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Sustainable Water Conservation

<ul><li>The central government is set to launch <keyword id="7815662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jal-Shakti-Abhiyan">Jal Shakti Abhiyan</keyword> to fight water crisis problems in the country. </li><li>The campaign will work out measures for <keyword id="6354898" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rainwater-harvesting">rainwater harvesting</keyword> and <keyword id="6362691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-conservation">water conservation</keyword> efforts in 255 districts from July 1 to September 15, in its first phase and would be coordinated by central government IAS officers as decisions relating to water is a state issue. </li><li>The second phase will run from October 1 to November 30 in states that receive rains from the north-east monsoon. </li><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 22, wrote letters to village panchayat heads and urged them to undertake rainwater harvesting and water conservation efforts in rural India. </li></ul>The new finance minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the Union Budget for 2019-20 in the Parliament on July 5. Just days before, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone for the big announcement likely on Friday by initiating the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’, a project to conserve water through rainwater harvesting and other efforts to save water. Amid the high temperatures and severe water crisis, the country is going through, it would be among government’s main agenda to tackle the rapidly increasing water issues throughout the country, The major cities of India like Chennai and Bengaluru were recently in the news due to severe water crisis. The story of rural India is more frightening where 80% of rural homes does not have piped water supply. Only 18% of 17.9 million rural homes have tap water. The central government in efforts to deal with water related issues had merged the water resources and drinking water and sanitation ministries and formed the Jal Shakti Ministry. The new ministry, which has the decision making power over all international and interstate water disputes, the Clean Ganga project, and making drinking water accessible, will be hopeful of a handsome budget to deal with the The government is also set to launch the Jal Shakti Abhiyan to workout measures for rainwater harvesting and water conservation from July 1 in a phased manner, under the supervision of central government IAS officers of Joint or Additional Secretary-level in 255 districts. It seeks to work out measures for rainwater harvesting and water conservation efforts in 255 districts of the country starting July 1, 2019. The campaign is planned in a phased manner, where the first phase starts on July 1 and would run till September 15 in states receiving rainfall during the south-west monsoon, and would be coordinated by the IAS officers of Joint or Additional Secretary-rank from the 255 districts. The next phase will kickstart from October 1 and run till November 30 and will cover states that receive rainfall during the north-east monsoon. As water is not central government issue and state governments are free to decide upon policies for usage and water conservation, the officers will be drawn from various ministries of Government of India, including the Department of Space, Petroleum and Defence, <a href="https://dopt.gov.in/sites/default/files/31-16-2019-EOMM-I.pdf">according to the Department of Personnel and Training</a>. Prior to the launch of the campaign, high level teams were constituted in the 255 districts, and engineers and technical staff was designated in 1,539 blocks across the country to measure ground water levels, the state of aquifers, and ponds and water bodies under encroachment. India’s population is 17.74% of the total world population, whereas the water resources account for a mere 4%. This combined with ever increasing demand and depleting water sources due to encroachment, contamination and reduced rainfall, puts India in a grave situation. “As of today, India only conserves 8% of all rainfall, which is among the lowest in the world,” <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/under-jal-shakti-scheme-centre-to-focus-on-replenishing-water-bodies/story-heKzqsW0IzPfY0lwi9OjxI.html">a senior Jal Shakti official said</a>.”we need to change this.” In line with Gram Swaraj Abhiyan The Jal Shakti Abhiyan is in line with last year’s Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, where central government officials monitored the implementation of seven flagship development schemes in 117 districts across the country. To further achieve its target, the ministry will draft block and district level water conservation plans and the Kisan Vigyan Kendras would organise fests to promote better crop choices and more efficient usage of water for irrigation. To spread awareness about the campaign, major communications campaign on TV, radio, social media would be carried out, for which celebrities will also be roped in. The prime minister, on June 22, wrote letters to all village panchayat heads, and urged them to undertake rainwater harvesting and water conservation activities in rural India, <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=190639">as per PIB release</a>. “In the last four years, nearly 50,000 villages have used MGNREGA [rural income guarantee act] and other state funds to successfully conserve rain water in a big way,” rural development secretary <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/under-jal-shakti-scheme-centre-to-focus-on-replenishing-water-bodies/story-heKzqsW0IzPfY0lwi9OjxI.html">Amarjeet Sinha was quoted saying</a>. The government is also likely to announce a national water conservation policy along with a conservation programme for the 226 highly water stressed districts of the country, an official said. Plans with the MPs to prioritise water storage works under their local area development fund are also underway. “Any national policy on water has to pivot around ground water because “ground water is India’s water lifeline”. Secondly, he said there is a complete policy vacuum on the urban water sector and India urgently needs a programme to regulate its urban-water footprint,” said Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.

Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget on Friday may push for water conservation

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-water-stressed-countries-in-the-world-2019-8">Two-thirds of the world's population</a> faces an extreme <keyword id="15300" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Water">water</keyword> shortage at least one month a year. Many of these places are dry, arid deserts with no reliable source of fresh water — other than fog, that is. </li><li>But <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-fog-collectors-net-scarce-water-in-kenya-but-face-a-cloudy-future-2016-2">fog capture</a> isn't as easy as you might think, at least for us humans. </li><li>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-working-to-develop-a-device-harvest-water-from-air-2018-8">Namib Desert beetle</a>, on the other hand, has practically perfected the art. </li><li>Here's how scientists are creating <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> based on the beetle's exoskeleton that could help end <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/water-crises-charts-2016-10">water scarcity</a>.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>: Narrator: Here's a riddle for you, a man is standing in the desert. He's thirsty, parched, and surrounded by fresh water but he can't drink. Why? He's surrounded by fog. This isn't actually a riddle, it's a real problem scientists have been trying to solve for years. And the solution might just be this little beetle. It might not look like much, but it can pull water out of thin air.Two-thirds of people on Earth face an extreme water shortage at least one month a year. Half a billion don't have enough water year-round. And these numbers are only expected to rise as climate change takes its toll. But what many of these regions lack in traditional water sources, they make up for in fog, like the Namib Desert. It's one of the oldest and driest places in the world. Depending on how far you are from the coast, rainfall averages about a half-inch to two inches per year. But it's what we would consider a fog desert, a place where fog is the main water source for plant and animal life, like the Namib Desert beetle.At first glance, this group of beetles would seem to be really bad at capturing fog. It's tiny, it's round, and our current fog-collecting technology looks nothing like it. Fog meshes right now are based on leaves and blades of grass, and their efficacy is determined by this complicated formula. Where these two basically confirm that fast winds, big droplets, and slender targets across a large area are the best conditions for collecting. And this one represents the mesh's ability to drain the collected droplets into a reservoir without clogging.So, based on the formula, the Namib Desert beetle shouldn't be able to do what it does. Since, you know, beetles aren't made of mesh. And yet, when fog rolls in, the beetle climbs to the top of a dune and fog basks, leaning down and into the wind. Water droplets collect on its back and roll down to its mouth. As simple as that sounds, it's very literally like trying to catch a cloud and pin it down.Hunter King: If you wave your fingers through mist, you don't see just a path where your fingers were and all the water collected. It just flows with the air, right through them.Narrator: But the beetle manages to do what we cannot. The secret is in its exoskeleton. And it's very much a secret.King: We are far away from that still, or we're getting closer.Narrator: A lot of research has been done on how the water moves to the beetle's mouth, but almost none has covered how the droplets get there in the first place. Hunter King and his team tried to find the answer but hit an unexpected bump in the road. The original beetle that scientists started researching first had exactly that, bumps on its exoskeleton. And those bumps were theorized to have an impact on the efficiency of fog collection. But...King: It turns out the beetle that has the bumps is not one of the fog-basking beetles.Narrator: King and his team decided to move forward with their experiment anyways. In the lab, they 3D-printed spheres and cylinders with various surface textures, smooth, ridged, and bumpy. They then put the spheres in a foggy wind tunnel. Turns out the sphere with one millimeter bumps captured fog 2.5 times better than the smooth sphere.King: If you add ridges that are maybe a little bit like the beetle that we found is the fog basker, you go up to something like a factor of two, so it's still not small.Narrator: Further research in partnership with computational fluid dynamics experts at the University of Illinois, zoomed in even closer. They developed a computer model that tested droplets' ability to bump into a surface. Tiny water droplets have very little inertia, and have to squeeze a film of air out of the way before making contact. The model found that the less squeezing droplets have to do, the more that bump into the surface, which is what you should get with rougher textures. These tiny details are important for harnessing and recreating these properties into a usable technology.King: If we understand the beetle's game, then we can play it differently towards greater effect.Narrator: Even a slight increase in efficacy could improve the lives of people who rely on current fog capture tech. And we're not just talking drinking water here, fog capture can open agricultural doors, allowing people to raise more crops and livestock. Identifying these properties is one thing. But once scientists are able to harness them, engineers should be able to design all sorts of fog collectors. Stand-alone fog-collecting structures, for sure. But they could also use the material to coat existing objects to turn anything into a fog collector.King: There have been proposals about modifying tents, say for refugee camps, if we were to say that these tents are going to be in a place where there is enough wind-driven fog, then you could make bumps on the surface of it.Narrator: Both King's semi-accidental bump discovery and the still-unknown qualities of the actual fog-basking beetle could help solve the riddle, giving that man in the desert a better way to drink. And, potentially, ending water scarcity for good.

How this tiny beetle could help solve our water crisis

<keyword id="3179546" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adani-Green-Energy" source="Orion">Adani Green Energy</keyword> Ltd (<keyword id="4621631" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="agel" source="Orion">AGEL</keyword>) on Wednesday said it has received recognition for conserving water against consumption. "AGEL has been certified Water Positive by DNV, an independent global assurance agency. The verification statement signifies that AGEL's <keyword id="6362691" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-conservation" source="Orion">water conservation</keyword> is greater than consumption," a company statement said. DNV conducted a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the water balance index for AGEL's operational sites having greater than 200 MW capacity in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. As per the assessment, the water balance index is 1.12 (positive), surpassing its target to become net water neutral by FY25, way ahead of time. The verification process entailed sample-based checks and the methodology, measurement techniques, estimation methods, assumptions and uncertainties involved in the process of water accounting as adopted by AGEL. AGEL has recorded a 99.5 per cent lower freshwater consumption per unit of generation as against the 3.5 KL/MWh statutory limit for thermal power in FY23. Adani <keyword id="5367310" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="green-energy-limited" source="Orion">Green Energy Limited</keyword> is the renewable energy platform of <keyword id="13943014" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="adani-portfolio" source="Orion">Adani Portfolio</keyword>. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/siraj-reported-corrupt-approach-to-bcci-acu-before-australia-tour-bcci-source/articleshow/99607664.cms">Siraj reported corrupt approach to BCCI ACU before Australia tour: BCCI source</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/taking-a-bite-out-of-apples-secrets-mind-blowing-facts-you-might-not-know/slidelist/99608695.cms">Taking a bite out of Apple's secrets: Mind-blowing facts you might not know</a>

Adani Green Energy gets certification from DNV for water conservation

<ul><li>Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> took to Twitter to say that rainwater harvesting will be mandatory for all government offices in Delhi. </li><li>The government is also testing natural water storage in the Yamuna river floodplains.</li><li>The central government had recently launched an initiative on the lines of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan called <keyword id="7815662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jal-Shakti-Abhiyan">Jal Shakti Abhiyan</keyword>.</li></ul>Delhi government is taking steps towards <keyword id="6362691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-conservation">water conservation</keyword>. The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to announce multiple pilot projects for water conservation. One of them is to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all government offices in the national capital. Kejriwal said that head of departments have been “directed to install systems in buildings which don't have it and existing systems to be cleaned and kept ready before monsoons”. Not just that, as the monsoon is expected to come in, the government also wants to test natural water storage in the Yamuna river floodplains. The central government recently launched an initiative called Jal Shakti Abhiyan' - a campaign for water conservation and water security, in the wake of an acute water crisis in the country. The delayed monsoon is expected to hit Delhi between July 3-5 and these water conservation projects seem to be the need of the hour. According to an IANS report, about 24 states in the country have received deficient rainfall in June with 250 districts across India reeling under severe water crisis.

In the wake of a national water crisis, Delhi government makes rainwater harvesting mandatory for all government offices

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Las Vegas is trying to balance economic growth and water conservation.</li><li>The city is evaluating how much water a new businesses will use before green lighting them. </li><li>Conserving water helps sustain the Colorado River, which is at historically low levels.</li></ul>Las Vegas isn't just a hot spot for revelers.Thousands of businesses, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmc.edu/news/press-releases/new-survey-finds-doing-business-southern-california-remains-costly">particularly from California</a>, have moved to the region over the past few decades, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.unlv.edu/news/release/staying-track-unlvs-population-forecast-continues-predict-1m-more-residents-southern">the population is booming</a> alongside other Southwestern cities.All of that growth in a region plagued by extreme heat, drought, and a dwindling water supply raises tough questions for city and state officials who want to spur economic growth without draining the Colorado River dry. In one example of that challenge, Arizona's governor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-limits-development-phoenix-houses-homebuilding-water-shortage-katie-hobbs-2023-6">in June halted construction</a> in areas around Phoenix, citing a lack of groundwater.Yet officials in greater Las Vegas told Insider their city is well positioned for growth thanks to decades of water-conservation measures — the latest of which involves a new tool that evaluates the water use of companies interested in moving to the region or expanding operations."We realized that water didn't have a seat at the table when economic-development decisions were being made," Dave Johnson, the deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told Insider. "We needed to change that."The tool was recently applied to Juanita's Foods, a California company known for its canned menudo and other Mexican soups and sauces. The producer plans to move to northern Las Vegas and <a target="_blank" href="https://goed.nv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/7-B.-Juanitas-Foods-Board-Packet-1.pdf">requested $2.28 million in tax incentives</a> from the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development.Johnson said that, initially, the water authority didn't recommend Juanita's Foods because the company would use too much water. While 99% of indoor water in southern Nevada is recycled, an operation like Juanita's Foods also uses water that can't be reclaimed — known as consumptive water — including during the canning and pasteurization process and for the building's cooling systems.As a result of that recommendation, Juanita's Foods agreed to look for more water-efficient technologies, such as steam capturing, Johnson said. On Tuesday, <a target="_blank" href="https://goed.nv.gov/abated-companies-will-invest-274-million-and-generate-115-million-in-tax-revenue/">Juanita's Foods won the tax abatement</a>."This is the first time there's been a conversation with a company about the need to reduce water consumption," Tina Quigley, the president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance that promotes business growth in the region, told Insider.The water-investment tool works like this: First, the Southern Nevada Water Authority analyzes how much consumptive water a new or expanding company would use. That determines whether a project gets recommended, not recommended, or falls somewhere in between. If it's in the last category, a project's water score is adjusted by other factors, including job creation, average pay, tax revenue, and other social benefits. That way, local and state officials have a balanced view of the pros and cons."The tool gives us the opportunity to talk with companies from a water perspective extremely early in the process," Johnson said. "If their score isn't the greatest, we can talk about project design."Both Johnson and Quigley said the tool won't eliminate entire industries. Even data centers, which often use vast amounts of water, can invest in technology to reduce consumption, for example.Johnson said the next steps include making sure officials in every city in greater Las Vegas are using the tool in the same way."We don't know of any other entity anywhere that has put together something like this," Johnson said. "We believe that this tool is novel."The water-investment tool builds on a long list of conservation measures in Las Vegas. The city has mainly focused on water used outdoors, because unlike indoor water, it can't be restored to Lake Mead — a reservoir on the Colorado River that serves 90% of southern Nevada.Las Vegas has <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-lakes-colorado-river-c2a2bd6c9ef7f540e45269171263668c">limited the size of swimming pools</a> at single-family homes, ripped out thousands of acres of turf from lawns, sports fields, roadway medians, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/2021-legislature/nonfunctional-grass-to-be-banned-in-las-vegas-valley-2372927/">ordered the removal</a> of any existing grass by 2026.Yet the city's efforts will only go so far to sustain the Colorado River, which also supplies California and Arizona. Nevada has the smallest water allocation among the three states.In order to temporarily stave off a water crisis in the region, Nevada, Arizona, and California <a target="_blank" href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-historic-consensus-system-conservation-proposal">in May agreed take significantly less water</a> from the river through 2026 in exchange for about $1.2 billion from the federal government. The deal buys time for states to find a longer-time fix.

Las Vegas is asking companies that want to move or expand there to show how much water they plan to use

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="2379" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="California">California</keyword> Gov. <keyword id="173696" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Gavin-Newsom">Gavin Newsom</keyword> asked residents of the Golden State Thursday to cut their water use by 15%.</li><li>The move comes as <keyword id="46472" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="drought">drought</keyword> conditions intensify across the western US.</li><li>The state is encouraging locals to "do common sense things" like reducing the amount of time spent in the shower, Newsom said.</li></ul>California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked residents of the Golden State Thursday to cut their water use by 15% as drought conditions intensify across the western US. The Democratic governor signed an executive order to "encourage" voluntary water conservation efforts across the state. "I want to underscore voluntary water conservation," Newsom said at a press briefing. "We are hopeful that people will take that mindset brought into the last drought and extend that forward with a 15% voluntary reduction not only on residents, but industrial, commercial operations and agricultural operations."Newsom explained that the state is encouraging locals to "do common sense things" like reducing the amount of time spent in the shower and doing laundry and running a dishwasher only when there is a full load. "I'm not here as a nanny-state. I'm not trying to be oppressive," he said. "These are voluntary standards."Additionally, Newsom added nine counties to an emergency drought proclamation, which now includes 50 of the state's 58 counties.

CA Gov. Gavin Newsom asks California residents to cut water use by 15% as drought ravages the state

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Biden administration is paying Colorado River farmers and ranchers to let their fields run dry.</li><li>Agricultural producers need better pay to make this worth their while.</li></ul>Troy Waters is a fifth-generation farmer in Grand Valley, Colorado. With a new water conservation program funded by the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-epa-reverses-trump-era-showerhead-water-efficiency-standards-2021-12">Biden</a> administration, he fears his way of life will turn to dust and blow away in the wind like dried-out topsoil.That's because the federal government wants to conserve water in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-fueled-droughts-unearthing-unexpected-discoveries-2022-7">drought-ravaged Colorado River</a> by giving farmers and ranchers cash to let their fields lie fallow, but the interstate agency running the program isn't offering these producers enough money to quit farming voluntarily, Waters said."They're talking system conservation, and I'm afraid that's the first step to what I would call 'buy and dry,'" he said, referring to a fear that the federal government would buy up the land for pennies on the dollar and dry it out for good. "And there goes, you know, generations and generations of family farms like ours."Stuck between needing to conserve water and not go broke, Waters said, "Gosh damn, independent farmers now are having to start thinking politically."Water conservation is a major political issue in the American West. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-effects-adapt-or-die-un-ipcc-report-2022-3">Climate change</a> has made the Colorado River the dryest it's been in more than a <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=2ddd7e6b86725b6cf068b7cbb551cd7804629b9e8ebf201b5ab0f302c287991c&amp;postID=640b64f571518a24610d1c6a&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41558-022-01290-z.epdf%3Fsharing_token%3DbnWaAo32F9yvdiwaxxhlV9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OkweMbawmVFM1UCLmLxuyBpGKtFJa1_BxzJ7UFQSQZ6Emv9HL6pPShd4a3-3wO3LD9oaV6S5ENjO429qQVjjCMtKbY32gFCcenz4I68d_9s470cKB61XvVL09PBRG_HtcPMMhRJRhFxHizy2c1VGYbyJZ3bTU5V4wGcIGrS3GPQEsTzOjujBtuFOhFtwxkTug%3D%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate%26utm_source%3Dcommission_junction%26utm_campaign%3DCONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK%26utm_content%3Dtextlink%26utm_term%3DPID100024933%26CJEVENT%3D9a0685dec41e11ed830300c00a82b824" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thousand years</a>. Chronic overuse has depleted the reservoirs that sprawling cities like Los Angeles and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-west-is-drying-up-2014-2">Las Vegas</a> depend on. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-workers-moving-to-zoomtowns-southwest-cities-drought-no-water-2022-10">Remote workers</a> moving to the Southwest have made the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-declares-first-colorado-river-shortage-arizona-nevada-water-cuts-2021-8">water shortage</a> worse.To cut back, the Biden administration has allocated <a href="http://www.ucrcommission.com/system-conservation-pilot-program-for-2023/?utm_source=longmontleader&amp;utm_campaign=longmontleader%3A%20outbound&amp;utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$125 million</a> to pay farmers in the Upper Basin states not to farm — a small portion of the <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-new-steps-drought-mitigation-funding-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$4 billion</a> efforts to conserve the river's water. Knowing they have to do something, Grand Valley farmers and ranchers want better compensation to make fallowing worth their while.<h2>Not enough pay to quit farming</h2>In 2022, the federal Bureau of Reclamation told the seven states in the Colorado River basin to <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11982/5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut their water use</a> by up to nearly a third of the river's flows, noting it was prepared to act unilaterally if they failed to make voluntary commitments, according to the Congressional Research Service.With those federal dollars, the Upper Basin states of Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado quickly put together a <a href="http://www.ucrcommission.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SCPP-for-2023-Notice-of-Pre-Solicitation-Request-for-Proposals-Dec-13-2022.pdf">pilot program</a> that would pay farmers and ranchers $150 per acre-foot of water, or 326,000 gallons, that they didn't use. Applications to participate closed March 1 and are now under review."There ain't nobody in this valley that's gonna stop farming for $150 an acre-foot," Waters said. "I think they put out that program hoping nobody would really participate."The offer translates to just under $400 for every fallowed acre of land in Grand Valley, but Waters said farmers can yield $450 per acre from their crops in an average year, so offering anything less would be low-balling them. Plus, fallowing is a multi-year loss. Waters, who participated in the previous program that lasted between 2015 and 2018, said it took at least three years and twice as much water to get his fields back to yielding the same crop as before."$400 an acre would break every farmer in this valley," he said, so the Grand Valley Water Users Association, the local water management organization of which Waters is a member, countered the interstate program with a fallow price around $1,300 per acre, he said, offering 1,000 of Grand Valley's 24,000 acres up for water conservation. "I still think that price is too cheap," Waters said, "but it's better than the alternative."<h2>Appeasing the feds</h2>Interstate conflict may explain why the Upper Basin states cheaped out on their program despite the infusion of federal dollars. California <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-western-states-disagree-colorado-river-cuts-proposal-borrowed-water-2023-2">refused</a> to join the six other states in their plan to cut water use and <a href="http://crb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/California-SEIS-Submittal-Package_230131.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> its own with larger cuts to its Lower Basin neighbors, Arizona and Nevada, instead. That would mean more water for California, the largest water user with some of the most senior water rights.Though the the Department of Interior wants the states to reach a consensus, "we are committed to taking prompt and decisive action necessary to protect the Colorado River System and all those who depend on it," Secretary Deb Haaland warned in an October 2022 press release.The Upper Basin states made the program to show the federal government "we're trying to do our part to save the river, but look at California, they're not wanting to do shit," Waters said. The longer this Western standoff goes on, the more likely the federal government will step in, and the more Waters fears for his ancestral way of life.His great-great-grandparents on his mother's side moved to the Grand Valley around 1905, and his father bought their farm when he married Waters' mother. Today, Waters and his adult son farm 600 acres of alfalfa seed, which eventually ends up feeding cattle, and winter wheat for human consumption."Last wheat harvest I had three combines running in the field and had a grandkid riding in each combine," he said."Agriculture, it's a way of life," Waters explained. "We do it because that's what we enjoy and we're our own boss." Farming allowed Waters to coach his son's Little League team and volunteer in his kids' school, making up for lost time working after dark. He doesn't expect to get rich even though he works "most times seven days a week, 24 hours a day."Waters worries making voluntary fallowing more attractive can make farmers and ranchers more dependent on Uncle Sam, possibly hastening the desire to sell their land. "You're turning it back to desert ground," he emphasized.Nonetheless, Grand Valley applied for the better price to protect farmers and ranchers."Instead of just thumbing our nose and saying we're not interested" in water conservation, Waters said the board's strategy was "to put in something that at least would keep agricultural producers in business" if the voluntary program became a federal mandate to fallow. At this better price they received enough applications from agricultural producers to cover the thousand acres Grand Valley offered, he said.Ironically, to preserve their way of life, farmers and ranchers made it easier to quit farming.Are you a farmer, rancher, or resident of the Colorado River basin concerned about water conservation? Tell your story to this reporter at <a href="mailto:edodd@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edodd@insider.com</a>.

The Biden administration is offering to pay Colorado River farmers to let fields go dry during a devastating drought. They're worried it's just the first step in losing their way of life.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Buoy</div></div></div><ul><li>Buoy bills itself as the "Nest for water:" a $799 smart home device that hooks up to your plumbing and sends data to your smartphone.</li><li>From the app, you can check out exactly how much water each of your home appliances uses, be alerted to leaks, and remotely shut off your home's emergency valve.</li><li>Buoy is hoping to provide a solution to the rising water costs in the US.</li></ul>If you've ever been curious about your home's water usage or attempted to find practical ways to curb water costs, then you're in luck: a new smart home device is here to help if you're willing to pay, and it's hitting the market today. Buoy is a $799 app-supported device that connects to your home's plumbing and sends information about each appliance's water use to your smartphone. From the app you can review detailed feedback about water usage, stay up-to-date on any leaks, make an emergency call to a plumber, and, in the event of an especially bad leak, shut off your home's emergency valve remotely.Buoy's team is billing the device as the "Nest for water." It's a clever comparison - after all, it was only three years ago that the creators of the smart home learning thermostat, Nest Labs, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-buying-nest-for-35-billion-2014-1">was acquired by Google for $3.2 billion</a>. The device was dreamed up by MIT engineer Keri Waters, who started thinking about practical ways to conserve water in 2014 during the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-california-drought-fifth-year-2016-4">devastating drought</a> in Santa Cruz, California. When the state of California <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/10/15/356302486/santa-cruz-responds-to-california-s-drought-with-stringent-restrictions">issued an emergency order to conserve</a> water, Waters realized she didn't know which appliances in her home used the most water and didn't have a practical method for conserving her water use.While California is still recovering from the drought, the US continues to grapple with water problems; <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0169488">a 2017 study by Michigan State University</a> suggests that water costs for homeowners will only continue to rise, and estimates that within the next five years, as many as one in three homes will be unable to afford their monthly water bill.Waters is betting that homeowners will look to tackle their water conservation problems with a new device, and the company is teaming up with a major insurance provider in an effort to help homeowners save on water costs.But at $799 out of the box, Buoy is a pricey appliance. Waters estimates that the device will pay for itself in as little as a year by providing homeowners insight into the way they use water and pinpointing costly leaks - but we'll have to wait a bit until there's some cost-savings analysis from consumers to dig into the real-world savings. In the meantime, budget-conscious consumers or those looking to save on their water bill will have to weigh buying a $799 device with the promise of more data on how their home works and Buoy's estimates on what the device will save them in the long run.<div>For now, the device is only available to buy <a href="http://www.buoy.ai/">on Buoy's website</a>, but the team plans on entering retailers sometime next year.</div>Check out how Buoy works below:

This 'Nest for water' startup wants you to pay $799 now to help cut down on future water bills

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The market for bonds financing water conservation projects is approaching a "tipping point."</li><li>The market is small, just about $5 billion, but it's seeing more enthusiasm than the early green bond market. </li></ul>Blue is the next green for sustainable finance. Blue bonds — debt that allows investors to finance water conservation efforts — are gaining traction."I would liken the blue bond market today to where the green bond market was 10 to 15 years ago," Matt Lawton, a portfolio manager from T Rowe Price, told Business Insider. Today, the green bond market is valued at around $2 trillion. Compared to that, the blue bond market is much smaller, just about $5 billion, but it's on the cusp of a big change, Lawton explained. He's seeing even more enthusiasm around the asset than he observed for green bonds when they were at the stage blue bonds are today.Lawton is part of the effort to launch the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-20/t-rowe-ifc-seek-investors-for-blue-emerging-market-bond-fund">first blue bond strategy</a>, and is seeking commitments from investors for a fund that will make investments in the space. "It's a very nascent market today," he explained. "So one is not able to go out and invest several billion into blue bonds because the market doesn't exist. So what we're endeavoring to do is actually build out the market ourselves."The firm has partnered with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. They've each committed to putting up to $75 million into the strategy and will be looking to raise another $350 million t0 $450 million from investors. The fund would target a return 3% to 6% over the US Treasuries yield curve."Blue is kind of at that tipping point where there's a lot more enthusiasm and engagement amongst capital market participants, investors, underwriters, issuers," Lawton said. "I think we're at this tipping point, whether it tips in '24 or '25 or '26, I have a high degree of confidence it's going to happen. I couldn't pinpoint the exact date, but it does feel like we're on the precipice," he added. <h3>The economic argument</h3>Blue bonds can finance anything from biodiversity and marine conservation to projects aimed at preventing overfishing to plastic pollution cleanup. But for all its climate and sustainability goals, there's a compelling economic reason investors would put their money into the bonds, Lawton explained."Take, for instance, water sanitation, a utility, right? Long-term contracts, high recurring cash flows, there's a pretty strong economic argument to be made for investing in those types of bonds."That's worth noting given the current backdrop for sustainable financing conversations. ESG investing has come under fire in the past year, driven by a wave of anti-woke sentiment. Climate-focused mutual funds <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/funds/climate-change-esg-investing-mutual-funds-interest-rates-anti-woke-2024-1">sales dropped by 75% in 2023.</a>But blue bonds seem to have sidestepped the vitriol, in part because it's a heavily under-invested theme (less than <a href="https://www.man.com/maninstitute/blue-bonds-sustainable-debt#:~:text=From%202018%20to%202022%2C%20there,of%20the%20sustainable%20debt%20market.">0.5% of the total sustainable debt market</a>), but also because of that financial appeal."For all the politicization of ESG, this is one of those few topics that we can all agree on," Lawton said.<h3>The origin of blue bonds</h3>One of the first blue bond programs was launched with the help of a non-profit organization called The Nature Conservancy to finance conservation efforts in Seychelles. The program used what's called a "debt-for-nature" swap, where a portion of a country's debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in conservation measures."I give The Nature Conservancy a lot of credit because they created a blue bond program a few years ago that I think really kicked up a lot of interest in the space," Preeti Bhattacharji, JPMorgan's head of sustainable investing, said.The organization is now one of the <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/an-audacious-plan-to-save-the-worlds-oceans/">best-known issuers</a> of blue bonds, Bhattacharji said.Lawton from T Rowe Price added that banks like the Asia Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea have <a href="https://www.kedglobal.com/banking-finance/newsView/ked202301060002">also issued blue bonds.</a> The funding method is actually gaining a lot of traction in the Asia-Pacific region given the region's dependence on marine resources, with issuance doubling to $1 billion since its debut in 2020, the South China Morning post <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3234882/blue-bonds-set-make-waves-new-financing-tool-ocean-friendly-projects-asia-pacific-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in September last year.And more institutions are jumping in. Last August, wind energy company Ørsted became <a href="https://orsted.com/en/media/news/2023/06/20230608684811" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first energy company to issue a blue bond</a>, worth 100 million euros and maturing in 2028. Mitsui O.S.K Lines, a Japanese shipping company, also announced in December <a href="https://www.ajot.com/news/mol-to-become-worlds-1st-shipping-company-to-issue-blue-bonds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 10 billion yen ($66 million) blue bond issuance.</a>While the buy-side enthusiasm is still limited to a relatively small pool of investors, Bhattacharji from JPMorgan said the market has a lot of potential to grow as sustainability becomes a priority for future generations."As younger people come into their wealth, come into their power, enter the space, start asking these questions, the pattern that I've seen — not specific to blue bonds, but across sustainability — is there's just growing, swelling interests across these subjects," she said. "And I don't see any reason blue bonds should be an exception to that."

Blue is the next green: Bonds financing water conservation projects are approaching a 'tipping point'

New Delhi, Dec 23 () Experts from water and sanitation sectors on Monday 
came up with multiple suggestions to address the challenges pertaining to water conservation, waste management, among others, during their meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Sitharaman, who would be presenting her second Budget of Modi: 2.0 in February, is holding pre-budget consultations with different stakeholders in the economy.
During the 9th Pre-Budget Consultation meeting, discussions were held on challenges faced in providing quality of water, sanitation, solid waste management and drainage in India, said an official release. 
Experts also talked about removing disparities in accessing sanitation and quality of water," said the released issued after the meeting. 
"Experts felt there is a need to scale up rural sanitation and hygiene besides providing sustainable solutions to water scarcity and health issues," it said. 
Some of the major suggestions given by them include community water management programme in urban areas, waste conservation, and maintenance of septic tank. 
The representatives apprised the Finance Minister of ground realities and gave many suggestions to tackle current challenges. 
Suggestions were related to areas decentralisation of waste management system; focus on waste conservation; a bottom's up approach for effective implementation of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme; demand side management for water allocation; focus on behaviour change communication; and region-specific differentiated best practices/model. 
 Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur, Chief Economic Advisor K V Subramanian, CBDT Chairman Chandra Mody and Niti Aayog member V K Paul also attended the meeting.
Besides, secretaries from various ministries were present at the meeting. 
Among the experts were: Arumugam Pillai Kalimuthu, Managing Trustee, WASH Institute; Bin Chacko, Manager, Government Relations, World Vision India; Jyoti Sharma, President, FORCE; Manoj Ramchandra Sable, CEO, JAAGAR Enterprises; and Shaonli Chakraborty, Swasti, (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene).
V K Madhavan, CEO, Water Aid India; Sajeev S Jha, Programme Manager, FICCI; and Chandrakant Lahariya, National Professional Officer (Health Care, Access and Protection) to represent WHO India and Nicolas Osbert, Chief Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Section, UNICEF, too were present. NKD MKJ

Pre-budget meeting with FM: Experts suggest steps to tackle roadblocks in sanitation, hygiene programmes

Union Water Resources Minister <keyword id="42642" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uma-Bharti">Uma Bharti</keyword> today promised to work pro-actively to cleanse the river <keyword id="6354936" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yamuna">Yamuna</keyword>. 
 
"I had a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and discussed cleaning of Yamuna river which is flowing through the national capital. A wing has been set up with DDA for the purpose. The officials of the wing will meet us ( Ministry of Water Resources) for sorting out issues concerned," she said. 
 Extending full cooperation to the Government of NCT Delhi in making Yamuna pollution free, she said that a meeting for this purpose would be held in a couple of days. The <keyword id="557073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="water-resources-ministry">Water Resources Ministry</keyword> had already constituted a separate committee for cleansing the river in Delhi. 
Bharti also announced that 2015-16 would be observed as the year of 'Water Conservation.’ 
 
"We have planned to announce 2015-16 as the year of water conservation... We are ready to interlink rivers keeping environment in mind and we can do it in 10 years," the minister said.

You Searched For "water conservation" and got 12 results

Sustainable Water Conservation

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The Biden administration is offering to pay Colorado River farmers to let fields go dry during a devastating drought. They're worried it's just the first step in losing their way of life.

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This 'Nest for water' startup wants you to pay $799 now to help cut down on future water bills

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Blue is the next green: Bonds financing water conservation projects are approaching a 'tipping point'

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Uma Bharti Promises To Work Pro-actively To Cleanse Yamuna

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