In the wake of last week's devastating earthquake in Peru, UNICEF is working with the country's Ministry of Health's National Defense Bureau to distribute supplies that ensure safe drinking water in affected areas. The magnitude-8 quake was responsible for the deaths of at least 540 people and injured 1,500. A government-issued preliminary report indicated that the quake destroyed 35,214 homes - including 16,000 in Pisco and 16,010 in nearby Chinco.

To date, UNICEF has delivered 90,000 chlorine tablets, 540 large plastic containers with lids and faucets, 300 chlorine measuring devices and 20,000 DPD tablets. Other supplies such as plastic spoons, measuring jars and plastic cups will allow children to receive oral rehydration therapies.

In addition to the supplies, UNICEF has dispensed flyers for families to learn to handle water safely, prevent conjunctivitis and skin diseases, and avoid acute diarrheic diseases.

For more information, please visit:
UNICEF Supports Peru Earthquake Victims

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new publication to help the regulated community design and implement voluntary water quality trading programs consistent with EPA's 2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy. This new guide will provide stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs.

Water quality trading is a voluntary option that regulated point sources can use to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act. It allows facilities facing higher pollution control costs to meet their regulatory obligations by purchasing environmentally equivalent (or superior) pollution reductions from another source at lower cost. The EPA Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers is the first-ever "how to" manual on water quality trading and is also useful for those interested in designing a trading program to improve water quality.

The guide focuses on trading nitrogen and phosphorus, with other pollutants to be considered for trading on a case-by-case basis. It discusses the relevant geographic scope, effluent limitations and other factors involved in defining a credit. Currently, the EPA is soliciting public comments, which will be considered for future updates to the Toolkit.

For more information, please visit:
New EPA Guide on Water Quality Trading

On August 19, the UN Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT), tasked with promoting socially and environmentally sustainable housing, announced the creation of the new Global Water Operators Partnership Alliance to improve clean water and basic sanitation in impoverished communities. The Partnership is designed to strengthen the capacities of the public water operators that provide more than 90 percent of water and sanitation services in developing nations by enabling water operators to share information more easily with each other as well as draw on expertise and other resources provided by governments and donor agencies.

Rapid urbanization is placing enormous pressure on the availability of clean water and other natural resources, especially the poor, necessitating a fundamental change in the way the world approaches water and sanitation so clean water remains affordable for all future generations, the group said.

The Alliance is expected to cost $7 million to operate in its first three years, with UN-HABITAT to provide $1.8 million and Alliance partners to contribute the rest.

For more information, please visit:
Global Alliance of Public Water Operators

The Government of Singapore and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently signed a new partnership agreement to jointly promote the safe management of drinking water across the world.

Under this agreement, which will run until 2015, WHO will work with Singapore to strengthen and disseminate knowledge to developing Member States on the following procedures for the safe use of wastewater in direct and indirect drinking uses:

• Intra-urban water catchments management
• Desalination and advanced chemical treatment of waste / sea-water as a source of drinking water
• Ability of a country's drinking water infrastructure to withstand disruptions and restrictions in its water supply

The collaboration leverages Singapore's expertise in the development and implementation of approaches to safe water management in water-stressed situations with WHO's international role on water safety measures.

For more information, please visit:
WHO/Singapore Agreement

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