 | | An electron microscope image of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Photo NIAID-RML |
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| Even before it was confirmed by medical tests of infected individuals, the story of the new coronavirus in the city of Amersfoort was being recorded in water.
Scientists from KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands detected genetic traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater samples from Amersfoort’s sewage treatment plant on March 5, a day before the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in the city. Covid-19 is the disease caused by the virus.
That discovery, the researchers say, means that urban sewage systems could function as “a sensitive tool” for monitoring the spread of the virus thorough a city before it is detected in individuals. Similar sewage-sleuthing methods have been used to detect polioviruses or to assess illegal drug use. |
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The volume of Covid-19 news can be overwhelming. We've started a live blog, updated throughout the day, to help you sort through it. It's a library for how water, sanitation, and hygiene connect to the pandemic, both in the US and globally.
Featured Covid-19 + water coverage from this week include: - World Health Organization Recommends Universal Public Handwashing Access
- EPA to America: Flush Only Toilet Paper
- UN Refugee Agency Prepares for Covid-19 in Jordan
- Michigan Governor Orders Water Service Reconnected to Shutoff Homes
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Last week, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg struck down federal permits for the Dakota Access pipeline, calling for a full environmental review of the controversial crude oil line that Native American tribes and other activists have opposed for years. crowded, ill-equipped camps are bracing for the arrival of the pandemic. |
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What's Up With Water - March 30, 2020
For the news you need to start the week, tune into “What’s Up With Water” fresh on Monday’s on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and SoundCloud.
This week's episode features coverage on Malaysia, where it has been a year since a tire recycling facility illegally dumped toxic waste into a river, and residents who were sickened by the chemicals blame the government for what they call an inadequate response to ongoing environmental and health damage.
Additional international coverage looks at Turkey, where the government reviewed bids to begin building a massive shipping canal on the outskirts of Istanbul.
For news in the United States, a federal judge ruled in favor of Indian tribes and environmental groups in a closely-watched lawsuit over the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
Finally, this week's featured Circle of Blue story looks at the challenges facing small water systems during the coronovirus pandemic – and the resourcefulness that comes to the rescue. You can listen to the latest edition of What's Up With Water, as well as all past editions, by downloading the podcasts on iTunes, following Circle of Blue on Spotify, following on iHeart Radio, and subscribing on SoundCloud. |
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| From Circle of Blue's Archives: |
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 | | To irrigate their crops, in this case rice, farmers near Muzaffarnagar pump putrid water from a nearby canal contaminated with raw sewage, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals. The contaminants are finding their way into India’s food supply. Photo © Jennifer Möller-Gulland |
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| Across India, and particularly in the nation’s big metropolitan regions, countless numbers of farmers raise their crops with untreated wastewater. Medical specialists say farmers and their families risk serious disease from exposure to harmful sewage-borne microorganisms and metals. Scientists have measured unsafe levels of heavy metals and other toxic substances in Indian crops – posing a public health threat if consumed. |
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