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5 Feb 2024
Key catalytic interventions needed from development partners in the sanitation sector
At the 7th edition of the International Water Association’s (IWA’s) Water and Development Congress and Exhibition (WDCE), governments and other stakeholders shared views on new approaches with the potential to accelerate progress in the field of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The conference, held in Kigali, Rwanda in mid-December 2023, took place against the background of a general recognition that the world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation...
4 Feb 2024
AfDB to invest in urban sanitation in four African countries
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced its intention to commence investment in city wide inclusive sanitation in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Sierra Leone during 2024. The initial grant under this programme is expected to have a value of around U.S. $ 6 million, and it falls within the updated Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII) of the bank’s African Water Facility...
2 Feb 2024
WHO develops guidance on waste and wastewater management in pharmaceutical production
On the 21st of December 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a call for feedback on a draft document on the emission of antibiotics during pharmaceutical manufacturing. While the largest proportion of pharmaceuticals that reach the environment originates from their use by patients, the highest environmental concentrations found are the result of pollution from manufacturing...
31 Jan 2024
Water Sanitation and Hygiene in SA Genocide case against Israel
On the 26th of January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take prompt and decisive action to address the living conditions of the Palestinian people living in Gaza. This included the instruction to desist from “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction” as well as to take all measures to prevent the deprivation of access to adequate food and water...
30 Jan 2024
Rapid Handpump Repair strongly reduces diarrhea amongst children
A 2024 study has found that rapid handpump repair has a powerful effect on the reduction of diarrhoea amongst children. The study, conducted in Kwale County, Kenya, found that diarrhea among children was lower in households whose pumps had been repaired within 24 hours. Handpumps are a key tool in rural water supply: millions have been installed across the world...
26 Jan 2024
North American Section of Women in Water Diplomacy Network Launched
On December 13, 2023, a broad consortium of partners co-convened a side event at the 2023 Colorado River Water Users Association (CRWUA) annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada to launch the North American Section of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network. The initial aim of the North American Network is to establish a regional Network across the Americas anchored in the Colorado River and Indigenous leadership in alignment with the Network’s ‘Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security’ Global Strategy and objectives...
24 Jan 2024
Dutch Water Utilities oppose high levels of pesticides and PFAS in the Rhine and Meuse
Dutch water utilities are expressing concern over PFAS and pesticide concentrations in the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Although the European Union announced its intention to ban the production of all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – abbreviated as PFAS - in September last year, the EU guidelines do not include their use in pesticides...
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...
10 Jan 2024
East Asia and Pacific Region on track to meet 2030 WASH targets
On the 8th of January, UNICEF released an update on access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the East Asia and Pacific region. The data indicates that at the current rate of progress, by 2030, the East Asia and Pacific region will achieve near universal access to at least basic drinking water and sanitation services...
12 Dec 2023
Investment Action Plan Closing the gap on investment in SDG 6 in Africa
The African Union and the High-Level Panel on Water Investments launched the Water Investment Action Plan at COP28. The Water Investment Action Plan has identified 53 national projects worth U.S. $ 30 billion across 19 African countries and 15 transboundary projects worth U.S. $ 9 billion, to be implemented in the remaining years until 2030...