Friday, January 6, 2012

Thematic digest on 'Water and Hazard', Issue 26 (6 January 2012)

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In this issue
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News from ICIMOD Regional Member Countries (RMCs)
Global News
Events
ICIMOD Relevant Publications
Opportunities
Featured Organisations
Resources

REGIONAL NEWS
1.       Clean Water Project cuts Afghan Medical Bills
04 Jan 2012
Medical bills for poor families in central Afghanistan are being cut as a result of Tearfund work to improve health standards.Illnesses, such as diarrhoea, are commonplace among people living in the Parwan District who mostly rely on streams as their source of drinking water.
2.       Developed World Failing on Climate Funds Pledge, Says Bangladeshi Minister
04 Jan 2012
Efforts by developed countries to redistribute promised funds to help poorer parts of the world avoid environmental disasters have been described as "dismal" by the foreign minister of Bangladesh.A total of $30bn has been promised by the end of this year but, after three years of delays in channelling promised money, only $2.4bn has been made available.
3.       Avalanche in Langtang Region
03 Jan 2012
4.       An avalanche coupled with heavy storm from Langtang Lirung Mountain has damaged around 50 houses in Langtang region in Rasuwa district. According to local, Pasang Dindruk Tamang the heavy avalanche and storm damaged the houses. Tamang added that two horses and two yaks were also killed.
5.       Taplejung Hit Hard by Hailstorm, Cold
02 Jan 2012
The hailstorm followed by heavy rain and growing cold in the mountainous area of Taplejuing district has hit hard normal life in more than a dozen VDCs here.
6.       In Himalayas, Assessing climate Threats to Ice, and Water Supply
03 Jan 2012
In many ways, the tiny, landlocked eastern Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan sits apart from the modern world; its rugged landscapes cradle swift-flowing rivers, expansive old-growth forests and hundreds of glaciers.

GLOBAL NEWS
1.       Seven Killed and 53 Municipalities in Emergency Rain in Southeastern Brazil
04 Jan 2012
Seven dead, one missing and 53 municipalities in emergency stop rains of recent days in southeastern Brazil, according to a new balance of relief agencies reported Tuesday.
2.       A Deadly Disease Outbreak in Mindanao Underlines Vulnerability of Typhoon-affected
04 Jan 2012
An outbreak of the deadly bacteria Leptospirosis has highlighted the dramatic and ongoing needs of the tens of thousands of people in northern Mindanao (Philippines) who were displaced and affected by Typhoon Washi.
3.       World Bank Releases $500 mln for Philippine Flood
29 Dec 2011
The World Bank said late Thursday it released $500 million to help the Philippine government's recovery and reconstruction efforts after Tropical Storm Washi tore through the country, killing more than 1,200 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
4.       Japan's Tsunami Refugees Brace for Harsh Winter
29 Dec 2011
Swirling snow and driving winds will add to the misery of tsunami survivors in a region where the temperature frequently dips below freezing through December, January and February. Many lost their homes when the monster waves of March 11 swept ashore, killing 20,000 people and grinding whole neighborhoods into matchwood.
5.       Deepwater Horizon Report Highlights Unaddressed Risks of Ocean Oil Drilling
15 Dec 2011
The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council issued a report Wednesday on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The report contained a series of recommendations and said the oil industry and government have been too focused solely on oil drilling, with inadequate attention to safety.
6.       UNESCO-IHE Continues to Support Thailand in Mitigating the Flood Crisis
01 Dec 2011
The recent flooding that occurred last October and November in Thailand was estimated to be one of the worst floods in decades. Thus, the Thai government together with the UNESCO Bangkok office organized a foreign expert mission to assess flood impacts in the Ayutthaya/Bangkok region. Zoran Vojinovic, PhD, from UNESCO-IHE was invited to join the group of foreign experts for a post-flood facts finding mission at the end of November.
7.       Rotary and UNESCO-IHE Join Forces to Educate Water Professionals
29 Nov 2011
The global humanitarian organization Rotary and the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education are teaming up to tackle the world's water and sanitation crisis by increasing the ranks of trained professionals critically needed to devise, plan, and implement solutions in developing countries that bear the brunt of the problem.

EVENTS
1.       Water Management in Europe
22 Feb 2012 - 23 Feb 2012, Lille, France
The objectives of the meeting will be to explore the key challenges facing European countries today. The conference will: consider and discuss the main issues around water management in Europe, provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to share their views and knowledge, support future policy development in the sector, highlight and share examples of best practice, provide delegates with the opportunity to network with other professionals in the sector.
2.       The 6th World Water Forum
12 Mar 2012 - 17 Mar 2012, Parc Chanot - Palais des Congrès et des Expositions de Marseille, France
Call for Contribution and participation; The goal of the 6th World Water Forum is to tackle the challenges the world is facing and to bring water high on all political agendas. The Forum is open to all who want to contribute and participate in the resolution of global water challenges!
3.       IWA Regional Conference on Wastewater Purification and Reuse
28 Mar 2012 - 30 Mar 2012, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Aim of the Wastewater Purification and Reuse Regional Conference, is to gather, under one roof, all of you that your research, your business or your daily activity, is related to the purification of the wastewater and its reuse, irrelevant where that takes place and for what purpose. We believe that through the presentation and discussion of technical and scientific achievements, as well as the exchange of experiences that each of you will bring along, we will be able to increase the water reuse parameter as a tool and reduce the wastewater parameter as a threat.
4.       Africa Water Science, Policy and Management Conference
23 Apr 2012 - 27 Apr 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
5.       Call for Abstracts; In the framework of UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP) in Africa, the 'Water Sciences for Sound Africa Water Policies and Governance in a Changing Environment' event will be held jointly with the 4th regional meeting of Sub-Saharan Africa IHP National Committees. The main themes of the conference are: - Hydro-hazards, hydrological extremes and water-related disaster - Global changes and water resources - Water resources in arid and semi-arid areas - River basins management - Water quality challenges - Groundwater resources in a changing environment - Transboundary waters and water cooperation.
6.       International Conference on Freshwater Governance for Sustainable Development
05 Nov 2011 - 07 Nov 2011, Drakensberg, South Africa
This conference is hosted by a large number of local, regional and international partners. It is aimed to share new knowledge on the topic of sustainable fresh water governance through written papers and posters as well as to allow for multi-stakeholder panel discussions mainly between researchers and policy makers as well as civil society. It will further support the hosting of special sessions, side events/workshops on related topics, moot courts role playing, knowledge café and other activities.

THEMATIC DIGEST – RECENT PAST ISSUES

RELEVANT ICIMOD PUBLICATIONS
1.       Natural Hazards
2.       Risk Engineering

OPPORTUNITIES

FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS

RELATED RESOURCES

P.S:  The information provided in this thematic digest is collated from various discussion lists and is based on web research. The inclusion of information from sources outside ICIMOD does not imply endorsement of the content or of any products or services mentioned therein by ICIMOD/APMN.


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