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The <keyword id="20417468" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="department-of-drinking-water-and-sanitation" source="keywords">Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation</keyword> has received a budgetary allocation of Rs 77,390.68 crores for the fiscal year 2024-2025. This figure reflects a minimal increase of only 0.5 per cent from the revised estimate of Rs 77,032.65 crore announced in budget 2023-2024. A substantial portion of this financial year's allotment for the <keyword id="22519676" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="drinking-water-and-sanitation" source="keywords">Drinking Water and Sanitation</keyword> department is directed towards the <keyword id="19971121" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jal-jeevan-mission" source="keywords">Jal Jeevan Mission</keyword> (JJM), which received Rs 69,926.65 crore, a marginal rise from the revised estimate of Rs 69,846.31 crore in 2023-2024. This flagship programme aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024, focusing on ensuring regular and adequate <keyword id="19939560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-supply" source="keywords">water supply</keyword>. Additionally, the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) has been allocated Rs 95 crore, a huge rise from the Rs 3 crore it got in the last revised estimate. The <keyword id="20200832" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="swachh-bharat-mission" source="keywords">Swachh Bharat Mission</keyword> (Gramin), which focuses on maintaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and enhancing waste management in rural areas, has been allocated Rs 7,192 crore. This allocation remains consistent with the budget for the previous fiscal year and continues to support <keyword id="22519675" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanitation-efforts" source="keywords">sanitation efforts</keyword> nationwide. The budget also includes significant funding for water supply and sanitation at Rs 64,302.85 crore, an increase from the previous year's Rs 64,138.41 crore. For economic services, the budget includes Rs 35.78 crore for the Secretariat and capital outlay on general economic services. This is an increase from Rs 32.65 crore in the revised budget, indicating a focus on enhancing administrative and infrastructural capacities. Additional allocations include Rs 7,632.19 crore for Northeast India, aimed at improving water and sanitation facilities in these regions. Grants-in-aid to state governments have been set at Rs 5,169.86 crore, while grants to Union Territories are allocated at Rs 250 crore.

Budget 2024-25: Drinking water and sanitation dept gets a mere 0.5% boost

The government on Tuesday proposed a <keyword id="20789519" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="transit-oriented-development" source="keywords">transit-oriented development</keyword> plan for 14 large cities with a population of over 30 lakh in its budget for 2024-25 and said it will formulate a framework for the creative redevelopment of cities. Presenting the Budget in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> underscored that the Union government will work with states to facilitate the development of cities as "growth hubs". "This will be achieved through economic and transit planning, and orderly development of peri-urban areas utilising <keyword id="22517779" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="town-planning-schemes" source="keywords">town planning schemes</keyword>", the minister said. "Transit-oriented development plans for 14 large cities with a population above 30 lakh will be formulated, along with an implementation and financing strategy," Sitharaman said in her budget speech. The minister also announced Central assistance of Rs 2.2 lakh crore for <keyword id="20957520" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="urban-housing" source="keywords">urban housing</keyword> over the next five years as well as an <keyword id="22517780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="interest-subsidy-scheme" source="keywords">interest subsidy scheme</keyword> to facilitate loans at affordable rates for urban housing works. She said the Central government will put in place measures for an efficient and transparent <keyword id="20071228" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rental-housing" source="keywords">rental housing</keyword> market with enhanced availability. The minister proposed a scheme to support the development of 100 weekly haats or street food hubs in select cities. Sitharaman added that rental housing with dormitory type accommodation for industrial workers will be facilitated in PPP (public-private partnership) mode with VGF (viability gap funding) support and commitment from anchor industries." Enabling policies and regulations for efficient and transparent rental housing markets with enhanced availability will also be put in place, she said. About <keyword id="19939560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-supply" source="keywords">water supply</keyword> and <keyword id="20082835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanitation" source="keywords">sanitation</keyword>, the minister announced that the Centre in partnership with state governments and multilateral development banks will promote water supply, sewage treatment and <keyword id="19973309" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solid-waste-management" source="keywords">solid waste management</keyword> projects and services for 100 large cities through bankable projects. According to her, these projects will also envisage use of treated water for irrigation and filling up of tanks in nearby areas. The minister stressed that the Central government will encourage states, which continue to charge high stamp duty, to moderate the rates for all, and also consider further lowering duties for properties purchased by women. This reform will be made an essential component of urban development schemes, she added.

Budget 2024-25: Govt announces transit-oriented development plan for large cities

<ul class="summary-list"><li>California has spent decades battling droughts and water insecurity.</li><li>Startups like Epic Cleantec are innovating with on-site water reuse.</li></ul>Despite enduring droughts for <a target="_blank" href="https://ca.water.usgs.gov/california-drought/california-drought-runoff.html">much of the past 15 years</a>, California continues to lead the nation in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-qa-which-states-use-most-water">water consumption</a>.During these <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-drought-could-impact-agriculture-tourism-wildlife-2021-6">dry periods</a>, some of the state's local governments began to look for ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://andthewest.stanford.edu/2023/in-times-of-scarcity-californias-best-new-source-of-water-reuse/">diversify their water supplies</a> away from lengthy pipelines and expensive, out-of-state sources.In 2012, San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission began developing the Onsite Water Reuse Program to investigate whether water reuse, also known as water recycling, in buildings could be a solution to California's water problem."There weren't any state or national regulations," Paula Kehoe, the director of water resources at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, told Business Insider. Kehoe and her team created a permitting program to streamline the adoption of on-site water-reuse systems developed by private businesses.As the US faces a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/09/25/more-federal-funding-needed-to-improve-drinking-water-epa-study-finds#:~:text=Water%20utilities%20throughout%20the%20United,Environmental%20Protection%20Agency%20(EPA).">$625 billion cost to address the nation's need to repair drinking- and clean-water infrastructure</a>, on-site water reuse is quickly becoming a strong alternative to the historically slow and expensive process of building large water-recycling plants.With droughts predicted to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/california-droughts-gavin-newsom-recycling-c22de8f25b9d6a2bf69277a7185abc0f">reduce California's water supply by 10%</a> over the next 20 years, the success of these systems could lay the foundation for how the state sources its water over several decades.<h2 id="8b14ae19-3316-4bcf-9798-263a2b1e1e25">Silicon Valley is investing in on-site water recycling</h2>In 2015, during the height of California's drought and after three years of development, San Francisco unveiled the Onsite Water Reuse Program requiring all new buildings of 250,000 square feet or more to install an on-site water-treatment system for nonpotable uses, a cap that was lowered to 100,000 square feet in 2021.The city's tech background and proximity to Silicon Valley gave some <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gradiant-water-startup-helps-businesses-recycle-water-2023-7">startups an opportunity</a> to enter the market. In 2019, Epic Cleantec, a maker of on-site water-reuse systems, emerged to meet the necessary demand for new large buildings.Aaron Tartakovsky, Epic Cleantec's cofounder and CEO, developed the company to address the water-reuse needs of large city buildings.He told BI he took inspiration from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-careers-in-demand-workforce-shortage-2024-7">solar industry</a>, which he said had turned to local installation projects after prioritizing large-scale solar-panel farms. "Can we do the same thing for water and wastewater?" Tartakovsky said. "Can this be water's solar moment?"<div type="image" title="Aaron Tartovsky, founder of epic cleantec" height="2268" width="3024" msid="111870886" hostid="261" sizebytes="137524"></div>Epic Cleantec's on-site systems can recycle building gray water for nonpotable uses, including toilet flushing and irrigation, through their filtration and disinfection process. The company's systems also incorporate an energy-saving mechanism to limit the amount of wasted heat."We have big tanks in these buildings that are collecting all this heated wastewater," Tartakovsky said. "Rather than just sending all that heat away, we are using heat exchangers to take all of that energy from the water and then to reuse that energy within the building."Epic Cleantec has six active projects in California, including a recent system in San Francisco's Salesforce Tower that the company says is the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://epiccleantec.com/projects/salesforce">largest on-site water-reuse system in a US commercial high-rise</a>.The company has also entered the hotel sector with a recycling system in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills. Recycled water is being used for on-site irrigation.In a drought-conscious state, Tartakovsky said the on-site recycling systems had become more appealing to tenants looking for ways to contribute to the state's water-conservation mindset.The adoption of on-site water reuse can also be a sensible decision for developers. "They're not working with us just because it's a nice thing to do and it's good for the planet," he said. "They're doing it because it makes business sense — it saves them a lot of money to incorporate technologies like ours into these projects."<h2 id="075e558b-3852-4981-bc08-a5e2095ce6fb">Water reuse to overcome hurdles</h2>While large plants and on-site water systems in major buildings have been California's <a target="_blank" href="https://andthewest.stanford.edu/2023/in-times-of-scarcity-californias-best-new-source-of-water-reuse/">more established methods</a> of water reuse, the state's biggest hurdle is retrofitting systems for existing buildings.As part of San Francisco's water-recycling initiative, the city published a list of 30 vendors that provide on-site systems that can be installed in existing buildings and new constructions to collect different types of water, including rainwater, gray water, and black water.While most of the vendors offer reuse systems and water management for new constructions, some companies, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bioclere.co.uk/bioclere.php">Bioclere</a>, Phoenix's <a target="_blank" href="https://dewater.com/markets/aquacell-water-recycling/">Aquacell</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://innovatreat.com/">Innovatreat</a>, make systems designed to be retrofitted into existing buildings and community infrastructure.<div type="image" title="Epic Cleantec One Water system installed" height="2626" width="1751" msid="111870887" hostid="261" sizebytes="125772"></div>Erik Porse, the director and associate cooperative extension specialist at the California Institute for Water Resources, told BI these retrofits are more difficult to install because of the limitations of size and existing water pipes. "If you have a larger facility, like more area, then you can think about on-site treatment of some sort," he said. "But if you're kind of working in an existing building, like a small building, it can be kind of tough to integrate in lots of treatments."California's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-central-valley-farms-groundwater-dought-2023-7">agriculture sector</a> also relies on water-reuse systems for nonpotable water — a key part of crop irrigation. Since the state has the highest agricultural output in the country, recycled water is important for maintaining crops, especially in times of drought. California is the leader in <a target="_blank" href="https://watereuse.org/educate/water-reuse-101/agricultural-reuse/">using reused water for agriculture</a> across the US.However, the extent to which recycled water is used in agriculture depends on a state's guidelines, many of which are underdeveloped. For example, Iowa is one of the highest producers of crops but does not have any regulations for the use of reused water in agriculture. Instead, the state is experimenting with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cals.iastate.edu/inrc/news/2024/new-report-shares-latest-research-potential-ag-drainage-water-recycling">drainage-water recycling</a>, or collecting water from farming, and local infrastructure that captures used drainage and rainfall for reuse in on-site irrigation.Nonpotable water can also help in one of the country's newest sources of water loss: data centers. States like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsweek.com/why-ai-so-thirsty-data-centers-use-massive-amounts-water-1882374">Iowa</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://grist.org/technology/surging-demand-data-guzzling-water-ai/">Virginia</a> have seen massive strains on their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-energy-centers-water-energy-land-2023-10">water supplies</a> due to the increased construction of these facilities. "Those data centers use huge amounts of water to cool themselves," Tartakovsky said.Tartakovsky hopes Epic Cleantec's recent expansions to states such as Texas, Florida, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-water-crisis-climate-change/">Hawaii</a> can help in ways beyond water scarcity. "A lot of people think you only need it in the Western states, but in places like the East Coast, a lot of times what they have is wastewater-infrastructure issues," he said. "We have pipes and sewers that were put in place anywhere from 30 to 100 years ago."<h2 id="8d5654cd-d3b7-4f2e-89c8-d5d9a678cdde">Rethinking our relationship with water</h2>To help promote the safety of its recycled water, Epic Cleantec partnered with a brewery near San Francisco, Devil's Canyon Brewing Co., to make a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-moon-bay-brewery-california-recycled-wastewater-nasa-astronauts-2023-7">safe-to-drink beer</a> out of its nonpotable water. The beer could not be sold commercially since the state has not cleared nonpotable water for drinking, but Tartakovsky credits the campaign with highlighting the company's purification process.Other states could learn from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/04/14/state-expands-save-our-water-public-awareness-campaign-as-drought-intensifies/">public-awareness campaigns</a> California has promoted for several decades to help residents embrace water reuse. During times of drought, the state has encouraged water conservation and water recycling, such as the use of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-06-21/gardening-with-recycled-water">recycled water for plants</a>. "We've seen a pretty big evolution in California cities, especially in Southern California, that folks understand that water reuse is a treatment technology that we use in the state, and it's important, and it provides supply resilience," Porse said.In Texas, a fellow drought-prone state, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://takecareoftexas.org/water">Take Care of Texas </a>campaign similarly encourages community support for water conservation so the state can survive in times of water scarcity.Porse told BI that in California as public support grows, so will government regulations. In 2023, California made progress toward establishing recycled water for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2023/pr20231219-dpr-regulations-adoption.pdf">direct potable reuse</a> and allowing recycled water to be used in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-drinking-toilet-water-sewage-waste-drought-climate-crisis-solution-2023-12">state's drinking-water supply</a>.For Kehoe, the key to creating stronger water infrastructure is a partnership between communities that endures beyond times of scarcity."We always talk about water conservation as a way of life," Kehoe said. "It's not just during the drought."

Droughts are threatening California's water supply. The state is racing to save what's left. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Helene, the dockworkers' strike, and Middle East conflict threaten to upend the US economy.</li><li>Oil prices are up as conflict widens between Israel and Iran.</li></ul>A sudden flurry of global developments has the US economy staring down a troubling trifecta of major crises.Devastation from Hurricane Helene, a dockworkers' strike, and escalating conflict in the Middle East all threaten to scramble supply chains and inflate prices. The confluence of events comes just as the US economy is recovering from a years-long bout of elevated inflation. Coupled with a cooling but still-strong labor market, it looked possible the US would avoid a recession. These events could threaten that.While the effects of Iran's<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-attacks-israel-with-missiles-after-hezbollah-leader-killing-2024-10"> missile</a> attack on Israel on Tuesday are more speculative, the other two crises happening on American soil could have more predictable impacts. Experts point to direct impacts on the prices of goods like oil, food, and industrial equipment as well as infrastructure damage that would create knock-on effects across industries.For now, it's a waiting game. Many of the effects depend on how long the strike and cleanup last and how quickly the parties responsible for resolving them can act.<h2 id="bb66dc7c-8a7f-46f6-83fe-f763c7971b08">1. Escalation in the Middle East</h2>On Tuesday, the risk of a full-blown war between Iran and Israel escalated when Iran <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-attacks-israel-with-missiles-after-hezbollah-leader-killing-2024-10">launched a massive ballistic missile</a> attack on its adversary.It came less than a day after Israel ramped up its attacks on Hezbollah with an invasion of southern Lebanon. The heightening conflict also threatens to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-warns-severe-consequences-for-iran-after-attack-on-israel-2024-10">further entangle the US</a>, which announced it's sending additional fighter jets and thousands of troops to the Middle East to defend Israel and reinforce US troops already in the region.Since Iran's offensive, the price of oil has surged up, raising concerns that a broader conflict could push oil and gas prices higher. When petroleum prices rise, that also impacts the cost of plastics, which could raise prices on a range of goods. Some experts <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/02/israel-iranian-oil-refineries-retaliatory-strikes">warn that Israel could target Iranian oil production facilities</a> in potential retaliatory attacks, which could risk further oil price increases."History would say that when there is conflict in the region, the prices of petroleum remain elevated and could continue to rise," Douglas Kent, an executive vice president at the Association for Supply Chain Management, told Business Insider.<h2 id="74292a69-7822-4de1-bb2c-cdde4749d751">2. Dockworkers on strike</h2>Also on Tuesday, dockworkers at all the eastern US ports from Maine to Texas went on strike, threatening <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dockworkers-port-strike-ila-impacts-2024-10">a slew of adverse economic impacts</a>, including increased prices on key goods ahead of the holiday shopping season.About 30% of goods imported to and exported from the US pass through the East Coast and Gulf ports, according to a Morgan Stanley analysis, along with about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-markets-react-israel-iran-escalates-dockworkers-strike-helene-2024-10">half of all US ocean imports</a>. The strike could cause shortages of goods and push consumer prices up, but how much depends entirely on how long the work stoppage lasts, experts say.A few days of snarled supply chains likely wouldn't be a major hit to the economy, while a week or longer could have major impacts. Every day, the work stoppage is costing the economy up to $4.5 billion, according to JPMorgan analysts. If the strike goes for at least two weeks, it may <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/us-port-strike-biggest-stock-market-winners-losers-investing-analysis-2024-10?_gl=1*w94t9f*_ga*MTM5OTQyNzAxOS4xNjc1MDExMTIw*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTcyNzg4MTM4OC4zNTQuMS4xNzI3ODgzOTYyLjQ5LjAuMA..">increase inflation.</a> If it lasts a month, it could <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/port-strike-impact-costs-us-economy-recession-outlook-shipping-delay-2024-10">cause a recession</a>.And the strike will also have knock-on impacts. For every day the ports are closed, it will take an estimated five days for supply chains to get back to normal, Kent said."We are in a bit of a wait-and-see mode about what the impacts are going to be," Sameera Fazili, former deputy director of the National Economic Council under Biden, told BI. "If the strike goes on for one day or three days, it could take two weeks for some companies to recover, some industries to recover, it could take months for others to fully recover."Some of the imported consumer goods <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-products-most-likely-to-be-impacted-by-port-strike-2024-9">most vulnerable to the port closures</a> include perishable foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, wine, beer, liquor, toys, tires, furniture, and raw commodities like salt, sugar, and gypsum. Kent noted that automotive, pharmaceutical, and industrial equipment supply chains are also vulnerable. US meat, dairy, and poultry exports <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-port-strike-hurt-agriculture-livestorck-dairy-farmers-presidential-election-2024-10">could also be disrupted</a>, as well as coal and heavy agricultural equipment.How much the strike impacts prices depends on how much of a cushion companies have built to deal with any bottlenecks. With the memory of pandemic supply chain crises still fresh, many businesses have become better prepared for disruptions by importing goods ahead of schedule in anticipation of the strike or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://polb.com/port-info/news-and-press/port-of-long-beach-achieves-busiest-month-on-record-09-12-2024/">diverting shipments</a> to West Coast ports."The 2020 disruption presented unforeseen challenges but encouraged many firms to diversify their supply chain and seek backup sourcing: preparation that will likely soften the blow of the dockworker strike," Lauren Saidel-Baker, an economist at ITR Economics, said in a statement.But mitigation efforts, including redirecting shipments, cost money and push prices up. Bottlenecks also encourage carriers to raise their prices, increasing retail and consumer goods prices, Kent said.Fazili said she's confident the dockworkers' union — the International Longshoremen's Association — and the organization representing their employers — the United States Maritime Alliance — can come to a deal to raise wages and improve benefits for workers. With the election looming, Biden administration officials are particularly incentivized to grease the wheels of their negotiations.<h2 id="b5a7373b-dcda-4543-bf11-a8ea2a739cbd">3. Natural disaster strikes the South</h2>All of this comes as Southern states are scrambling to handle the fallout from a superstorm with billions of dollars in damage. Dozens of people have been killed in the flooding, landslides, and high winds wrought by Hurricane Helene, which washed out an untold number of roads, destroyed homes, and devastated entire towns. Rescue and recovery efforts are still underway, with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/hurricane/helene/north-carolina-hurricane-helene-missing-people-finder-victims-survivors/275-d811bbc2-754d-4637-b156-7e4af6e1eadb">hundreds of people still missing</a>, particularly in North Carolina.The storm will likely have far-reaching economic impacts, including the immediate costs of providing emergency services for thousands of residents left homeless or without power or water, and the longer-term costs of rebuilding roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Helene has likely caused between $15 billion and $26 billion in damage to property on top of about $5 billion to $8 billion in lost economic output, according to Moody's Analytics.In the immediate wake of the storm, a slew of residents across the affected states have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/price-gouging-complaints-surge-hurricane-helene-states-fuel-water-hotels-2024-10">reported price gouging</a> by hotels, gas stations, and grocery stores. The hurricane has also disrupted some supply chains, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/10/01/hurricane-helene-iv-fluid-shortage-health-supply-chain">healthcare supplies</a> and high-purity quartz needed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quartz-mine-computer-chips-hurricane-helene-spruce-pine-semiconductor-2024-9">for semiconductor manufacturing</a>."The combination of these events just reemphasizes how important it is for the private sector and companies, which are the ones that control supply chains, to move away from just-in-time and from efficiency only and to recognize that disruptions are on the rise and they ought to be better prepared for that," Fazili said.But the superstorm also threatens much longer-term economic damage, hitting the property insurance industry and the federal flood insurance program. Homeowners in affected areas will likely deal with rising property insurance costs or even lose coverage altogether, experts say."In the short run, the most costly element of the disaster is the damage to homes, property and infrastructure," Adam Kamins, a senior director at Moody's Analytics, told BI. "Longer term, the disaster itself is unlikely to drive people out of the hardest-hit areas, but insurance premiums could rise, denting affordability. This would be especially difficult for Florida, where many private insurers have already left the state."

A trifecta of global crises could snarl supply chains and increase prices

<ul class="summary-list"><li>RFK Jr. says under President Trump, he'll advise US water systems to remove fluoride.</li><li>The federal government is not in charge of the US water supply. It's a local thing.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/rfk-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, the man widely expected to become a health leader in President-elect Donald Trump's White House, has promised to lobby to remove fluoride from the American water supply.Nearly 63% of the US population has fluoridated water flowing through their taps, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/php/statistics/2022-water-fluoridation-statistics.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC).US health experts describe fluoridated water — a voluntary practice for local water districts — as one of modern medicine's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4850bx.htm">greatest public health achievements</a>, up there with the recognition that smoking is bad for you.Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-views-vaccines-autism-testing-debunked-2023-7">Kennedy</a>, a former environmental lawyer who was instrumental in the fight to clean up the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.riverkeeper.org/blogs/honoring-our-foundation-in-science/">Hudson River in New York</a>, says there's no need to fluoridate drinking water anymore since most toothpaste contains fluoride. He's not alone. An important debate over fluoride is gaining fresh steam among scientists and legal experts. Some recent studies suggest more research is still needed on safe fluoride levels for kids. Plus, a federal ruling in California this year questioned the US government's recommended dose.While many medical professionals — chiefly dentists — support some level of fluoridation, there is growing agreement that we still aren't sure how much fluoride is too much.<h2 id="73e9cfea-f185-4392-8a29-deb966cdc1f8">120 years ago, fluoride was the mystery culprit behind brown teeth in Colorado</h2><div type="image" title="woman with brown teeth" height="2752" width="1912" msid="115231235" hostid="261" sizebytes="398436"></div>The reason most Americans have fluoride in their drinking water stretches back more than a century to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/fluoride/the-story-of-fluoridation">mysterious outbreak</a> scattered across the Midwest and western US.In the early 1900s, dentists started noticing that children in specific towns, including Colorado Springs, Colorado; Oakley, Idaho; and Bauxite, Arkansas, were developing hard, chocolate-colored teeth.It took more than 20 years, but eventually, researchers discovered that these unusual brown stains were caused by high amounts of naturally occurring fluoride in the drinking water in certain areas of the country.They also found that the fluoride — a mineral compound found in rocks and dirt — was strengthening teeth. It was hardening tooth enamel and helping to repair some early-stage tooth decay.By 1945, scientists had learned enough about fluoride to harness the technique to prevent cavities for the masses. They proposed microdosing the mineral into the public water supply to give kids just enough fluoride to protect their teeth and help heal dental decay without giving them so much that their teeth would go brown.The experiment worked.In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city to purposefully fluoridate its water. In the first 10 years of the program, the rate of cavities in kids decreased by more than <a target="_blank" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1551218/?page=1">60%</a>. Thus, the idea of fluoridated water as a boon for public health was born.<h2 id="ffc42276-b971-4331-bd76-9f4c2877d29f">US water districts decide their own fluoride levels</h2><div type="image" title="tap water" height="4000" width="6000" msid="115231232" hostid="261" sizebytes="655952"></div>Kennedy has <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1852812012478398923">said</a> he'd aim to convince local authorities nationwide to remove any added fluoride from taps."I think fluoride is on its way out," Kennedy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/rfk-jr-talks-health-care-agenda-following-trump-win-223717957893">told NBC</a> News the day after the election, adding: "I'm not going to compel anybody to take it out, but I'm going to advise the water districts. I'm going to give them good information about the science, and I think fluoride will disappear."The federal government does not control water supplies in the US. That task is up to states and local water systems.The US Environmental Protection Agency does mandate a limit for fluoride in tap water: four milligrams per liter. That limit is meant to prevent crippling health issues caused by excess fluoride intake, like a bone-weakening disease called skeletal fluorosis.<h2 id="e730cbbb-f6d0-4962-9881-0475436e9095">The US lowered fluoride levels in drinking water in 2015</h2><div type="image" title="crest toothpaste vintage ad w nina simone and daughter" height="4416" width="3531" msid="115231221" hostid="261" sizebytes="896112"></div>The amount of fluoride added to a water supply varies not only by city and county but also by the individual water system supplying a given neighborhood.For many years, the federal recommendation fluctuated based on location. In warmer climates — where it was assumed that kids consumed more water to stay cool — officials recommended 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter. Colder areas were advised to add 1.2 milligrams per liter.After reviewing evidence in 2015, the US Public Health Service decided that the discrepancy wasn't needed. The recommendation for fluoridation is now set at 0.7 milligrams per liter nationwide.Most major cities in the US hover around the 0.7 figure. Some places naturally have elevated levels of fluoride in their water due to geological factors. In Lordsburg, New Mexico, for example, water samples collected earlier this year had concentrations of fluoride between <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://cityoflordsburg.com/fluoride-mcl-notice-2024/">5.2 and 6.4 milligrams</a> per liter. Authorities there advise that children under 9 years old shouldn't drink tap water.<h2 id="c03fabfb-6a1d-488a-8229-718ca0e2727d">Places with fluoride-free water generally have worse dental health</h2><div type="image" title="toothbrush with paste" height="3209" width="4813" msid="115231228" hostid="261" sizebytes="238252"></div>Proponents of ditching fluoride often point to the many European countries that do not fluoridate their water. Those countries are not 100% fluoride-free, though: unlike people in the US, many Europeans consume fluoridated salt.Hawaii is the only US state without any fluoride in municipal taps; fluoridated water is only available there on military bases. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://health.hawaii.gov/about/files/2013/06/Hawaii-Smiles-Report.pdf">2015 report</a> from Hawaii's health department said the state also has the highest prevalence of tooth decay among 3rd graders in the US."It's obvious; you can see it in the quality of their enamel," Anthony Kim, dental director at the Waimanalo Health Clinic, told the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/02/why-hawaii-continues-to-keep-fluoride-out-of-its-drinking-water/">Honolulu Civil Beat in 2020</a>. "Sadly, especially among the kids."Researchers in Canada see the same phenomenon. The rate of cavities detected in Alberta spiked after the city went fluoride-free in 2011, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/s41997-024-00858-w">February 2024 study</a>. Calgary did the same and saw <a target="_blank" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9542152/">similar tooth issues</a> in kids. The city now plans to re-fluoridate its water supply, but cost issues and global supply chain problems post-pandemic have <a target="_blank" href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-s-plan-to-reintroduce-fluoride-into-drinking-water-pushed-back-to-2025-1.6845098">created delays</a>.The military supports fluoridation. In 2016, the <a target="_blank" href="https://ilikemyteeth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DoD-Fluoridation-Memo-March-2013.pdf">US Department of Defense</a> said dental decay was a "significant" reason military personnel were classified as non-deployable. As such, fluoridated water is now mandated on any military base with more than 3,300 people.Rumors have circulated that drinking fluoridated water can lead to bone cancer (osteosarcoma), but long-term studies from both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/43/1/224/736028">the UK</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877782111001822">US</a> haven't found any credible evidence of higher rates in areas where people drink fluoridated water.<h2 id="726f1d49-c5ff-447d-b2cc-6cf2412f9906">Is there any truth to claims of IQ issues?</h2><div type="image" title="anti fluoride protesters" height="2574" width="3594" msid="115231239" hostid="261" sizebytes="497810"></div>On November 2, Kennedy said on X that fluoride is an "industrial waste" that is linked to "IQ loss."He linked to a ruling from a federal judge in California in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/17-cv-2162-Food-_-Water-Watch-Inc.-et-al.-v.-EPA-et-al-Opinion.pdf">October.</a> The judge, appointed by former President Obama, said that while he could not "conclude with certainty" that fluoridated water could reduce the IQ of children, there is evidence that it can be "hazardous at dosages that are far too close to fluoride levels in the drinking water of the United States."His ruling came weeks after a headline-grabbing paper in which a group of independent scientists reviewed existing evidence on fluoridation for the <a target="_blank" href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/fluoride_final_508.pdf">US National Toxicology Program</a>. Their review concluded that some studies of fluoride consumption have found links between higher fluoride water levels and lower IQs in kids.There are a couple of big caveats to keep in mind. First, those studies were conducted in other countries, including Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico, not the US.Second, the association with lower IQs was only apparent when children were drinking water loaded with fluoride, at more than 1.5 milligrams per liter. That's double what's recommended in the US and 50% more fluoride than what was first used in Grand Rapids in 1945."More studies are needed to fully understand the potential for lower fluoride exposure to affect children's IQ," the experts said.Those new studies are starting to trickle out. Fluoride and aluminum researcher Ashley Malin, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida, recently found <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38767917/">a potential link</a> between a woman's fluoride levels during pregnancy and neurobehavioral problems in her toddler three years later."At this point, I would advise that pregnant women reduce their fluoride intake," Malin told Business Insider.Malin brushes her teeth without fluoride, drinks filtered water (using a reverse osmosis water purifier or buying bottled water), and says that the most fluoride she consumes is probably from the black chai tea she occasionally drinks.<h2 id="5b5f129c-cdf6-4dba-a89c-6887474b296d">Settling on the right dose</h2><div type="image" title="retro photo of kid brushing teeth" height="3000" width="2487" msid="115231240" hostid="261" sizebytes="496682"></div>It's hard to tease out <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD010856/ORAL_does-adding-fluoride-water-supplies-prevent-tooth-decay">exactly how beneficial fluoridated water is</a> for preventing cavities, in part because fluoridating water isn't the only way that tooth care has improved dramatically since the 1940s. (The level of fluoride in many toothpastes is much higher than what's in the water.)The California ruling last month didn't get prescriptive about what the EPA should do about all this uncertainty. It only recommended some kind of "regulatory action" on fluoride."It should be noted that this finding does not conclude with certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health," the verdict read.A federal judge wants the EPA to better answer now whether 0.7 milligrams per liter of fluoride is safe enough.The EPA has said in the past that reviewing their fluoride numbers is a "low priority" item for the agency. Public health experts and dentists generally agree that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/news-events/nidcr-news/2024/big-hopes-little-teeth">fluoridated tap water</a> is a safe, effortless, and equitable way to ensure people get enough fluoride to prevent most childhood cavities.However, scientists haven't quite settled on the optimal fluoride level in tap water to maintain healthy teeth yet.

A brief history of America's love affair with fluoridated water — and why it's now up for debate

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Helene has caused price-gouging complaints to surge in southeastern states.</li><li>Price gouging involves hiking prices excessively on essential goods, often during emergencies.</li></ul>As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-destroyed-safe-haven-maples-coffee-shop-north-carolina-2024-10">Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc</a> across southeastern US states, complaints of price gouging have surged.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-costs-inflation-kamala-harris-ban-price-gouging-election-trump-2024-8#:~:text=Price%20gouging%2C%20in%20which%20companies,high%20grocery%20prices%2C%20as%20well.">Price gouging</a> is when businesses <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-dynamic-pricing-surge-cost-fatigue-2024-7">hike prices on goods or services</a> to excessive levels, often during emergencies, like a natural disaster, taking advantage of high demand and limited supply.Business Insider contacted the states worst hit by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/before-after-satellite-photos-hurricane-helene-destruction-florida-2024-10">the hurricane</a> — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia — and found that several of them were either inundated with complaints of price gouging or had to issue warnings against it.In South Carolina, which had about 36 storm-related deaths, the Attorney General's office told BI it had documented at least 142 price-gouging complaints since the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-electric-vehicles-evs-owners-fire-risk-safety-tips-2024-10">start of Hurricane Helene.</a>"Of these, most of the complaints are about hotels, gasoline, gas cans, generators, ice, and eggs," said Robert Kittle, communications director for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, in an email.He added that more complaints were expected, noting that they still had 246 voicemails and emails to review.However, Kittle said not all of the complaints would warrant further investigation or meet the legal definition of price gouging under the state's law.Wilson, the AG, announced on Thursday that the state's price-gouging law was in effect.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/attorney-general-alan-wilson-announces-state-s-price-gouging-law-in-effect-because-of-hurricane-helene/">The announcement</a> said that while the state could expect normal price fluctuations, which are legal, it also anticipated "businesses and individuals looking to unfairly take advantage of the situation," which would violate the law.Kittle said that most of the complaints were coming from upstate South Carolina.In neighboring <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-hits-asheville-beer-microbreweries-north-carolina-floods-2024-9">North Carolina</a>, which experienced the highest death toll of about 56, there were also dozens of price-gouging complaints.A spokesperson for the North Carolina Attorney General's Office said the state's Department of Justice had received 64 complaints alleging price gouging in western North Carolina.Most complaints were about hotel rates as well as grocery and fuel prices, which they said the AG's office was investigating.In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-provides-update-on-price-gouging-after-hurricane-helene/">a statement</a> provided to BI, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said: "North Carolina has an anti-price gouging law to make sure that no bad actors try to take advantage of people's desperation.""My team and I aggressively enforce that law and won't let them," he added.Stein noted that more complaints might emerge as residents in western North Carolina, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-damage-port-strike-could-hurt-us-economy-2024-9">heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene,</a> could be facing difficulties connecting to phones or the internet.Florida, which had about 14 storm-related deaths, also received multiple complaints, though the state did not specify how many.Kylie Mason, communications director for Attorney General Ashley Moody, told BI they had received complaints "mostly about fuel and water."On Monday, Moody <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrelease/consumer-alert-attorney-general-moody-warns-floridians-affected-hurricane-helene-about">issued a warning</a> urging Floridians to be "vigilant" for price gouging.The warning urged anybody suspicious of price gouging on storm-essential items to report it, noting that violators are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation.The attorneys general of Tennessee, which had about eight deaths connected to Hurricane Helene, and Georgia, with about 25, did not immediately respond to BI's request for data. But both states have issued warnings on price gouging.Georgia's Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/emergency-price-controls">warned </a>that "although competition and demand drive prices in our free-market economy," Georgia law prohibits businesses from "taking advantage of the situation" during a state of emergency.It said price increases are only allowed if they reflect legitimate cost increases in stock, transportation, or the retailer's typical markup from the 10 days before the emergency.Similarly, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti condemned price gouging <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2024/10/1/pr24-70.html">in a statement on Tuesday</a>, urging victims to contact the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs."Price gouging and scamming vulnerable people after disasters is not only repulsive, it's illegal," he said.In Virginia, which had about two storm-related deaths, there were no complaints of price gouging at the time of reporting."While it is still early, we do not have any reports yet," said Shaun Kenney, director of communications for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, in an email Tuesday.Kenney added: "The Virginia Attorney General's Office is doing everything we can to inform the public and make them aware of both their rights and the pathways available to move forward on any complaints or concerns."The issue of price gouging has become a political hot topic in the presidential election cycle, with Vice President <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lower-grocery-prices-inflation-harris-price-gouging-proposal-2024-8">Kamala Harris pledging to stop it</a> in the food and grocery industries if she is elected president.Harris said she plans to pursue the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-costs-inflation-kamala-harris-ban-price-gouging-election-trump-2024-8">first federal ban on price gouging</a> in response to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-prices-inflation-soaring-corporate-greed-profits-margins-wages-jobs-2023-4">painful inflation</a> in recent years — a plan that has received <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-price-gouging-ceiling-policy-inflation-krugman-oleary-ramsey-2024-8">mixed reviews from economists.</a>

Price-gouging complaints about the cost of fuel, water, and hotels are surging in states hit by Hurricane Helene    

<ul class="summary-list"><li>PepsiCo says it's two-thirds of the way done with an overhaul of its supply chain.</li><li>It has invested in AI and automation to make its production and distribution more profitable.</li></ul>Gregg Roden, PepsiCo's chief operating officer, has spent his entire 34-year professional career working at the snacking giant. He said that in the past three years alone he'd witnessed more change than in the 31 years before that.Over the past couple of decades, as consumers bought more goods online, grocery sales remained reliably stuck in the store. But the pandemic shifted grocery-shopping patterns, and now people are increasingly likely to buy food and beverages online too."When I started 34 years ago, everything was bought from a store, and we had a pretty narrow portfolio of options for the consumer," Roden told Business Insider. "Now, literally anyone can buy anything, anywhere." PepsiCo has also expanded its product line, offering new flavors and sizes of its snacks and drinks.These changes mean demand for more brands is coming from more directions. PepsiCo says it is investing in digitization and automation — including robotics and predictive artificial intelligence — so it can better plan for demand and more quickly and precisely produce and deliver its products. And it says its supply-chain transformation is two-thirds complete.<h2 id="edb5b524-83f3-4f66-928d-fc4bdede46a4">Supporting agriculture with AI predictive insights and satellite imagery</h2>PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in 2023 from the sales of more than 500 brands worldwide, including its namesake soda, Lay's, Doritos, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew. The company's earnings for the first two quarters of 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/11/pepsico-pep-earnings-q2-2024-earnings.html">exceeded Wall Street's expectations</a>, but volume in North America for the Frito-Lay and beverages businesses has been declining as consumers have pushed back against years of price hikes.Athina Kanioura, PepsiCo's chief strategy and transformation officer, described investments in PepsiCo's seed-to-shelf supply chain as the "glue" in the company's future ability to deliver higher profits and revenue growth. And it all begins with the work done in the field.The farmers PepsiCo works with own more than 4 million acres in North America alone, providing ingredients such as potatoes and corn for its chips and other snacks.The thinking is that by using less water and fertilizer to produce those ingredients, the company can boost its profits in an industry that operates on thin margins. It says that it works with farmers to ensure they have the technology to harvest those ingredients efficiently and that it subsidizes some of the cost of that technology for smaller farms.It also says it has partnered with companies including CropTrak, AgroScout, and Microsoft to monitor production, analyze crop health, track where crops go, and better understand where to plant crops so they can thrive.<h2 id="32588e1b-3851-4dba-89dd-e96f1f24974a">Distribution workers do fewer manual tasks</h2>PepsiCo is also rethinking how it fulfills orders and distributes its products, which is changing the work of the company's many employees in manufacturing and distribution. With more automation, workers are doing fewer physical tasks, like driving a forklift, and far more oversight of the machines taking over those tasks.Workers at manufacturing facilities and distribution centers and the unions that represent them often bristle at automation, which can lead to layoffs. Large food manufacturers that have announced closings and layoffs this year include PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and Campbell Soup. Often those announcing layoffs don't directly attribute them to automation but to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/tyson-foods-close-iowa-pork-plant-with-1200-workers-2024-03-11/">soft sales</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fooddive.com/news/campbell-soup-closing-inefficient-sites-415-job-losses/717224/">older facilities that can't keep up with demand</a>, or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fooddive.com/news/pepsicos-quaker-plant-illinois-closing-layoffs/712954/">even product recalls</a>. PepsiCo declined to comment on the reason for its layoffs.Food producers are also confronting a generational shift. Research from McKinsey suggests that while many Gen Zers express interest in working in manufacturing, not enough of them are taking jobs at factories to fill vacancies, and that they're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/from-hire-to-inspire-getting-and-keeping-gen-z-in-manufacturing">more likely than older workers to leave those jobs</a>.PepsiCo argues that it can't continue to have employees perform most tasks manually while cost-effectively churning out enough food and drinks to meet demand. So it trains workers to monitor autonomous machines and ensure they're working safely and efficiently. "You are taking an analog worker, and you are making them a digital worker," Kanioura said.Its modernization efforts include how it puts together variety packs, such as those containing several small bags of Ruffles, Doritos, Cheetos, and Fritos: While workers used to assemble the packs, machines are increasingly taking over.Even as it has invested in automation, PepsiCo's total workforce has swelled: It grew by 20%, to 318,000, over the five years that ended in 2023.<h2 id="49fb841a-5ce1-4f54-8631-44d495ffdaa5">Creating more intelligent warehouses</h2>PepsiCo says it considers most of the company's warehouses "intelligent" facilities with tech that allows employees to track and control the movement of goods.It uses sensors and AI to help with predictive maintenance checks and quality-control measures — for example, using patterns to identify a machine or vehicle that's likely to malfunction and cause problems later on. Rather than suffering a shutdown when a motor breaks on the tortilla-chip line, PepsiCo can preemptively replace the motor the next time the line is scheduled for downtime."Being able to turn that data into action is important," Roden said.

PepsiCo is using robotics and AI-powered crop planning to transform its supply chain

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukrainian soldiers survived two months of being encircled by Russian forces. </li><li>The only way to get supplies to them was using drones, their battalion said.</li></ul>Trapped Ukrainian soldiers who were surrounded by Russian forces survived for more than two months in large part due to drone deliveries, their battalion said on Wednesday.A group of at least eight soldiers from the 225th Separate Assault Battalion and the 223rd Marine Battalion withstood 70 days of encirclement despite injuries and constant Russian attacks, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/225oshb/posts/pfbid0XX2huS3om6nmjJTFeRrUSuAc7AQomeg72hDgg4JRVKee952oR23fQMtJGnuF6z3Kl">the 225th said in a Facebook post</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/07/9/7464911/">According to Ukrainska Pravda</a>, the soldiers were trapped along the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas Canal on the Chasiv Yar front, in eastern Ukraine.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/07/10/cut-off-in-the-woods-a-dozen-ukrainian-troops-fought-off-the-russian-army-for-two-months/">Forbes</a> placed them in a forest just northwest of the city.While the battalion tried to clear a path to the trapped soldiers, they "held a perimeter defence, repelling the occupiers' attacks around the clock," the battalion wrote, per Ukrainska Pravda's translation."The only way to supply them was via drones, which we used to deliver ammunition, food and water," it added.The battalion did not say when the events took place, and Business Insider was unable to independently verify the battalion's report.According to the battalion, the soldiers' position is still under Ukrainian control, and they have now been rotated out.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-could-lose-crucial-town-chasiv-yar-donsetsk-intel-official-2024-5">Chasiv Yar has been the focal point</a> of intense Russian assaults throughout the spring.The town itself is still in Ukrainian hands, but <a target="_blank" href="https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-10-2024">the Institute for the Study of War</a> noted several Russian attacks in the area in recent days.This latest episode again highlights the important role drones are playing in the war in Ukraine.Exploding drone attacks on land and at sea, as well as the growing phenomenon of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drone-dogfights-evolving-fast-in-ukraine-russia-video-shows-wwi-2024-6">drone dogfighting</a>, have dominated the headlines.But drones are also being used for supply missions, reconnaissance, and, in some cases, even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-russia-soldier-surrenders-after-note-dropped-drone-ukraine-2024-2">helping Russian soldiers surrender</a> to Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers survived 70 days of encirclement by being air-dropped ammo and supplies by drone

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Making money has gotten more challenging for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-delivery-reckoning-is-here-doordash-uber-instacart-gig-work-2024-7#:~:text=Making%20deliveries%20used%20to%20be,orders%20in%20a%20timely%20fashion.">gig delivery workers</a> in recent years.</li><li>But one gig delivery worker in Minnesota said he's found delivering large orders is profitable.</li></ul>Like millions of Americans, Jeff Miller makes deliveries from major retailers as an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-eats-doordash-lyft-instacart-pay-dropped-study-2024-2">independent contractor</a>.But his work doesn't often involve delivering groceries or a single restaurant takeout order. Instead, he often picks up <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gig-economy-fedex-xpo-fight-deliver-furniture-big-bulky-2021-4">heavy or bulky orders</a> that other drivers can't — think bags of mulch as customers start gardening in the spring or air-conditioning units as the weather gets hotter — through a gig delivery app called Roadie."If it's huge, it really takes a lot of the drivers out of the ability to take it," Miller said of heavier orders in an interview with Business Insider.Roadie is one of several apps that fill and deliver orders for major retailers using workers who are independent contractors. Like Instacart or DoorDash, Roadie shows workers specific deliveries available to them and the payout for each.Waiting is a key part of maximizing his pay, Miller said, since compensation for a delivery job often rises the longer it sits unclaimed by a driver. "It'll sit there for a couple of hours, and it'll go up from $49 to $75," he said.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-age-gig-work-instacart-doordash-delivery-jobs-over-2023-12">Making money has become more challenging for many gig delivery workers</a> over the last few years, with more people signing up to work for delivery apps.On some apps, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-cuts-minimum-base-pay-for-drivers-2023-7">pay-per-order has also declined</a> in the past year.Miller, who lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota, said that Roadie serves him orders that involve driving hundreds of miles. But many of the deliveries he takes involve driving to smaller towns about an hour away.Deliveries in rural Minnesota through Roadie tend to be more profitable than ones in more populated areas, Miller said, since there are fewer drivers around to take orders. He's noticed that similar orders generally pay less in Minneapolis and St. Paul, he said."They're worth less because there's more people driving there," he added.He saves money on gas by driving an electric vehicle, he said. Miller also uses a small trailer to haul the bulky orders he tends to pick up.His most profitable orders tend to come from Home Depot stores in his area, he told BI. These orders can involve delivering "anything from really small orders to huge orders with plywood," he said."I've done water heaters," he added. "Anything that'll fit in my car and trailer, I'll take." Tractor Supply Company stores are another common source of orders for Miller through Roadie.Miller said he also checks GrubHub, Uber Eats, and Walmart's Spark for the highest-paying orders, but he avoids taking small orders on those apps. "I don't take $3 orders for anybody," he said."Having the four apps, I can cherry-pick real nice," he added.A Roadie spokesperson said the app has about 200,000 contractor drivers in the US. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ups-is-getting-into-same-day-delivery-with-roadie-2021-9">UPS acquired Roadie</a> in 2021.Delivering big and bulky items, including for retailers, is one area where Roadie is expanding, the spokesperson said. In June, the company launched <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240605305689/en/Revolutionizing-Logistics-Roadie-Unveils-RoadieXD%E2%84%A2-Solution-to-Supercharge-Efficiency-Speed-and-Simplicity-for-Big-Bulky-Deliveries">RoadieXD</a>, a service that allows delivery drivers to pick up large items directly from cross-docks — sites where products are delivered from suppliers and immediately distributed for delivery, without having to sit in a warehouse or store first."Drivers who take on these larger deliveries are not only meeting a critical market need but are also contributing to a more seamless and satisfying delivery experience for customers," the spokesperson said.Do you work for a gig delivery company and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

A gig worker explains how big deliveries from Home Depot and Tractor Supply make him more money

When you imagine an astronaut, you probably envision the iconic white spacesuit, the helmet, and the floating in zero gravity. What you probably don't think about is the less glamorous aspect of <keyword id="22321516" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacewalks" source="keywords">spacewalks</keyword>: the need for <keyword id="20038917" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="astronauts" source="keywords">astronauts</keyword> to relieve themselves. Since the 1970s, this has been managed with the Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG), essentially a high-tech diaper. However, this solution is far from perfect, often leading to discomfort, leaks, and even health issues like urinary tract infections. <h2>Inspiration from sci-fi</h2>The newest urine-handling tech has drawn inspiration from the <keyword id="19900947" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dune" source="keywords">Dune</keyword> franchise’s stillsuits. These fictional suits could purify and recycle bodily fluids into drinkable water. Now, what was once science fiction is inching closer to reality with a novel urine collection and filtration system designed for <keyword id="22220286" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="spacesuits" source="keywords">spacesuits</keyword>. The new design incorporates a vacuum-based external catheter leading to a sophisticated forward-reverse osmosis unit. This setup promises a continuous supply of potable water, ensuring astronaut well-being during long spacewalks. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111663086" title="NASA says it has no plans to use SpaceX to rescue 2 stranded astronauts" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>With upcoming moon and Mars missions on the horizon — <keyword id="244551" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="artemis" source="Orion">Artemis</keyword> II and III in 2025 and 2026, and potential crewed missions to Mars by the early 2030s — this innovation couldn't come at a better time. Current <keyword id="22385274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA-spacesuits" source="keywords">NASA spacesuits</keyword> only provide astronauts with one litre of water, which is inadequate for the extended duration of lunar spacewalks that can last up to ten hours, or even 24 hours in emergencies. <h2>How does the new spacesuit work?</h2>The new urine collection device is an undergarment made of multiple layers of flexible fabric, connected to a silicone collection cup designed to fit around the genitalia. The cup’s inner face draws urine away from the body and uses a vacuum pump to suck it into the system. An RFID tag linked to an absorbent hydrogel activates the pump upon detecting moisture. “Though the garment must be tested on a wider variety of body types and individuals, comfort has improved significantly already based on internal fit testing feedback,” the authors note. The collected urine is then diverted to a two-step, integrated forward and reverse osmosis filtration system, where it’s purified with 87% efficiency. The resulting water, enriched with electrolytes, is pumped into the in-suit drink bag, ready for consumption. The entire process of collecting and purifying 500ml of urine takes just five minutes. This innovative system is housed in a compact, lightweight backpack, measuring 38 by 23 by 23 cm and weighing around eight kilograms. Powered by a 20.5V battery with a capacity of 40 amp-hours, it includes control pumps, sensors, and a liquid-crystal display screen, ensuring ease of use and monitoring. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111673724" title="NASA is investing in a rocket that could get humans to Mars and back in 2 months — and travel at 100,000 mph" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>With the prototype now available, the next step involves rigorous testing under simulated microgravity conditions to ensure functionality and safety before deployment in actual <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword>. As we prepare for more ambitious space missions, such cutting-edge technologies will play a crucial role in ensuring the comfort, health, and efficiency of astronauts venturing into the final frontier. The findings of this research have been published in Frontiers in Space Technologies and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2024.1391200">here</a>.

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