Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene 2014 Sept - Oct Vol. 9 No.5 | Page 12

NEWS in brief

Global Highlights

CPUC Orders Water Utilities to Provide Notification
to Customers of Water Use Restrictions and Potential
Fines
SAN FRANCISCO, August 14, 2014 - The California
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has ordered the water
companies under its jurisdiction to provide direct notice to
their customers of mandatory water use restrictions and
potential fines in response to the State Water Resources
Control Board’s Emergency Regulation for Statewide Water
Conservation.
every 1,000 children who received the vaccine, an average
of 800 cases of illness could be prevented.
And in continuing trials it went on to provide protection some
18 months after the injections were given. Manufacturers
GSK have now applied for regulatory approval - making
this the first vaccine to reach this step.
“The landscape of malaria vaccine development is littered with
carcasses, with vaccines dying left, right and centre - to get to this stage
is very exciting” Prof Sanjeev Krishna St George’s, University
of London
Malaria affects millions of people worldwide and results in
800,000 deaths each year - the majority in children under
five who live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Early defence
In the most advanced trial to date, involving several African
countries, 1,500 infants and children were given the RTS,S
vaccine.
Revisiting them 18 months after the last injection, researchers
found that in young children the vaccine almost halved the
number of cases of malaria.And for infants (who were
aged six to 12 weeks at first vaccination) the drug reduced
episodes of malaria by a quarter.
Though the effectiveness of the vaccine was seen to wane
over time, the report suggests it may have the largest impact
in areas with high rates of disease.
For example, in some Kenyan cities, 2,000 cases of clinical
malaria were prevented for every 1,000 children who
received the drug (people in this area are at risk of repeated
infections).GlaxoSmithKline has now asked the European
Medicine’s Authority to approve it for global use.

With California facing one of the most severe droughts on record,
Governor Brown declared a drought State of Emergency in January
and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for
water shortages. The state has continued to lead the way to make sure
California is able to cope with an unprecedented drought.

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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September - October 2014

On Feb. 27, 2014, the CPUC in response to the Governor’s
drought proclamation of January 17, 2014, adopted drought
procedures for water conservation, rationing, and service
connection moratoria for regulated water utilities. On April
25, 2014, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to
strengthen the state’s ability to manage water in drought
conditions. In response, on July 15, 2014, the Water Board
adopted Emergency Regulation that prohibits the use of
drinking water for outdoor landscapes in a manner that
causes runoff; the use of a hose without a shut-off nozzle
to dispense drinking water to wash a motor vehicle; the
application of drinking water to driveways and sidewalks;
and the use of drinking water in a fountain or other
decorative water feature, except where the water is part
of a recirculating system. The Emergency Regulation also
limits outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscape or turf
with drinking water to no more than two days per week.
Violation of these prohibited actions is punishable by
a fine of up to $500 for each day in which the violation
occurs. Additionally, all CPUC jurisdiction water utilities
are ordered to comply with the Water Board’s requirements
codified in Title 23, Article 12.5, Sections 865(b) through
(e) in implementing either mandatory outdoor irrigation
restrictions or, alternatively, mandatory water conservation
measures.
Utilities must include notice of the implementation of either
the mandatory outdoor irrigation restrictions or mandatory
water conservation measures as required in Sections 865(b)
through (e) as part of the required customer notification the
CPUC required in today’s order. The order requires that
within 10 days all water utilities under the CPUC’s jurisdiction