Entries by Circle of Blue

Desalination Costs Less Than Shipping Water In Australia

/in , /by

DARWIN, Australia – In a bid to prevent a resource grab in Australia’s Northern Territory, researchers at the Charles Darwin University’s symposium on water have reported that shipping water from the “Top End” will be too costly. Instead, environmental and ecological economist Adam Drucker proposed building desalination plants closer to where the water was needed. […]

Vegas rolls dice on rural water

/in , , /by

CARSON CITY, Nevada – Officials seeking more water for the booming Las Vegas area have requested a state hearing on the final piece of a massive pipeline project they plan to build to tap groundwater from rural Nevada. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is seeking state permission to pump as much as 16 billion gallons […]

Some in Pakistan not worried about water, for now

/in , /by

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Managing Director (MD) Islamul Haq on Friday claimed that there was enough water in Rawal and Khanpur dams to meet the requirement of the city during summer. Talking to Daily Times, Haq said the city was getting water from these two dams and 260 tube-wells. Presently, the […]

Infographic: Bottled Water Imports and Exports

/in /by

A new UN map highlights bottled water’s patterns of international trade. With France being the major exporter of bottled water, trade routes in Europe (between France, Germany, and Belgium) often involve intracontinental trade. The United States also imports a large quantity of water from France and Fiji. Original image available here. Source/Design : UN Comtrade/Emmanuelle […]

Venice urges tourists to drink from fountains

/in , /by

ROME – As summer sets in, tourists visiting Venice will find fountains feature unexpectedly high on this year’s sightseeing tours as the city council aims to reduce waste in the world’s biggest consumer of mineral water. A new initiative to cut down on bottled water consumption, called “100% Public” (www.100X100pubblica.it), will be launched on Thursday, […]

Aussie farmers growing angry

/in , /by

AUSTRALIA – More than 300 angry farmers and their trucks blocked a city thoroughfare to protest the Government’s north-south pipeline, which they say will drive them off the land. The Government plans to send 75 billion liters of water a year from the northern food bowl district through the pipeline to Melbourne in 2010. Read […]

Despite backlash to bottled water, profits grow

/in /by

New York, NY – Bottled water may be going the way of the dodo, if you believe the hype in the media these days. But despite the backlash from many about its green costs, profits are up. Nonetheless, Fiji Water is upping its marketing budget to make its image more eco-friendly. One of their new […]

Spain: Drought leading to illegal wells and blackmarket deals

/in , , , /by

FORTUNA, Spain – Southeast Spain is running out of water. After years of commercial expansion, both in agriculture and in tourism, this extreme end of the Iberian Peninsula is drying up. And the desertification is threatening the livelihoods of over 135 million people, bringing about the creation of a black market for water. “Water will […]

Sewage on tap in Kenya

/in , , /by

NAIROBI, Kenya – More than 100,000 Nairobi residents could be consuming sewerage polluted water and now the risk of contracting deadly diseases is fast becoming a public health disaster. The residents of Umoja II estate are being supplied with “relief water” as the commodity flowing from their taps is unfit for human use. Read more […]

Drinking water in the pipeline

/in , , /by

GANDHINAGAR, India – The unthinkable in this semi-arid state will start at Morbi, a water-starved Saurashtra town, where 34,000 metered connections will start providing round-the-clock drinking water to the entire town in two years. Gandhinagar town, which already has good pipelines, may be even quicker. After the state government has made 24-hour electricity supply possible […]

British water companies bracing for backlash

/in , /by

LONDON – Water companies are braced for a backlash this week when the main listed groups report annual profit figures expected to top £1bn, with a sizeable proportion of that figure gushing to shareholders in the form of dividends. Ofwat, the water industry regulator, said average water and sewerage bills will rise by 5.8 per […]

L.A. prepares massive water-conservation plan

/in , , , /by

LOS ANGELES, California – With its vital and sometimes distant water supplies in question, the city of Los Angeles is taking on the daunting and controversial task of turning wastewater back into drinking water, the L.A. Times reports. In addition to recycling wastewater, the plan will make permanent many of the restrictions seen during the […]