Cash incentive to use less water
Families who buy water efficient washing machines will get a $150 cash rebate under a State plan to ease Sydney's water crisis. Premier Morris Iemma will today announce new measures to encourage recycling of laundry, bath and shower water for garden irrigation. "The battle to secure Sydney's long-term water supply will take place in our homes - our kitchens, bathrooms and laundries," he said. The Sunday Telegraph, 26th February 2006

Bolivia 's water wars coming to end under
Morales
El Alto, Bolivia - Living on the barren outskirts of the fastest growing city in Latin America, Hilda Tintachipana doesn't expect many modern comforts. Raising and selling rabbits pays the bills for the 27-year-old woman and her young family. They live in a dank, two-room house with spotty electricity, but that's just a fact of life, she said. But Tintachipana draws the line at water. The Tribune, 26th February 2006

Britain may face water rationing
Britons must use less water or face rationing as the country suffers its worst drought in a century, the head of the country's Environment Agency said on Friday. In some parts of the southeast, reservoirs are at less than half their capacity at a time when they should be at or near full as the country emerges from the winter. Reuters, 24th February 2006

Government's approach to water fight outlined
Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull has outlined the Government's approach to the water crisis facing Australia. In a speech to the Centre for Independent Studies, Mr Turnbull, who has recently taken on the role of parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister with a special responsibility for water policy, says water is an issue that engages most Australians.
ABC News Online, 23rd February 2006

China 's water shortage may spur rural unrest, threaten growth
China's burgeoning cities are siphoning water away from farmers, undermining government pledges to improve living standards in the countryside - home to 70 percent of the nation's 1.3 billion people. Rural water shortages threaten to stoke unrest, cut harvests and slow the expansion of the world's fastest-growing major economy. Bloomberg, 23rd February 2006

Water is Life
About 50% of Tanzanian people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. They depend on contaminated water which they collect from dams, water holes and streams. 13 year old Lucia Msuya and her family are from the village of Kighare in Tanzania, Africa. "Four years ago we had to walk each day for water and we were often sick," says Lucia. Discover how Lucia and her community now have access to clean and safe water. Caritas Australia

The Gift of Water
Download The Gift of Water, a statement from Catholic Earthcare Australia which is also endorsed by the bishops of the Murray-Darling Basin. A Power Point presentation summarising the statement's main points can also be downloaded from the site: Catholic Earthcare Australia

Statement
www.catholicearthcareoz.net/pdf/TGOW_Full.pdf
Power Point
www.catholicearthcareoz.net/pdf/GiftOfWater1.ppt

Dr Karl on water recycling
"Some Australians are deeply opposed to any recycling whatsoever of their drinking water. I guess that they imagine that "pure" drinking water falls magically from Heaven, and that once we have used it, this water then gets sent to some unknown Hell, from which it never returns. But the truth is that virtually all of the water we have ever drunk has been recycled many, many times." Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, ABC Online

'Water for Life': International Decade for Action, 2005-2015
The 'Water for Life' Decade was launched in March 2005 by United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. The primary goal of the 'Water for Life' Decade is to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015. This website contains a comprehensive supply of resources on the topic. Help make the difference on International World Water Day, 22 March 2006. www.worldwaterday.org
www.un.org/waterforlifedecade

Our Environment: 'It's a living thing'
Check out the Water-Wise section of "Our Environment: It's a living thing", the environmental education program of the NSW Government. This state-wide initiative motivates and encourages people to adopt environmentally sustainable lifestyles. The site contains information and tools to assist people to take action, and to feel good about doing it.
www.livingthing.net.au/WYKD_w1.htm

As it Happened - One Night in Bhopal
One Night in Bhopal is a docu-drama that tells how a deadly chemical gas escaped from the Union Carbide chemical plant in India killing more than 7,000 and injuring another 200,000. One Night in Bhopal reveals the world's worst industrial disaster through the eyes of those how lived through it.

SBS, 7:30 pm Saturday 4 th March 2006

Thirst - The Movie
Is water a human right or a commodity to be bought and sold in a global marketplace? Thirst tells the stories of communities in Bolivia, India and the United States that are asking these fundamental questions, as water becomes the most valuable resource of the 21 st century. This film has been screened around the world at various film festivals but not yet in Australia. A DVD or VHS copy can be purchased via Bullfrog Films (www.bullfrogfilms.com). A study guide to the film for teachers and leaders can be downloaded from the Thirst website. www.thirstthemovie.org

"Sacred waters carry us beyond the marketplace into a world charged with myths and stories, beliefs and devotion, culture and celebration. These are the worlds that enable us to save and share water, and convert scarcity into abundance. We are all ... thirsting for waters that liberate and give us life - organically and spiritually. The struggle ... between those who protect and those who destroy, between those who nurture and those who exploit, is ongoing. Each of us has a role in shaping the creation story of the future. Each of us is responsible for the kumbh - the sacred water pot." Vandana Shiva