JHU Global Water Magazine

From developed to developing country: Water and war in Iraq

2013-05-31T16:16:15+00:00

In the American Journal of Public Health June 2013 issue, “The Maladies of Water and War: Addressing Poor Water Quality in Iraq” explores poor water quality, availability, and waterborne diseases throughout the 20th century in war-torn Iraq. To develop strategies on improving water in Iraq, scientifically relevant information was accrued and reviewed; these solutions may be used to improve water and reduce waterborne diseases in Iraq.

Tapped Out

2013-03-05T09:47:06+00:00

On July 30, seven states in Northern India went completely dark. A catastrophic power failure brought commerce and daily life to a complete halt. But that was not all. On a scorching hot summer day, the main water stations in New Delhi also shut down, leaving nearly 17 million people with dry taps.

Of horses and water: is anyone learning from evaluations of WASH programs?

2013-02-25T11:00:12+00:00

The WASH sector has struggled with the same failure issues for decades. Do we need a different way to learn and adapt?

Relationship between diarrhea risk and community-scale water treatment and refill kiosks

2013-02-08T14:17:13+00:00

In a study that was conducted by GWP researcher, Dr. Laura Sima, and coauthors at Yale University, Prof Menachem Elimelech, Prof Mayur Desai and Dr. Katie McCarty, this study investigates the association between diarrhea risk and community-scale water treatment and refill kiosks. We present data from a longitudinal study of 1,000 randomly selected low-income households in urban and peri-urban Jakarta. We monitored daily diarrhea status and water source for 1,000 children aged one to four years in Jakarta, Indonesia, for up to five months.

Dietary iron may flow from tubewells in rural Bangladesh

2012-12-18T20:14:40+00:00

In rural Bangladesh, tubewells, the most common source for domestic water, often provide water naturally containing minerals, including substantial amounts of iron in some areas. Recent research conducted at the JiVitA Project in rural north-west Bangladesh by researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that drinking iron-rich tubewell water can reduce the risk of iron deficiency by improving the body’s iron stores.

Using the water footprint as a tool for sustainable appropriation of freshwater resources

2012-11-20T11:00:47+00:00

Local production and consumption has global impact on freshwater resources. The water footprint is a powerful tool to evaluate the sustainability of production and consumption and to identify response strategies.

Smart clouds and dumb phones: water treatment monitoring in a resource-limited setting

2012-09-25T08:13:12+00:00

Geography and environmental engineering student Chris Kelley discusses the difficulties of monitoring water treatment in impoverished rural areas, as observed during a research trip to Honduras. A simple system for communication of water treatment data via SMS was designed to address these difficulties.

Understanding the Water Landscape in Rural Zimbabwe

2012-08-28T15:54:56+00:00

Zvitambo and the Global Water Program are working together to investigate associations between water point type, water quality, number of households served, and water infrastructure reliability using results from an extensive water source survey conducted in rural areas of two districts in Zimbabwe.

GDP Fetish, Irrigation Decline and Precarious Food Security in Contemporary China

2012-06-12T18:20:35+00:00

China's irrigation system has deteriorated gradually in the past three decades, plagued by a growing number of malfunctioning facilities and worsening water problems in rural areas. This article argues that the decline of irrigation in China is mainly derived from its marginal position in the Chinese economy, which has been oriented towards pursuing rapid GDP growth over the last three decades at the expense of irrigation and agriculture.

Are nanoparticles a threat to our drinking water?

2012-03-07T14:36:58+00:00

Engineered nanoparticles are an emerging contaminant class with potentially wide spread distribution in the aquatic environment. Our latest results indicate that these particles can persist in natural water bodies, and are not fully removed by drinking water treatment systems, thereby posing a potential public health concern.