"newer
news"
03.04.07 : France: Interdiction des phosphates dans les lessives
France : ban on phosphate in washing powder
Frankreich : Phosphatverbot in Waschmitteln
Le
décret vient de paraître (1) : à partir du
1er juillet, les phosphates seront interdits dans les lessives
domestiques destinées au lavage du linge. Dans un communiqué
du 2 avril, le ministère chargé de l’environnement
a précisé que cette mesure «permettra de diminuer
d’un peu plus de 20% la charge en phosphore à traiter
par les stations d’épuration».
Les
lessives utilisées pour faire la vaisselle et les lessives
industrielles ne sont pas concernées. Selon le ministère,
il n’existe
pas de produits de substitution satisfaisants pour les premières
et il faudrait adapter le process industriel de lavage pour les
secondes.
Rappelons
que d’autres composants des lessives classiques, les tensio-actifs,
provoquent des dégâts environnementaux notables (2).
(1) Décret
n°2007-491 du 29 mars 2007, JO du 31 mars 2007
(2) Voir l’article du JDLE 16.10.2006 : "Les
détergents, une pollution peu prise en compte en France"
Source : Journal
de l'Environnement, 03.04.2007
Auteur : Agnès Ginestet
30.03.07 : Commission européen : Plus d’exigences
sur les produits polluants dans les eaux de surface (JDLE)
EU
Commission : More requirements about pollutants in surface waters
(JDLE, Fr)
EU
Umweltkommission verschärt Anforderungen bezüglich der
gefährlichen Stoffe in Oberfächengewässern (JDLE,
fr)
La
Commission environnement a adopté le 27 mars le rapport
de la députée européenne française
Anne Laperrouze (PDE) sur la qualité des eaux de surface.
Dans un communiqué, le Parlement indique que cette directive,
fille de la directive cadre sur l’eau est en cours d’examen,
et que les députés veulent renforcer certaines mesures
proposées par la Commission européenne. Par exemple,
celle-ci souhaite fixer des normes de qualité environnementale
pour 41 substances polluantes susceptibles de se retrouver dans
les eaux de surface. Mais la Commission environnement du Parlement
veut en ajouter 28. Elle demande à la Commission européenne
de vérifier si ces substances supplémentaires ne
devraient pas être classées comme «substances
prioritaires dangereuses» et de lui faire une proposition
législative sur la classification finale dans les 12 mois
qui suivront l'entrée en vigueur de la directive.
Source : Journal
de l'Environnement, 30.03.2007
Auteur : Agnès Ginestet
26.03.2007 : lisu dam: Non-governmental organizations criticize
German approval of export credit guarantee for Turkish Ilisu dam
Nicht Regierungs Organisationen kritisieren den deutschen Entscheid
eines Exportrisiko - Garantiekredites für das türkische
Staudammprojekt Ilisu
Barrage d'Ilisu : des ONG critiquent la décision allemande
d'apporter des garanties de crédits pour le projet de barrage
d'Ilisu
Today’s
decision by the German Government to finally grant an export credit
guarantee for the Ilisu dam in southeast Turkey has met with substantial
criticism from non-governmental organizations.
"The
German Government sacrifices people, culture and the environment
in order to enable companies to make profits“, judges Heike
Drillisch of the environmental and development organization WEED.
"The pro-Ilisu decision is a shame and dishonour for Germany.“
articipation of the affected population and of the elected representatives
of the surrounding municipalities was negligible. According to
surveys approximately 80% of the population oppose the project.
"With its decision, the Federal Government obviously has
yielded pressures which the Turkish government exerted, instead
of respecting international standards“, says Drillisch.
"The
approval of the export credit guarantee for the Ilisu dam is more
than a disappointment for us, the affected people. By its double-tongued
behaviour the German government loses all credibility“, explains
Ercan Ayboga, from the local Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive.
„The German Government is taking part in a great crime against
the culture and the environment and is contributing to human rights
violations against tens of thousands of people. The Ilisu dam
is such a destructive project that it cannot be improved with
any conditions. Therefore it must be stopped“, said Ayboga.
Regine
Richter of the environmental and human rights organisation urgewald
comments: "With this decision the German Government knowingly
accepts irreversible damage for the biodiversity and destruction
of habitat of many birds. So far no complete environmental impact
assessment for the project has been done. Such a procedure would
be unconceivable with any European project.“
The
project may not even be compatible with Turkish laws, legal proceedings
are still pending in Turkey. Thus the German Government is contradicting
its own criteria for the assignment of export credit guarantees.
Only
last Friday the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive opened a ‘park
of hope and solidarity’ in the affected region with participation
by international environmental and human rights activists, as
well as European and German parliamentarians.
A recent
message that the Turkish government plans to deploy 5.000 soldiers
in the project area in order to ensure security highlights how
disputed the project is in the region. "Our resistance will
continue in any case. The German government will be confronted
constantly with this irresponsible decision", the non governmental
organizations declared. They are examining legal steps to be taken
against this decision by the German Government.
Further
information:
Heike Drillisch (WEED), +49 177 345 26 11
Regine Richter (urgewald), +49 170 2930 725
http://weed-online.org/mailman/listinfo/ilisu-info-e
for
more Ilisu Information visite RiverNet : http://www.rivernet.org/turquie/welcome.htm
25.03.07
: India, Narmada : 58 people released; Medha Patkar and three
others continue to be in Tihar jail
Indien, Narmada : 58 aktivisten wieder frei; Medha Patkar und
weitere drei Perosnen weiter in Haft
Inde, Narmada : 58 activistes relâchés, Medha Patkar
et trois autres personnes sont toujours en prison
Press Statement
Action 2007 issues ultimatum to UPA Government
Jantar Mantar, New Delhi / Narmada Andolan
•Action 2007 Movements and Organisations issue an ultimatum
to UPA Government and demand immediate withdrawal of cases registered
against activists
•End Police Regime Negotiate on people's issues and
struggles, Government told
•Failure to negotiate with movements will lead to UPA and
Congress defeat in UP Elections and next general elections
•Agitation in Delhi to continue till Government agrees to
negotiate on crucial issues
•Cultural Resistance celebrated by performances by groups
from various regions
Fifty Eight activists of Action 2007 who have been in Tihar jail
since their arrest on 22nd March have been released today. At
about 1 pm, they were received by hundreds of activists gathered
at Jantar Mantar Road, as part of the ongoing Action 2007 indefinite
agitation in Delhi.
However,
three of the movement representatives: Medha Patkar, Faisal Khan
and Vimalbhai continue to be in judicial remand in Tihar Jail.
Though they were remanded to 15 days of judicial custody, their
bail application will be taken up by the magistrate tomorrow,
the 26th, as per a directive issued by the High Court of Delhi.
In a
public meeting held at Jantar Mantar, activists of different people's
movement demanded immediate withdrawal of the false cases registered
against all the activists of Action 2007 and specifically demanded
that the old cases being taken up against Medha Patkar and two
others be withdrawn with immediate effect. The activists demanded
the union government to stop the police regime in Delhi and in
different states, where people's movements and activists have
been targeted for organizing democratic and peaceful demonstrations
against anti-people policies.
Announcing
a 24 hour fast at Jantar Mantar against the unwanted arrests and
police action on peaceful demonstration of action 2007 at planning
commission office, Prof. Ajay Kumar of Rashtra Seva Dal said that
if the Union Government does not withdraw the cases against Medha
Patkar and other colleagues, people from all over the country
will start active resistance in different states. 23 activists
are on the one day fast against police atrocities on protestors
and demanding withdrawal of all cases filed against representatives
of people's movements.
Shri.
Chennaiah of the agricultural workers union of Andhra Pradesh
welcomed the activists who returned from the jail and declared
that the anti-people UPA will be thrown out of power by the people
of this country. Ashok Choudhury of the National Forum of Forest
People's and Forest Workers declared that the UP elections will
be a time when UPA will be made to pay for policies like SEZ and
the land grab happening in the name of industrialization.
On Sunday,
Action 2007 also celebrated cultural resistance and action, by
having performances from across different regions at Jantar Mantar.
Groups from West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh performed
at the Action 2007. Theatre, plays, music and recitals followed
the reception of the released (from Tihar jail) activists.
Action
2007 will launch its direct action week and negotiations with
different ministries on different issues, from 26th March 2007.
On Behalf
of Action 2007
Contact Phones: 9868165471 / 9910345405 / 9868099304
List
of those on day long fast on 25th of March 2007:
1. Prof.
Arun Kumar (Bihar)
2. Lal Babu Rai (Maharashtra)
3. Dhashrath Dadan (Maharashtra)
4. Lakhan Singh Mandal (Maharashtra)
5. Devraran Mishra (Maharashtra)
6. Bharat Mishra (Maharashtra)
7. Savitri Devi (Maharashtra)
8. Santhosh Thoart (Maharashtra)
9. Ramji Rajbhar (Maharashtra)
10 Chandrakant boba (Maharashtra)
11. Lakshmi Devi (Maharashtra)
12. Amravati Choudhary (Maharashtra)
13. A Ruben Raj (Maharashtra)
14. Jay Chandra (Maharashtra)
15. Prabhakar (Maharashtra)
16. Raju Jaiswar (Maharashtra)
17. Shubhawati Devi (Maharashtra)
18. Mohammad Salim (Maharashtra)
19. Kalawati Devi (Maharashtra)
20. Shubhawati Devi (Maharashtra)
21. Shubhawati Kumar alias Sharad Singh (Maharashtra)
22. Salim Ansari (Jharkhand)
23. Raveendra Prasad Verma (Jharkhand)
23.03.2007 : Contentieux nitrates (UE): un sursis pour la France
Contentious issues about nitrates (EU) : suspended sentence for
France
Verstoss gegen Nitrat Richtlinie : Aufschub für Frankreich
Dans un communiqué
du 21 mars, la Commission européenne a annoncé sa
décision de poursuivre une deuxième fois la France
devant la Cour de justice des communautés européennes
(CJCE) dans l’affaire de la pollution par les nitrates des
eaux de surface en Bretagne, tout en proposant un sursis d’exécution.
En 2001,
la France avait été condamnée dans le cadre
d’un arrêt de la CJCE pour infraction à la réglementation
communautaire (1) car 37 rivières en Bretagne présentaient
des concentrations en nitrates excédant la norme. Elle
a depuis mis en œuvre des mesures agro-environnementales
pour réduire la quantité d’azote épandu
sur les terres agricoles, mais des non-conformités sont
toujours observées. Des mesures supplémentaires
ont toutefois été annoncées au mois de février
pour permettre à la France de se conformer à la
directive (2).
Selon
la Commission, le délai accordé lui permettra de
dialoguer plus facilement avec les autorités françaises
et d’examiner le contenu des nouvelles mesures. La France
risque une amende supérieure à 28 millions d’euros
et une astreinte journalière de 117.882 euros.
Selon
Reuters, une source gouvernementale a annoncé que des mesures
incitatives pour aider les agriculteurs bretons à réduire
la pollution des rivières seront annoncées avant
la mi-juin. Le gouvernement prévoit des mesures agro-environnementales,
dont l'indemnisation de la réduction d'azote, son transport
vers d'autres régions er des aides à la réduction
des effectifs d'élevage (bovins laitiers, porcs, volailles).
Selon Reuters, l’objectif de la France est d’aboutir
d’ici 2009.
(1) Directive
1975/440/EEC du Conseil du 16 juin 1975.
(2) Voir l’article du JDLE: «Contentieux
nitrates: tensions avant la décision européenne»
Source : Journal
de l'Environnement 23.03.2007
Auteur : Agnès Ginestet
23.03.07
: First report on the implementation of the WFD by the EU commission
COMMUNICATION
FROM THE COMMISSION TO
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL
" Towards
sustainable water management in the European Union"
- First stage in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive
2000/60/EC –
[SEC(2007) 362] [SEC(2007)
363] english
version in pdf on RiverNet
other languages see
eu Website http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2007/com2007_0128en01.pdf
(not availabel yet)
see also : WWF
Report Worlds Top 10 Rivers at risk ( March 2007), pdf
22.03.07 : France : Journée mondiale de l’eau:
encore beaucoup d’efforts à faire
France : World Water Day : still many efforts to do
Frankreich : Welt Wasser Tag : mehr Anstrengungen gefordert
Le 22 mars, le ministère chargé de l’environnement
a reçu différents acteurs pour débattre du
sujet primordial que constitue l’accès à l’eau
potable et à l’assainissement. Le partenariat français
pour l’eau (PFE) a été lancé à
cette occasion.
C'est un fait
avéré: l’objectif du millénaire pour
le développement qui concerne l’eau ne sera pas atteint.
Il visait à réduire de moitié, d'ici à
2015, le pourcentage de la population qui n'a pas accès
de façon durable à un approvisionnement en eau potable.
«Nous savons comment y arriver, mais nous avons pour autant
du mal à l’atteindre», a indiqué Jean-François
Le Grand, président du Cercle français de l’eau.
Les
acteurs présents ont malgré tout souligné
les progrès réalisés ces dernières
années en France. «Le droit à l’eau a
été inscrit en tête de la loi sur l’eau
et les milieux aquatiques. C’est une avancée juridique
incontestable. Mais le droit à l’eau appelle à
une mise en œuvre effective», a déclaré
Henri Smets, membre du Conseil européen du droit à
l’environnement. Selon lui, il faudra une nouvelle loi pour
que ce droit soit opposable.
Par
ailleurs, l’expérience du Partenariat français
pour Mexico (PFM), qui s’était constitué dans
le cadre du 4e forum mondial de l’eau de Mexico en 2006 (1),
s’est avérée positive pour ses membres. Un
Partenariat français pour l’eau (PFE) pérenne
a donc été mis en place. Il a entre autres pour
objectifs de mettre à disposition les informations relatives
aux avancées vers les objectifs du millénaire, d’élaborer
des messages communs et diffuser les savoir-faire de ses membres
dans les événement et réseaux internationaux,
et d’apporter des contributions aux représentants
du gouvernement français en charge des discussions relatives
aux politiques de l’eau au sein des institutions européennes.
Nelly
Olin, ministre chargée de l’environnement, a insisté
sur un thème qu’elle souhaiterait voir promu dans
ce cadre: l’équipement en eau potable et assainissement
des écoles des pays en développement. En effet,
comme l’ont souligné Antoine Frérot, directeur
général de Veolia eau, et Laurent Stéfanini,
représentant la ministre chargée de la coopération
Brigitte Girardin: l’atteinte de l’objectif du millénaire
relatif à l’eau conditionne l’atteinte d’autres
objectifs tels que la diminution de la mortalité infantile
et la scolarisation des filles.
Egalement
présent le 22 mars, Amadou Belko, maire de Torodi au Niger,
a souligné les bienfaits de la décentralisation
en Afrique, qui permet aux élus locaux d’assurer un
contrôle rigoureux des ouvrages liés à l'eau.
Il a également salué le travail de l’ONG «Eau
vive», qui, dans le cadre de ses projets, responsabilise
les élus locaux. «Si tous les pays européens
avaient, comme la France, une loi Oudin-Santini (2), ils auraient
contribué à atteindre les objectifs du millénaire»,
a-t-il ajouté.
Rappelons
qu’à l’heure actuelle, sur notre planète,
1,1 milliard et 2,5 milliards de personnes n’ont respectivement
pas accès à l’eau potable et à un assainissement
de base.
(1) Voir l’article
du JDLE: «L’esprit
français à Mexico»
(2) Voir l’article du JDLE: «Coopération
décentralisée pour l’accès à
l’eau potable»
vers le site du Partenariat
Français pour l'Eau
Auteur : Agnès
Ginestet
Source : le
Journal de l'Environnement, 22.03.2007
21.03.07 : Spanish industry and farmers face water tax
Spanische Landwirtschaft und Inustrie sollen für Wasser bezahlen
Les industries et les agriculteurs espagnols doivent payer l'eau
ENDS Europe DAILY 2287, 21/03/07
A tax on industrial
and agricultural water use is the most controversial element of
a draft water law, presented on Tuesday, which aims to incorporate
into Spanish law basic principles of the EU water framework directive.
Irrigators, hydroelectric generators and industry will pay between
1-2 euro cents per 100m3 or 100kWh. Irrigation currently accounts
for over 60 per cent of water use in Spain. Sector group Fenacore
said the tax would cost its members at least €30 million
per year.
For further
information : see
the Spanish
environment ministry <http://www.mma.es/>,
the draft water law, <http://www.mma.es/secciones/medios_comunicacion/prensa/notas_pre/2007/03/BorradordelaReformadelaLeydeAguas.pdf>
and Fenacore <http://www.fenacore.org/>.
Article Index: agriculture, economic instruments, industry facilities,
water
21.03.07 : Environmentalists in uproar as Iceland pays the price
for green energy push
Islands Wildnis bezahlt hohen Preis wegen Boom so genannter 'grüner"
erneuerbarer Hydo Energie"
Tollé des environnementalistes en Islande : le pays paye
au prix fort la montée des énergies vertes
Europe's largest wilderness is paying the price of Iceland's
decision
to market cheap, "green", renewable electricity to the
world, as a
massive new smelter nears completion.
Across a pool of oily water deep inside a rocky cavern carved
into a
mountain, two steel pipes stretch up into a black void. They rise
as
high as the Empire State Building. Within weeks these pipes will
be
connected to enormous turbines and some 40km (25 miles) away,
the
waters of a 57 sq km reservoir will be released.
The power station in the mountain is only part of the construction
project being built in eastern Iceland. It is designed to provide
electricity for an aluminium smelter operated by the American
multinational, Alcoa. And while the generators may be hidden from
view - the source of the energy certainly is not.
An hour's drive along the new asphalt road, which winds across
a
windswept plateau, you reach what was once one of the most isolated
parts of an isolated country: Kárahnjúkar. The monochromatic
scenery
of black rock and white snow, under grey skies, was once dominated
by
a deep fissure in the earth - a canyon carved by the waters from
Europe's largest glacier. Now that flow has dried to a trickle
and
this incredible natural feature is blocked by the massive concrete
wall of a new dam.
For those building the Kárahnjúkar dam this marks
an exciting new
stage in the country's development. "The hydroelectric resources
of
Iceland are stranded here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,"
says
Sigurdur Arnalds, an engineer from the national power company,
Landsvirkjun.
"We cannot sell the power to other countries because we are
isolated
here. The sole purpose of this is to sell electrical power to
foreign
industries, in this case it's aluminium to Alcoa. If you look
at it
globally this is clean energy."
Far better to build aluminium smelters in Iceland, goes the argument,
than power them with fossil fuels elsewhere. It's estimated that
by
using "green" energy, carbon emissions from aluminium
production are
reduced by some 90 per cent. For companies keen to stress their
environmental credentials, you can see the attraction of setting
up
in Iceland. From the cold water pouring off the glaciers to the
reservoirs of hot water under the ground that can be tapped for
geothermal power, there's more green energy here than Iceland's
300,000 inhabitants could possibly need.
But if it's all so green - why is opposition to the project so
vociferous? Environmental campaigners are coming here from across
the
world, the Icelandic singer Bjork has written songs about Kárahnjúkar
and politicians are highlighting the issue in forthcoming elections.
"This is the greatest environmental impact possible in Iceland,"
says
Ómar Ragnarsson, one of Iceland's most respected journalists.
After
covering the story of the dam for the country's national broadcaster,
he became so incensed that he switched from journalism to
campaigning. "We are taking this valley from future generations
just
for the benefit of some power utilisation company," he complains
angrily. "All this area will be hit with such destruction
that the
Icelanders will be shy of showing it for thousands of years."
Some people already claim to be feeling the effects. Some 120km
downstream of the dam, Örn Thorleifsson farms on the island
of Húsey.
The nearest village is almost two hours' drive away. It really
does
feel like the end of the world. He calls it a beautiful paradise
- a
haven for birds, seals bask on the beach; apart from the wind
rattling the windows, it's almost totally silent.
"Everything has changed since they began to build the dam,"
he says.
"They destroyed everything." He tells how sand and clay,
washed down
the mountain from the construction, have ruined local fishing
grounds. The dam has also blocked the flow of glacial sediment
to the
coast. Without these sediments, Mr Thorleifsson claims, his island
home could disappear.
But in this part of Iceland, Mr Ragnarsson and Mr Thorleifsson
are in
the minority. You'll struggle in the villages to find anyone who
has
a bad word for heavy industry. Take the pretty community of
Reydarfjordur for instance, near where the Alcoa smelter is soon
to
start production. The economic benefits of having a major employer
here are tangible: there's a new shopping mall, new roads are
being
built, tunnels are being drilled through the mountains to connect
communities often cut off whenever there's bad weather. Before
the
smelter, the area was in terminal economic decline, people were
moving away and houses were being abandoned.
Around the headland from Reydarfjordur, the power lines from the
mountains come to an end at Alcoa's state-of-the-art smelter.
The raw
materials will arrive by sea - the processed alumina powder coming
all the way from Australia. The metal is produced in 336 large
vats
or pots, as they're called, working at 900C with each requiring
a
staggering 180 000 amps of electricity. It's the reason the dam
has
to be so big. The first pot starts production next month and by
the
end of the year the plant will be producing some 346,000 tonnes
of
aluminium per year. More than a tonne for every Icelander.
The process of aluminium production also generates carbon dioxide.
So
while the energy may be green, aluminium can't really be described
as
carbon neutral. And this isn't the only aspect of Iceland's energy
policy that isn't quite as green as it might first appear. Under
the
Kyoto protocol, thanks to the country's clean energy reserves,
Iceland negotiated an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. As
a
result heavy industries that locate here can produce carbon dioxide
without penalty - therefore avoiding carbon taxes or the
complications of offsetting or trading carbon emissions.
Nevertheless, Alcoa has a pretty good track record when it comes
to
environmental responsibilities, with targets to reduce pollution
and
greenhouse gas emissions. Its website talks of stewardship and
sustainability. But Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir,
a Green MP, believes
Iceland is being taken advantage of. "We have this beautiful
untouched nature, in itself a resource that can be used for the
benefit of the nation through tourism, through science, through
other
kinds of things other than selling cheap electricity to foreign
aluminium plants," she says.
Although the dam and smelter projects were approved by an
overwhelming majority in the parliament in 2002, Ms Halldórsdóttir
says a lot has changed in the past five years and people are now
coming round to her point of view.
And while it may be too late for Kárahnjúkar, it's
not too late to
stop other areas being developed. The government is consulting
on
building two new industrial smelters and expanding a third. If
they
are given the go-ahead, at least four more dams will need to be
built. "There's no need to try to attract more and more to
Iceland."
A surprising statement, perhaps, to hear from Iceland's new Minister
of Industry and Commerce, Jon Sigurdsson. "Aluminium is a
good
addition to our economy; it's an important part of our development
-
but only a part."
By Richard
Hollingham in Karahnjukar, Iceland
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2377698.ece
Richard Hollingham presents Crossing Continents tomorrow at 11am
on
BBC Radio 4
20.03.07
: Going nowhere fast: Top rivers face mounting threats
Grosse Flüsse sind immer mehr bedroht.
Les grands fleuves font face à des menaces grandissantes.
Gland,
Switzerland – Rivers on every continent are drying out, threatening
severe water shortages, according to a new WWF report.
The
report, World's Top Rivers at Risk, released ahead of World Water
Day (22 March), lists the top ten rivers that are fast dying as
a result of climate change, pollution and dams.
“All
the rivers in the report symbolize the current freshwater crisis,
which we have been signalling for years," says WWF Global
Freshwater Programme Director Jamie Pittock.
"Poor
planning and inadequate protection of natural areas mean we can
no longer assume that water will flow forever. Like the climate
change crisis, which now has the attention of business and government,
we want leaders to take notice of the emergency facing freshwater
now not later.”
Five
of the ten rivers listed in the report are in Asia alone. They
are the Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Ganges and Indus. Europe’s
Danube, the Americas’ La Plata and Rio Grande/Rio Bravo,
Africa’s Nile-Lake Victoria and Australia’s Murray-Darling
also make the list.
Dams
along the Danube River — one of the longest flowing rivers
in Europe — have already destroyed 80 per cent of the river
basin’s wetlands and floodplains. Even without warmer temperatures
threatening to melt Himalayan glaciers, the Indus River faces
scarcity due to over-extraction for agriculture. Fish populations,
the main source of protein and overall life support systems for
hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being
threatened.
The
report calls on governments to better protect river flows and
water allocations in order to safeguard habitats and people’s
livelihoods.
“Conservation
of rivers and wetlands must be seen as part and parcel of national
security, health and economic success,” Pittock adds. “Emphasis
must be given to exploring ways of using water for crops and products
that do not use more water than necessary.”
In addition,
cooperative agreements for managing shared resources, such as
the UN Watercourses Convention, must be ratified and given the
resources to make them work, says WWF.
“The
freshwater crisis is bigger than the ten rivers listed in this
report but it mirrors the extent to which unabated development
is jeopardizing nature’s ability to meet our growing demands,”
says Pittock. “We must change our mindset now or pay the
price in the not so distant future.”
For further
information:
> Lisa Hadeed, Communications Manager
WWF Global Freshwater Programme
Tel: +41 22 364 9030
E-mail: lhadeed@wwfint.org
> Brian
Thomson, Press Officer
WWF International
Tel: +41 22 364 9554
E-mail: bthomson@wwfint.org
Source : http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=96520
14.03.07 : Ilisu Dam Opponents Occupy Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
Ilsu Staudamm Projekt : Aktivisten für Umwelt und Menschenrechte
besetzen Brandenburger Tor in Berlin
Projet de barrage à Ilisu (Turquie) : les opposants à
ce projet occupent la Porte de Brandenburg à Berlin
Environment
and Human Rights Activists today occupied the Brandenburg Gate
in Berlin, Germany
Berlin (14
March, 2007) With this action, the Environment and Human
Rights Organizations have protested the impending granting of
an export credit guarantee by the German government for the controversial
Ilisu Dam in Turkey. The dam will block the Tigris shortly before
the border of Turkey with Iraq and Syria. The German company Zueblin
is to profit from the German export credit guarantee.
„We have occupied the Brandenburg Gate to show the people
here in Germany, what their government is currently planning in
Turkey,“ explains activist Matthias Dittmer. “We have
a couple of hundred years of history here in Berlin the
submergence of Hasankeyf would destroy a 9,000 year-old history.”
Human
rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, who has been campaigning against
the Ilisu dam project for nearly seven years, comments on the
project from London: “On today’s World Action Day against
Dams, I appeal to the Chancellor and the German government not
to guarantee the funding for the Ilisu dam project. I hope the
company Zueblin will reconsider their decision to be a partner
in the construction of the dam, it should follow the example of
the British company Balfour Beatty; the company withdrew in 2002
due to unresolved social and environmental problems. The Ilisu
dam will cause great harm to the people of the area. It will lead
to the forceful relocation of approximately 50,000people. The
cultural patrimony of the region will be destroyed, and as a result
the people will also lose their homeland and identity. It is my
hope that this project will be stopped!”
“The
people in South-East Turkey have experienced enough grieve with
mega dams,” says Ercan Ayboga from the local Initiative to
Save Hasankeyf in Berlin. “Practically all people in our
region oppose the Ilisu project. We affected people want to have
a say in our future and do not want the Turkish or the German
government to decide what is good for us.”
“The
project violates international standards and international law,”
says Heike Drillisch, a spokesperson from the German NGO WEED.
“This project could never be built in Germany. Our government
should not support it, only because it is in Turkey. We will hold
the German government accountable for the impacts of its actions.”
For images
from the occupation of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, contact:
> Kai Schäfer, write to kai.schaefer@weed-online.org,
0160 252 8942
For further information about the action and the Ilisu project,
contact:
> Heike Drillisch (WEED) +49-177345 26 1, write to Heike.drillisch@weed-online.org,
URL : http://www.weed-online.org/ilisu
> Ercan Ayboga (Initiative zur Rettung von Hasankeyf) www.hasankeyfgirisimi.org
> Matthias Dittmer, +49-177 - 384 93 42
> Ann Kathrin Schneider, IRN, +49-163-4751284
> Regine Richter, urgewald, +49-170-2930725
09.03.07 Announcement : 10th World Day against large Dams
the 14th March
Annonce : 10ème Journée mondiale contre les grands
barrages le 14 Mars
Aufruf : Am 14 März findet der 10. weltweite Tag der Aktion
gegen Grossstaudämme statt.
Fellow community
leaders and activists around the world,
We are less
than a week away from the 10th Anniversary of the International
Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life! Thank
you again for all those that have contacted us about your events.
We have begun posting them on our website (www.irn.org/dayofaction)
which is also a good resource for those looking for a list of
actions taking place this year. We already have word from almost
30 actions taking place
in 19 different countries !
Some of these
exciting events include:
In LESOTHO, the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) is planning
a march over the wall of the Katse Dam. The march will follow
the theme “Water is a Right!” and will call for public
involvement in water policy and against
water privatization.
In MEXICO, el Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositores a la
Presa La Parota (CECOP) will be providing an offering to the Papagayo
River to announce that they will continue defending its waters.
Children of the community will bring small boats to release into
the river whose sails will be painted with words in opposition
to La Parota Dam. Following the offering, a tribute will take
place in memory of Doña Margarita, a symbol of the resistence
against La Parota.
In BANGLADESH, Angikar Bangladesh will lead an action against
the Tipaimukh Dam called “No to Tipaimukh Dam: Yes to Clean
River, Quality Water and Better Life.” They are organizing10
press conferences that will take place on boats sailing on 10
river points in Bangladesh. In each program, journalists will
be invited on the boats and written press
briefings will be read during the trip.
For those
that have yet to contact us about your event, PLEASE send details
on your event to us as soon as possible, so we can ensure publicity
on our website and/or time to address any questions or concerns
you might have. Again, don't forget to include (1) title, (2)
location, (3) date and time, (4) contact person, and (5) a brief
description (be
sure to let us know if we should keep your event confidential).
We will post it on our web site, maintain a master list, and distribute
information to interested individuals.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we would greatly appreciate
any photographs and short summaries of your events after they
take place. Good luck and please let me know if was can help in
any way.
For the rivers
more information
on the World Day against large Dams
05.03.07 : Spain - More water send from Tagus to dry southeast
Spanien : Weiterer Wassertransfer vom Tagus nach dem unter Trockenheit
leidenden Südosten
Espane : davantage d'eau envoyée du Tage au Sud -
Est asseché.
Although reservoirs
at the top of Spain's Tagus River are seriously low on water,
they'll have to release some to parched towns in the southeastern
part of the country, decided the Ministry of the Environment in
Madrid. Two large reservoirs in central Spain will send 38 cubic
hectometers of water to ease drought in the Segura Basin. The
Ministry also approved a deal between farmers along one stretch
of the Tagus, who will give 31 cubic hectometers to their counterparts
in the provinces of Murcia and Alicante.
Source: SAHRA Water News Watch
Read more...<http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=40680&newsdate=05-Mar-2007>
01.03.07 : Greece - Major problems in Thessaly as illegal dams
built on Pineios River
Griechenland : Illegal gebauter Staudamm am Pineios verursacht
grosse Probleme in Thessalien
Grèce : La construction illégale de barrages
en Thessalie provoque de gros problèmes sur la rivière
Pineios
The Local
Organization for Pineios Irrigation (TOEB) in northern Greece's
Larissa Prefecture reported that water levels in the Pineios River
were perilously low, warning cotton farmers to switch to less
thirsty crops, such as wheat, this spring if they hoped to have
enough irrigation supplies. Aquifers in the Thessaly Plain are
also low because of a dry winter, and the Lake Plastira reservoir
is at the same level that it was in September 2006. TOEB President
Giorgos Ladopoulos called water forecasts "grim." He
blamed part of the problem upon illegal dams in Trikala Prefecture
that diverted some of the Pineios' flow.
Source: SAHRA
Water News Watch
more information ... <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=80682>
20.02.07: Greece - Kifissos River can take no more pollution
Griechenland : Weitere Verschmutzung des Kiffissos Flusses ausgeschlossen
Grèce : la rivière Kifissos ne peut absorber
davantage de pollution
The Kifissos
River in Greece's Attika Prefecture has been used as a dumping
ground for construction debris for decades, with often-corrupt
local officials turning a blind eye to the destruction of the
river's ecosystem and the floods that have resulted from its clogged
channels. Now the Association of Manufacturers and Industrialists
is asking the Ministry of the Environment, Planning, and Public
Works (IPEKHODE) for an extension of its present 12-year building
permit. If Minister Giorgos Souflias consents, it will be the
kiss of death for the river, said Panagiotis Tsitouras of the
Attika Ecology Campaign, which has been fighting to preserve the
Kifissos for 30 years.
Source: SAHRA
Water News Watch
more... <http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=80300>
19.02.07 : climate change is already affecting European coasts
Klimawechsel zeigt Auswirkungen auf Europas Küsten
le changement climatique touche déjà les côtes
européennes
Le 14 février,
le Centre commun de recherches de la Commission européenne
a publié un rapport qui conclut à la nécessité
de tenir compte de l’exploitation des mers et des côtes
européennes par l’homme dans les politiques visant
à restreindre les incidences du changement climatique.Celui-ci
a déjà eu des effets: dans certaines zones écossaises,
la température des eaux a augmenté de 1°C au
cours des 20 dernières années, en Méditerranée,
de 0,5°C. Les mers ont globalement monté de 0,8 à
3 millimètres. Toutes ces modifications ont pour conséquence
des épisodes climatiques catastrophiques tels que pluies
torrentielles, sécheresses, inondations. Ainsi, au nord
du Royaume-Uni, «la fréquence des tempêtes
d’hiver et des conditions météorologiques extrêmes
a doublé au cours des 50 dernières années».
Le rapport
établit également que d’autres activités
humaines que celles qui émettent des gaz à effet
de serre ont des impacts sur les mers et les côtes, à
commencer par la pêche, la production d’énergie,
le commerce, le tourisme, etc. «Les pressions anthropogéniques
peuvent aggraver l’effet du changement climatique en réduisant
la capacité de récupération des systèmes
marins et côtiers, les laissant encore plus vulnérables
au forçage climatique», alertent les auteurs du rapport.
Auteur : Claire
Avignon
Source : le Journal de l'Environnement http://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/fr/document/detail.asp?id=612&idThema=2&idSousThema=11&type=JDE&ctx=259
15.02.07 : Warming Europe 'must adapt water strategy' (Edie)
Europas Wasserstrategie muss der Erwärmung angepasst werden
La stratégie européenne de l'eau doit être
adaptée au réchauffement climatique
European countries must start preparing for the water shortages,
floods and droughts likely to be brought on by climate change,
the EU has warned.
As representatives from member states met in Berlin to discuss
the impacts of climate change on Europe's water sector this week,
Environment Council president Sigmar Gabriel stressed the need
to factor climate change into long-term water resource plans across
the EU.
"We must learn to consistently take the impacts of climate
change, especially on the water balance, into account when making
long-term decisions, for example with regard to infrastructure
or regional development," he said.
Global warming is already affecting seasonal and regional precipitation
patterns, causing glaciers to recede in the Alps and sea levels
to rise. EU member states must start preparing for more intense
and frequent floods, droughts and gradual changes in the water
balance that are likely to follow, Sigmar Gabriel told the European
Symposium on climate change and water resources.
"Even if we succeed in reducing the increase in greenhouse
gas emissions to an extent that allows the global rise in temperature
to be limited to an average of 2 degrees Celsius, we will still
be faced with serious consequences," he said.
The symposium precedes an EU Green Paper on adaptation to climate
change that the European Commission is to publish by the end of
the year.
DG Environment director-general Mogens Peter Carl said: "We
first have to make more efficient use of available water resources
and reduce our consumption before we start tapping new sources."
He said the Commission "is considering a range of additional
measures, for example a Europe-wide initiative on saving water
in all other areas such as private households and industry."
Author :
Goska
Romanowicz
Source : Edie News <http://www.edie.net/news//blog/blog.asp?author=2>
11.02.07 Drought in Turkey
Trockenheit in der Türkei
Sécheresse en Turquie
A three-month
drought has left Turkish farmers alarmed, and reservoir levels
in the cities of Istanbul and Bursa are at only 8% to 50% of capacity,
reported meteorologist Professor Selahattin Incecik of the Istanbul
Technical University. Flows in the Meric River on the Greek border
have dropped from 730 to 100 cubic meters per second and those
in the Manavgat River have dropped by 50%. In the cotton- and
wheatfields of the Cukurova Valley, farmers will have to retill
and replant if it doesn't rain in February, and on the high Anatolian
plateau, lack of snow is allowing cold winds and frosts to kill
seedlings. In December 2006, average precipitation for Turkey
was 73% below seasonal norms.
more…
<http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070126-073908-1322r>
Source: SAHRA Water News Watch / via EWMN
11.02.07 : Danube wetland work ahead but not enough
Donau : Fortschritte in Sachen Feuchtgebiete, aber immer noch
ungenügend
Danube : des progrès pour les zones humides, mais
pas assez cependant
Danube NGOs are doing good projects that help protect and restore
valuable wetlands in the Danube River Basin. But more wetland
projects are needed to make better use of wetlands as pollution
removers, says Peter Whalley of the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project
(DRP). Unfortunately, some 80% of the Danube Basin’s wetlands
and floodplains have been lost due to past human activities over
the last 150 years, from river channelling to making room for
more farmland.
more... <http://www.gwpceeforum.org/?page=63&read=120>
Source: UNDP
10.02.07 : GREECE Water shortages leading to blackout
Griechenland : Wassermangel führt zu Stromausfällen
Grèce : les pénuries d'eau entrainent des pannes
d'électricité
Greece's National
Electrical Company (DEI) admitted that water shortages were leading
to more frequent power blackouts and that the situation was likely
to grow worse. One problem is that the water for generating hydroelectric
power, the domestic water supply for roughly 2.5 million people,
and water to irrigate 5 million acres of farmland all comes from
the same reservoirs. After one year of below-average precipitation,
reserves will be stretched to the limit during peak hours of demand
in the summer. Another problem is that former DEI head Iannis
Paleokrassas never got around to modernizing four antiquated facilities
that would have provided some security against grid overloads,
and they won't be upgraded before 2009. According to Professor
of Hydrology Mairi Mimikou of the Faculty of Civil Engineers at
the Metsovo Technical University of Athens, even if it rained
every day for the next two months, aquifer levels would still
be 30-40% lower than normal.
more… (in Greek) <http://ta-nea.dolnet.gr/print_article.php?e=A&f=18758&m=N15&aa=1>
Source: SAHRA Water News Watch via EWMN
08.02.07 : 5th World Water Forum, 2009 in Turkey
Das 5. Weltwasserforum findet 2009 in der Tûrkei statt
Le cinquième forum mondial sur l'eau se tiendra en 2009
en Turquie
On Thursday
18 January, Turkey and the World Water Council (WWC) signed the
official agreement for the organisation of the 5th World Water
Forum, to be held in Istanbul from 15 to 22 March 2009.
At the signing ceremony in Ankara, Dr. M. Hilmi Güler, Turkish
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, stated that 15,000 people
from 150 countries are expected to attend the 5th Forum to discuss
issues and solutions regarding water in the world. Emphasizing
the crucial role of water for people, life, energy and balance
in the world, Dr. Güler reported that serious measures are
being taken in Turkey in this respect.
Read more… <http://www.iwahq.org/templates/ld_templates/layout_633184.aspx?ObjectId=634333&articleid=655058>
Source : ERN
Read more… <http://www.emwater.org/activities/e-learning.htm>
Source: Global Water Partnership
01.02.07 SWITZERLAND Shrinking glaciers thawed faster in
2005
Schweiz : beschleunigte Gletscherschmelze in 2005
Suisse : les glaciers ont fondu plus rapidement en 2005
Mountain glaciers
around the world are melting more and more quickly, according
to new data issued today that confirms the trend in accelerated
ice loss over the past 25 years. Thinning of the ice on the majority
of the world's glaciated mountain ranges averaged two-thirds of
a meter (26 inches).
more information...
<http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2007/2007-01-29-05.asp>
Source: ENS World News : via EMWN
28.01.07 : UK - Flood project restores
London's lost river
UK : Verschwundener Londoner Fluss restaurauriert zugunsten Hochwasserschuzt
UK : un projet de protection contre les crues rend à
Londre sa rivière perdue
One of London's
historic watercourses was brought back to life as part of an award-winning
flood defence project. The river Quaggy in Lewisham, South East
London, was forced underground when the area urbanised, with most
of the river's 17 kilometre course now artificially channelled
underground. But the Environment Agency has now brought a section
of the river back to the surface as part of a local flood alleviation
scheme, using historical data to cut its channel through Sutcliffe
Park in Greenwich.
more information... <http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=12550&channel=4>
Source: Edie News Centre
23.01.07 : France : Hydroélectricité: une option
qui pose question
Frankreich : Strom aus Wasserkraft - eine Option die Fragen aufwirft
France : Hydroelectricity : an option that raises matters
Le 16 janvier,
le colloque «Développement durable : la réponse
de l’hydroélectricité» a vanté
les mérites de l’hydroélectricité. Mais
les impacts environnementaux ne sont pas négligeables,
et le potentiel de développement en France est discuté.
Déjà
10% de la production nationale d’électricité,
une disponibilité rapide, et pas de rejets de CO2: au vu
des différents discours prononcés lors du colloque
organisé par l’Union française de l’électricité
(UFE) et l’Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise
de l’énergie (Ademe), l’hydroélectricité
est une des solutions phares pour atteindre les objectifs de la
loi de programme fixant les orientations de la politique énergétique
(loi Pope) (1): réduire les émissions de gaz à
effet de serre de 3% par an et produire, d’ici 2010, 21%
de l’électricité française à
partir d’énergies renouvelables. Le but étant
de trouver un équilibre entre cette loi et la loi sur l’eau
et les milieux aquatiques (2) qui contient des mesures de protection
de l’environnement. Ainsi, François Loos, ministre
chargé de l’industrie, a déclaré dans
son discours: «Notre politique énergétique
a notamment comme ambition d’assurer la compétitivité
des prix et la sécurité d’approvisionnement,
tout en préservant l’environnement. L’hydroélectricité
permet tout cela en même temps».
Mais pour
Jean Wencker, vice-président de l’association Alsace
Nature, l’impact environnemental ne se réduit pas
aux seuls rejets de CO2. Perte du pouvoir auto-épurateur
et augmentation de la température de l’eau, impact
sur la faune piscicole: l’hydroélectricité
a des conséquences. «L’hydroélectricité
n’est pas propre et on l’a surexploitée en France.
Le plus souvent, il y a une perte de continuité écologique.
Il faut des dispositifs techniques spéciaux pour les poissons
qui ont besoin de migrer. Aujourd’hui, tous les barrages
ne sont pas équipés de passes, et il n’y a
pas encore de solution pour les anguilles», explique Jean
Wencker.
«Les
barrages ont aussi des effets secondaires car les sédiments
se déposent et font remonter le niveau de l’eau. Il
n’y a donc plus de sécurité contre les crues»,
ajoute-t-il. Dans son discours de clôture, la ministre en
charge de l’environnement Nelly Olin a indiqué: «Il
me semble indispensable de renforcer les moyens de l’évaluation
environnementale et surtout d’améliorer l’intégration
de cette valeur au sein de l’analyse coût-bénéfice
indispensable à la prise de décision sur un projet,
que ce soit un renouvellement d’exploitation ou une installation
nouvelle».
Datant de
mars 2006, le rapport Dambrine a conclu que la France pouvait
développer un potentiel de 7 térawattheures (TWh)
par an à l’horizon 2015, soit 10% de plus que la production
actuelle. 2 TWh concerneraient toutefois l’optimisation de
l’existant. «Les chiffres du rapport nous paraissent
raisonnablement tenables», a indiqué Jean-Louis Richard,
président honoraire du Groupement des producteurs autonomes
d’énergie hydraulique (GPAE). Mais Jean-François
Astolfi, directeur de la division production et ingénierie
hydraulique chez EDF, estime que peu d’ouvrages auraient
un retour sur investissement satisfaisant. «La première
priorité serait de s’intéresser à ce
qui existe déjà et de sécuriser ces installations-là»,
a-t-il confié. Un avis que partage Jean Wencker: «En
France, tous les sites qui ont un potentiel économique
sont déjà équipés. On ne pourra pas
faire plus que 4TWh».
Source : le Journal de l'Environnement du
23 janvier 2007 <http://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/fr/document/detail.asp?id=340&idThema=2&idSousThema=12&type=JDE&ctx=259>
16.01.07 : l'Algérie : plus de barrages et de dessalement
de l’eau
Algerien setzt auf Staudämme und Entsalzungsanlagen
Algeria : more dams and desalination
Algérie:
problème de pénurie en eau à partir de 2025
(JDF)
Selon plusieurs sources, le ministre algérien des ressources
en eau, Abdelmalek Sellal, a indiqué, samedi 13 janvier,
que la moyenne de consommation, actuellement de 600 mètres
cubes (m3) pourrait être réduite à 500 m3
en 2025, en raison de la pénurie et du réchauffement
climatique. Le ministre souhaite donc que son pays ait davantage
recours au dessalement de l’eau. «Nous sommes en phase
de réaliser 14 stations de dessalement sur tout le littoral
national», a déclaré le ministre rappelant
la réalisation de la station d’El Hamma qui sera opérationnelle
à partir d’octobre. Ces stations devraient produire
environ 1,2 million de m3 d’eau potable. Abdelmalek Sellal
a également annoncé qu’outre les 12 barrages
déjà en cours de réalisation, des études
sont entreprises pour 27 autres.
source: http://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/fr/document/detail.asp?id=297&idThema=2&idSousThema=10&type=JDE&ctx=259
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