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Halt in Water Supply from Northern Syrian Plant Raises Virus Fears
/in Water News/by Circle BlueA water plant in the Kurdish region of northern Syria has stopped supplying drinking water to nearly half a million people in the region, raising concerns about sanitation and hygiene during the coronavirus epidemic, reports Deutsche Welle, a German media outlet.
The Alouk water station is under the control of Turkish militias, which have cut water production intermittently following an invasion into the region last October.
Misty Buswell, regional director of the International Rescue Committee, told Deutsche Welle that “the latest water stoppage could not have come at a worse time.”
Tanker trucks are being used as a stop-gap measure.
Volunteer Network Rescues Small Alabama Water System
/in Water News/by Circle BlueIt’s a time of people helping people.
After its only water system operator went into self-quarantine for potential exposure to the new coronavirus, the small Alabama town of Gordon (population: 364) needed to find a temporary replacement.
Shana Ray, the mayor of Gordon, reached out to the Alabama Rural Water Association, which is compiling a list of volunteer operators who can fill in during the pandemic.
Gordon is the only town in Alabama, so far, that has needed a temporary operator because of quarantine. But other small utilities are worried about the coronavirus decimating their staff.
Read the full story at Circle of Blue.
UN Outlines $2 Billion Covid-19 Plan to Protect the Most Vulnerable
/in Water News/by Circle BlueThe United Nations is requesting $2 billion from member countries in a plan to prevent the coronavirus from spreading within refugee camps, slums, and other vulnerable populations.
UN officials argue that, when it comes to infectious disease, helping the poor to avoid illness is beneficial to all.
“Covid-19 has already upended life in some of the world’s wealthiest countries,” Mark Lowcock, the UN coordinator for humanitarian relief, said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is now reaching places where people live in war zones, cannot easily access clean water and soap, and have no hope of a hospital bed if they fall critically ill.
“To leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries to their fate would be both cruel and unwise. If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe.”
One prong of the plan is to install handwashing stations in refugee camps and settlements. The UN press office did not immediately return email and phone messages asking which countries and camps would be top priorities.
The plan will be coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It brings together expertise from across the UN agencies, including UNICEF, World Health Organization, World Food Program, and more.
Water-Bill Assistance Not Part of Senate Coronavirus Relief Package
/in Water News/by Circle BlueThe $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that Senate and White House negotiators announced earlier today includes funding for child nutrition, virus research grants, and support for teleworking. It would direct $1,200 to adults who earn less than $75,000 a year and expand unemployment benefits.
What is not included in the deal is financial assistance for residents who are struggling to pay their water bills because they were laid off or lost work during the pandemic.
House Democrats had inserted $1.5 billion for water-bill assistance in a competing relief bill that they released on Monday.
A summary of the Senate’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act can be found here. And the full text of the legislation here.
Webinar: WASH Emergency Response for Covid-19
/in Water News/by Circle BlueThe Sanitation and Water for All partnership will host a webinar on March 26 on Covid-19 emergency response for water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The webinar will feature presentations from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Government officials from Cambodia, Colombia, and Guinea will discuss the water, sanitation, and hygiene preparations in their countries.
The webinar, which will use simultaneous translation in English, French, and Spanish, will take place at local time 4:30 Mexico City/6:30 New York/10:30 Dakar/13:30 Nairobi/17:30 Bangkok.
For more information, including dial-in details, see the partnership’s website.
Water Utilities Prepare for Staffing Shortages
/in Water News/by Circle BlueKeeping the water flowing, even in times of emergency, requires certified workers to operate treatment plants. But operators cannot work when they are sick.
As the coronavirus spreads across the country, water utility leaders say that potential staffing shortages due to illness and quarantine are their biggest current concern in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read the full story at Circle of Blue.