Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector - News for 2008/02

The 2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development

2009-05-12T17:39:14Z

The call for the "2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development" is opened on the 1st February 2008 and will close on the 16th March 2008.

The SEED Initiative was founded by IUCN, UNDP and UNEP to deliver concrete progress towards the internationally-agreed, aspirational goals in the UN’s Millennium Declaration and the commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.

Innovative ideas are welcome from any group in a developing country, which is working in partnership with others to generate environmental and social benefits in an entrepreneurial way. SEED Award Winners then receive a tailored package of support services to help them to become established and to increase their impact. This includes access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance. The Award is not a cash prize - but the services offered have a value of US$25,000.

Guidebook to Help Water Utilities Improve Energy Management

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

EPA and its water and wastewater partners are learning more and doing more to confront serious challenges related to rising energy costs. A new guidance, Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities, will help utilities systematically assess their current energy costs and practices, set measurable performance improvement goals, and monitor and measure their progress over time.

Steadily rising energy costs and associated environmental effects have made energy use one of the most pressing challenges facing water utilities. Energy management is also at the heart of efforts across the industry to ensure that water and wastewater systems are operated in a sustainable way.

The guidance follows the successful Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology embodied in environmental management systems and other utility management tools. It was developed with the help of utilities that are successfully confronting their own energy challenges using this approach. It will serve as a step-by-step guide to help utilities systematically manage their energy programs over time.

For Release: (Washington, D.C. – Friday, Feb. 1, 2008)

The Water and Environment News Issue No. 23, December 2007

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

Water and Environment News (ISSN 1020—7120): The Water and Environment News of the Isotope Hydrology Section is published six-monthly by the IAEA. The hard copy of the newsletter is for distribution to individuals and institutions in IAEA Member States free of charge upon request, subject to availability. All of the published issues of the newsletter are available on-line in PDF format.

Introduction to Water Sampling and Analysis for Isotope Hydrology

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

Appropriate field sampling and the proper handling of water samples to the point of their arrival in laboratories for analysis is a prerequisite for any successful groundwater assessment. Yet, in many cases, simple mistakes are made due to a lack of knowledge of fundamental field sampling practices. This new video responds to this need by clearly demonstrating ‘best practices’ in collecting and handling samples in the field needed for utilizing isotopic techniques to support groundwater assessment activities. Field staff are often not involved in either planning of sampling campaigns or in assessing the data acquired. The wide distribution and use of this video should lead to improved abilities of field staff to conduct sampling appropriately and lead to better results in groundwater assessment activities.

Atlas of Isotope Hydrology – Africa

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

This Atlas of Isotope Hydrology focuses on Africa. Data from nearly 10 500 isotope records gathered from about 80 IAEA projects in 26 African countries from 1973 to 2007 are included. For each country, a digital elevation map is provided that shows major water bodies, locations of stations in the IAEA global network of isotopes in precipitation (GNIP) and the project study areas. Summary pages for each project include a higher resolution map of the study area, and data tables and plots for median and mean d18O and d2H, average annual precipitation and air temperature, tritium values, and radiocarbon in groundwater.

The Isotope Hydrology Information System (ISOHIS), maintained by the Isotope Hydrology Section of the IAEA, has been the source of the hydrological and isotope information used in the compilation of this Atlas of Isotope Hydrology – Africa. The isotope information presented in the Atlas can be downloaded through the online application WISER from the internet site: http://www.iaea.org/water.

The isotopic information presented in this unique Atlas is expected to be a valuable reference to scientists, practitioners and policy makers engaged in the field of hydrology.

IAEA Regional Training Course on Application of Isotope Techniques in Hydrology

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

IAEA Regional Training Course on Application of Isotope Techniques in Hydrology was held at the Center for Ecotoxicological Research of Montenegro, Budva, Montenegro during 5–14 November, 2007. The main purpose of the course was to provide participating young professionals with adequate practical training in methodologies on the application of isotope techniques in hydrology, data interpretation and groundwater modelling. Practical demonstration of isotopic sampling was also offered. The course was part of efforts supported by the IAEA through technical cooperation projects for addressing country specific water resource management issues.Twenty-two trainees from Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Lithuania, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Tajikistan, 3 external lecturers and two IAEA staff participated in this activity.

LifeStraw water purifier grows into family size

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

LifeStraw began when a young Danish graduate, whose family owned a small textile company, took a trip in the 1990s around Africa, where contaminated water claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen started to think how he could put the family company to good use for the people of Africa. The result was LifeStraw, a cheap, portable personal water purifier, cited by Forbes Magazine in 2006 as “one of the 10 things that will change the way we live”.

Made of polystyrene, the 31cm long, 2.9cm diametre, 150g tube, which looks like a flute and can be hung around the neck, uses filters to kill or remove 99.9 percent of waterborne bacteria and 98.7 percent of waterborne viruses, and requires no electricity or spare parts during its year-long lifetime, powered by sucking alone. It costs about US$4 and has a purification volume of 700l. The product contains a special halogenated resin that kills bacteria and viruses on contact.

Now the Vestergaard Frandsen Group will start rolling out a stationary LifeStraw Family version that will provide clean drinking water for up to 18 months.

It is estimated that 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and that 1.8 million die annually from preventable water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and e-coli.

There are 200,000 LifeStraw units in use in dozens of countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia today, purchased and distributed by partner groups such as the Red Cross, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Rotary International and IMA World Health, a Protestant Christian organisation, according to Cleary.

Time to nominate candidates for GWP Steering Committee

2009-05-12T17:39:14Z

It is now time to nominate candidates for GWP Steering Committe. There will be 4 vacant positions after the next Steering Committe meeting (spring of 2008).

Nominations do not need to come from an organization. Candidates can be nominated by individuals. Please note that the nominees should not already hold an official position in GWP, or they would have to withdraw from it should they be appointed as an SC member.

A Steering Committee Member is expected to attend two meetings a year, normally of 2 days each (all expenses paid for), engage in frequent e-mail exchanges and correspondence and undertake reviews and contribute views on a variety of issues concerning GWP, its policies, budget and activities. The Steering Committee is like a Board therefore the experience with the role and functioning of Boards is essential.

Successful candidates should be committed to the promotion of sustainable IWRM, should be able to contribute towards the development of GWP strategic direction, be able to open doors for GWP, operate at high level and have contacts at most senior national, regional or international levels. Experience in organizational matters, board representation and strategic planning would be an advantage. This time around, we are particularly seeking to strengthen the SC by seeking candidates with strong competence and (practical) experience with any of the following IWRM climate change, agriculture/ irrigation, private sector (water-related) the economics of water and financing related issues.

Nominations are requested before April 16th, 2008.

EuroMed Info Centre's Website revamped

2009-05-12T17:39:14Z

The EuroMed Info Centre’s website has undergone yet another facelift, taking on board comments made by our users, while at the same time building up the information available on the Euro-Med Partnership, the Regional Programme’s funded projects, and the ENP South.

The new features introduced mainly aim at making the website even more user-friendly and showing-up the long, deep and multi-faceted relations between the EU and its Mediterranean Partner Countries.

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

Water Resource Management Specialist (P-4)

2009-05-12T17:39:14Z

The Isotope Hydrology Section in the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, is responsible for planning and implementing the Agency's water resources programme. The water resources programme assists Member States in assessing and managing their water resources in all aspects, with isotope hydrology as an integral part of their scientific and institutional strengths. Major activities are focused on the effective use of isotope techniques for solving Member States' needs in water resources management. Programme scope and implementation strategy are coordinated with other national and international organizations active in the water sector, as well as with related Agency programmes, such as the marine environment, food and agriculture, and technical cooperation programmes. The Isotope Hydrology Section consists of a Section Head and up to 20 professional and support staff. The Water Resource Management Specialist reports to the Section Head and works in a team environment with other professionals in the Section.

Application Deadline: 3 March 2008.

2009-05-12T17:39:14Z

The fourth issue of the AquaStress Newsletter

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

This number is focussing on the EC water policy orientations for future actions, development of AquaStress Case Study outputs and on AquaStress Integrated Solutions Support System (I3S-I-tripleS). "Project news in brief" refers to main events have been carried out since June 2007, while "Upcoming events" includes the announcement of General Assembly and Joint Assembly in Montpellier, Workshop in Tunisia and Summer school in Poland.

AquaStress is an EU funded integrated project (IP) contract n°511231-2 - 6th Eu Framework Programme for RTD (http://www.cordis.lu) - delivering interdisciplinary methodologies enabling actors at different levels of involvement and at different stages of the planning process to mitigate water stress problems. The project draws on both academic and practitioner skills to generate knowledge in technological, operational management, policy, socio-economic, and environmental domains. Contributions come from 35 renowned organizations, including SMEs, from 17 Countries.

Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

The Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation is finally available on our website.

There is growing interest in the contributions of human rights to efforts to extend access to water and sanitation, but little practical information is available at present on how this can be achieved. The Manual on the Right to Water and Sanitation is designed to assist policy makers and practitioners in implementing the right to water and sanitation.

The Manual has been produced by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Human Rights Programme and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

This essential publication, written in non-legal language, addresses the vital need to demonstrate how human rights can be practically realised in the water and sanitation sector. The Manual demonstrates that implementing the right to water and sanitation is not limited to legal recognition or allocation of funds. Rather, it provides the basis for practical reforms in many areas of water supply and sanitation and in water resource management that can help make the water and sanitation sector operate in a manner that is more pro-poor, accountable and inclusive.

The Manual will be useful for practical implementation as it:

Explains the key components of the right to water and sanitation and their implications for governments.
Describes a range of practical policy measures that could be adopted by governments, in particular those in low-income countries, to achieve the right to water and sanitation in the shortest possible time.
Illustrates examples of policy measures that have been taken to achieve particular components of the right to water and sanitation.
Provides a checklist by which governments can assess their achievements in relation to the right to water and sanitation.
Describes the roles of other actors, in particular, individuals and communities in contributing to the achievement of the right to water and sanitation.

The full Manual and an executive summary are available for download at COHRE website.

Revisiting privatization, foreign investment, international arbitration, and water

2010-10-28T17:54:33Z

It has become available a document entitled "Revisiting privatization, foreign investment, international arbitration, and water" by Miguel Solanes and Andrei Jouravlev (LC/L.2827-P, November 2007, Serie Recursos Naturales e Infraestructura No. 129) (79 pages). The publication is available in the following formats:

You can download it at http://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/xml/0/32120/lcl2827e.pdf
As an attachment to e-mail; requests to Andrei.JOURAVLEV@cepal.org (only in PDF, less than 0.4 MB).
Hard copy (printed) version by air mail (individual copies) free of charge while our extremely limited supplies last.

Requests should be sent, until 17 February 2008, to Andrei.JOURAVLEV@cepal.org, INDICATING CLEARLY YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS. ** Please, do NOT SEND REQUESTS TO THE LIST (do not use "REPLY"), but directly to Andrei.JOURAVLEV@cepal.org ** Dispatch of hard copies could take some time (first weeks of March).

A subject relevant to the governance of water resources and public services is the effect that international trade and investment agreements may have on national capacities to manage natural resources and to regulate public services. As a consequence of globalization, many public services are provided and water rights held by companies within foreign investment protection systems or special conflict resolution regimes, which means that external jurisdictions can intervene in local matters. These agreements, which override national laws, restrict the power of governments to act in the public interest and in that of local communities. The region has yet to assess the consequences that international investment agreements may have on the economic, social and environmental sustainability and efficiency of natural resources utilization and provision of public services. Such an assessment is necessary when formulating public policies, adopting natural resources legislation and regulatory frameworks for public services, granting water rights and wastewater discharge permits, and entering into contracts related to economic activities in which water is an input or end product. This paper is a first step in this direction. It summarizes the main issues raised by Mann (2006), Hantke-Domas (2005) and Barraguirre (2005), and at the same time expands on some of them. This study also draws on the research done by Agua Sustentable of Bolivia, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the Water Law and Indigenous Rights (WALIR) project (ECLAC/The Netherlands, University of Wageningen), and the Forum for Democracy and Trade of the United States.