Honduras, Tegucigalpa: rationing will continue in 2011

In order to ensure drinking water supply during the summer of 2011, officials of the national water authority SANAA (Servicio Autónomo Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado) to continue rationing.

Ricardo Velasquez, SANAA’s assistant manager, said water would only be supplied every other day.

Neighbourhoods that receive water through local water and sewerage associations will continue to receive water once or twice a week. Areas without house connections and upper parts of the city will be supplied through tankers.

The measures are necessary to ensure water supply not only through 2011 but also in 2012, Velasquez said.

Source: El Heraldo [in Spanish], 02 Nov 2010

Who cares? WASA’s empty promises.

Almost one year after completion, in the middle of a severe drought a $25 million Water Treatment Plant installed at Cumuto remains empty.

The two massive tanks were installed to treat and distribute four million gallons of water per day—to users in Cumuto and environs—with supplies from wells. However, a Sunday Guardian investigation reveals that to date, sinking of the wells, which was supposed to supply the tanks with water, has come to a halt. The project, which began in June of 2006 and was expected to take 15 months to be done, is yet to be completed. The treatment plant was built by Uem Gem Ltd, while another company was responsible for sinking the wells.

Asked if the plant was operative, one worker who requested anonymity replied: “There is no water so obviously the plant cannot operate. If there is no water the plant cannot work.” The handful of residents in the community believe their complaints for water have fallen on deaf ears.

Source: The Guardian, Trinidad & Tobago, 12 July 2010

Peru loses 42 percent of potable water due to misuse, leaks

Peru is currently wasting about 42 percent of its potable water as a result of consumer misuse and leaks, communications supervisor David Falcón of the country’s national sanitation authority Sunass told RPP radio station.

“To compare, while Peru loses 42 percent of its potable water, in first world countries like Japan the percentage lost is only 3.5 percent, in Germany it is 5 percent, as well as in other Latin American countries like Mexico only 17 percent is lost,” Falcón said.

The main difference in other countries is better material, technology and infrastructure that is used in their drainage systems, which will hopefully soon be implemented in Peru, Falcón said.

Water supplies in Peru are a major issue, particularly in the country’s arid costal region. In Lima, the world’s second largest desert city after Cairo, Egypt, water resources are scarce and fragile as the city’s growing population is increasing demands on its aquifer and run off from rivers.
Source: Peruviantimes, July 1, 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

Cuban Local Authorities Strengthen Control of Water Distribution

The drought hitting Cuba for over a year now forced Ciego de Avila’s local authorities to strengthen measures to further control the rational use of drinking water.  A new schedule for the pumping of the liquid to residential and economic areas in the northern and western region of the city was established, announced Sergio Barrios, provincial representative of the Water Resources office.

The measure is part of a program implemented by the Provincial Administration Council seeking to protect the province’s aquifer, which is one of the most important in the country. Fifteen hydrogeological sectors are under a warning due to the effects of the drought that has affected the country since November 2008 and was intensified in 2009.

In addition to the weather conditions, Barrios mentioned the waste of water by consumers and leakages in old pipelines have caused a drop in the amount of collected water.

 The pumping hours in 13 water pumping stations supplying agricultural plantations were also regulated, said the Agriculture delegate Emilio Varela. Varela added that all agricultural enterprises and cooperative units have been demanded to extreme actions to make irrigation more efficient.

The five water reservoirs are filled only to their 32 percent total, one of them is filled only to the seven percent of its full capacity. The lack of rains have caused a drop in the production of plantain,sugar cane and milk, and water tankers have had to be sent to cattle raiding farms in certain communities.

Related news: Cuba: lanzan campaña en favor del ahorro de agua, Boletin de Noticias, 27 May 2010

Source: Cuban Daily news, 21 Jun 2010

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.

Brown drinking water due to poor pipes and no rain

The drinking water has recently been brown and brackish in a number of districts on Bonaire. WEB (Water and Energy Company Bonaire) received complaints on the water quality – in particular from Nikiboko South, Tera Korá, Belnem and Hato. The company blames the problem on the old water pipes and the lack of rain during the past months. Due to the latter, the demand for water increased so much that WEB had run through their reserve. There was also insufficient production capacity to supplement this reserve in connection with problems at the huge wastewater treatment plant. An additional installation is currently supplying 400 cubic meters of water per day for the time being. Approximately one month ago, the reserve of drinking water was maintained due to that additional installation. The drinking water has been rust-colored since quite a while in various districts on the island. From research carried out by the WEB, is appeared that modernization of the pipe system is essential. Due to the lack of financial means, no overhaul was done in the past, and substantial investment is required to replace the system within short. WEB has recently started with the latter in the districts located at the end of the water pipe system. The company will soon start the large-scaled activities. The infrastructure should therefore last the next twenty years. WEB had concluded a new agreement with General Electric last year for the expansion of water production capacity. A part of the new purification plant is currently operational, which should improve the water quality soon, according to WEB. As soon as WEB receives a compliant on brown water, co-workers of the company will visit the customer to flush out the pipes in the neighborhood – even though this regards a temporary solution. The company guarantees the population that in spite of the brown color; this does not cause a healthcare problem and absolutely fit for consumption. Source: Maarten Island Time, e1 Apr 2010

Panama: Water shortage killing cattle

Cattle are dying in Cocle Province because of lack of water say farmers.

In the Jagüito neighborhood of the town of El Roble, Aguadulce, the deaths of several cattle on ranches have been reported says La Prensa.

Claudio García, a rancher in the area, says that it has not rained in the area since last November, and water sources are depleted and if the dry season continues the situation will worsen.

He called on the government to have the Ministry of Agricultural Development conduct a survey of the situation.

Source: Newsroom Panama,  18 April 2010.