RSS Feed
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Water Issues. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Water Issues. Tampilkan semua postingan

Drought summit as rivers in England dry up

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , , , ,

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has hosted a drought summit as parts of England struggle with groundwater levels lower than in 1976.

She invited water companies, farmers and wildlife groups to discuss the situation in south-east England, East Anglia and the East Midlands.

Ms Spelman said beforehand the meeting was to work out "preventative measures" that could be taken now.

Anglian Water said some reservoir levels are 20% lower then normal.

Anglian spokesman Kieran Nelson said: "This year the recharge period started later, it's taking longer and it's going much more slowly. And that is a concern not just for reservoirs like this one but for the boreholes that we rely on as well.

"But we need months of torrential rain, to be quite honest. It might not be a popular thing to say but lots and lots of drizzle persistently over weeks is what we're going to need to get things back to normal."

Mrs Spelman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme many parts of the country had suffered their second dry winter and the likelihood of a hosepipe ban was greater this time around.
She said water companies had managed to reduce leakage by 36% since the 1990s, but there was still a danger of a water shortage.

One visible sign of an impending drought is the River Kennet in Wiltshire, which has dried up completely west of Marlborough.

Angling Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd said: "It's a pile of stones you can walk across in ordinary shoes."

Many rivers in south-east England have also dried up.

The regional chairman of the National Farmers' Union, Andrew Brown, said: "We've had a bit of snow but it takes 12 inches of snow to make an inch of rain.

"People are already starting to alter their cropping procedure. I was talking to a farmer at the end of last week who said he was going to plant 20% fewer root and vegetable crops. Now that means for him a £50,000 hit. So it's a big big concern."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) called the summit to discuss what measures are being implemented to tackle drought and to decide what actions need to be taken to mitigate against its impact in the future.

Last year the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, suggested in his column in the Daily Telegraph that canals and aqueducts be built to carry water from the north of England, which tends to be wetter.

He was the latest in a series of politicians and policy-makers who have suggested similar schemes.

Scotland has had its wettest winter for a century but Mrs Spelman told Today: "People often say 'well why don't you just build a pipeline from the North West to the South East?'. But it isn't that simple because water is heavy and costly to transport."

"But one of the things we will talk about at the summit today is improved connectivity between water companies as part of improving our resilience in the face of these conditions."
The wildlife charity WWF has accused the government of dragging its heels.

WWF's freshwater spokesperson, Rose Timlett, said: "This is a drought we've seen coming. Rivers ...have been dry since September 2011.

"Back then everyone agreed we would be in a serious drought situation if we had another dry winter, but not much has been done about it."

She said the government's White Paper, which was published in December, had some good ideas, such as licences to remove water, but these proposals might not be implemented for years.

The WWF supports water metering and other measures to cut water wastage.

But Mrs Spelman told Today: "Water meters can be helpful, particularly for households with a small number of occupants or a reduced income.

"But the most important is to save water. Everybody knows how to save water."

Water company figures show that London and the Thames Valley have received below-average rainfall for 18 of the last 23 months.

The amount of water in the River Lee, which runs through Hertfordshire and north east London, is only 24% of its usual level while the Kennet is only 31% of its average level.
Southern Water has applied for a drought permit to enable it to restock Bewl Water reservoir in Kent, which is only 41% full.

If the Environment Agency grants the permit it would also allow the company to take more water from the River Medway.


0 comments

Thailand: Govt to invest B150bn in water management

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , ,


(Bangkok Post) Thailand will invest at least 150 billion baht in water management infrastructure programmes over the next 12 months, deputy premier Kittiratt Na-Ranong says.

Mr Kittiratt, speaking yesterday following his return from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said a total of more than

350 billion baht would be invested in water management programmes.

Infrastructure improvements for the Chao Phraya and eight subsidiary river basins would cost 300 billion baht, with the remaining 50 billion earmarked for 17 other river basins across the country.

An emergency decree to help finance the infrastructure investments took effect on Friday following publication in the Royal Gazette.

The decree authorises the government to borrow up to 500 billion baht through to June 2013 to cover water management and infrastructure investments.

Another decree approved on Friday calls for the creation of a 50-billion-baht insurance fund to help provide flood insurance coverage to households and companies.

Flood insurance has become significantly more expensive or just even unavailable in the wake of last year’s Central Plains deluge. The new fund is aimed at helping local insurers continue coverage by sharing in potential risks.

Mr Kittiratt said a number of leading international insurers had expressed interest in participating in the public insurance fund programme.

”We have yet to discuss premium rates, but I am confident that premiums are unlikely to increase, as the government is moving forward with infrastructure improvements to ease the threat of flooding,” he said, adding that the 50-billion-baht fund is sufficient to cover insurance coverage of up to 1 trillion baht.

Thailand suffered the worst flooding in over seven decades last year, with more than a third of the country inundated and economic losses estimated at well over 1 trillion baht.

The floods heavily disrupted manufacturing activities in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi provinces, as well as Bangkok, affecting supply chains at a global level for companies such as Western Digital, Canon, Toshiba and Honda.

But Mr Kittiratt said business activity and confidence should recover quickly, given the steps planned by the government to mitigate the impact of future floods.

He reiterated that the need for investment was critical and justified the use of emergency decrees for financing.

The opposition Democrat Party and a group of senators are expected to file a challenge against the decrees with the Constitution Court this week under the argument that the charter reserves the use of decrees only for time-sensitive issues related to economic or national security.

The lengthy time required for planning, vetting and executing large infrastructure programmes means that the funding requirements would be better planned through the annual budget process, critics say.

But Mr Kittiratt insisted that taking steps to prevent future floods does represent a genuine emergency.

”I am confident that the decrees will stand up, as it is something of utmost importance,” he said.

In addition to the decrees authorising new loans and establishing a flood insurance fund, a third will set up a low-interest loan programme to support rebuilding by flood-affected companies and households.

But the fourth decree is possibly the most controversial, as it transfers responsibility for 1.14 trillion baht in debt from the 1997 economic crisis from the Finance Ministry to the Financial Institutions Development Fund. The shift will free up some 65 billion baht a year in budget funds and give the government leeway to take on new debt to finance its investment programmes.

Mr Kittiratt said business executives and policymakers at the World Economic Forum remained uncertain about economic trends and how best to resolve the European debt crisis.

The uncertainties about the Euro zone will continue to weigh on the financial markets, at least for the next several months,” he said.

0 comments

Thailand: Govt to invest B150bn in water management

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , ,


(Bangkok Post) Thailand will invest at least 150 billion baht in water management infrastructure programmes over the next 12 months, deputy premier Kittiratt Na-Ranong says.

Mr Kittiratt, speaking yesterday following his return from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said a total of more than

350 billion baht would be invested in water management programmes.

Infrastructure improvements for the Chao Phraya and eight subsidiary river basins would cost 300 billion baht, with the remaining 50 billion earmarked for 17 other river basins across the country.

An emergency decree to help finance the infrastructure investments took effect on Friday following publication in the Royal Gazette.

The decree authorises the government to borrow up to 500 billion baht through to June 2013 to cover water management and infrastructure investments.

Another decree approved on Friday calls for the creation of a 50-billion-baht insurance fund to help provide flood insurance coverage to households and companies.

Flood insurance has become significantly more expensive or just even unavailable in the wake of last year’s Central Plains deluge. The new fund is aimed at helping local insurers continue coverage by sharing in potential risks.

Mr Kittiratt said a number of leading international insurers had expressed interest in participating in the public insurance fund programme.

”We have yet to discuss premium rates, but I am confident that premiums are unlikely to increase, as the government is moving forward with infrastructure improvements to ease the threat of flooding,” he said, adding that the 50-billion-baht fund is sufficient to cover insurance coverage of up to 1 trillion baht.

Thailand suffered the worst flooding in over seven decades last year, with more than a third of the country inundated and economic losses estimated at well over 1 trillion baht.

The floods heavily disrupted manufacturing activities in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi provinces, as well as Bangkok, affecting supply chains at a global level for companies such as Western Digital, Canon, Toshiba and Honda.

But Mr Kittiratt said business activity and confidence should recover quickly, given the steps planned by the government to mitigate the impact of future floods.

He reiterated that the need for investment was critical and justified the use of emergency decrees for financing.

The opposition Democrat Party and a group of senators are expected to file a challenge against the decrees with the Constitution Court this week under the argument that the charter reserves the use of decrees only for time-sensitive issues related to economic or national security.

The lengthy time required for planning, vetting and executing large infrastructure programmes means that the funding requirements would be better planned through the annual budget process, critics say.

But Mr Kittiratt insisted that taking steps to prevent future floods does represent a genuine emergency.

”I am confident that the decrees will stand up, as it is something of utmost importance,” he said.

In addition to the decrees authorising new loans and establishing a flood insurance fund, a third will set up a low-interest loan programme to support rebuilding by flood-affected companies and households.

But the fourth decree is possibly the most controversial, as it transfers responsibility for 1.14 trillion baht in debt from the 1997 economic crisis from the Finance Ministry to the Financial Institutions Development Fund. The shift will free up some 65 billion baht a year in budget funds and give the government leeway to take on new debt to finance its investment programmes.

Mr Kittiratt said business executives and policymakers at the World Economic Forum remained uncertain about economic trends and how best to resolve the European debt crisis.

The uncertainties about the Euro zone will continue to weigh on the financial markets, at least for the next several months,” he said.

0 comments

Bangalore summit to discuss global water woes

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , , ,

With one-third of the global population living in India and China by 2025, the region will face imminent water scarcity unless there is action. Now experts from the two countries as well as US, Britain, Germany and other places are set to deliberate on water-related issues at a meet here from Tuesday. Billed as the first World Water Summit in India's IT hub, the summit is aimed at generating innovative ideas to meet the challenge of managing scarce water sources.

"Ensuring adequate and safe water to all sections of the population, particularly the poor is a big challenge. The objective of the summit is to deliberate on issues and generate ideas," former Karnataka chief secretary A. Ravindra, the brain behind the meet, told IANS. Ravindra is now advisor to the chief minister and also heads the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), a non-profit organisation he started in 2003.

The summit is organised by the CSD in association with Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board and Indian Water Works Association. The summit will bring together experts in water management, government service and academics from India, US, Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

The summit has generated apprehension in some quarters that it is a ruse to promote privatisation of water services. A group, Peoples Campaign for Right to Water, has been organising protest meetings in Bangalore. It has also been demanding that the Karnataka government dissociate from the summit.
Ravindra denied the allegation. "We would like to categorically assert that the summit is not a ruse to push for privatisation of water," he said.

"The summit will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences among participants from different parts of the country and a few other countries which include policy makers, researchers, practitioners, students and members of civil society," Ravindra said.

"A perusal of the agenda of the summit should allay any apprehension about privatisation being its motive. The topics for deliberation include water resource management, waste water management, water quality, water governance," he said.

The summit's theme is 'Urban Water Management' and the focus will be on water resource and conservation, water quality and health, demand management, ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) for water and effects of climate change on water.

The meet "is positioned to be the most important event in the water sector of the Indian calendar in particular, and one of the significant events of the world at large. The central aim is to generate the right ideas for water security," Ravindra said.

With one-third of the global population living in India and China by 2025, the region will face imminent water scarcity if adequate and sustainable water management initiatives are not implemented on war footing, he said.

Ravindra noted that need for clean water also presents a significant business opportunity. "Water infrastructure, waste water management and water purification are beginning to drive levels of investment comparable to renewable energy with approximately $22 trillion expected to be spent on this sector worldwide over the next 20 years," he said.

"The water sector is entering a period of unprecedented change and now is the time to reinvent business models, embrace new technology and develop the solutions to the world's water issues," Ravindra said.

The Bangalore summit "will come out with a declaration or set of recommendations and the CSD, in association with relevant organisations, will endeavour to pursue their implementation," he said.

The speakers at the summit include International Water Association president Glen T. Daigger, Cambodia's Phnom Penh Water Supply deputy director general Naro Long and principal urban development specialist at the Asian Development Bank Tatiana Gallego-Lizon.


0 comments

Bangalore summit to discuss global water woes

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , , ,

With one-third of the global population living in India and China by 2025, the region will face imminent water scarcity unless there is action. Now experts from the two countries as well as US, Britain, Germany and other places are set to deliberate on water-related issues at a meet here from Tuesday. Billed as the first World Water Summit in India's IT hub, the summit is aimed at generating innovative ideas to meet the challenge of managing scarce water sources.

"Ensuring adequate and safe water to all sections of the population, particularly the poor is a big challenge. The objective of the summit is to deliberate on issues and generate ideas," former Karnataka chief secretary A. Ravindra, the brain behind the meet, told IANS. Ravindra is now advisor to the chief minister and also heads the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), a non-profit organisation he started in 2003.

The summit is organised by the CSD in association with Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board and Indian Water Works Association. The summit will bring together experts in water management, government service and academics from India, US, Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

The summit has generated apprehension in some quarters that it is a ruse to promote privatisation of water services. A group, Peoples Campaign for Right to Water, has been organising protest meetings in Bangalore. It has also been demanding that the Karnataka government dissociate from the summit.
Ravindra denied the allegation. "We would like to categorically assert that the summit is not a ruse to push for privatisation of water," he said.

"The summit will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences among participants from different parts of the country and a few other countries which include policy makers, researchers, practitioners, students and members of civil society," Ravindra said.

"A perusal of the agenda of the summit should allay any apprehension about privatisation being its motive. The topics for deliberation include water resource management, waste water management, water quality, water governance," he said.

The summit's theme is 'Urban Water Management' and the focus will be on water resource and conservation, water quality and health, demand management, ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) for water and effects of climate change on water.

The meet "is positioned to be the most important event in the water sector of the Indian calendar in particular, and one of the significant events of the world at large. The central aim is to generate the right ideas for water security," Ravindra said.

With one-third of the global population living in India and China by 2025, the region will face imminent water scarcity if adequate and sustainable water management initiatives are not implemented on war footing, he said.

Ravindra noted that need for clean water also presents a significant business opportunity. "Water infrastructure, waste water management and water purification are beginning to drive levels of investment comparable to renewable energy with approximately $22 trillion expected to be spent on this sector worldwide over the next 20 years," he said.

"The water sector is entering a period of unprecedented change and now is the time to reinvent business models, embrace new technology and develop the solutions to the world's water issues," Ravindra said.

The Bangalore summit "will come out with a declaration or set of recommendations and the CSD, in association with relevant organisations, will endeavour to pursue their implementation," he said.

The speakers at the summit include International Water Association president Glen T. Daigger, Cambodia's Phnom Penh Water Supply deputy director general Naro Long and principal urban development specialist at the Asian Development Bank Tatiana Gallego-Lizon.


0 comments

Water dispute threatens last Iraq commercial farm

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , ,


A farmer feeds a calf on Nov 8 at a private farm in the Iraqi town of Suweira, 50 km south of Baghdad, where irrigation problems are threatening the livelihood of cattle. AFP photo


AS-SUWAYRA (AFP)- The grass is yellowing, the cows are emaciated and milk production is a fraction of what it once was — Iraq’s last major commercial farm is dying a slow death due to a dispute over water.

The 1,600-hectare Al-Nasr farm, located in As-Suwayra about 60 kilometres (35 miles) southeast of Baghdad and owned by the wealthy Buniya family, had 3,500 Holstein cows, which once produced 12,000 tonnes of milk per day, according to farm manager Taher Yassin Mussawi.

But a dispute with As-Sanabel, the company supplying water to the farm, that saw its water supply cut off about a month ago because Al-Nasr was not paying for it, has hit the alfalfa and clover on which the cows would normally graze.

“The production of milk has fallen from 12,000 to 2,000 tonnes per day,” said Mussawi, as local authorities cut off water to the farm.

“We only have two weeks of fodder for the cows left, and if the problem isn’t resolved, they will all die,” he said, adding that some 10 cows are dying per day.

Mussawi also said that the weight of calves born recently had dropped to about 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds), from a usual 42 kilogrammes (92 pounds).

The problem arose from a dispute over the price of water with As-Sanabel, which is owned by Iraqi MP Ibrahim al-Mutlaq, the brother of deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.

Security forces were sent to the farm, blocking off the 10 sluice gates and a pipeline that provided it with water from a nearby canal.

“We decided to cut off the water because they have not paid since the beginning of the year,” said Faez Jawad, the head of the provincial council’s agriculture commission.

But Mussawi said it was not the council’s place to act alone.

“Our differences with As-Sanabel must be solved in court,” Mussawi said, expressing astonishment that “the officials of the province decided on their own to send the police and shut off the water.”

The agriculture committee has not backed down despite a November 3 letter from the ministry of agriculture, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, calling for water to the farm to be restored, as the law states that “we should not in any way harm the agricultural production that the country needs so much.”

While it was presented in antiquity as an immense orchard, and is said by some to be a possible location for the Biblical Garden of Eden, modern Mesopotamia’s agricultural production meets just 30 percent of its needs.

Iraq has for nearly 15 years experienced water shortages due in large part to the network of dams built by Turkey as part of a massive development project in its southeast.

Agriculture’s percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined from nine percent in 2002 to four percent in 2008, according to a UN report.

“I did not cut the water, but I complained to the Wasit provincial council about the unpaid debts and it made the decision,” said Karim Obeid, the director of As-Sanabel.

“We are ready to negotiate,” Obeid said. “I do not want the livestock to die, but (the farm) must pay its debts.”

The land that now makes up Al-Nasr, which was sold by the government in 1990, represents the biggest agricultural investment in the country, and the last of the 36 large farms that existed prior to the US-led invasion of 2003. All the others were looted.

The company has invested $1.6 million in pasture area for grazing, and in 600 hectares of wheat, this year.

The 400 veterinarians, engineers and other employees fear for their future, in a province where unemployment has reached 18 percent, according to the UN.

“Who will give us jobs when the farm is destroyed?” asked one employee, Fakhri al-Shammari.

“The government is always repeating that it supports investment. I say to them, you have to maintain the investment that you already have.”

Noting that the farm’s employees and investors are all Iraqis, he asked: “How can foreign investors be sure of their investment if the government deals in this way with the sons of the country?”


0 comments

Water dispute threatens last Iraq commercial farm

Posted by Flora Sawita Labels: , ,


A farmer feeds a calf on Nov 8 at a private farm in the Iraqi town of Suweira, 50 km south of Baghdad, where irrigation problems are threatening the livelihood of cattle. AFP photo


AS-SUWAYRA (AFP)- The grass is yellowing, the cows are emaciated and milk production is a fraction of what it once was — Iraq’s last major commercial farm is dying a slow death due to a dispute over water.

The 1,600-hectare Al-Nasr farm, located in As-Suwayra about 60 kilometres (35 miles) southeast of Baghdad and owned by the wealthy Buniya family, had 3,500 Holstein cows, which once produced 12,000 tonnes of milk per day, according to farm manager Taher Yassin Mussawi.

But a dispute with As-Sanabel, the company supplying water to the farm, that saw its water supply cut off about a month ago because Al-Nasr was not paying for it, has hit the alfalfa and clover on which the cows would normally graze.

“The production of milk has fallen from 12,000 to 2,000 tonnes per day,” said Mussawi, as local authorities cut off water to the farm.

“We only have two weeks of fodder for the cows left, and if the problem isn’t resolved, they will all die,” he said, adding that some 10 cows are dying per day.

Mussawi also said that the weight of calves born recently had dropped to about 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds), from a usual 42 kilogrammes (92 pounds).

The problem arose from a dispute over the price of water with As-Sanabel, which is owned by Iraqi MP Ibrahim al-Mutlaq, the brother of deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.

Security forces were sent to the farm, blocking off the 10 sluice gates and a pipeline that provided it with water from a nearby canal.

“We decided to cut off the water because they have not paid since the beginning of the year,” said Faez Jawad, the head of the provincial council’s agriculture commission.

But Mussawi said it was not the council’s place to act alone.

“Our differences with As-Sanabel must be solved in court,” Mussawi said, expressing astonishment that “the officials of the province decided on their own to send the police and shut off the water.”

The agriculture committee has not backed down despite a November 3 letter from the ministry of agriculture, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, calling for water to the farm to be restored, as the law states that “we should not in any way harm the agricultural production that the country needs so much.”

While it was presented in antiquity as an immense orchard, and is said by some to be a possible location for the Biblical Garden of Eden, modern Mesopotamia’s agricultural production meets just 30 percent of its needs.

Iraq has for nearly 15 years experienced water shortages due in large part to the network of dams built by Turkey as part of a massive development project in its southeast.

Agriculture’s percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined from nine percent in 2002 to four percent in 2008, according to a UN report.

“I did not cut the water, but I complained to the Wasit provincial council about the unpaid debts and it made the decision,” said Karim Obeid, the director of As-Sanabel.

“We are ready to negotiate,” Obeid said. “I do not want the livestock to die, but (the farm) must pay its debts.”

The land that now makes up Al-Nasr, which was sold by the government in 1990, represents the biggest agricultural investment in the country, and the last of the 36 large farms that existed prior to the US-led invasion of 2003. All the others were looted.

The company has invested $1.6 million in pasture area for grazing, and in 600 hectares of wheat, this year.

The 400 veterinarians, engineers and other employees fear for their future, in a province where unemployment has reached 18 percent, according to the UN.

“Who will give us jobs when the farm is destroyed?” asked one employee, Fakhri al-Shammari.

“The government is always repeating that it supports investment. I say to them, you have to maintain the investment that you already have.”

Noting that the farm’s employees and investors are all Iraqis, he asked: “How can foreign investors be sure of their investment if the government deals in this way with the sons of the country?”


0 comments
Langganan: Postingan (Atom)

Label

2011 News AGRIBISNIS APINDO Africa Agriculture Business Agriculture Land Argentina Australia Bangladesh Berita Berita Detikcom Berita Info Jambi Berita Kompas Berita Padang Ekspres Berita Riau Pos Berita Riau Today Berita Tempo Berita riau terkini Biodiesel Bursa Malaysia CPO Tender Summary Cattle and Livestock China Cocoa Company Profile Corn Cotton Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) Dairy Dairy Products Edible Oil Euorope European Union (EU) FDA and USDA Fertilizer Flood Food Inflation Food Security Fruit Futures Futures Cocoa and Coffee Futures Edible Oil Futures Soybeans Futures Wheat Grain HUKUM India Indonesia Info Sawit Investasi Invitation Jarak pagar Kakao Kapas Karet Kebun Sawit BUMN Kebun Sawit Swasta Kelapa sawit Kopi Law Lowongan Kerja MPOB Malaysia Meat News Nilam Oil Palm Oil Palm - Elaeis guineensis PENGUPAHAN PERDA Pakistan Palm Oil News Panduan Pabrik Kelapa Sawit Penawaran menarik Pesticide and Herbicide Poultry REGULASI RSPO Rice SAWIT Serba-serbi South America Tebu Technical Comment (CBOT Soyoil) Technical Comment (DJI) Technical Comment (FCPO) Technical Comment (FKLI) Technical Comment (KLSE) Technical Comment (NYMEX Crude) Technical Comment (SSE) Technical Comment (USD/MYR) Teknik Kimia Thailand Trader's Event Trader's highlight USA Ukraine Usaha benih Vietnam Wheat benih bermutu benih kakao benih kelapa benih palsu benih sawit benih sawit unggul bibit sawit unggul biofuel biogas budidaya sawit corporation palm oil pembelian benih sawit perburuhan pertanian soybean umum varietas unggul