The Stream, April 5: 1 in 8 Global Health Care Facilities Have No Water Service, UNICEF Finds

The Global Rundown

A new UNICEF report finds that many global health facilities lack water and sanitation service. Minnesota tightens restrictions on two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Flooding causes widespread damage to farmland in Iran. Three states in the midwestern U.S. call for greater control over the Missouri River system. Power is restored to much of Venezuela but water outages are still afflicting the country.

“Imagine the scenario of a hospital without water, without power. We remain without a water supply. Even though the power has been restored, the water is still an issue.” –Vietnam Veras Rivas, a pediatrician at the Caracas Children’s Hospital, in reference to water outages in Venezuela. The country has struggled with recurrent power blackouts since March 7. While power is currently restored to many areas, water shutoffs remain an issue. Al Jazeera

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By The Numbers

3 U.S. states that are requesting greater control over the Missouri river system following devastating floods last month. The governors of Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri called for increased flood control efforts and criticized the current management of the river, which is carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Associated Press

In context: Historic Missouri River Flood Damages Water Infrastructure.

$350 million Estimated agricultural losses in Iran so far after weeks of flooding and heavy rains. The flooding has killed 62 and displaced an estimated 86,000 people from 1,900 cities and villages. Reuters

Science, Studies, And Reports

A new report by UNICEF highlights the woeful conditions in many hospitals and healthcare facilities across the world. The report found that 1 in 8 healthcare facilities are without water service and 1 in 5 has no sanitation service. These conditions affect over 1 billion people. UNICEF

On The Radar

Minnesota is tightening regulations on PFOS and PFHxS, two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that were found recently in water supplies near the Twin Cities. The state is enacting a PFOS health-based advisory values of 15 parts per trillion for PFOS and  27 ppt for PFHxS, down from 27 ppt and 47 ppt respectively. MPR News

Kayla Ritter

Kayla Ritter is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she studied International Relations and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently based in Manton, Michigan. Kayla enjoys running, writing, and traveling. Contact Kayla Ritter