China plans to spend hundreds of billions of yuan in the next few years to clean up major rivers that are seriously polluted, in an effort to help ease the country's increasingly acute water shortage.

China's water resources per capita are only a quarter of the world average and it is also the world's largest water consumer. It is estimated that about two thirds of more than 600 Chinese cities are short of water, among which some 100 are "critical".

Read more
http://www.atimes.com/

The triennial UN World Water Development Report is a joint undertaking of 24 UN agencies comprising UN-Water in partnership with governments and other stakeholders, and coordinated by WWAP. WWDR2 was launched during World Water Day, on 22 March 2006, at the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Report builds on the conclusions of the 1st United Nations World Water Development Report 'Water for People, Water for Life' published in 2003. It presents a comprehensive picture of freshwater resources in all regions and most countries of the world as it tracks progress towards the water-related targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals and examines a range of key issues including population growth and increasing urbanization, changing ecosystems, food production, health, industry and energy, as well as risk management, valuing and paying for water and increasing knowledge and capacity. Sixteen case studies look at typical water resource challenges and provide valuable insights into different facets of the water crisis and management responses.

Read more
http://www.unesco.org

Sindh Minister for Environment and Alternate Energy Askari Taqvi has called for joint efforts to save environment from hazardous impact of residential and industrial waste.

Energy and environment were major concerns of all the nations, specially the underdeveloped countries, he said on Tuesday at the concluding session of the first international conference on ‘Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development for Growing Economies’. The Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) organised the event in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission and British Council.

Read more
http://www.dawn.com

This lecture provides a broad overview of natural resources and the environment in developing countries. Specific topics covered include:

• Why do we value the environment?
• Water pollution
• Air pollution
• Deforestation and biodiversity

Read more
http://450.aers.psu.edu

Amid the serpentine creeks and rivers; in the ramshackle wooden huts perched on stilts above the oozing mud; among the muddy puddles where children gather to collect drinking water, there is little hint of the vast oil wealth on which the entire Niger Delta is sitting.

Nigeria might be the world's eighth-biggest oil exporter, but these villagers remain mired in poverty. Getting to the nearest clinic means a day navigating the waterways; in the absence of proper schools, children idle their days away among the swamps.

The people of the Delta do not get to see even the most meagre crumbs from a table that is ever more bountiful as oil prices reach record highs. What they get instead is the pollution.

Read more
http://www.independent.co.uk

A poor environment is directly responsible for around 25% of all preventable ill health in the world today, and two-thirds of those affected are children. They fall sick because of a lack of essential environmental resources – chief among them sufficient and clean water, food, shelter, fuel, and air. People also become ill through exposure to hazards in the environment. Many diseases are linked to environmental problems such as polluted drinking water, poor air, waste disposal and exposure to mosquitoes and other carriers of disease. But changes in the way people live and work can also cause a sudden increase in old diseases or the emergence of new ones. Overcrowding and industrialization affect the health of millions in the developing world.

Read more
http://www.cdia.asia

Scientists have totaled up the cost of damage to the world's environment during the past 40 years. The study shows that the world's poorest countries have been stuck with more than their share of the bill.

Watch the video
http://www.youtube.com

November 21, 2007 presentation by Gary Schoolnik for the Stanford School of Medicine Medcast lecture series.

Gary Schoolnik, MD, professor of medicine, discusses how the use of chemical fertilizers and other environmental disturbances are driving the genetic transformation of cholera in Bangladesh and in turn spawning new epidemics of the disease in South Asia.

Watch the video
http://www.youtube.com

City clusters are made up of groups of large, nearly contiguous cities with many adjoining satellite cities and towns. Over the past two decades, such clusters have played a leading role in the economic growth of China, owing to their collective economic capacity and interdependency. However, the economic boom has led to a general decline in environmental quality. This paper will review the development and current status of the major environmental problems caused by city clusters, focusing on water and air pollution, and suggest possible strategies for solving these problems.

Situated on the border between the three countries of Macedonia, Albania, and Greece, Lake Prespa is a popular recreation spot for inhabitants of the entire region. Polluted rivers flowing into the lake, however, are a menace to the already precarious ecological system unless measures are taken to ensure the waters are filtered. Thanks to the introduction of modern methods of waste management, the SDC is contributing to the decontamination of these waters and to raising the environmental awareness of the region's inhabitants.