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23 Jan 2024
Uzbekistan Accedes to the Protocol on Water and Health
Uzbekistan deposited the instrument of accession to the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health on the 2nd of January, becoming the 29th national party to the Protocol as well as the first country in Central Asia to join this treaty. The Protocol is the first international agreement of its kind adopted specifically to attain universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for everyone, against a background in which water management places emphasis on the effective protection of water that is used as a source of drinking water...
18 Jan 2024
Danone faces legal complaint over claim that Evian water is carbon neutral
On January 10th, a Southern New York District Court Judge ruled that Danone, a French multinational company which produces bottled water (amongst others), must face a lawsuit related to its claims that its Evian brand of bottled water sold in the United States is “carbon neutral”. In October 2022, a class action lawsuit had been filed by plaintiff Stephanie Dorris on behalf of consumers of Evian water...
12 Jan 2024
New study shows concentrations of microplastics in drinking water are much higher than expected
A study published on the 8th of January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that the concentration of micro- and nano- plastic particles in drinking water is serval orders of magnitude higher than expected. While previous studies had showed that concentrations of plastic particles in drinking water can vary greatly and can contain anything between 0 and 10,000 microplastic particles, the current study has included nanoplastics and indicates that a litre of water may contain up to 250,000 plastic particles...
12 Dec 2023
Spain battles critical drought amid political division and complex water challenges
The drought situation in Spain remains severe, especially affecting the mid-southern and eastern regions. Approximately 10 million people, roughly a quarter of the country's population, are currently subject to water restrictions due to this prolonged condition. In Catalonia, the ongoing water crisis has persisted for 36 months, surpassing the severity of the drought recorded in 2008...
11 Dec 2023
The three forms of weaponisation of water In Gaza
A series of events over the past months show the systematic weaponization of water in Gaza by Israeli forces on all three fronts, i.e. the use of water to gain leverage through flooding, contamination, or constriction (reducing access). Related to the first form of weaponization, i.e. flooding, On the 4th of December the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli forces had assembled a system of five large pumps that it could use to flood Hamas’ network of tunnels under Gaza...
7 Dec 2023
Call for a Global Alliance to Spare Water from Armed Conflicts
On the 22nd and 23rd of November a workshop was held in Geneva to discuss the call for a global alliance to spare water from armed conflicts. The overarching objective of the envisaged alliance is to support policy level and practical actions to protect civilians during armed conflicts through the safeguarding of freshwater, water-related infrastructure, and essential services...
3 Dec 2023
Second Global Water Policy Report: Listening to National Water Leaders Published
The Water Policy Group has collaborated with the national water leaders of 92 countries across the world to generate insights into some of the key issues faced by decision makers in the sector. In its 2023 report, which follows on from and builds on its 2021 report, the researchers highlight the responses of water leaders to questions around current risks and challenges, how international processes can best support improved water outcomes at the national level, and issues of integration with other sectors...
3 Dec 2023
Providing basic access to water within the planetary limits for surface water
In an article in Nature Sustainability published on the 16th of November, a team of researchers has assessed whether minimum human needs for water could be met around the world by using only surface water. This analysis forms part of a broader assessment of safe ‘earth system boundaries’ for freshwater...
27 Nov 2023
Green Climate Fund's Water Strategy:
In September 2023, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) published the outlines of its water sector strategy under the heading “Running dry: racing against time to secure our water future”. This follows its publication last year of the GCF's draft sectoral guide for water. Water security is central to the activities of the GCF: it has currently mobilized U...
10 Nov 2023
The High Cost of Cheap Water
Released on World Food Day, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) report entitled “The High Cost of Cheap Water” estimates the annual use value of water to the global economy at U.S. $ 58 trillion, or 60% of global Gross Domestic Product. The WWF estimates the direct economic benefits of water, such as water for households, agriculture and industry, at U...
10 Nov 2023
Improving water management for rural development within the 2030 Agenda
Three-quarters of the world's poorest people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods as well as on access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for their health. In Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 90% of the poorest people live in rural areas. Poor rural development is measured by poverty, health problems due to food insecurity and lack of nutrition and sanitation, low levels of education and training, and the high number of those - households, businesses, farmers, herders and their herds - with difficulties in accessing water (water insecurity)...