Cheque this out
Pucallpa is a city in the east of Peru. It is built on one bank of the Ucayali River, a major tributary of the Amazon.
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Manmade glacier
More extreme weather is one of the 6 key global trends that i2O sees affecting its clients in the water industry (along with increasing population size and urbanisation, ageing network infrastructure, an ageing workforce, customers becoming more demanding, and difficulty in increasing revenue and accessing capital).
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Drought: act now before it's too late
Droughts are occurring more frequently. Because populations are increasing and urbanising, the impact of drought on agriculture and people could be devastating. Major cities could run out of water and the resulting unrest could create civil strife, mass migration, and conflict.
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The Water Court of Valencia
Eight men in black robes meet every Thursday at noon sitting in a circle on chairs in the street outside a cathedral. They are the Water Court of Valencia. According to the Times of India the Court has been in existence for 1,000 years. It’s an elected body who resolve irrigation conflicts in an agricultural area of Spain. Not perhaps a very modern model for regulation of scarce resources, but a democratic one at least.
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That sinking feeling
Sinkholes make great pictures. There’s something unsettling about the idea of the ground opening up and swallowing houses, cars, even people.
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#BEYGOOD4BURUNDI
The water industry isn’t known for its glamour. But Beyoncé and her BeyGOOD Foundation have announced plans, reported in the NME, to tackle the water crisis in Burundi. She has teamed up with UNICEF to offer two limited edition t-shirts in her online store, profits from which will go towards the #BEYGOOD4BURUNDI fund.
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Water crisis
Let’s google “water crisis” in the news and see whether i2O’s list of challenges measures up (recognising that there is a skew to English language reporting).
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Underinvesting in infrastructure can cost big in the end
It’s only when disaster strikes that we look back, recognise, and accept that there has been a significant shortfall in investment in ageing infrastructure. For the residents of Grenfell Tower in London, there are questions now about whether the cladding, which was used to cost-effectively address environmental issues with heating and cooling, was a conduit for the rapid spread of fire. There are questions about whether a sprinkler system should have been installed, as would be mandatory in a newly-built tower of a similar height. There are questions about the availability of fire-fighting equipment in common parts of the building.
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Remember where water comes from
The Chinese proverb Remember Where Water Comes From can be found on the wall outside the offices of the Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC). Whilst the Taipei Water Department (TWD) looks after water for the capital, Taiwan Water Corporation is responsible for the rest of the country.
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It makes you WannaCry
The rapid global spread of ransomware WannaCry at the end of last week should have made everyone think hard about security.
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