Divergent views emerged on how the city is going to solve an impending water crisis at the Bangalore World Water Summit’s concluding day on Friday. “Bangalore is on its way to a very large water crisis if action is not taken immediately. On the health front, too, it is heading toward an epidemic outbreak due to poor sanitation,” said Prof Seetharam Kallidaikurichi, director; Institute of Water Policy.

Read more: http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-heading-for-a-water-c...

Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Henry Madzorera has said that the typhoid outbreak is due to people eating human waste.

"The mode of transmission for typhoid is the faecal-oral route, that is, through ingestion of bacteria in food or water contaminated with faeces of infected persons.

Read more: http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/1600616466.html

Many of Asia's poorest people live in unhealthy, squalid conditions, with no clean water or sanitation access. Families cannot escape poverty without water and hygiene infrastructure.

ADB

Nam Theun 2, the Lao People's Democratic Republic's (Lao PDR) largest hydropower facility, was officially inaugurated today, signaling a new era for growth, development and poverty reduction in the landlocked Southeast Asian country.

Over 90% of the electricity generated by the project is being sold to Thailand, providing Lao PDR with a $2 billion revenue stream over the next 25 years.

The funds are earmarked for the nationwide improvement of health and education services, and other poverty alleviation programs.

"This project is a testament to the fact that when hydropower projects are done right, in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, the benefits are considerable," said Kunio Senga, Director General of ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

Read More

For more on the project, click here.

ADB

The Ethiopian Government wants to give everyone a toilet in a country where only a third of its 77 million people have access to sanitation. From rubbish tips in the centre of Addis, to rural orchards across the Rift Valley, Earth Report discovers whether the Governments 'universal access plan' is working.

Read More

With global action and positive momentum towards improving access to safe water and sanitation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), and the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), in partnership with the members of UN Water have collaborated to bring together their collective experience and expertise to bear on the challenges posed by illegal and unregulated wastewater.

"Sick water? The central role of wastewater management in sustainable development" not only identifies the threats to human and ecological health and the consequences of inaction, but also presents opportunities, where appropriate policy and management responses over the short and longer term can trigger employment, support livelihoods, boost public and ecosystem health and contribute to more intelligent water management.

Read more
GRIDA-Arendal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting a key urban environmental initiative in Wuhan municipality in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that could be a model for sustainable management of wastewater sludge in the country.

The Board of Directors approved a $100 million loan for the Wuhan Urban Environmental Improvement Project. It will involve the treatment and disposal of sewage sludge, and the rehabilitation of polluted lakes and water channels, benefiting up to 3 million urban residents in the municipality.

Read more
http://www.adb.org

The African Water Facility (AWF) has approved a €498,000 grant to the Water Resources Commission in Ghana.

The  grant will finance a project which will introduce a market and end-user oriented planning approach that simultaneously closes the water and nutrient loops called “Design for Reuse” in order to effectively capture the economic value of wastewater and faecal sludge nutrients to help finance, operate and maintain treatment facilities.

Read more
http://www.afdb.org

The urbanisation trend in developing countries including Nepal is accelerating, thus exacerbating the condition of proper sanitation coverage. Despite greater sanitation coverage in urban areas compared to rural parts of Nepal, access to sanitation facilities does not solve the problem of improved sanitation. This is because conventional latrines normally lead to various other pressing environmental problems, along with the injustice of scarce water resources for flushing latrines to keep excreta out of sight, which means that other community-accepted sustainable solutions are needed.

Download the paper (793 KB, PDF)
http://www.wateraid.org

The programme is focusing on the promotion of urban water demand management and bridging the sanitation gap by ensuring access to service for all in a particular area in which communities are involved both in service and maintenance. With the implementation of the project it is expected that the initiative would lead towards achieving MDG with respect to water & sanitation issues.

Read more
http://www.csdwand.net