in Jacmel, Haiti where Haitians themselves will be employed to build, manufacture and distribute the life-saving water filters. With a last place ranking on the water poverty index scale, Haiti has the worst access to clean water in the world according to World Water Council. As a result, Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the Americas. The Pan American Health Organisation has reported that more than half of all deaths in Haiti were as a result of contaminated water.

’Knowing mothers have to watch their babies die from something preventable as diarrhea is very hard to watch,’ executive director, of FilterPure, Lisa Ballantine told the Express in a phone interview.

The use of the filter is simple, water is poured and filtered through the ceramic pot where it is collected and stored in a five gallon bucket with a tap at the bottom from which a  family can drink safe water. In the first week following the devastating January 12th earthquake in Haiti, FilterPure distributed more than 700 filters.

The ceramic water filters not only provide Haitians with clean, safe water, but the filters are produced locally thereby providing much needed employment for Haitians.

’Access to clean water is going to be the most critical issue facing Haiti which we in the developing world have to respond to. It can be resolved,’ said Ballantine.

 To find out more about or to donate, visit: FilterPure

Source: Trinidad and Tobago express, 19 Jun 2010

By Kimberly Castillo

Uruguay: OSE starts renewing Artigas pipelines in September 2010

Uruguay’s state-owned water and sanitation utility OSE aims to begin work on a project to reduce water losses in Artigas city in September 2010. The utility is currently holding a tender process to hire a company to carry out the work.

Related site: World Bank

Read full article in: BNamericas, [subscription site], 18 June 2010

Government Unable To Address Poor Bahamas Water Quality

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the government is “painfully aware of the inadequacy and poor quality of water” and that the “demand for water and water infrastructure is great” throughout the country but that currently the government is not in a position to extend a quality potable water supply to areas of  The Bahamas as finances are “challenged”.

He was responding to a question from, who asked him during Opposition question time in parliament yesterday when the Government might take steps to improve the worsening “water situation” in the communities of Tarpum Bay and Rock Sound in his constituency.

The Prime Minister admitted that he himself “felt like he was in the sea” when he took a shower in Tarpum Bay on a trip three years ago,  and he added that “many parts of The Bahamas suffer in the same way from poor quality water (including) Long Island, Crooked Island, Acklins, parts of Andros, all of Cat Island, parts of New Providence and parts of Grand Bahama.”

“The demands for water and water infrastructure are great, huge. We empathise with the people of Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay. Your matter is under active consideration. The Government is challenged in terms of its financing, the Government has had to extend its borrowing beyond acceptable limits and beyond limits where we thought we would not go. We will do the best we can. I cannot now give you a firm date when Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay will have its water of a quality and quantity that is acceptable, but I assure you that the Government of The Bahamas is mindful of its obligation and willing, as soon as it is able, to respond positively to the needs and requirements of the people of Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay,” he said.

Source: Bahamas B2B.com, 15 may 2010

Puerto Rico: Prasa reaches big settlement with EPA.

he Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (Prasa) has agreed to implement major capital improvements and upgrades to resolve alleged longstanding violations of the Clean Water Act at 126 drinking water plants across the island and violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act at three others, the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday. Most of the communities served by the drinking water treatment plants that will be upgraded under the agreement are in low-income communities.

The agreement, filed in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico, requires Prasa to implement measures to properly handle harmful pollution from 126 drinking water treatment plants that discharge into Puerto Rico’s lakes, rivers and streams, some of which are sources of drinking water. The work required by the agreement, when fully implemented by the public utility, is estimated to cost more than $195 million.

“Today’s settlement agreement sets the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority on a clear path to improve the infrastructure of their facilities, reduce the amount of harmful pollutants entering the environment and ultimately provide safer drinking water to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Moreno.

Prasa’s efforts to improve the water quality of either Lake Toa Vaca or both Lake Toa Vaca and Lake Cidra will address the growing amount of nutrients in the lakes, both of which are drinking water sources for portions of Puerto Rico. Increased levels of nutrients in water bodies can severely impact ecosystems and human health. As a supplemental environmental project, Prasa will set aside $2.2 million to design and construct an aeration system that will increase oxygen levels in the lakes and an additional $324,000 to operate and maintain the system. This project, when implemented, will enhance the condition of the aquatic ecosystem and restore the water quality of the lakes. A supplemental environmental project is an environmentally-beneficial project that a violator voluntarily agrees to undertake in a settlement and one the violator would not otherwise be required to perform.

Source: Caribbean Businesspr.com, 4 May 2010.

Miss USA changes view on the world after visiting Third-World poverty

Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009, traveled to Bayaguana, Dominican Republic with Children International to help raises awareness about the inaccessibility of clean water many children and families face. Dalton worked with Children International, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization to educate impoverished communities on clean-water practices, and assist them in cleaning their primary water source, Los Pomos River.

“Water is the most basic and vital resource there is. It’s heartbreaking to know children living in poverty have limited access to clean drinking water. Many children and families in the communities I visited walk for hours to find clean water, only to store it where it can be contaminated by animals or insects,” said Dalton.

During her trip to Bayaguana, a small city with a large Haitian immigrant population, Dalton was joined by 30 members of Children International’s Youth Health Corps, a group of peer educators teaching their community how to make healthy decisions, and 36 contestants of the Miss Dominican Republic Universe pageant, who all worked together to remove trash in and around Los Pomos River.

After the river cleanup, Dalton joined members of the Youth Health Corps at a seminar for local mothers on the importance of clean drinking water and its proper storage. At the end, she helped distribute water containers to attendees, which will aid in keeping their drinking water clean.

Dalton added, “I met so many children whose families are extremely poor. The village I saw was just a really tiny area of extremely small, wooden or tin huts. The floors are dirt, and many kids do not have beds. It makes me think twice before complaining about the stresses and worries in my life. I have spent mornings worrying about what I’m going to wear. This community is are worried about finding clean drinking water and staying healthy since they do not have access to healthcare. Knowing and seeing the differences in our daily stresses frames my perspective and reminds me not to worry about trivial things. I hope by sharing my experience in Bayaguana, others are inspired into action as well.”

While there, government officials took note of Miss USA’s work with local children and youth. Dominican Republic Vice President Rafael Alburquerque and Cabinet minister Manuel de Jesus Perez Gomez commended Dalton for her advocacy on behalf of impoverished children, and applauded her use of her crown to improve their lives and health. On behalf of the children of his city, the mayor of Bayaguana also thanked Miss USA for her activism.

Children International President and CEO Jim Cook said, “We appreciate Miss USA’s hands-on clean-water work in the name of children in need. She is truly a passionate advocate for impoverished children everywhere.”

Source: Miss USA changes her view on the world after encountering Third-World poverty, DominicanToday, 15 Apr 2010

Peru: new standards for effluents are insufficient while coverage remains low – expert

The Peruvian environment ministry’s (Minam) new standards for wastewater effluents will have little impact given the country’s low wastewater treatment coverage [15%], Laureano del Castillo, lawyer and hydrological expert with the national center for social studies (Cepes), told BNamericas. President Alan García aims to reach 100% wastewater treatment coverage by 2015.

For Minam’s full decree outlining the new norms, in Spanish, go to this link.

Read the full interview with Laureano del Castillo [BNamericas.com subscribers only]

Read full articles on: : BNamericas.com [subscription site], 01 Apr 2010 ; BNamericas.com, 22 Mar 2010