The Stream, September 18: New Delhi’s Black Market for Water

India
Many residents in New Delhi, especially those living in unauthorized settlements and poorer neighborhoods, do not have access to a reliable source of piped drinking water despite the city’s adequate supply of water, The New York Times reported. This void in government service has created a profitable black market for companies that bring in water by tankers, which charge large sums of money for their services and are known in some areas as “tanker mafias”.

Australia’s Coal Seam Gas
Opponents of coal seam gas exploration are demanding more transparent water management plans from mining company Santos at its new wells in New South Wales, the Guardian reported. Though the state government approved the wells in Pilliga Forest in August, opponents say the plans for managing millions of liters of wastewater have changed several times without clarification.

U.S. Clean Water Act
A new rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aims to spell out exactly which streams and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act, including those that are small and have intermittent flows, The Washington Post reported. A report from the EPA found that such streams and wetlands still have importance for downstream resources.

Holy Water
Researchers in Austria found that sources of holy water at religious sites throughout the country are neither clean nor safe to drink, often containing harmful bacteria and nitrates, Reuters reported. The study recommended ways to improve the quality of drinking water at these sites.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek