 | | A worker stands in front of a water treatment facility in Jaisalmer, India. Photo © J. Carl Ganter/Circle of Blue |
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| The global coronavirus pandemic, now in its third month, is precipitating a financial crisis for water utilities in low- and middle-income countries as many of these service providers face drastic cuts in revenue and rising costs to respond to the public health emergency.
Health and public finance experts are deeply concerned that the consequences of burgeoning utility deficits, if not addressed, will reverberate long after the virus subsides. They say that inadequate utility revenue and national financial distress will put at risk broad advances in drinking water access that were made in recent years and jeopardize any hope of achieving loftier goals of universal access set by the United Nations for the next decade. |
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 | | Aerial view of flooding in Midland, Michigan, on May 20, 2020, following the failure of Edenville and Sanford dams. Photo via U.S. Geological Survey Landsat 8 |
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| The Edenville Dam is the latest alarm bell that is ringing over the condition of the country’s 91,457 dams.
The average age of the country’s dam fleet is 57 years, according to the National Inventory of Dams, a database run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In Michigan, the average is a bit older: 74 years. Many dams are at retirement age and their upkeep is generally neglected or given cursory attention, said Upmanu Lall, a professor of engineering and director of the Columbia Water Center. So it is with so many of the country’s roadways, power stations, and water delivery systems. The assets of yesterday have become the debts of the present — and for dams, those debts are a growing liability. |
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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: |
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Parts of Bangladesh and eastern India are reeling in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than a decade.
More than 3 million people left their homes before the cyclone arrived, and thousands are unable to return after the storm caused widespread flooding and destruction. |
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| From Circle of Blue's Archives: |
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 | | Women in Delhi wait for water at a tap that runs for two hours each day — one hour in the morning and one in the evening. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| Some 2.1 billion people lack water at home that is free of bacterial contamination and is available when needed, according to a World Health Organization/UNICEF report that sets a baseline against which the world will measure progress toward the sustainable development goals for drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Sanitation is even farther from universal coverage, with some 4.4 billion people not meeting the new standard for high-quality service.
The report is influential, guiding the flow of aid dollars, national policies, and the design of drinking water and sanitation systems. |
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