Water Supply
Millions of people in Texas are facing water shortages as the unprecedented cold front caused pipes to burst and water pressure to fall. Those who have running water are advised to boil their tap water before consumption for safety.
Texan hospitals have seen an increase in patients, especially in their emergency rooms, while facing short water supply and some are forced to transfer patients to other facilities.
Nestlé is selling its North American water business for 4.3 billion dollars to the US financial investor One Rock Capital Partner, as the Swiss group announced on Wednesday night. Brands such as Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Arrowhead, and Pure Life are being sold, as well as the US beverage delivery service ReadyFresh.
A hacker tried to drastically increase the sodium hydroxide addition to the drinking water supply of Oldsmar, Florida shortly before the Super Bowl game. An employee of the groundwater treatment plant noticed the movement of his mouse pointer and was able to intervene in good time. The sheriff has not yet given any information on the perpetrators or motives.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that he is authorizing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to shut off utility service to properties where large parties and gatherings are held in violation of public safety orders
With the help of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and sunlight, a global team of researchers has been able to purify brackish water and seawater into clean drinking water that meets the suggested quality of the World Health Organization.
According to the announcement, the new technology is more energy-efficient than current desalination processes and only uses one kilogram of MOF per day to generate 139,5 liters of clean water.
Lead author Professor Huanting Wang from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University in Australia has stated that "desalination has been used to address escalating water shortages globally. Due to the availability of brackish water and seawater, and because desalination processes are reliable, treated water can be integrated within existing aquatic systems with minimal health risks".
Under the leadership of the African Union the three in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) involved countries Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt have announced that they'll continue negotiations over the management of the dam.
The water and foreign ministers of the countries have agreed "to work on unifying the texts of the agreements submitted by the three countries" according to the water ministry of Sudan.