If Germany has a problem with polluted water and PFAS levels, what could that mean for the rest of the world?

In a landmark study Eco-Environment & Health, researchers screened German drinking water for 26 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The latest study involved collecting 89 drinking water samples from various locations in Germany, analyzing them for 26 different PFAS using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The findings revealed that while the 20 recently regulated PFAS were below the detection limit, the sum concentrations varied widely, with some samples exceeding the threshold for certain PFAS.

Comprising more than 4,700 chemicals, perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of widely used, man-made chemicals that accumulate over time in humans and in the environment. They are known as ‘forever chemicals’ as they are extremely persistent in our environment and bodies.

They can lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer. More about Emerging chemical risks in Europe – PFAS here.

This effort, notably supported by residents, marks a significant step in understanding PFAS presence in drinking water.This research is pivotal in informing future regulatory decisions and public health guidelines, the researchers note. It highlights the need for ongoing surveillance and stricter controls on PFAS in drinking water.

Dr. Aki Sebastian Ruhl from Berlin emphasizes the importance of this study in providing a comprehensive view of PFAS distribution in drinking water across Germany, a crucial aspect in evaluating environmental and health risks.

The collaborative effort in this study has provided valuable insights into PFAS levels in German drinking water, laying the groundwork for future environmental and public health initiatives, and underscores the necessity for further research to understand the long-term implications of PFAS in drinking water and to develop more efficient removal methods.

Next question for readers and entrepreneurs? The most common in-home water filters that remove PFAS are activated carbon and reverse osmosis. Dual stage filters (activated carbon + reverse osmosis) are also an option.

What filters can remove PFAS from drinking water? Does a Brita do?

The Israeli company Mayu developed a novel method to rejuvenate purified water after understanding how “dirty” tap water has become. Here are 6 ways to soften hard water naturally.

The post Forever chemicals PFAS linger in German drinking water appeared first on Green Prophet.

More than 17,000 animals are killed each minute in slaughterhouses across the United States.  Slaughterhouse byproducts such as fat, bone, blood, and feathers often are sent to rendering facilities for conversion into tallow, lard, animal meal, and other products. The runoff from byproducts harms people as it flows into rivers and streams eventually polluting the land and the people drinking from aquifers.

If you look at news around the world, slaughterhouses or abattoirs, are dumping waste with no regard to the environment. See Tunisia, India, England.

Both slaughterhouses and rendering facilities require a near-constant flow of water, and they discharge staggering quantities of dangerous and damaging water pollution into rivers and streams, including millions of pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, along with bacteria, grease, and other pollutants.

Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (known as the EPA) proposed new water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities. This is after a victorious lawsuit started by a number of lawsuits from community and conservation organizations. The new rules could help to prevent at least 100 million pounds per year of water pollution by strengthening or imposing standards on a fraction of the country’s approximately 5,000 slaughterhouses and rendering facilities, which together are leading sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

Water pollution from slaughterhouses and rendering facilities threatens human health and the environment.  For instance, exposure to nitrogen compounds in drinking water can cause colorectal cancer, thyroid disease, birth defects, and—in infants under six months of age—methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially fatal condition.  In addition, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution feed algal growth, which can render water unsafe for drinking, unfit for recreation, and uninhabitable for aquatic life.

As algae die and decompose, they consume oxygen, giving rise to “dead zones” in iconic waterways such as Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

“Pollution from slaughterhouses and rendering facilities disproportionately harms under-resourced communities, low-income communities, and communities of color,” said Earthjustice attorney Alexis Andiman.

Pollution from slaughterhouses and rendering facilities exacerbates environmental injustice.  Most slaughterhouses and rendering facilities are located within one mile of populations that, on average, the EPA classifies as “low income,” “linguistically isolated,” or at high risk of exposure to toxic substances.

To make matters worse, slaughterhouses and rendering facilities are often located near additional slaughterhouses, rendering facilities, concentrated animal feeding operations, and other sources of pollution, compounding the risks they pose.

The federal Clean Water Act requires the EPA to set water pollution standards for all industries, including slaughterhouses and rendering facilities, and to review those standards each year to determine whether updates are appropriate to keep pace with advances in pollution-control technology.

Despite this clear mandate, the EPA has failed to revise standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities for at least 19 years.  Some slaughterhouses and rendering facilities are still subject to standards established in the mid-1970s.

And the EPA has never published national standards applicable to the vast majority of slaughterhouses and rendering facilities, which discharge polluted wastewater indirectly through publicly-owned treatment works—also known as POTWs—even though the EPA has acknowledged for decades that, without adequate pretreatment, pollutants in slaughterhouses and rendering facility wastewater pass through many POTWs into our nation’s rivers and streams.

The victory was brought on by Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project on behalf of Cape Fear River Watch, Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Waterkeeper Alliance, Humane Society of the United States, Food & Water Watch, Environment America, Comite Civico del Valle, Center for Biological Diversity, and Animal Legal Defense Fund.

This coalition initially challenged the Trump Administration’s decision not to update water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities in 2019.  In response to that challenge, the EPA pledged to strengthen its regulations—but it did not commit to a timeline for doing so.  The coalition filed a second lawsuit in December 2022 to press the EPA to act promptly, resulting in an agreement that committed the EPA to propose new standards by December 2023 and publish final standards by August 2025.

“Today, the EPA took a major step towards reducing the massive flow of pollution that slaughterhouses dump into America’s rivers,” said John Rumpler, senior clean water director for Environment America. “If the agency follows through with a strong final rule, it will mark significant progress in reducing threats to wildlife and public health – including toxic algae, pathogens and nitrate contamination of drinking water sources.”

Many publicly owned wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to treat the waste they receive from one or more of the estimated 3,708 indirectly discharging slaughterhouses and rendering plants across the country, likely contributing to 73% of these facilities violating their clean water permit limits for pollutants typically released by those dischargers, said Kelly Hunter Foster, a Waterkeeper Alliance Senior Attorney.

One way to avoid this is for the facility itself to install a MBR or MBBR for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment which are designed to handle high contaminant discharges.

“Lax regulations allow industrial animal agriculture to profit while burdening communities with pollution and causing animals immense suffering,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Senior Staff Attorney Larissa Liebmann. “With these updated pollution standards, EPA is making slaughterhouses account for some of the costs of their unsustainable business model.”

Building better environmental regulation in your country, province, state or city? Look to the EPA guide for starters.

The post America makes new laws for slaughterhouse rules on wastewater appeared first on Green Prophet.

A barge carrying 500 tons of phosphate capsized in Upper Egypt last week after a run-in with a bridge foundation.  According to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, the ship flipped after colliding with the Dandara Bridge in Qena, about 40 miles north of Luxor, dumping 1 million pounds of phosphate into the Nile River. Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation (MOI) Hossam Moghazi declared a state of extreme emergency as a precautionary measure. So what exactly are we looking at here?

“Phosphate is not soluble in water so there is little risk of poisoning the drinking water, though the ministry has notified Qena’s potable water station to take necessary precautions,” ministry official Khalled Wassef told Ahram Online. He affirmed that the Nile’s water remains fit for human use and that water samples extracted from the river at the site of the collision show “normal quality” levels.

Nevertheless, according to a statement released by the Egyptian cabinet, the Environment Ministry has set up an operations center to coordinate between the different state agencies and to support ongoing investigations. The MOI and army are overseeing dredgers tasked with removing the material from the riverbed. The looming question is what type of phosphate was this?

Phosphates are natural salt derivatives of the element phosphorus, negatively charged ions that link with positively charged ions such as sodium, potassium, ammonium, lead,  and barium, each greatly changing how phosphate behaves. The fact that the MOI called this phosphate salt ‘insoluble’ suggests that the chemical makeup of the spill is known to authorities, however, without divulging the nature of the shipment, it is impossible for the public to gauge spill toxicity.

Phosphates occur in small amounts in all aquatic environments, critical to support the growth and metabolism of plants and animals. However, in excess amounts, they can cause runaway bacterial growth and trigger ecologically harmful algae blooms that heavily impact the health of the water and its inhabitants. If the phosphate salt involved in this accident is insoluble, and considering the constant flow of the Nile, the environmental implications could be negligible, but details have yet to be reported.

Some phosphates (aluminum phosphate as example) would present human health risks such as skin irritation and – if ingested – abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Others (such as highly toxic lead phosphate) would leach into the water at a low concentration, but stay present for a long time if the spill is not quickly cleaned up. Without having more specific information about the nature of the material, it is impossible to foretell health risks. Egypt is heavily dependent on the Nile River for its water supply, pulling 55 billion cubic meters from it annually, yet urgency to frame the seriousness of the spill and mitigate the effects seems absent. Some observers suggest to avoid using water from the spill area as much as possible until results of the environmental results are released, not so simple in water-starved Egypt.

Phosphate comprises one of the most important functional segments of the food chain. It enhances food characteristics in cereal and cheese, ice cream and puddings. It’s an element in chicken production and in both canned and fresh vegetables too. They also have many non-food benefits. Phosphates appear in agricultural fertilizer, detergent, toothpaste, soft drinks, flame retardants and water softeners.

Centuries ago, we culled our phosphorus from animal bones and urine. Today, its sourced from mined phosphate rock. Phosphates are essential to human, animal and plant life (phosphorus-containing compounds are vital to photosynthesis). They have critical functions in key biochemical processes such as metabolism.

Learn more about phosphorous and phosphates (and the disastrous impacts of Big Food on both) in this story from the Green Prophet archives, link here.

The post Is Egypt in denial about Nile phosphate pollution? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Polluted water is a persistent problem for the country’s archaeological treasures.  But it’s a more serious challenge for millions of Egyptians, alive and long dead.

Youssef Khalifa, the head of the Antiquities Sector, told CairoScene magazine that it’s likely the mummies were unearthed by villagers engaged in illegal excavations, then discarded in the cesspool (image above) to cover their tracks. Egypt imposes tight restrictions on excavations; in October 2014 authorities arrested seven people after an illegal dig in Giza uncovered the remains of an ancient temple. Neither risk of arrest nor filthy muck deterred these thieves.

Thick layers of linen swaddled the mummies, whose conditions were radically deteriorated by the surrounding waste.  Only a few human remains could be identified, according to the ministry’s report.

Two sarcophagi colorfully painted with the images of women’s faces date back to around 332 BC to 395 AD, but the Ministry of Antiquities says little is left of the bodies. “Although the coffins were decorated with colorful designs, they were missing any ancient Egyptian inscriptions or hieroglyphics,” the ministry said in a statement. A third, empty sarcophagus was also found.

Restoration has been only mildly successful, according to Egypt’s Daily News.  Eventually the mummies and sarcophagi will be displayed at Minya’s Hermopolis Museum.

Mummies are commonly found across Egypt.  We recently reported on archaeologists from Utah’s Brigham Young University now digging in a cemetery estimated to hold over a million ancient Egyptians. It’s disturbing that villagers would drop these latest finds into a cesspool, despite understanding their historical significance. But urban Egypt’s plastic pollution and open sewage pools are perhaps more unsettling.

The post Holy sh*t! Mummies float in Egyptian sewage! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Discovered by shepherds just last month in the middle of Tunisian desert,  there has been no official explanation for its sudden appearance. Some geologists have proposed that seismic activity may have disrupted the natural water table, pushing water from underground aquifers to the surface.  Others disagree.

Authorities have calculated that the lake area exceeds one hectare, with depths ranging from 10 to 18 meters; that indicates a total water volume of one million cubic meters – liquid gold for the drought-ridden country.

Locally dubbed “Lac de Gafsa”, so far more than 600 people have traveled to the pool and a makeshift beach has grown along its shoreline.  Authorities have warned that the water, which began as a transparent turquoise until rapidly blooming algae turned it murky green, could be radioactive. That hasn’t deterred visitors who buck the 40°C  heat by swimming, diving, and floating atop inflatable rafts.

“Some say that it is a miracle, while others are calling it a curse,” journalist Lakhdar Souid told France 24.

Gafsa’s Office of Public Safety warned Tunisians that the water may be contaminated or even carcinogenic, yet no official ban on swimming has been put in place.

It’s complete with its own Facebook page!

“This lake is located in an area rich in phosphate deposits, which leave residue that is sometimes strongly radioactive,” Souid wrote in Tunisia Daily, “In the first few days, the water was a crystal clear, turquoise blue. Now it is green and full of algae. This means it is not being replenished and is conducive to disease.”

READ Green Prophet reports on deaths due to phosphate mining in Tunisia

The Tunisian mining industry is based in the central Gafsa region, home to one of the planet’s largest phosphate mines. Tunisia is the world’s fifth largest exporter of the chemical, used in  the food preservative industry and agriculture.  Phosphate mining underpins the national economy, but it comes at the expense of the environment.

Phosphate byproducts are known toxins, yet according to news site DW, one factory in the coastal city of Gabes still channels 13,000 tons of the dangerous pollutant into the sea daily. Industrial pollution has led to the ecological destruction of the Gulf of Gabes, infusing coastal waters with phosphogypsum, a toxic, slightly radioactive byproduct of the phosphate refining process.

Hazardous emissions resulting from phosphate processing also cause acid rain, which transfers toxins to groundwater. According to the Association for the Protection of the Chatt Essalam Oasis, there is a correlated uptick in asthma, skin disorders, cancer, and birth defects in nearby communities.

By 2015, ammonia, nitrogen oxide and sulfur emissions will be required to comply with European standards. But, that could be too late for the people of Gabes and their surrounding environment.  So it’s ironic that earth would choose this moment to provide a new recreational watering hole – effectively telling Tunisians to “go jump in a lake”.

Images of new Tunisian lake from Trenderfly

The post Mysterious, possibly radioactive lake appears out of the blue in Tunisia! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Egypt’s network of canals are filthy, stagnant and have become dumping sites which breed disease and discontent

Egypt may be synonymous with the majestic Nile but the network of canals that bring water from this important waterway to the surrounding agricultural lands are filthy, rancid and breeding grounds for rats and disease. According to a recent report by Al Jazeera, the Egyptian government is simply not doing enough to provide suitable garbage management and this means local see little alternative to dumping in the stagnant canals. Government mismanagement and corruption has been highlighted by campaigner Sarah Rifaat as one of the major barriers to action on climate issues in a recent interview. This case with the canals shows how such factors play out in real life. 

On the outskirts of Cairo, severe water shortages in the village of Abu Sir are making it hard for farmers to cultivate their crops and is also contributing to public health problems. Farmers there are accusing the Ministry of Irrigation of diverting water to new neighbourhoods, leaving them with stagnant canals that are quickly turning into rubbish dumps. As more and more rubbish piles up, rats are not far behind and for the children who play in these dumps, disease can be no surprise. Water shortages are also forcing women to collect supplies from wells and farmers say that they have no choice but to wait for water as their crops wither.

A local resident speaking to Al Jazeera explains that due to limited garbage collection, the residents of Abu Sir are forced to dump their rubbish where they can – usually the canals. The dire state of the canals has forced farmers to hire out contractors to clear the rubbish, something they say that the government should be doing. There is clearly a lack of infrastructure and the government needs to do more to provide locals with the amenities to dispose of their rubbish safely.

However, writing on the Arabist blog, a member of a local horse riders organisation says they have worked with Abu Sir residents to develop a garbage collection operation. According to the Egyptian Endurance Riding Association (EERA) website the project was funded by the Egyptian Swiss Development Fund with a total grant of LE 1,700,000.

The scheme meant that each household had to pay a fee of EGP 5.00 a month but unfortunately many villagers had a hard time paying this fee. Another issue the organisation raises is that although community members were keen to take part in cleaning-up campaigns, the results weren’t satisfactory “due to community embedded habits of dumping waste in irrigation canals.”

Clearly, there is a balance to be struck in terms of making sure there are real and viable alternatives to getting rid of rubbish before we can talk about changing embedded habits. It also makes absolutely no sense to be asking poor villagers to pay to dispose of their rubbish safely – if we do, can we really be surprised when we find them dumping trash in their own precious canals?

: Top image is a snapshot of the Al Jazeera report and the second photo is of clear up by EERA.

For more on Egypt and it’s environmental issues see:

Egyptian Campaigner: ‘Corruption not Climate Awareness is Holding Us Back’

Frack Off Shell! Egyptians Launch Anti-Fracking Campaign

Egypt Environment Activists Fighting Back Over Sina Red Sea Bridge

The post Egypt’s Filthy Canals Are Breeding Disease and Discontent appeared first on Green Prophet.

An investigation by Greenpeace has found hormone-disrupting chemicals and a range of phthalates which are classified as toxic to reproduction in Lebanese waters

Ranking a lowly 114 in the Global Health Index, Lebanon was under no illusion that its waters were the cleanest or most biodiverse. However, a recent report by Greenpeace Lebanon has revealed some rather shocking finds about the toxic nature of the country’s coast. From November 2011 to February 2012, the Greenpeace Lebanon team collected a total of 30 samples from various locations along the Lebanese coast. These were then sent to to the Greenpeace International Science Unit in the UK for assessment. The results showed a “a plethora of dangerous and toxic compounds present in the waters [which] represent a serious risk hazard, both to human and environmental health.” 

Solid waste problems, wastewater problems and industrial emissions were highlighted as the three main areas causing contamination. In the case of the wastewater and solid waste, lack of infrastructure and management law were the major problems as well as the “immense lag from the Lebanese state in establishing a proper wastewater network and water treatment plants.” The report added that industrial emissions represent a more sizeable challenge as solutions exist in terms of legislation but aren’t properly implemented.

The samples collected were found to have contaminants such as flame retardants, the hormone-disrupting nonylphenol ethoxylates, low levels of lead, zinc, copper, iron and manganese and a range of phthalates including DIBP and DEHP, both of which are classified as toxic to reproduction. High levels of chromium were also detected in discharged wastewaters from the Lebanese Tanneries and Mounir Bsat facilities in Ghazieh.

The report concluded that further investigations would be necessary in order to identify the specific sources of the chemicals identified in the various wastewater discharges. “Nonetheless, taken together, the results from this study indicate that a broad range of chemical pollutants (both metals and organic chemical contaminants) are discharged in wastewaters from multiple sources to the Mediterranean Coastal area of Lebanon,” added the report.

The report, entitled “Lebanon’s Toxic Coast: an overview of threats, problems and solutions,” also emphasized that the responsibility for combating this problem lies with both the public and private sectors. Speaking to the Daily Star, Rayan Makarem from Greenpeace Lebanon explained: “It is the responsibility of the government to handle the issue of waste-water management through the implementation of current plans to complete the waste-water infrastructure for the country and stop the dumping of raw sewage directly into the Mediterranean.”

“In addition, new legislation should be passed to allow for a complete upheaval of the solid waste sector, which is suffering from the absence of modern rules and regulations,” Makarem said. “Industries in Lebanon can and should be able to control their emissions in accordance with existing legislation … as well as investing in improving their industrial process or in the installation of the required filters.

: Photo via Greenpeace Lebanon/facebook.

For more on Lebanon see:

The State of The Middle East’s Oceans – A Report

Pink Balloon Protest: Lebanese Reclaim Beirut Beach

Lebanese Green Designers Transform Washing Machines Into Beautiful Seats

The post Lebanon: Greenpeace Investigation Reveals Toxic Coast Pollution appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jordan is dealing with an increase in water theft. Ironically, as I type, I am awaiting a water truck arrival to refill our new apartment’s tank: I’d jumped in the shower, turned the knobs, and was met with – nothing. Landlord says it’s been three weeks since the city pumped water to the roof tanks, and the situation seems to be city-wide.

Now it makes sense why people would be breaking into the system.  Mark my words, water is the new oil.

Representatives of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Ministry of Interior and the Public Security Department (PSD) met last week to address the rising number of violations on water wells and pipelines. The water protection campaign was announced soon afterwards: start date unspecified due to security reasons.

Omar Salameh, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, said the operation is directed at areas most vulnerable to theft of water and equipment: the Jordan Valley, south Amman, Mafraq and Zarqa.

“We are providing the PSD with a list of locations that require protection, either because of their importance or because they witness recurring theft and vandalism,” Salameh told The Jordan Times. “Scores of water resources from which around 1,870 cubic meters of water were pumped per hour remain shut down because of violations and theft,” he added.

“We will provide the police directorates with the list of locations that need protection and the names of suspected violators. The PSD will also coordinate with district governors to end violations,” said PSD spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib.

The Ministry will conduct a concurrent media campaign to raise public awareness about the impact of water violations on individuals.

Violations to the water network deprive people of their fair water share and magnifies the nation’s water crisis.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar told the media last month that theft and vandalism of water resources were dramatically rising, threatening an adequate public supply of clean water.

This year, by mid-May, that ministry recorded 28 violations on the Kingdom’s main water network, causing remedial actions exceeding $200,000.  Pumping has been suspended at 50 points in the network until $600,000 in additional repair funds can be identified.

As comparison, there were 50 acts of vandalism recorded in 2011; and 52 registered in 2010. At this rate, Najjar anticipates 2012 repair costs to fall between $1.4 an $1.6 MIL.

Constant reinvestment in water infrastructure and associated environmental mitigation is money down the drain, but the real losses are in actual potable water supply.  Mostly semi-arid Jordan is characterized by severe water scarcity, receiving less than two feet of rainfall per year in most areas. The country shares its major surface water resources with Syria and Israel: its share from the Yarmouk and Jordan Rivers is a comparative trickle.  Groundwater resources are over exploited and aquifers are vulnerable to contamination.

Water supply is further exacerbated by steady population increase resulting from constant immigration from Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Palestine. Impacts stemming from climate change will stress the situation further.

Lack of municipal water causes a rising demand of  bottled water for many households. It’s estimated that 20-30% of Jordan’s water consumption is from sources other than the public system, including water bought from tankers, rainwater harvesting, wells and that bottled variety.

Still getting water delivery

Despite severe scarcity, more than 97 percent of Jordanians are linked into a modern system of water conveyance.  The problem is that water supply is intermittent: water was provided to my last apartment’s tank every week (surrounded by embassies, I suspect the district got special handling).

Residential water delivery to most of Amman’s rooftop tanks this summer has more typically been every other week.

Image of soldiers crossing a river from Shutterstock

The post Jordan’s Crippled Water Resources Protected by Security appeared first on Green Prophet.

According to a recent report by charities, Gaza’s only source of fresh water is contaminated with fertiliser and human waste

The water and waste infrastructure in Gaza has been slowly deteriorating for years now. War damage, political conflict and dwindling resources are all part of the problem – however, the most troubling aspect is that there is little hope for improvement. According to the latest report by Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians, Gaza’s water is too contaminated to drink and the number of children treated with diarrhoea has doubled in the last five years. The report also remarked that Israel’s five year blockade of the territory is preventing important sanitation equipment from reaching the people of Gaza.

The report found that sanitation related diseases – with serious implications for child mortality, such as typhoid fever and watery diarrhoea – had increased in children under the age of three in clinics serving refugees in the Gaza Strip. In 2012 alone, three children also drowned in pools of open sewage and there were calls for an investigation to look into the causes and ways to prevent similar incidents.

It is believed that just 5% of the available water in Gaza is suitable for consumption and so projects such as the desalination plant which is backed by Europe are very important. However, political wrangling and the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip are real barriers that such projects struggle to overcome. The report’s key recommendation was that Israel lift the blockade and allow the free movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. The report added: “Given the direct relationship between a supply of clean water and deteriorating water and sanitation systems, on one hand, and child mortality on the other, all planned water and sanitation projects should be implemented immediately, and a clear timetable provided by the Israeli authorities for their completion.”

Despite effort by locals to raise awareness of water shortage issues, such as painting water murals, little has actually changed on the ground in the last couple of years. Gazans are still struggling with poor water infrastructure and experts are now saying that little will change until the blockade of Gaza is lifted. For over five years, over 1.6 million people in Gaza have been under blockade – in direct violation of international law. And as children make up more than half of the population, the implications of this blockade on young people has been hard to ignore.

For example, despite the easing of the blockade in 2010 many families in Gaza still struggle with food insecurity and remain critically dependent on aid. The report added: “The community is torn by political disputes and critical services, including health, have been unable to recover from conflict… the environment is heavily polluted, with Gaza’s residents being squeezed into an ever-shrinking, increasingly unhealthy space with almost no clean water. It is the lack of this that makes children particularly vulnerable to the spread of diseases.”

Gaza’s health sector is suffering from shortages with medical supplies and equipment in high demand. Schools and other public institutions are similarly affected although the UN is working with Italian architect Mario Cucinella to help build more sustainable and self-sufficient schools.

For more on Gaza and its environmental situation see:

The Stunning Water Murals of Gaza (PHOTOS)

Boy Drowns in Sewage Water Basin in Gaza

Gaza Seawater Desalination Plant Backed by Europe

Image of Gazan fisherman via Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

The post Gaza’s Water Too Dangerous To Drink appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jordan’s mobile phone users will soon receive SMS tips on smart water use.

It’s part of a public awareness campaign to alert Jordanians to the vital need to protect against pollution and reduce water consumption. (Well, at least alert Jordanians with cell phones, or more accurately, those with cell phones and contracts with the Zain Group). Mobile users will get regular tips on how to conserve water.  The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, in cooperation with telecommunications company Zain, is aiming for radical transformation in national behavior. Here’s the plan:

Zain has a subscriber base of nearly 3 million across the Hashemite Kingdom. Telecom Regulatory Commission data for 2011 puts national mobile phone penetration at 120 percent. That’s almost 8 million cell phones in the pockets and purses of 6.6 million people. My husband’s two phones start ringing and that screwball math makes sense.

Texting makes for an excellent conduit for delivering public messages.

The program was announced just weeks before regional water shortfalls made alarming headlines. The Green Economy in a Changing Arab World Report recently released by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) states, “An annual per capita water share below 1,000 cubic meters is considered to pose a significant constraint to economic development, health and well-being; below 500 cubic meters, and water scarcity becomes a threat to life.”

Arwa reported that the Jordan-Arab region could face severe water crisis in the next three years, when it’s predicted that annual per capita water share will fall to less than 500 cubic meters. Hold the phone: that leaves us with less than one tenth of the average world citizen’s share of the wet stuff: shouldn’t that incite some local reaction?

I count four SUVs getting hand washed on my Amman street.

Unemployment was one of the primary drivers to the Arab Spring uprisings. AFED Secretary General Najib Saab suggests it’s unlikely that rapid development to serve economic needs would also respect environmental concerns. Trade and industry expansion will further stress limited water resources unless the planning process includes stringent conservation requirements.

“Arab states need to shift the focus from large-scale investments in supply-side projects and instead concentrate on demand-side policies that control and regulate water access, promote irrigation and water use efficiency, and prevent water pollution,” according to the report. Over 45 million people in Arab nations lack access to clean water.

Common use of chemicals in agriculture and unregulated release of inadequately treated waste into waterbodies are main drivers of regional water pollution. Antiquated agriculture processes, with calculated inefficiencies in the 30-50% range, consume 85% of available freshwater resources. Domestic use is excessive; acres of residential glazing require constant cleaning, gardens soak up irrigation, and in Jordan, a dusty car is taboo.

Implementing policy reforms to meet conservation targets, introducing water use regulations, and enforcing compliance are necessary steps to manage water resources in any region. Jordan might try metering our consumption, and charge a realistic tariff (around here, only cigarettes come cheaper than water).

The local challenge is to agree a long-term outlook and unblock political paralysis.  Sending texts to phone users will raise awareness, maybe open a few minds.

But it’s only a drop in the bucket.

Image of Happy man with mobile phone from Shutterstock

The post Textually Transmitted Conservation of Water appeared first on Green Prophet.