The incumbent MP and Lok Sabha contestant from Bengaluru Rural questions why the Centre did not resolve drinking water crisis in Bengaluru by clearing Mekedatu project.
The villagers of #Surajpura have built a wall: a 15ft (4.5 metre) #MudBulwark that snakes through barren land for nearly a mile, with an equally long trench dug beneath it. The wall passed its strength test last year when it stopped rainwater runoffs, and the trench channelled the water to parched farms in the #drought-prone region of #Rajasthan in north-west #India. #ClimateChange#WaterCrisis
"A paper published in 2017 estimated that to match crop production to expected demand, water use for irrigation would have to increase by 146% by the middle of this century. One minor problem. Water is already maxed out."
George Monbiot today on the water crisis, the irrigation efficiency paradox and the water demands of a meat diet.
:blobsweats: Microsoft Is Draining an Arizona Town's Water Supply for its AI
➥ Futurism
「 the 279-acre campus, which currently houses two buildings and is on track to host a third, would consume an annual 56 million gallons of drinking water once the final building is completed.
To put that in perspective? Per the Atlantic, that's approximately the amount that a total of 670 Goodyear families would consume in a year combined 」
A silent threat lurks below: essential aquifers are drying up. With innovative solutions and responsible water management, can we restore balance and secure our future?
By Hiroko Tabuchi | Oct. 24, 2023 | New York Times
"When #Maine lawmakers tried to rein in large-scale access to the state’s #freshwater this year, the effort initially gained momentum. The state had just emerged from #drought, and many Mainers were sympathetic to protecting their snow-fed #lakes and #streams.
“BlueTriton isn’t a household name, but its products are. Americans today buy more bottled water than any other packaged drink, and BlueTriton owns many of the nation’s biggest brands, including Poland Spring, named after a natural spring in Maine that ran dry decades ago.
“Maine’s bill threatened BlueTriton’s access to the #groundwater it bottles and sells. The legislation had already gotten a majority vote on the committee and was headed toward the full Legislature, when a lobbyist for BlueTriton proposed an amendment that would gut the entire bill.
“'Strike everything,' starts the proposed amendment, which was written in a Word document that contained a digital signature showing that it had been created by Elizabeth M. Frazier, who represents BlueTriton and is one of the most influential #lobbyists in Maine. The document was e-mailed by Ms. Frazier to lawmakers in the days after the committee vote.
“After BlueTriton’s intervention, the committee pulled the bill back. The company’s actions, which haven’t previously been reported, were described to The New York Times by three state legislators. The Times also reviewed several of the e-mails sent by Ms. Frazier as well as the Word document.
“'We couldn’t believe it. Their amendment strikes the entire bill,' said Christopher Kessler, a Democratic state representative who represents South Portland and a committee member who voted to advance the bill. 'Because all this happened behind closed doors, the public doesn’t know that Poland Spring stalled the process.'
“Bottlers have faced increasing scrutiny for the millions of throwaway #plastic bottles they produce, the marketing message that their products are safer or healthier than tap water, and for a business model in which they buy freshwater, often at low cost, only to sell it back to the public at much higher prices.
“And while the bottled-water business doesn’t use nearly as much groundwater as the nation’s thirstiest industries, like agriculture, the pressure on bottlers is building as awareness grows of the stress that intensive pumping can place on local water supplies. A Times investigation this year revealed that many of the aquifers that supply 90% of the nation’s water systems are being severely depleted as overuse and #GlobalWarming transform fragile #ecosystems.
“BlueTriton has been caught up in issues of local opposition and water use, and not only in Maine. The company also is fighting for access to water sources in numerous states, including #Michigan, #Colorado and others.
“In response to detailed questions, BlueTriton on Monday pointed The Times to a new page on its corporate website. 'After thoughtful consideration, BlueTriton opposes the proposed legislation,' the page says, because the bill 'would make it unaffordable for any large-scale water purchaser, including Poland Spring, to invest in infrastructure and operations.'
“Ms. Frazier didn’t respond to detailed questions.
“Groundwater use is regulated by states, not the federal government, which means there is little national coordination, monitoring or management of a vital natural resource. Maine’s bill seeks, among other things, to put a seven-year limit on contracts for large-scale freshwater pumping by corporations that ship water out of Maine, and to make the deals subject to local approval. That would block BlueTriton’s current efforts to lock in contracts up to 45 years long for pumping water.
“'We couldn’t believe it,' State Representative Christopher Kessler said of the lobbying effort.
“Industries and other interest groups routinely try to influence lawmaking, and there has been no suggestion that Ms. Frazier violated any rules. But it seemed 'unusual procedurally' for a corporation to propose rewriting an entire bill after it had already advanced within the Legislature, said Anthony Moffa, associate professor at the University of Maine School of Law.
“State senator Mark Lawrence, a Democrat who heads the committee considering the bill, said the committee would consider amendments proposed by any interested person or party. In Maine, 'a lot of the legislation that’s proposed is written by lobbyists, companies, different people like that,' he said.
“Mr. Lawrence also said that, at the same time the amendment was proposed, several members had begun to express fresh concerns that the State Legislature would be setting overly stringent curbs on contracts.
“BlueTriton finds itself pitted against local water boards, environmentalists and other groups across the country.
“In Colorado, environmental groups have been battling a 10-year contract that BlueTriton renewed with a semi-arid county to pump water from the Upper Arkansas River Basin, a region affected by historic drought.
“In #California, BlueTriton has publicly criticized and vowed to fight a cease-and-desist order issued by the state’s water board to stop diverting millions of gallons of water from a spring in San Bernardino County.
“In Michigan, lawmakers have proposed legislation that would close a loophole that enables BlueTriton and other commercial water users to pump water from the protected Great Lakes watershed. Known as the 'bottled-water loophole,' it allows for water to be used this way if it’s in containers that are 5.7 gallons or less.
“On its new corporate page, BlueTriton said 'there is no evidence of adverse impacts to the aquifer' in Colorado, and that California’s ruling 'negatively impacts every water agency and farmer in California that relies on groundwater, and in doing so, indirectly harms every Californian.'
“BlueTriton is a major presence in Maine, drawing water from eight locations around the state. It is currently trying to lock in a new contract of up to 45 years to pump water in Lincoln a former mill town.
“That would be BlueTriton’s second decades-long contract in the state, the kind of deals that would run afoul of the State Legislature’s proposed 7-year cap. The company’s pursuit of these deals, and the uncertainties of how climate change may affect Maine’s water supplies in the future, is what inspired the legislation, said Margaret M. O’Neil, the Democratic state legislator who introduced the bill.
“'We’re seeing our communities get locked into these contracts that are going to last, basically, the rest of my lifetime,' which is too risky, she said, considering climate uncertainties.
“In 2016-17 and in 2020-22, Maine experienced significant drought, followed by wet years. The state has also started seeing what scientists call 'snow drought.' As winters warm because of #ClimateChange, #snowpack and groundwater recharge can dwindle.
“John Mullaney, a hydrologist with the USGS's New England Water Science Center, said that a warming climate meant Maine was likely to experience more variability, with stronger rains but also worsening drought. 'The question is, what will we be able to do in 50 years,' he said. 'There might be changes that need to be made, including reducing groundwater extraction.'
“Industry groups emphasize that Maine still has ample groundwater and that bottled water accounts for only a small portion of its use compared to practices like irrigation. They also stress bottled water’s value in emergencies when drinking water is disrupted.
“And in Maine, BlueTriton has a powerful local ally: local water utilities, which say the revenue generated by selling water to bottlers helps keep costs down for everyone else.
“'Turning away a customer that’s seeking to pay money to the utility because of an alleged problem with extraction would be contrary' to ratepayers’ interests, said Roger Crouse, a board member at the Maine Water Utilities Association. 'If they have a contract that could be expiring in seven years, and the math doesn’t work out, they’re going to have to invest their money somewhere else.'
“Still, hydrologists warn that bottled water should not be discounted as an additional strain on aquifers and watersheds, as well as on residential wells. Last month, the US Geological Survey began its first-ever study of how the activities of the bottled water industry result in changes to groundwater levels, spring flows and water quality. 'Withdrawals, no matter what the use, influence movement of groundwater,' Cheryl Dieter, a hydrologist who is leading the study, said in an interview.
“BlueTriton itself is a creation of Wall Street. It is owned by the private equity funds One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co., which paid $4.3 billion in 2021 to buy Nestlé’s North American bottled-water business.
“In Maine, some neighbors of BlueTriton, like Natalie DiPentino, are skeptical of the company for more personal reasons.
“Ms. DiPentino, who lives near Lincoln, can’t prove it but wonders if pumping by Poland Spring contributed to a crisis in her home during a drought in 2017, when her well ran dry along with those of several neighbors. Her family had to haul buckets of river water to flush the toilet, she said. Stores nearby ran out of bottled water.
“After learning about BlueTriton’s proposed 45-year contract at its Lincoln facility, she led calls for a public hearing, arguing that deals were being cut behind closed doors and that Poland Spring would be paying too little, $15,000 a month, for millions of gallons of water. 'You don’t know how badly you need water until you don’t have it in your house,' she said.
“The hearing she sought is now scheduled for next month."
Threat of massive drinking #WaterCrisis looms over American regions: ‘There will be parts of the U.S. that run out’
Story by Wes Stenzel, November 27, 2023
"A new study from The New York Times has revealed that substantial, consistent damage is being done to the #groundwater supply in the United States, which has massive negative implications for #agriculture, #DrinkingWater, construction, and more.
"What’s happening?
"In the past four decades, more than half of all American groundwater sites have been substantially depleted, as more water has been taken out than replenished naturally.
"Additionally, 40 percent of all locations have hit an all-time low.
"Pumping out groundwater disrupts layers of different substances below the Earth’s surface, as the ground can settle into the area where the water is taken out and take up space where it would ordinarily replenish.
"The New York Times sees a lack of regulation as one of the biggest issues regarding groundwater use. Additionally, The Times claims there is very little significant research and data tracking on a countrywide scale.
"Why is groundwater use important?
"Groundwater is essential to agriculture, and the depletion of the resource could fundamentally disrupt crop yields in the coming years in states such as Kansas, where the natural groundwater cannot support the agricultural industry anymore, according to The Times. Meanwhile, more arid states like California, Texas, and Utah are seeing widespread infrastructural damage to roads and the ground due to overpumping. Phoenix does not have enough groundwater in certain areas to construct new homes."
ICYMI (which I posted over the weekend & was shown on Friday night TV):
I've not been posting on the conflict between Israel & Hamas, as I had nothing to add to the wide range of analysis & opinion being voiced on social media.
I've not been posting on the conflict between Israel & Hamas, as I had nothing to add to the wide range of analysis & opinion being voiced on social media.
No-one will be surprised that the #watercrisis has worsened during a period when the #EnvironmentalAgency reduced its compliance visits by nearly half.
On one level this is merely the latest aspect of the #Tories defunding of the #publicsector, while it also reflects a belief in the agency that meaningful inspections can be desk-based... the evidence in the water (as it were) contradicts that assessment.
Fears that #Israel or international partners could pressure #Egypt into accepting millions of #Palestinians settling in the #Sinai have abounded for decades in #Cairo: #HosniMubarak strenuously denied reports in 2017 that he had cut a deal with #MargaretThatcher in 1983 to resettle Palestinians exiled in Lebanon in the peninsula, adding that #BenjaminNetanyahu, had also proposed the idea in 2010.
Ongoing #fuel and #power shortages have hindered #CleanWater production and distribution due to the shutdown of #DesalinationPlants, #WaterTreatment plants and #PumpingFacilities. Although #Israel has reactivated one of the three water pipelines that were turned off following the total blockade, its supply has been reduced by one-fifth since October 22 according to the #UN. The severe #WaterCrisis is risking Palestinian lives.
"Under a scorching sun, more than three hundred Bolivians on Friday marched to a dusty plain near the #IncachacaDam that overlooks the city of #LaPaz, gathering to pray for rain and an end to a severe drought that has threatened their water supply."
Good morning, if you are thinking of #wildswimming this weekend you might need to be a bit cautious about your #swimming
Despite being an island, the UK has fewer formally recognised bathing sites per capita than nearly any other #European country...
But, we also have the fifth highest number of sites rates as 'poor'.
As Tim Fallon (LibDems/Cumbria) puts it: 'the UK is officially the sick swimmer of Europe, with water companies allowed to get away with foul polluting habits'!