Water

Indian state shuts pharmaceutical plants over pollution violations
July 16, 2012
India’s Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has ordered closure of 12 manufacturing units of different pharmaceutical companies for allegedly violating pollution regulations.
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Thailand putting $9.5 billion into water management
July 11, 2012
In the wake of last year’s disastrous flooding Thailand’s Water and Flood Management Committee (WFMC) is offering Bt300 billion (USD9.5 billion) of project funding to private firms that come up with proposals for sustainable water-management or flood-prevention systems.
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Vietnam probes 2,500 firms for environmental violations
July 09, 2012
Nearly 500 inspections for environment violations have been conducted at 2,500 Vietnamese organizations over the first half of the year, resulting in more than VND5 billion (nearly USD239,000) in fines being collected.
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Chinese official sees little progress in 2012 anti-pollution efforts
July 06, 2012
A senior Chinese environmental official has warned that pollution control did not progress well in the country in the first half of this year.
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Veolia takes majority stake in China waste Firm
July 06, 2012
Veolia Environnement SA (VIE), the world’s biggest water company, acquired a majority stake in a Chinese environmental services firm that won a 25-year contract to process hazardous waste in Hunan province.
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Hong Kong water supply
Asia’s world city urgently needs a water strategy
Su Liu, Civic Exchange
July 05, 2012
In the 15 years since it returned to Chinese sovereignty Hong Kong has survived many uncertainties and crises but the place still lacks a sense of “staying vigilant in peace time”, in order to better prepare for future challenges. This is especially so in the case of water, a key issue that has been neglected for too long. The Dongguan–Shenzhen Water Project started to export water to HK in 1965, since when it has seldom suffered from water restrictions. In the past 30 years, HK has been able to supply water 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
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Envisioned by Sun Yat-sen, Three Gorges Dam now at full capacity
July 05, 2012
After almost two decades of construction and a cost of over USD22 billion, China’s Three Gorges Dam is now running at full capacity for the first time in its infamous history.
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Sweden commits $8.5 mln to Mekong conservation
July 05, 2012
The Swedish Government last week provided USD8.5 million to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to strengthen its management and develop water and related resources in the Mekong's lower basin.
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Report calls for immediate halt to hazardous Indian coal plant
July 04, 2012
An independent report into a huge coal power station being built in energy-starved India on Tuesday called for construction to be halted immediately due to environmental damage, according to AFP. The Tata Mundra plant in the western state of Gujurat was approved by the government in 2006 and, when completed, will provide 4,000-MW of power to 16 million people across the fast-developing country, the news agency reported.
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Vietnam wastewater treatment in dire need of upgrades
July 03, 2012
Vietnam is in need of about USD7.6 billion in funding for environmental protection for all sectors and industries, said Dang Van Loi, deputy head of the Pollution Management Department under the Vietnam Environment Administration yesterday.
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$27.5 bln allocated to provide safe drinking water to rural China
July 02, 2012
China will invest 175 billion yuan (USD27.5 billion U.S. dollars) from 2011 to 2015 to ensure the quality of drinking water in rural areas, a vice minister of water resources said Friday.
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Singapore scientists debut electricity generating toilet
June 28, 2012
Scientists in Singapore have invented a new toilet system that will turn human waste into electricity and fertilizers and also reduce the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 per cent compared to current toilet systems.
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The Pearl River Delta Region
PRD governments launch joint green development plan
Fergus O'Rorke
June 26, 2012
The governments of China’s Guangdong Province, and its Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions – collectively covering the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region – have jointly released a plan for long-term co-operation in the areas of environment and ecology, low-carbon development, culture and social living, spatial planning and green transportation systems. Among the raft of proposals in the Regional Co-operation Plan on Building a Quality Living Area, there is a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening regional co-operation on reducing air pollution in the PRD.
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PM bows to pressure to preserve purity of the Ganges
June 26, 2012
India’s Prime Minister has created an inter-ministerial committee to review existing and ongoing hydroelectric projects on Ganga and its tributaries, according to a report in the Economic Times.
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Overdevelopment pushes China’s marine environment to the brink
June 26, 2012
Increasing discharge of pollutants and booming offshore human activity, such as oil exploration, are worsening China's fragile marine environment, according to an annual report released by the country’s ocean watchdog, writes the China Daily.
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Anxiety over water supplies leads China to progressive pricing
June 22, 2012
China will steadily introduce a progressive pricing scheme for water use before 2015, according to a latest government water conservancy plan, Xinhua reported today.
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Vietnamese province cracks down on industrial polluters
June 22, 2012
Vietnam’s Central Quang Ngai Province's Natural Resources and Environment Department will force enterprises causing serious environmental pollution to make good the damage, and repeat offenders will be shut down, according to Department Director Le My Lien.
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Contentious Malaysian rare earths mine gets the nod
June 19, 2012
Australia's Lynas Corp is set to clear the final hurdle for its delayed USD800 million rare earths plant after Malaysian lawmakers asked the government to issue the miner a temporary operating license despite community safety concerns, Reuters reported today.
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Da Nang readies first rubbish-recycling plant
June 15, 2012
The first stage of a new rubbish treatment plant has been completed at the Khanh Son dump, the biggest tip in Da Nang City, central Vietnam. The plant’s owner, Viet Nam Environment Joint-Stock Company, claims it will be able to recycle 90 percent of rubbish with the help of an automated garbage classification system.
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An ancient Chinese waterway
Long-term China water plan will strictly limit provincial usage
June 11, 2012
By the end of 2012, a water resource allocation plan for 25 rivers that flow through more than one of China’s provinces will come into play, in effect controlling the amount of water that can be taken from the rivers by each of the provinces. The water resource allocation plan is one of the moves China’s Ministry of Water Resources has taken to promote the implementation of the most stringent regulations in Chinese water resource management.  "We are doing our best to accelerate the process," said Chen Ming, deputy head of the Water Resources Department at the ministry. "Hopefully, the plan will come out by August."
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