The Stream, October 24: World Bank Study on Water & Wastewater Utilities

Water Utilities

 4,400 water utilities in more than 135 countries were analyzed for a report released by The World Bank entitled the International Benchmarking Network Water Supply and Sanitation Blue Book 2014. According to the publication, utilities worldwide have continued to improve and expand services overall, but they have faced challenges in delivering wastewater services due to the financial crises of 2008 and 2010.

 Water Technology
North America

A Nestle-owned dairy factory in Mexico is the world’s first to require no extra inputs of water for processing, Bloomberg News reported. The plant produces powdered milk, and 1 million liters of water are extracted from 1.4 million liters of fresh milk daily to later be used in the production process.  This plant, which cost $US 15 million to build, is estimated to reduce Nestle’s water consumption in Mexico by 15 percent.

Water Law and Policy
Asia, North America

In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, an industry group has challenged a government ban on extraction of groundwater in over-exploited or critical areas for the purpose of being packaged and sold to drink, The Times of India reported. The Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers’ Association has argued to the Madras high court that the state does not have jurisdiction to impose such a ban.

A recent poll shows that the majority of Californians—56 percent—support a $US 7.5 billion water bond in response to the drought, Reuters reported. The proposal would use money from the sale of bonds to pay for a new reservoir and increased underground storage. Thirty-two percent polled said they would not support the measure, while 12 percent said they did not know.

Water Supply
South America

 After a Brazilian League soccer match on Wednesday night, players were unable to shower after the game, Bloomberg News reported. The Arena Pantanal, one of the stadiums built to host the World Cup three months ago, had a water failure which left the sweaty players unable to rinse off. A similar situation occurred two weeks ago, and the arena manager blames the problem on a local water provider.