Two stories posted without comment.
Peter Huston
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http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/429887
Restoring safe drinking water in China
May 26, 2008 04:30 AM
Paul Moloney
Staff Reporter
Using a felt-tipped marker, Bang-Gu Jiang carefully wrote the words "water purification materials" in Chinese on boxes headed to the earthquake zone.
The Toronto lawyer was at an airport-area warehouse yesterday where members of GlobalMedic, a local aid group, were readying purification tablets and machines for shipment to quake-ravaged areas of Sichuan province.
Two members of GlobalMedic have already arrived in Chengdu with some supplies and will train locals on how to make water drinkable.
"Oh my God, I'm so grateful," said Jiang, president of Toronto's Sichuan Association of Canada. "It's just amazing. You can imagine right now people don't have a safe source of water to drink. We have something here that will help them. A tiny tablet in a litre of water and in 30 minutes you get clean water."
GlobalMedic director Rahul Singh said the two-person team in China took with them 10 portable purification units from a Michigan company. Using filters and ultra-violet light, each unit can supply drinking water for 1,000 people. The team also took along 1 million donated Irish-made purification tablets.
"That's the key – people getting drinking water," said Singh, a Toronto paramedic. "This is the best thing we can send in right now. It will save lives."
The organization plans air shipment of more equipment that could arrive by mid-week, including a large purification unit called The Nomad, which can provide 100 litres a minute – enough to supply 70,000 people – at low cost. Used in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, the machine produced water for less than a cent per litre, he said.
Jiang, whose parents live away from the quake zone, said people in Sichuan are physically and mentally stressed from the May 12 quake.
"And they're worried about another earthquake coming," she said.
Singh said the mission will cost about $55,000 – $45,000 in equipment and $10,000 for air transport and other expenses.
The 300-member group, which includes Toronto paramedics, police and firefighters, received permission from Chinese officials within 48 hours of offering help, said Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt).
Karygiannis accused the Stephen Harper government of being slow to respond to the disaster.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/26/content_8258205.htm
U.S. NGO airlifts water purifiers to thirsty Chinese in quake zone
www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-26 20:43:33 Print
Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake
CHENGDU, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The first water purification system from America was installed on Monday afternoon in a Sichuan Province quake-hit town thirsty for clean water.
With a daily capacity for purifying 40,000 liters of water, the system thrilled people in Luoshui Town of Shifang City where the 8.0-magnitude quake destroyed the town's two water towers. The damage put the drinking water of more than 40,000 residents and rescuers at risk.
"Since the outbreak of the earthquake, we have been relying on water carried from afar by pumps and watering carts, which shuttle 30 to 40 times a day," said Chen Yuanshou, the local water plant head.
He added the locals dared not to drink from the only motorized-pump well that survived the quake, fearing quake-triggered toxic matter had spoiled the supply.
"Now we feel relieved as we have clean water to drink," Chen said.
The installed system, along with five other water purifiers and key relief materials worth 1 million U.S. dollars, was donated by Samaritan's Purse, an American non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to international relief.
It was the first foreign NGO to airlift relief materials to Sichuan in a chartered Boeing 747.
The aid, including materials to provide temporary housing for 3,400 families, blankets, hygiene kits, basic utilities, baskets and cans to carry clean water, arrived on Saturday in Chengdu along with five support staff.
In Yinghua Town, where another water purifier was to be installed, John Dallmann, a Samaritan's Purse technician, was working with locals to find water sources.
After hours of searching in the woods, Dallmann identified a pond that was available for the water purifier.
Gary Lundstrom, executive vice-president of the organization, said he wanted the group's activities to function as "the other chopstick" in its aid efforts in quake-hit areas.
He likened the municipal leaders and the NGO to "two chopsticks".
"One chopstick can't pick up anything, but two are very good. We would like to be the other chopstick."
Two weeks on from the May 12 quake, aid has continued to flow in from around the world.
According to Ran Jingjun, a Sichuan Civil Affairs Department official, relief materials from more than 40 countries, regions and international organizations had arrived in Sichuan. More was on the way.
"I can't say how deeply I appreciate the prompt aid from our American friends," said local waterworks chief Chen.
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