Source Weekly 2009, 03

Published - 17 Mar 09

International

Household water treatment: scaling-up is premature say researchers

A critical review concludes that the widespread promotion of household water treatment (HWT) is premature given the available evidence. More research is needed before before HWT can be recommended to policy makers and implementers.

Water resources management: G77 adopts Muscat Declaration on Water

The G-77 Ministerial Forum on Water, held from 23-25 February 2009 in Muscat, Oman, called for enhanced South-South co-operation in the water sector, including water resources management and water supply and sanitation.

Transparency: companies must improve reporting on water sustainability

Companies need to significantly improve the depth and breadth of their reporting on water, particularly regarding water issues outside of direct business operations, according to a study commissioned by the United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate.

Benin: corruption in water sector “enormous”

Access to safe water has been limited for more than half the population of Benin due to corruption, says the Ministry of Energy and Water. The less well-off consumers are paying the price for mismanagement in this multimillion-dollar sector.

Mali: raising money and hygiene standards

Women in one of the poorest areas of Mali’s capital, Bamako, have found a way to tackle hygiene issues and earn money at the same time by making soap.

Zambia: corruption in water sector makes clean water a pipe dream

According to the Zambian Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), Zambia’s national rural and urban water supply programme, which funded the drilling of boreholes for rural communities, is a prime example of corruption in the water and sanitation sector.

Zimbabwe: government reduces water tariffs

The government of Zimbabwe has reduced all new water tariffs to make the levels affordable and instructed councils to stop charging unapproved rates and levies.

Jordan: ancient wells radioactive, US study finds

Researchers from Duke University in the United States have found that ancient underground wells in water-deprived Jordan have 20 times more radiation than is considered safe for drinking.

Palestine: building of a desalination plant in Hadera contested

A recent publication in the Al-Qud newspaper in Jerusalem has triggered comments from the Palestinian Water Authority on the building of a desalination plant in Hadera, criticizing both the Israeli and Palestine authorities.

Cambodia: floating toilets for floating communities

Lien Aid, a Singapore-based non-governmental organization is stepping up its work in Cambodia, in particular on the floating toilets of the "River of life" project" for the floating communities on the Tonle Sap lake.

India, Uttar Pradesh: Oscar village to get improved water supplies

A village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is to undergo a makeover since a film about one of its younger residents won an Oscar. The film, Smile Pinki, tells the story of Pinki Sonkar, whose cleft lip made her a social outcast.

Pakistan, Karachi: slum dwellers fear impotence from water-purifying tablets

Women in the Machar Colony, the largest slum in the Pakistani city of Karachi are refusing to use chlorine tablets to purify water because their husbands fear it will make them impotent. Community workers say that this is only one of a range of excuses not to use the tablets.

Sri Lanka: SLWP and Water Integrity Network Partnership fight illicit sand mining

In 2008, the Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP) and the Water Integrity Network (WIN) joined forces to fight illicit and unregulated river sand mining. They produced an integrated package of activities, including awareness programmes, brochures, posters, and a documentary.

Guyana: Govt, GWI undertaking projects to improve water, sanitation

The Guyanese government and national service provider Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) are carrying out several projects under the Hinterland Water Strategy aimed at improving access to safe water and sanitation for inland communities, improving services to some depressed communities and ensuring safe water for 80% of surrounding settlements, government information agency GINA reported on its website.

Brazil, São Paulo: State secretary signs Água Limpa agreements with 10 towns

São Paulo state sanitation and energy secretary Dilma Pena has signed 18 million reais (US$ 7.7 million) worth of Água Limpa or clean water program agreements with 10 towns, according to a state government report.

Mexico, DF: potable water tariffs, subsidies must be revised, says expert

Part of the potable water supply shortages Mexico’s federal district (DF) currently faces are attributable to the uncompetitive tariffs charged by local utilities, Universidad Interamericana (UIA) specialist Gloria Soto says.

John Kalbermatten: "Low-cost sanitation champion", 1931-2009

"Low-cost Sanitation has lost its greatest Champion", writes Prod. Duncan Mara, following the death of John Kalbermatten, former Senior Water and Wastes Advisor at the World Bank.

Shashi Tharoor: former UN Under-Secretary General responds to accusations of anti-Cola activists

Former United Nations Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor has responded to accusations from activists in his native state of Kerala, India, regarding his membership of the Advisory Board of Yatn, the Coca-Cola India Foundation. In an open letter, the activists accused him of “insensitivity and unconcern to align with the criminal Coca-Cola against the people of Plachimada”.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialists, UNICEF, New York, NY, USA

WASH specialists play a key role in developing and supporting WASH programmes in the designated country, working in close coordination with Health, Nutrition, Education, Child Protection and Communication sections with the goal of enhancing child survival and development.

Apply before Sunday 15 March 2009

Water & Sanitation Manager, Medair, El Geneina town, West Darfur, Sudan (Northern States)

Medair seeks a water and sanitation manager to effectively manage the water and sanitation project in line with the objectives, budget and timeframe laid down in the current proposal under the overall guidance of the WatSan Coordinator.

Apply before Tuesday 31 March 2009

Junior researcher Water and Environment, Chairgroup Irrigation and Water Engineering, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Wageningen University is looking for a junior researcher who is expected to contribute to teaching (40%) and research (60%). Research includes the development and submission of a PhD-research proposal for external funding on a subject related to Water and Environment.

Apply before Monday 23 March 2009

Programme Officer (Grants Management), Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) invites applications for a Programme Officer (Grants Management) in its Global Sanitation Fund department. The position requires someone with experience of sanitation improvement programmes and project management.

Apply before Thursday 19 March 2009

Hygiene: link between fecal contamination of drinking water after collection and hygiene practices

Water-borne illness, primarily caused by fecal contamination of drinking water, is a major health burden in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Researchers from the University of Iowa (USA) and the Institute of Health Systems (India) discovered that fecal contamination occurs principally during storage.

Southern Africa: risk factors for child dysentery and watery diarrhoea assessed

A study among 254 children aged 12-24 months in rural South Africa and Zimbabwe assesses risk factors for child dysentery and watery diarrhoea in households where drinking water was collected from communal sources.

Brazil: diarrhoea through contaminated storage vessels in shanty town

A recent study in Brazil suggests that contaminated drinking water in storage vessels may be an important factor for the documented diarrhoea disease burden in Brazilian shanty towns.

India, Bangalore: improving water and sanitation for slum dwellers

With the help of local NGO AVAS, the residents of Sudhamnagar, a slum community in Bangalore, now have household latrines and a safe drinking water supply.

Cambodia: potential of pro-poor water connection subsidies

Poorer households are often willing to pay more for water and sanitation services than what they cost to operate and maintain, research in Cambodia shows.

Malawi: learning from earlier community water kiosks problems in Lilongwe

A few years ago the Lilongwe Water Board's service through water kiosks suffered from inadequate response to system and community problems and lack of transparency in water billing, a WaterAid report in April 2008 showed. In response to a request for assistance from the community, WaterAid Malawi embarked on a strategic partnership with the Lilongwe Water Board, aimed at improving management of water services in unplanned low-income neighbourhoods. After 18 months the public/private/civil society partnership is producing change.

Consultancy: Lao PDR Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project

The Asian Development Bank requests expressions of interest for a total of 859 person-months of consulting services (124 person-months international and 735 person-months national).

Apply before Monday 13 April 2009

Competition: Tapping Youth Innovation - youth-led solutions to clean water and sanitation

WaterAid America and Ashoka GenV invite youth around the world to submit proposals for youth-led projects designed to improve the water and sanitation services for the poor. Ten winners will receive seed grants of up to US$ 1,000.

Apply before Sunday 22 March 2009

Assessing decentralisation and local governance in West Africa

This publication synthesizes the results of the project “Building capacities for monitoring and evaluating decentralisation and local governance in West Africa (2005-2007).

Deterring corruption and improving governance in the urban water supply & sanitation sector

This Sourcebook aims to help sector practitioners to assess the extent and risk of corruption in sectors in which they work and to improve governance in ways that will reduce corruption.

Guiding principles for successful reforms of urban water supply and sanitation sectors

This report focuses primarily on improving the service provided by official water supply and sanitation (WSS) service providers, which because of limited coverage or poor performance do not always have the monopoly of provision usually associated with WSS in urban areas.

NewSplash : the World Bank update for water practitioners

The World Bank published the first edition of NewSplash, the quarterly external newsletter about the World Bank’s policies, strategies and projects in the water sector.

Program evaluation of Partnership for Africa’s Water Development Program (PAWD) - Global Water Partnership

Report of the final evaluation of the Partnership for Africa’s Water Development (PAWD) programme. PAWD was to support five African countries to manage their water resources in a sustainable manner in order to contribute to poverty reduction, human well-being and the protection of natural resources.

In the pipeline : water for the poor : investing in small piped water networks

The Small Piped Water Network (SPWN) toolkit is one of the major outputs of the Asian Development Bank’s Regional Technical Assistance on Implementing Pilot Projects for Small-Piped Water Networks (2005-2008). Two pilots were implemented in the Philippines and one each in Viet Nam and India. The toolkit includes case studies from these pilots and from similar pilots from the USAID-funded Environmental Services Program in Indonesia.

A rights-based review of the Ghanaian water and sanitation sector

This report reviews the existing legal, policy, and institutional framework of the Ghanaian water and sanitation sector using international human rights standards.

Presentations World Bank Water Week

All presentations of the Water Week organized by the Water Anchor in partnership with the Water Sector Board, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC from February 17-20, 2009 are now online. Several sessions are also available on video.

The Adventures of Super Toilet

Now at WaterAid: The adventures of super toilet, a 9 minute video produced for WaterAid America by children’s author, illustrator and entertainer Charlie Williams.

AfricanWIS: African Water Information System

Bilingual website of AWIS (African Water Information System) / SADIeau (Système Africain d’Information sur l’Eau), an ACP-EU water facility funded project (2007-2010) that aims to interlink water resource centres in sub-Saharan Africa to enable information exchange via a web-interface.