Here is a compilation of WASH related news, views and articles worth reading in July 2017.
Compiled by: Henry Anyanwu
Cholera count reaches 500 000 in Yemen on World Health Organisation (WHO) Media Centre
The total number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen this year hit the half a million mark on Sunday, and nearly 2000 people have died since the outbreak began to spread rapidly at the end of April.
The overall caseload nationwide has declined since early July, particularly in the worst affected areas. But suspected cases of the deadly waterborne disease continue to rage across the country, infecting an estimated 5000 people per day.
World Water Week opens in Stockholm: Water is fundamental to achieving The Global Goals on SIWI World Water Week
The term “water scarcity” is becoming increasingly common. As more countries, and cities, experience the effects of high population pressure and less available freshwater, the interest among policy-makers, businesses, and citizens grows. The realization is there. We need to become more efficient water users. We need to make some drastic changes.
“World Water Week is a key meeting place for the water and development community; it is here that we come together and make sure that the very best ideas are brought forward,” said SIWI’s Executive Director, Torgny Holmgren.
Easing the Transition to Commercial Finance for sustainable Water and sanitation on World Bank Group by Amanda Goksu, Sophie Trémolet, Joel Kolker and Bill Kingdom
Since the turn of this century, many countries have made significant progress toward meeting their water and sanitation access goals. At a global level, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water was achieved by 2010, but the target for sanitation was not achieved by 2015. During the MDG period a total of 2.6 billion people gained access to improved water, and 2.1 billion gained access to improved sanitation (WHO/UNICEF 2015).
Starting a marathon with a broken ankle: how poor water and sanitation sets children behind on The water blog by Maximilian Leo Hirn and Aude-Sophie Rodella
Have you ever wondered how your life chances are affected by where you were born? Odds of being born at all are already miraculously small, but only one in ten of us is born into the relative security of a high-income country. What if you are born in Niger or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)? Before you could even walk or talk, your challenges would be daunting. That’s because, despite progress, deaths of children under five years old are more than twenty times higher than in the EU and nearly ten times higher than in China.
Organizing Committee of the 8th Forum recognizes advances in the organization on 8th World Water Forum
The International Organizing Committee of the 8th World Water Forum (ISC, acronym in English) praised the actions listed by the secretariat during the sixth meeting of the group held on Sunday (27) in Stockholm, capital of Sweden. At the meeting, members of the ISC were updated on the preparatory process and met the proposed draft agenda for the sessions and spaces of the largest gathering of waters on the planet. There were also reports of the activities of committees of Thematic processes, Regional, Political, Citizen Forum and Focus Group Sustainability.
Innovative Water and Sanitation Services Promote School Attendance for Girls on UNICEF Nigeria by By Oluwatosin Akingbulu
Pupils at Gora Galadima Kambara Primary School in Kambara, Kano state wash their hands before eating during a short break. Photo Credit: © UNICEF Nigeria/2017/Akingbulu
There are now more girls in school than at home in Kambara, a village with a population of 2000 in Madobi Local Government Area, Kano state. Easy access to clean water for drinking and handwashing, and the availability of separate latrines give parents the confidence to send their daughters to school.
The Gora Galadima Kambara Primary school located in Kambara village has an enrolment of 369 pupils, and almost half of them are girls. Upon arrival at the school, the first thing that catches the eye is the line of white-painted taps outside the block of classrooms. The taps, which have metal cases for holding soap attached to them, are connected to small blue tanks that provide water for handwashing at break time.
Mali’s Experience in Planning for the WASH-related SDG targets on Sanitation and Water for All By Mr. Yaya Boubacar, National Director, Energy and Water Ministry
Mali’s overall vision is to achieve universal access to WASH services by 2030. This vision is formulated in the national policy and strategy documents which are currently being reviewed. The country plans to accelerate access to drinking water to 2% per year, and reach the ODF status for an additional population of 1 million per year.
Moreover, Mali plans to scale up CLTS. Two key steps in the planning for the WASH-related SDGs are: a consultation to evaluate MDG performance and translate SDGs into the national plans; and, the development of management plans for water safety. A workshop was held on 3 August 2017 to present the plans and results. Besides technical bodies (Direction Nationale de l’Hydraulique, Direction Nationale chargée de l’Assainissement), this workshop attracted a strong participation from the civil society organisations.
Boko Haram destroyed 75% water, sanitation infrastructure in Northeast – UNICEF on vanguard news Nigeria
UNICEF said on Wednesday that Boko Haram terrorists have destroyed 75 per cent of the water infrastructure in the Northeast Nigeria. Mr Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s Global Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, who stated this at the beginning of the World Water Week, said 3.6 million people lacked water in northeast.
Wijesekera: “in conflict-affected areas in northeast Nigeria, 75 per cent of water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, leaving 3.6 million people without even basic water services.
Potable reuse Guidance for producing safe drinking-water on World Health Organisation (WHO) Publications
In response to growing pressures on available water resources, potable reuse represents a practical source of drinking-water in specific circumstances.
This document describes how to apply appropriate management systems to produce safe drinking-water from municipal wastewater. Information is provided on specific aspects of potable reuse, including the quality and protection of source wastewaters, types of control measures, monitoring considerations and public acceptance. Application of potable reuse is also illustrated through a number of case studies.
Ethiopia: Preventing spread of waterborne diseases in holy sites on Environews Nigeria
In Ethiopia, thousands of pilgrims flock to holy water sites for spiritual cleansing and physical healing. People often drink the holy water and perform ceremonial cleansing for their bodies or those of their loved ones. But there is a risk that these sites can be contaminated with bacteria that cause acute watery diarrhea (AWD) or other waterborne diseases as open defecation is a common practice in open fields close to holy water sites.
To protect the pilgrims, World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ministry of Health, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners to ensure that water safety and latrine access is improved around holy water sites.
Bishop Abune Abraham advising on hygienic practices
ADVISORY: New WRI Analysis Reveals Asia’s Poorest People Don’t Know if Their Water is Safe On World Reasearch Institute
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN —Industrial facilities release upwards of 400 million tons of toxic pollutants into the world’s waters each year. For many of Asia’s poorest communities who depend on local waterways for drinking, bathing, farming and fishing, they need to know whether their water is polluted or dangerously toxic.
At a World Water Week Showcase event on August 30, WRI will release Thirsting for Justice: Transparency and Poor People’s Struggle for Clean Water in Indonesia, Mongolia and Thailand. The new report uncovers why people in many Asian countries are still feeling the effects of dangerously polluted water despite strong “right to know” laws, and what can be done to fix it.
At the launch event, authors Carole Excell and Elizabeth Moses will share the report’s findings for the first time and join global experts for a broader dialogue on the link between transparency and access to clean water.
