Archive for April 6, 2020

Erkin | April 6, 2020
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Water Stress is Helping Drive Conflict and Migration

Water stress and drought are as old as civilization, and while human beings have devised many ways to guard against these threats, economies have evolved in ways that make us more vulnerable.

Recent water-related tragedies in Syria, Africa’s Sahel region and elsewhere present the prospect of darker times ahead, but there are many things we can do right now to improve the chance for a soft landing and a brighter future. This won’t happen on a business-as-usual path, however. We are going to need to do things very differently, and most people do not like change. But if the choice is change or die – and it could be – then clearly we need to change our relationship to water. Read more

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Erkin | April 3, 2020
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Finding a fix for Newfoundland’s troubled drinking water

Nothing better symbolizes the state of a community’s public health than the availability of clean and safe water. Yet recent water quality tests in Newfoundland and Labrador have found high levels of disinfection byproducts in the drinking water of 119 communities.

Unfortunately, these are not new concerns. CBC first drew attention to the issue of chlorine and disinfection byproducts in the municipal drinking water in 1999. The number of affected communities has since doubled.

Chlorine has been used to disinfect drinking water and prevent waterborne disease since the early 1900s. It has been a great success, preventing millions of deaths and making potable water widely available at a low cost. Read more

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Erkin | April 2, 2020
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Lead-tainted water: How to keep homes, schools, daycares and workplaces safe

We worked behind the scenes with dozens of journalists on “Tainted Water,” a year-long investigation into lead-contaminated drinking water in Canada. We were shocked by the results.

The journalists, co-ordinated by Concordia University’s Institute for Investigative Journalism, retrieved the results of municipal lead tests from 14 Canadian cities via Freedom of Information Act requests. They also collected water samples by knocking on doors and interviewed people who assumed their water was safe.

As the results poured in, any illusions we had about widespread compliance with lead safety standards for drinking water quickly evaporated. Read more

Category: Article |