The Stream, October 22: Cash-Strapped Zimbabwe Taxes Private Water Supplies

Water Pricing
Africa

Residents of Harare, Zimbabwe, must now pay taxes on private water supplies, Bloomberg News reported. The government, while unable to meet the water needs of residents through a public supply, is still collecting much needed revenue from taxes paid on water deliveries from private companies.

 Water Technology
Middle East, North America, South America

Cyprus has plans to greatly expand its wastewater recycling capacity, Financial Mirror reported, citing local media. Next year, recycled wastewater is projected to meet 10 to 15 percent of irrigation demand in Cyprus. By 2023, the country plans to be recycling 47 million cubic meters of wastewater annually, which will meet 30 percent of its irrigation needs.

The University of Nebraska has led the development of a new tool called the “Global Yield Gap Analysis”, The Huffington Post reported.  The technology allows farmers to measure the “gap” between actual productivity and potential productivity in an area, and could help to increase crop yields while conserving water and other resources.

In Chile, NASA will begin monitoring snowpack in the Andes, Business News Americas reported. Snowpack is the main source of water for irrigation in northern Chile, and the data collected will be used to plan for better water management in the drought-stricken country. The project is part of an agreement between NASA and Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Water Industry
Asia, Europe

The France-based water supply company Veolia Environnement SA has been awarded a $US 497 million contract to treat industrial water for China’s largest steel company, Bloomberg reported. Tangshan Iron and Steel has hired Veolia to provide water treatment and cooling services for facilities in Hebei Province. While a major supplier of private drinking water worldwide, Veolia has recently focused on increasing its revenue from industrial customers.