Entries by Circle Blue

Harrowing Conditions in Egyptian Prisons See Covid-19 Outbreaks

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Human Rights Watch released a statement Monday announcing suspected Covid-19 outbreaks in recent weeks in Egyptian prisons and police stations. Leaked letters, witness accounts, and credible reports from local rights groups and media indicated 129 suspected cases, 64 positive cases, and 14 deaths from Covid-19 complications. Overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and limited resources and medical […]

Pandemic Thrusts Venezuelan Migrants Deeper into Crisis

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Venezuelan migrants housed in temporary shelters in La Guajira, just across the border in northeastern Colombia, are grappling with two debilitating forces: Covid-19 and lack of clean water, according to the NGO network HelpAge International. “We are hugely concerned about COVID-19 breaking out in La Guajira,” said Marcela Bustamante, a regional representative at HelpAge, in […]

Covid-19 and Conflict a Double Hit on Water Workers

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The International Committee of The Red Cross (ICRC) published a report today on the importance of water workers in conflict zones and the challenges they confront during the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus has left a secondary impact on health, water, sewerage and electricity services, and overwhelmed those personnel in the field along the way. The […]

Study Finds Water Accessibility Challenges in Vanuatu

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A study conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that access to safe and reliable water in two provinces in Vanuatu is a greater challenge for menstruating women, people with disabilities, and those with incontinence. The Water, Women, and Disability study highlighted that while 93 percent of people are likely to […]

UN-Habitat Installs Handwashing Stations in Kathmandu Markets and Slums

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UN-Habitat set up touch-free handwashing facilities to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The stations were installed in the capital’s vegetable markets, urban slums, and areas outside temples. This “Water for Life” project is primarily supported by the people of Fukuoka, Japan. The communities, managed by mostly women, led in the selection […]

Oxfam Focuses on Hygiene to Mitigate Virus in Nepal, Philippines, U.K.

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Oxfam, along with the U.K. Department for International Development and the consumer goods company Unilever, began a 12-month program in Nepal and the Philippines to improve hygiene practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The program will build on Oxfam’s handwashing initiative Mum’s Magic Hands, which uses storytelling to encourage good hygiene. The organization will […]

IOM Constructs New Water Purification Facilities in Sierra Leone

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of National Security in Sierra Leone constructed new water purification facilities to support those without access to clean water during the pandemic. The facilities were installed in five communities, including a resettlement area called Mile Six on the outskirts of the capital, Freetown. The solar-powered water […]

Gov. Whitmer to Extend Michigan Water Shutoff Protections to End of 2020

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday she will extend an executive order protecting state residents from water shutoffs through the end of the year. In addition to the order, Whitmer signed a bill last week that will allocate $25 million to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse water utilities that forgive […]

U.K. Program Pilots Covid-19 Detection System in Wastewater

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Scientists will begin a £1m research program in the United Kingdom for detecting the new coronavirus in wastewater. Since a majority of people who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 may shed the virus in their feces, a sewage-based surveillance system could serve as a warning for future outbreaks. The program, led by the UK Center of Ecology […]

Energy Companies Cancel Atlantic Coast Pipeline Project

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The two energy companies behind the Atlantic Coast Pipeline announced Sunday that they have canceled the project. The proposed natural gas pipeline, which would have run 600 miles from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina, faced challenges for more than six years from groups who fought against construction. Local and national opposition along with […]