Food waste – down the bin, drain or in the soil?

I have just discovered a new fact about America. Most American households do not throw their kitchen waste in the garbage bin; they throw it down their drains. An interesting contraption installed under the kitchen sink called the garbage disposal unit captures the food waste, shreds it into small pieces (less than 2mm) after which it passes into the plumbing.

Do we really need fluoride in water?

Have you ever wondered why we need to have fluoride in drinking water when there is already fluoride in our toothpaste?

Not quite right

Water and sanitation have been recognised as a basic human right at the UN General Assembly last month, with 122 countries voting for it and 41 abstaining. The right is not legally binding, but more like an ideal towards which countries have to work.

This is climate change

A few years back, people were wondering what the actual impact of climate change would be on water utilities. The answers were vague – no one really knew.

Twinning – a strategy that needs nurturing

For a long time now, it has been realised that to improve the water and sanitation services in the Asian region, twinning is an important strategy.

There are some water utilities in Asia that are performing very well in the midst of thousands that are not. If some way could be found for the better-performing utilities to mentor the poorly-performing ones, then the performance of the entire region could be invigorated.

SEAWUN has a sea of work ahead

When the South East Asian Water Utilities network (SEAWUN) was formed five years ago, it sounded like a great idea. The developing countries of the Asian region face similar problems, and the root of it all is poor governance. From this thick root emerges a tree of endless problems of mismanaged utilities, polluted waterways, low tariffs, high non revenue water, illegal water connections, intermittent water supply, low consumer awareness, lack of skilled manpower, unserved urban poor and whatever else one can imagine.

SEAWUN states that it goal is to help the member utilities improve their performance in the delivery of water and sanitation services for all, including operation and management efficiency, achieving financial viability, and advocating for sector reforms for improved policy environment, contributing to realise the goal “Water for All”.