NEWS 25 April: Africa Malaria Day
25 April marks the fifth Africa Malaria Day (AMD), the theme of which is 'Unite Against Malaria', highlighting the need for partnership in the fight against malaria. Initiated at the first ever Africa Malaria Summit in 2000 by the signing of the Abuja Declaration and Plan of Action [PDF format - 1.03 MB] in Abuja, Nigeria, AMD is a call to prevention and control of a disease that remains the single biggest cause of death of young children in Africa and one of the most important social, economic and health threats to the African community.
This year's commemoration is especially important, as 2005 is the year targeted in the Abuja Declaration for the attainment of certain coverage goals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a partner in the Roll Back Malaria initiative, around 90 percent of the more than one million deaths each year from malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is estimated to cost Africa US$12 billion in lost GDP every year.
Find out more about AMD at the official site
Read more about the Roll Back Malaria Partnership
EVENTSRegional Workshop on Desalination and Renewable Energy
26 - 28 April 2005, Aden, Yemen - Organizers: The Ministry of Water and Environment of Yemen and the Italian Ministry for Environment and Territory, in cooperation with UNESCO/IHP 7th Annual Water Quality Symposium - The Reality of Integrated Water Treatment: avoiding the Pitfalls
19 May 2005, Boxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. -Organizers: New England Water Works Association Management of Residues Emanating from Water and Wastewater Treatment
9 - 12 August 2005, Johannesburg, South Africa -Organizers: The Water Institute of South Africa (WISA) and the International Water Association (IWA) Water Quality Technology Conference and Exposition (WQTC)
6-10 November 2005, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada - Organizers: The American Water Works Association 5th National Monitoring Conference Monitoring Networks: Connecting for Clean Water
7-11 May 2006, San José, California, U.S. - Organizers: National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) Integrated River-Basin Management Seminar
27 - 28 October 2005, Zaragoza, Spain - Organizers: ENCORE Environmental Conference of the Europeans Regions
DID YOU KNOW...? FACTS ABOUT WATER QUALITY- The quality of natural water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs and below the ground surface depends on a number of interrelated factors. These factors include geology, climate, topography, biological processes and land use.
- The most frequent sources of pollution are human waste (with 2 million tons a day disposed of in watercourses), industrial waste and chemicals, and agricultural pesticides and fertilizers. Key forms of pollution include faecal coliforms, industrial organic substances, acidifying substances from mining aquifers and atmospheric emissions, heavy metals from industry, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate pollution and pesticide residues from agriculture, sediments from human-induced erosion to rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
- Shiklomanov (2004) provides estimates of the volume of wastewater produced by each continent, which gave a global total in excess of 1,500 km3 for 1995. Then there is the contention that each litre of wastewater pollutes at least 8 litres of freshwater, so based on this figure some 12,000 km3 of the globe's water resources are not available for use. If this figure keeps pace with population growth, then with an anticipated population of 9 billion by 2050, the world's water resources would be reduced by some 18,000 km3.
- Levels of suspended solids in rivers in Asia have risen by a factor of four over the last three decades. Asian rivers also have a biological oxygen demand some 1.4 times the global average, as well as three times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average.
- A recent study (BGS and DPHE, 2001) suggests that Bangladesh is grappling with the largest mass 'poisoning' (concentrations of arsenic in drinking water) in history, potentially affecting between 35 and 77 million of the country's 130 million inhabitants.
- Excessive amounts of fluoride in drinking water can also be toxic. Discoloration of teeth occurs worldwide, but crippling skeletal effects caused by long-term ingestion of large amounts are prominent in at least eight countries, including China, where 30 million people suffer from chronic fluorosis.
Information from: World Water Development Report 'Water for People, Water for Life'.
PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO WATER QUALITY2004 State of the UNEP GEMS/Water Global Network and Annual Report [PDF format - 2.5 MB] By United Nations Environment Programme Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme. © 2005 UNEP This report outlines the current state of the GEMS/Water global network of water quality monitoring, assessment, and implications for the future. It highlights efforts over the past year to broaden global data coverage, improve collection and methods, promote alternative technologies, contribute to assessments and early warning, and keep aquatic environmental protection as an international priority.
As 2005 marks the launch of the International Decade for Action, 'Water for Life', GEMS Water is prepared to show how environmental water quality monitoring and assessment contribute to international goals and targets, such as those agreed to in the Millennium Declaration.
Access the full report [PDF format - 2.5 MB] Safe piped water: Managing microbial water quality in piped distribution systems Edited by Richard Ainsworth. © World Health Organization (WHO) 2004 'Safe Piped Water' addresses the factors affecting the presence and growth of micro-organisms in piped networks as well as the practices of water supply organizations that can directly or indirectly influence their presence and growth. This book shows that there are often public health reasons for adopting a more proactive approach to many of the traditional practices used in designing, operating and maintaining distribution networks and in modifying the composition of the water that is fed into those networks.Specific topics covered include:
- the microbiology of piped distribution systems and public health
- design and operation of distribution networks
- planned maintenance and survey of distribution systems
- precautions during construction and repairs
- small animals in drinking water distribution systems
- risk management for distribution systems
The information and conclusions contained in 'Safe Piped Water' are intended for policy-makers and those responsible for formulating 'Water Safety Plans' for the supply of drinking water. This book is also highly relevant to engineers and scientists who are responsible for water supply planning, operations and monitoring.
Access the full report
LINKS RELATED TO WATER QUALITYGlobal Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme The United Nations GEMS/Water Programme provides scientifically sound data and information on the state and trends of global inland water quality required as a basis for the sustainable management of the world's freshwater to support global environmental assessments and decision-making processes. Global Water Quality Data and Statistics (GEMStat) The United Nations Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme is dedicated to providing environmental water quality data and information of the highest integrity, accessibility and interoperability. These data are used in water assessments and capacity building initiatives around the world.
GEMStat is designed to share quality surface and ground water data sets collected from the GEMS/Water Global Network, including over 1,400 stations, two million records, and over 100 parameters. US Geological Survey (USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Since 1991, USGS scientists with the NAWQA programme have been collecting and analysing data and information from more than 50 major river basins and aquifers across the country. The goal is to develop long-term consistent and comparable information on streams, groundwater, and aquatic ecosystems to support sound management and policy decisions. The NAWQA programme is designed to answer these questions:
- What is the condition of the country's streams and ground water?
- How are these conditions changing over time?
- How do natural features and human activities affect these conditions? International Water Association IWA is a global network of water professionals involved in both research and practice, covering all facets of the water cycle. IWA is a leader in connecting the broad community of water professionals around the globe - integrating the leading professional thought on research and practice, regulators and the regulated, across national boundaries, wastewater and stormwater disciplines. IWA was founded in September 1999 by the merger of the International Association of Water Quality (IAWQ) and the International Water Supply Association (IWSA). ARCHIVESAccess the newsletter archives SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE For contributions or comments, contact the editor at waterportal@unesco.org
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