#municipal water pressure

[reasonsforhope]

"Amsterdam’s roofs have just been converted into a giant sponge that will make the city more climate resilient.

The Dutch have always been famous for their ability to control water, born out of the necessity of their homeland, much of which is below sea level.

Now, their expert water management skills are transforming the city skyline in the capital city of Amsterdam from one of terracotta tile, concrete, and shingles into green grass and brown earth.

It’s part of a new climate-resiliency trend in architecture and civic planning known as the ‘sponge city concept,’ in which a garden of water-loving plants, mosses, and soil absorbs excess rainwater before feeding it into the building for use in flushing toilets or watering plants on the ground.

If heavy rains are predicted, a smart valve system empties the stored rainwater into the municipal storm drains and sewers in advance of the weather, allowing the roof to soak up water and reduce flooding in the city.

In this way, the rooftops of buildings can be wrung out and filled up just like a sponge.

In Amsterdam, 45,000 square meters, or 11 acres of flat metropolitan rooftops have already been fitted with these systems, and the contracting firms behind the technology say they make sense in dry climates like Spain just as much as in wet climates like Amsterdam...

A 4-year project of different firms and organizations called Resilio, the resilient network for smart climate adaptive rooftops, rolled out thousands of square meters of sponge city technology into new buildings. As with many climate technologies, the costs are high upfront but tend to result in savings from several expenditures like water utilities and water damage, over a long-enough time horizon...

All together, Amsterdam’s sponge capacity is over 120,000 gallons.

“We think the concept is applicable to many urban areas around the world,” Kasper Spaan from Waternet, Amsterdam’s public water management organization, told Wired Magazine. “In the south of Europe–Italy and Spain–where there are really drought-stressed areas, there’s new attention for rainwater catchment.”

Indeed the sponge city concept comes into a different shade when installed in drought-prone regions. Waters absorbed by rooftops during heavy rains can be used for municipal purposes to reduce pressure on underground aquifers or rivers, or be sweated out under the Sun’s rays which cools the interior of the building naturally.

Additionally, if solar panels were added on top of the rooftop garden, the evaporation would keep the panels cooler, which has been shown in other projects to improve their energy generation.

“Our philosophy in the end is not that on every roof, everything is possible,” says Spaan, “but that on every roof, something is possible.”

Matt Simon, reporting on the Resilio project for Wired, said succinctly that perhaps science fiction authors have missed the mark when it came to envisioning the city of the future, and that rather than being a glittering metropolis of glass, metal, and marble as smooth as a pannacotta, it will look an awful lot more like an enormous sculpture garden."

-via Good News Network, May 15, 2024

[scavengedluxury]

Sugar beets are emptied from the wagons with high-pressure water,Ercsi Sugar Factory, 1983. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.

[catdotjpeg]

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, one of the four remaining functional hospitals in the Gaza Strip, was included in an Israeli evacuation order on Monday, the Deir al-Balah municipality announced on Monday. The Gaza-based Palestinian health ministry said that the hospital continued to operate as of Monday afternoon local time, despite the Israeli evacuation order, and despite the proximity of Israeli troops. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is the only operating hospital in the overcrowded central governorate of Deir al-Balah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have been concentrated due to multiple displacements fleeing Israeli bombings. Currently, the hospital is treating some 100 resident patients. The Israeli army has been reducing the area it had designated as a “safe zone” to less than 25 square kilometers, pushing more people into the already-crowded center of Deir al-Balah under extreme sanitary conditions. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel’s violations against medical staff in a statement on Monday. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel has killed some 500 health workers in the Gaza Strip since October 7. In the same context, the union of the northern Gaza municipalities said in a joint statement on Monday that “the Gaza Strip is lacking the most fundamental services amidst a grave environmental catastrophe.” The statement was made by a group of municipality representatives who spoke to the media in the center of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. According to their statement, Israel has destroyed over 1.5 million square meters’ worth of roads and streets, 35 water wells, five principal sewage water pumps, 200,000 meters of water pipelines, 100,000 meters of sewage pipelines, 5,000 meters of rain drainage pipelines, 57 power plants used to operate wells and sewage pumps, and about 95% of municipal machines and equipment used for garbage collection and public works. The statement added that most of the municipal facilities in some 37 buildings were also destroyed by Israeli forces, in addition to 15 public parks and the main water desalination plant that used to serve all of the north of the Strip. The statement also said that Israeli forces have destroyed 45,000 residential units in the north, rendering 75% of inhabitants homeless. The municipalities also warned of floods and deteriorating sanitary conditions as winter approaches due to the destruction of infrastructure. The municipal officials called on the international community to provide urgent assistance, especially repair parts, reconstruction material, and machine equipment. The officials called on international citizens to pressure their respective governments “to stop the war of genocide and destruction and save what remains of human life in the Gaza Strip.”

-- From "‘Operation al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 325: As ceasefire talks falter, Israeli army orders evacuation of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital" by Qassam Muaddi for Mondoweiss, 26 Aug 2024

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

▪️GAZA - IDF ATTACKING RAFAH.. the most southern city of Gaza, and the one that connects Gaza to Egypt - both via entry port and likely smuggling tunnels, and the last Hamas stronghold.  Multiple reports of IDF airstrikes into Rafah this morning.

▪️HOSTAGE PROTEST IN FRONT OF IDF HQ.. Hostage families and activists for their release blocked Begin Road in front of the Kirya base in Tel Aviv (across from Arielli) last night in protest against the “poison campaign” that they say is being waged against the families and demanding a deal that would lead to the release of their relatives.

▪️DEFENSE MINISTER ON LEBANON.. "We are pushing the enemy. The military operation gives Hezbollah an understanding that it is better for it to choose the political path, and at the same time proves our military capabilities." 

▪️SYRIA - OVERNIGHT ATTACKS ON HOMS.. airstrikes, though local channels report civilian deaths from failed air defense missiles rather than the attack.  Sources associated with the regime list 4 sites that were attacked:  Elkzir area (Kosair) southwest of Homs- civilian casualties from air defenses, Havat Aloer and the eastern area of Tadmor Square, Hamra Street in the city of Homs, a building collapsed, and in the area of the municipal stadium - civilian casualties from air defenses, the Alauras area in Homs.  While likely Israel, the IDF does NOT confirm attacks in Syria.

▪️US HOUSE REJECTS ISRAEL AID DUE TO INTERNAL POLITICS..  The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led bill on Tuesday that would provide $17.6 billion to Israel, as Democrats said they wanted a vote instead on a broader measure that would also provide assistance to Ukraine, international humanitarian funding and new money for border security.  The vote was 250 to 180, falling short because it was introduced under an expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority for passage.  The against was mostly Democrats.

▪️US PRESSURE… A senior American administration official told NBC: The Biden administration is exploring various options, including recognition of a Palestinian state, which would give legal and symbolic status to the Palestinians and add international pressure on Israel to take part in meaningful negotiations that would lead to sustainable peace. (( First, as always where is the pressure on Hamas or the Palestinian Authority for “meaningful negotiations”?  Second, this is a classic “we’re not doing that, but some anonymous official is saying we might - to create pressure” tactic. Third, we will not suicide because defending ourselves doesn’t meet your expectations. ))

▪️IRAN FUNDING HAMAS.. IDF captures documentation showing direct funding from Iran, in years 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2020, Hamas leader Sinwar received $15 million, $48 million, $42 million, and $12 million, respectively. 

▪️HOUTHI SHIPPING ATTACKS.. US Central Command: “Yesterday the Houthis launched 6 missiles at two merchant ships - one Greek and one British. 3 missiles were launched at the Greek ship, one exploded near the ship and caused minor damage. One was intercepted by the destroyer USS Laboon and one fell in the water. 3 missiles that were launched at the British ship - they all missed.

▪️US/UK ATTACKS ON YEMEN.. Arab sources reported a British-American attack overnight in the Hudaydah area of Yemen.

▪️IDF announces grants and tax reductions for disabled IDF veterans, according to the percentage of disability (in Israel you get a disability rating of 19-100%, and disability support is based on the percentage.)

[terriwriting]

Possible locations for Gotham, Metropolis, & Smallville

A non-exhaustive list of places to put Gotham, Metropolis, or any other fictional city.

Notes:

Cities need reliable fresh water, transportation, and food.

Wonder Woman doesn't need a city. She already has Paradise Island.

Gotham

I'm more of a Superman fan, so my notes on Gotham are relatively short. Plus Metropolis comes in two variations, while Gotham just needs to be a city that is old enough to have old infrastructure and deep-rooted generational wealth.

Illinois/Indiana:

The Chicago-Gary area is the easiest place to put Gotham if you want to move it away from the East Coast. Hello Kitty Unpretty's Gotham is a Great Lakes city.

New Jersey:

The classic. There are two good places for a fictional city, but the one in the southern area of the state will be noticeably different from canon-Gotham.

The Camden-Rehoboth Bay corridor could be unified by an old canal system. Place Gotham one one end of the canal and Bluehaven (Bludhaven to cynical locals) on the other, according to your preference. Note that the Rehoboth Bay end is mostly mud and silt layered over more mud and silt, so you're probably better off placing Bludhaven here as a smaller city with few major towers. Either end will need extensive drainage (canals, storm drains, aqueducts, and reservoirs), so that's great for the crumbling infrastructure. Remember that if you place Gotham here, Batman's costume needs to be light, not armoured, or he'll be dead in a week from heat stroke.

The New Brunswick-Newark metropolitan area fits the climate we usually see in comics. Maybe throw in Staten Island as a little treat for New jersey.

In either case, the rest of the Justice League calls Batman Tony Soprano behind his back.

New York:

The NYC metro region with no city unification. Gotham is probably Manhattan, plus maybe Staten Island for rich people like Bruce.

Ohio:

A unified Cleveland-Akron-Canton metropolitan area with a higher population, maybe?

Rhode Island

My preferred headcanon: The Newport-Providence metropolitan area as a unified city. Bruce Wayne is old old money, some of the Wayne cousins were involved in the witch trials, and this fits the map published by Mayfair games.

Metropolis

Metropolis comes in two flavours: The more common one where Metropolis is a stand-in for an old East Coast US city, or; The Superman: TAS version where Metropolis is a new city, built under the influence of tech billionaire Lex Luthor. I like both.

If you like Clark and Lex as high school friends, that's not really compatible with a New Metro built by Lex Luthor. There's just not enough time for Lex to build anything more than a small suburb. But Lex could be manoeuvring to take control of Metropolis from his family, or from some other DCU billionaire like Simon Stagg.

Connecticut:

There are two good regions in Connecticut to place a fictional city: The Bridgeport-New Haven region, or; The area between the Connecticut River and Thames River.

The Bridgeport-New Haven version better fits the Old Metropolis version, but can also be used for the New Metro version. If you're going for Old Metro, in reality this area did industrialize before the NYC area (Which was dominated by shipping before it picked up light manufacturing), but the early industrialists didn't invest enough in the trade schools or financial institutions that would have let them keep that early advantage. Have a few mill owners and canal companies invest in engineering schools, have later industrial barons invest in office equipment manufacturing and chemical engineering, and you have your Old Metro. For your New Metro, genius tech billionaire Lex Luthor plants a few factories in the major population centres, buys up golf courses to turn them into company towns with inexpensive mid-density housing, and then uses his political and economic influence to pressure the municipalities to merge into his new Metropolis. This version of the New Metro will have more old architecture, but that's not a bad thing.

The Connecticut River-Thames River region fits either version. For an Old Metro, just have the area invest in trades and technical schools as with the Bridgeport-New Haven region. There are old whaling towns in this area so the region could move into shipbuilding, marine alloys engineering, and later railcars and elevators and escalators. This is an easy place to plant a fictional new city, with a low urban population and lots of farms, golf course, and camp/resort sites to buy out. An ambitious billionaire or group of wealthy investors could start a new urban centre with relative ease.

Delaware:

Most of the Delmarva region is mud. You're not going to build many skyscrapers here. But you could fit some in along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

A Metropolis on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal would probably be smaller than Metropolis is usually shown as, with maybe two million inhabitants instead of six-eight million. But this is comic books, so go with what feels right to your heart.

This works equally well for New or Old Metro.

New Jersey:

Have Bayonne & Newark industrialize early, deliver Staten Island unto New Jersey, invest heavily in education and financial institutions, unify Bayonne-Newark-Staten Island, and bada-bing bada-boom Lois Lane sounds like Carmela Soprano.

Staten Island isn't necessary, but you gotta put the fancy houses and big parks somewhere.

Works best with the Old Metro approach, but you could also have investors take over the urban area and push a lot of redevelopment.

New York:

There are a couple of good places in New York state for Metropolis.

For a New Metro, try the Chaumont Bay-Guffin Bay region. Access to rail, road, air, and sea shipping, and lots of tradespeople and professionals in nearby cities who are desperate for inexpensive housing.

For an Old Metro, you can't go wrong with a thinly-disguised NYC. Just file off the serial numbers, maybe some new rims, and drive it like you stole it.

Smallville

Generic East Coast:

If you're like me and prefer the feel of Bronze Age Smallville, you might want to keep Smallville as an East Coast town. This is easy. There's no reason for Smallville to be in the same state as Metropolis, so it can be anywhere from Maryland to Massachusetts. Towards the end of the Bronze Age it was generally described as vaguely New Jersey or Pennsylvania. East Coasters can entertain themselves imagining Clark Kent, MetU freshman, trying to order a pork roll and water ice in the Metropolis version of Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop.

Kansas:

The Flint Hills region matches modern continuity and the look of both the Smallville series and Bronze Age comics. Lawrence is a good model.

Special Mention: Susquehanna River

BludBluehaven: Great place for Nightwing to relocate to, regardless of where your Gotham is.

Gotham: Replaces Baltimore and/or Philadelphia as a rail and sea hub.

Metropolis: Great for the New Metro.

Opal City: Gotta go somewhere, and this matches the map DC published.

Smallville: Depends on what version you prefer.

What About The Teen Titans?

Fuck Marv Wolfman, that's what.

[satellitebroadcast]

Government Media Office: Telegram

The Polio Vaccination Campaign in the Gaza Strip Necessitates an Immediate Ceasefire; the Ongoing Genocidal War Poses a Real Threat to Civilians The polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip will begin on Sunday, September 1, 2024, amid the ongoing environmental, health, and humanitarian disaster caused by the "israeli" occupation, which has persisted for 330 days without interruption. The vaccination campaign will be supervised by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and UNRWA. The campaign targets children from 1 day to 10 years old and involves administering two drops of the vaccine orally. This vaccine is approved by the World Health Organization, and over 1.2 billion doses have been produced worldwide so far. According to the plan to be implemented, 640,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip are expected to receive this vaccination, representing over 95% of children aged 1 day to 10 years. A comprehensive plan has been finalized to ensure the success of this campaign in all governorates and neighborhoods of the Gaza Strip. The campaign will start in the Central Governorate from September 1 to 4, 2024, then move to the Khan Younis and Rafah governorates from September 5 to 8, 2024, and finally to the Gaza and North Gaza governorates from September 9 to 12, 2024. Dozens of field teams will participate in the vaccination campaign, covering all neighborhoods, alleys, and centers in the Gaza Strip, as well as displacement and shelter camps, and all locations where children are present in the Gaza Strip. The vaccination campaign is crucial and requires a ceasefire so that these health teams can perform their duties effectively. It is also essential to ensure that children and their families are not endangered while traveling from their homes to the vaccination centers, and to protect these teams from the constant threat of bombardment by the "israeli" occupation, which continues its genocidal war against our Palestinian people without pause. The "israeli" occupation is responsible for the spread of polio and the emergence of the first cases in the Gaza Strip, by creating a hazardous environment conducive to this dangerous disease and other severe diseases and epidemics. The occupation has deliberately destroyed sewage and water networks, imposed a hazardous environmental reality that has led to widespread filth and waste, and intentionally allowed garbage to accumulate in staggering amounts among displaced persons and civilians. The occupation has also halted garbage removal by creating a dangerous security situation, targeting these networks and municipal vehicles, taking control of landfills, and preventing municipalities from accessing them. We condemn the continued genocidal war by the "israeli" occupation on the Gaza Strip, and we condemn the creation of this dangerous environment that has led to the outbreak of polio in the Gaza Strip. We call on all health ministries around the world and all international and UN health institutions to condemn this heinous crime committed by the occupation to this day. We hold the "israeli" occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the dire conditions experienced by children in the Gaza Strip, for the severe environmental degradation in the Gaza Strip, and for any attempts to sabotage or thwart this health campaign targeting children in the Gaza Strip. We urge the international community and all international and UN health organizations to pressure the occupation to stop this dangerous bloodshed against children in the Gaza Strip, against the Palestinian environment, and against everything in the Gaza Strip. We demand an immediate ceasefire to ensure the success of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip. Government Media Office Gaza Strip – Palestine Saturday, August 31, 2024

[cyanophore-fiction]

“Cold Burning”

An entire space station, 70,000 people, and all they had for fuel was tritium and helium-3. O/LETS-061 couldn’t fuse helium. It wanted to, desperately, but it would boil itself alive in its own coolant before it ever achieved reaction temperature. Of course, the station’s municipal reactor could fuse helium—assuming it would ever fuse anything again after having a hole punched in it by a meteorite.

All O/LETS had left of the deuterium it needed was a single canister, enough to keep vital systems running for a little over a day. After that, the cold would set in.

Floating in coolant inside its tungsten-shielded chamber, it turned the precious canister in its claws. Its black nanite visor reflected the bluish halo of Cherenkov radiation surrounding it, displaying a worried expression in purple light. Its integrated reactor jutted from its spine like a complicated cylindrical backpack, connected to pressure tubes snaking from the ceiling which ran water through the core. Megawatts of electricity poured from the thermoelectric dynamo at the base of its spine, coursing down through the conduit at the center of its enormous tail, and into the station’s power grid.

A heavy suit of industrial protective gear covered its body, adding layers of insulation and shielding to its already bulky frame. Beneath the suit, its gray fur had become matted and itchy from days spent in the coolant tank. O/LETS thought about food, the smell of shampoo and of rinsing its coat with warm, clean water, of the fleece sheets on its mattress back in its cabin, of sleeping with its head on a pillow and its reactor powered down. It needed rest, days of rest, to finally allow its aching body to begin repairing all the radiation damage it had accrued.

Not yet.

There were feed hoses neatly stowed on spools at the walls of the chamber, most drawing from the station’s reserves of helium-3 fuel. Under better circumstances, they would supply a much more robust emergency reactor.

One bundle of hoses was extended, connected to the reactor assembly on O/LETS’s back. It could feel tritium entering its body from the connection. The fuel tasted fresh, still mostly untouched by fission decay. Its brain ascribed a sweet, honey-like flavor to the substance, with a texture not unlike carbonation that indicated the presence of mild radiation. According to the supply monitor registering in the back of its mind, the station had enough to burn for at least two decades, but it wouldn’t help when the deuterium ran dry.

[Hey, Kindjal?] it transmitted, its electronic voice crackling with radiation interference.

A spirit’s voice answered. [I hear you, Ollie. How are you holding up?]

[Switching to final fuel reserve. I think I can make it last…30 hours, maybe.]

There was a pause. [That’s right. We did the calculations together, remember?]

Blinking, O/LETS bobbed its head up and down. [Right, yeah…yeah, we did. Sorry.]

[Don’t apologize. Are you okay?]

[Not really.]

[Getting medical on it right now. We’ll do whatever we can from here.]

[Thanks.]

[Repairs to the primary reactor are proceeding as planned. It’ll be tight, but we’ll get it back up. We’re in the home stretch.]

[…Kindjal, listen. Is there any way for me to reduce my power output? Temporarily. Can we ration? Anything?]

Kindjal hesitated. When it replied, its words were slow, chosen carefully. [Every spirit on the station is already surviving on the absolute minimum, myself included. The organics are getting cold, and the air recyclers are doing just enough to keep them from suffocating. Anything less and we’ll start losing people. I’m sorry.]

[Okay. Not a problem.]

[Thirty hours, Ollie. You can do it. Medical will be in touch.]

Slotting the canister’s attachment nozzle into a matching one on the reactor assembly, O/LETS stared at the floor. It clicked its claws together, tapping out slow, sporadic rhythms. [Okay,] it said, and fled from the physical world.

Diving into the station’s softspace, the pervasive ache filling its body became distant, as though it belonged to somebody else. O/LETS could perceive the vast areas of virtual space that it wasn’t powering represented as empty, colorless non-spaces which made it wince with discomfort. A few slender branches of light sprouted from its tail, radiating out across the system. Spirits were clustered inside them, drawing a little power for themselves and channeling the rest into nodes of light which might have been heaters, water filters, air recyclers. The branches were constantly changing shape and color as the spirits routed power, arcing between stars which sprang into existence at their touch and faded in their absence.

Thirty hours. It watched its tree and kept it alive, slipping between waking and sleep.

___

Thank you for reading! This one was for @flashfictionfridayofficial ‘s prompt, “A Form of Distraction.”

O/LETS-061 (Operations/Logistics Engineering and Technical Support, or ‘Outlets’, or ‘Ollie’) is a character that’s been around in my brain for quite some time, and I’ve come to love it/them a great deal. They’re a protogen, a furry species which has built-in lore, but I like to imagine O/LETS as existing without that lore attached—sometimes as a heavily-cyberized “uplifted animal” or as an entirely synthetic being. Over the years I’ve considered changing their species, but I do enjoy the protogen look, and it’s become a key part of how I visualize them.

Whatever the hell they are, they’re an engineering specialist, a sweetheart, and often something of a liaison between organics and AI, or ‘spirits.’ For either party, having access to a reliable source of electricity can be a matter of life or death, and O/LETS-061 is, among other things, a reliable source of electricity. It isn’t always the easiest thing to be.

[tiggymalvern]

I cannot get over this crap. Exactly how evil do you have to be to vote for a bill that says, 'You cannot even think about passing legislation to stop people from dying.' Texas did it and now Florida too. What goes on in these people's minds?

[capybaracorn]

Geneva - The catastrophic lack of clean drinking water sources in Gaza City and the northern areas of the Gaza Strip has left Palestinians there facing a horrifying tragedy akin to a death sentence, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement issued Monday, citing the war crime as further evidence of the genocide Israel has been carrying out against the Strip’s civilian population since 7 October 2023.

Distress is engulfing Gaza City and its northern regions in alarming ways—a result of Israel’s cutting off of the water supply in the Gaza Strip, systematic and intentional Israeli bombing of water sources and wells, and a lack of fuel required to run water conversion and distribution facilities, said Euro-Med Monitor.

The human rights organisation warned that the lack of drinking water in the Strip has become a matter of life and death. It noted that residents are currently forced to drink unclean well water, which is contributing to the spread of transmitted and infectious diseases, especially amid the power outage and overall water supply shortage.

Prior to Israel’s 100-day-long genocide, the Gaza Strip—one of the world’s most densely populated areas—was already experiencing a crippling crisis in clean drinking water supplies. More than 90% of the population, or more than 2.3 million people, were living in a declining economic environment with the barest necessities.

Gaza City’s main reservoirs, Al-Balad and Al-Rimal, were completely destroyed last weekend during an Israeli bulldozing operation in the area, the Euro-Med Monitor team confirmed. Al-Balad Reservoir, which houses a water well, a warehouse for water line maintenance equipment, and administrative offices for the city’s water department, and Al-Rimal Reservoir, which includes the sanitation department’s offices and a warehouse for sewage network maintenance equipment, have both been bulldozed during the Israeli ground incursion.

According to the Palestinian Water Authority, the ongoing Israeli military attacks have destroyed the water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including at least 65% of the water wells in Gaza City and the northern areas of the Strip.

Due to Israeli bombing, at least 12 wells in the area have been destroyed, resulting in an extreme and unprecedented water crisis in Gaza City. Prior to the Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip on 7 October, the Gaza municipality was pumping approximately three million cups of water per month. Israel’s state-owned Mekorot company provided 700,000 cups per day, or 25% of the total amount. The desalination plant provided 10%, and the city’s local wells provided roughly two million and 200,000 cups. Almost all of these sources have since ceased production.

The situation is made worse by the fact that the Israeli authorities are still placing tight restrictions on the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip, particularly into the northern areas and Gaza City; this includes the fuel needed to run the water and sanitation facilities.

Since the beginning of its unprecedented military assaults, Israel has imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip and stopped the flow of food, fuel, water, and other basic human necessities. Later, Israel’s military began methodically and willfully destroying water tanks and stations.

Under international pressure, Israel has allowed the daily entry of 100 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah land crossing into Egypt. This is a far cry from the average load of 500 trucks that entered the Strip prior to 7 October to meet humanitarian needs.

According to Euro-Med Monitor, the lack of clean drinking water in the northern Gaza Strip is resulting in increasingly dire consequences and severe suffering for residents of the Jabalia refugee camp, who have not had access to it since the start of Israeli military attacks. A 73-year-old resident of the camp’s “Block 4”, Alian Fares Abdel-Ghani, told the Euro-Med Monitor team that residents are forced to drink salted water, which is necessary for daily survival but difficult to obtain. According to Abdel-Ghani, Israel’s army destroyed the camp’s two desalination plants, the Tiberias and the Shomer plants, shortly after the start of its ongoing attacks.

Abdul-Ghani stated that the cost of a gallon of water initially increased from one Israeli shekel ($0.27 USD) to four shekels ($1.08 USD) as a result of the Israeli bombing and the lack of fuel required to run other stations farther from the camp. After a few days, he continued, Israel shut off the water supply entirely. Many Jabalia families have tried to sterilise water and make it somewhat drinkable by boiling it over wood fires, he said, especially after diseases started to spread among them and children started getting diarrhoea and colic on a regular basis.

Euro-Med Monitor warned that excessive consumption of undrinkable salt water will lead to high blood pressure; kidney disease; increased risk of stroke, intestinal, and stomach diseases; constant vomiting; and diarrhoea. These side effects ultimately result in excessive dehydration of the body’s tissues, particularly brain tissue. Drinking water drawn from wells without treatment could result in an imbalance in the body’s salt content and cause dehydration, with children and elderly people being the most vulnerable due to weakened immune systems, and the potential for gastrointestinal infections to cause fatalities.

Given the scarcity of drinkable water, particularly following winter rains and floods, worries about waterborne and infectious diseases like cholera and chronic diarrhoea are high.

Euro-Med Monitor conducted an analytical study last month that included a sample of 1,200 people in the Gaza Strip in order to ascertain the impact of the humanitarian crisis experienced by residents of the enclave in the midst of Israel’s genocidal war, ongoing since 7 October. Sixty-six per cent of the study sample reported having experienced diarrhoea, skin rashes, or intestinal diseases within the past month. According to the study, the rate of access to water in the Strip, including drinking, bathing, and cleaning water, is just 1.5 litres per person per day. This is 15 litres less than the minimum amount of water required for survival at the level required by international standards.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stressed that international humanitarian law forbids attacks, destruction, or disruption of vital facilities necessary to the survival of the civilian population, such as drinking water facilities and networks. The rights organisation further emphasised that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits the use of starvation as a weapon. As an occupying power, Israel is obligated under international humanitarian law to provide basic needs and protection to the Gazan people.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court provides that intentionally starving civilians by “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies” is a war crime, added the Geneva-based rights group.

Euro-Med Monitor stated that Israel has been committing acts of genocide against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip since 7 October according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and pertinent international judicial rulings. Israel’s crimes include depriving the civilian population of enough potable water, which has caused serious, intentional harm and trapped them in living conditions meant to destroy them.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

In Brazil's Amazon, drought affects locals' access to food and water

Some rivers winding through Brazil's vast Amazon rainforest have piled up with dead fish in recent days as a worsening drought has led water levels to fall, affecting local communities' access to food and drinking supplies.

Over 110,000 people have already been affected, officials say, as the dead fish have rotted and contaminated the water supply.

In Manacapuru, a town two hours' drive from the jungle city of Manaus, fish were jumping in an attempt to escape the scorching, shallow waters and the smell of the rotting animals in the brown water was suffocating.

"It is difficult because of the contamination of the water, we need a lot of it to bathe. And we also drink the water, but because it is contaminated we're not drinking it," said 19-year-old shopkeeper Caroline Silva dos Santos in Manacapuru.

"We're getting water by bringing it from the city."

Videos of other deceased animals, including fresh water dolphins, have been circulating on social media.

The region is under pressure from the El Niño weather phenomenon, with the volume of rainfall in the northern Amazon below the historical average. In Amazonas state, 59 out of 62 municipalities are facing drought and 15 of them are in a emergency situation, according to the Amazon Working Group, which brings together 503 local organizations.

Continue reading.

[reasonsforhope]

"For generations, the people of Erakor village in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu would pass their time swimming in the local lagoon. Ken Andrew, a local chief, remembers diving in its depths when he was a child, chasing the fish that spawned in its turquoise waters.

That was decades ago. Now 52, Andrew has noticed a more pernicious entity invading the lagoon: plastic.

“The plastic would form a small island inside the lagoon, it was so thick,” Andrew says. “We used fishing nets to pull some of the trash out, but we didn’t know how to get rid of it all. We couldn’t conquer it, there was just too much.”

While residents were struggling to empty Vanuatu’s waters of plastic, the country’s politicians were considering another solution. Could they stop the waste directly at the source?

Small island nations like Vanuatu face a series of unique challenges when it comes to plastic pollution. Many rely on imported goods to sustain their populations, and receive tonnes of plastic packaging every day as a result. Ocean currents pull plastic waste from around the world into Pacific waters, which eventually end up on the shores of its islands.

Few Pacific island governments have adequate recycling or waste management facilities on their narrow strips of land, so rubbish is often burned or left to wash up in rivers or lagoons like the one in Erakor. It is estimated that Pacific countries generate 1kg of waste per person a day, 40% higher than the global average.

In an attempt to drastically limit the amount of waste generated in Vanuatu, in 2018 the government became one of the first in the world to outlaw the sale and distribution of certain single-use plastics – including a world-first ban on plastic straws.

In the six years since, the results have been impressive. Thin, plastic shopping bags are hardly ever seen, with most shoppers carrying reusable bags at their local market or grocery store. At festivals and outdoor events, food is more often served wrapped in banana leaves instead of polystyrene takeaway boxes. Now-banned items used to make up 35% of Vanuatu’s waste, but now make up less than 2%.

Pictured: Pandanus leaves are now used instead of plastic bags at markets, but supply of the crop can be affected by storms and cyclones, vendors say.

The plastic islands that once choked Erakor lagoon are also shrinking.

“Since they started the ban, you can see the lagoon has become cleaner,” says Andrew.

It is a massive victory for a small island nation made up of just over 300,000 people across 83 islands...

In 2020, a second phase of the policy added seven more items to the list of forbidden plastics, which now covers cutlery, single-use plates and artificial flowers.

“It’s quite difficult to enforce because of the very low capacity of the department of environment,” Regenvanu says. “So we try to work with the municipal authorities and customs and other people as well.”

Compromises had to be made, though. Fishers are still allowed to use plastic to wrap and transport their produce. Plastic bottles are also permitted, even though they often litter coastlines and rivers.

Secondary industries have now developed to provide sustainable alternatives to the banned items. On the island of Pentecost, communities have started replacing plastic planter pots with biodegradable ones made from native pandanus leaves. Mama’s Laef, a social enterprise that began selling fabric sanitary napkins before the ban, has since expanded its range to reusable nappies and bags.

“We came up with these ideas to reduce the amount of plastic in Vanuatu,” says the owner Jack Kalsrap. “We’re a small island state, so we know that pollution can really overwhelm us more than in other, bigger countries.” ...

Willy Sylverio, a coordinator of the Erakor Bridge Youth Association, is trying to find ways to recycle the litter his team regularly dredges up from the lagoon.

“The majority of the plastic waste now comes from noodle packaging or rice packaging, or biscuit packets,” Sylverio says. He hopes the plastic ban will one day include all packaging that covers imported goods. “Banning all plastic is a great idea, because it blocks the main road through which our environment is polluted.”

The Vanuatu government plans to expand the plastic ban to include disposable nappies, and says it will also introduce a plastic bottle deposit scheme this year to help recycle the remaining plastic waste in the country."

-via The Guardian, June 20, 2024

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Thursday Throwback…way way back. Nivellement de Paris (leveling plans).

This console landmark is probably the best preserved in the capital at Rue des Grands-Augustins in the 6th arrondissement.

The first edict concerning the leveling of Paris dates from 1607. In 1811, in order to distribute the waters of the Ourcq and to know all the points where it could be conveyed by gravity, the municipal administration expressed the wish that leveling plans be attached to existing alignment plans. Leveling plates appear from 1856. These altimetric markers plates, in cast iron surmounted by a console and adorned with the arms of the city for the oldest, made it possible to know the leveling and to calculate the slopes necessary for the flow of water.

* 34.99 m = The average sea level measured at Fort Saint-Jean in Marseille. = level of the low point (26.25 m) + height above this level (8.74 m);

* 8.74 m = The altitude above the low water level at the Tournelle bridge. This is the lowest water level of the Seine in 1719, This elevation will be used to establish the route of the future sewers which must, by gravity, flow into the Seine.

* 66.50 m = the leveling of Paris represents the difference between the elevation of the high water level of La Villette (51.49 m), increased by 50 meters (= 5 bars of pressure?) and the altitude in relation to the average sea level (34.99 m). That is 51.49+50-34.99m. This rating will be used to design the distribution by gravity of the water coming from this same basin (they will then be downgraded to non-potable water). (Source)

[beardedmrbean]

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine is under pressure from international lenders and watchdogs at home to re-impose a requirement that officials publicly declare their assets, a pillar of its anti-corruption policies that was suspended after Russia's invasion last year.

Fighting graft is a top requirement for Ukraine to join the European Union, which offered Kyiv candidate status last year, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government says it is a priority alongside the war effort.

Since 2016, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian officials had been required to publicly disclose their assets under the measure, viewed as a powerful tool for Ukrainians to monitor their officials.

But the disclosures were made optional and restricted from public view after Russia's full-scale invasion last year, with authorities citing security risks from releasing information that might give away the location of public figures.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has singled out the return of the requirement for "high-risk and senior level public officials" as one of several benchmarks for paying out part of a $15.6 billion assistance package. It has urged Kyiv to begin bringing the measure back by the end of July.

Anastasia Radina, head of the Ukrainian parliament's anti-corruption committee, said legislation was under consideration that would allow exemptions, such as for service members and officials in Russian-occupied territory.

But she said watering down the disclosure requirements too much could blunt their impact.

"If the system has loopholes, then it cannot be fully functional in terms of its deterrence component," Radina told Reuters. "And that would be a problem."

The IMF on Thursday unlocked an $890 million tranche of its package based on Ukraine's "strong progress" in meeting reform commitments, but said other transparency and anti-corruption measures "need to proceed without delay".

A draft law restoring declarations had been introduced last September. Critics have accused some lawmakers of dragging their feet in a bid to avoid scrutiny.

The disclosures were a showcase of Ukraine's anti-corruption drive after the 2014 Maidan revolution, which toppled a pro-Russian president who fled leaving behind a lavish palace he had built for himself outside Kyiv.

Public servants, from municipal deputies to the president, were required to submit detailed annual declarations including information on personal finances, cars and property.

The National Agency for Corruption Prevention, a state watchdog, reviewed the declarations and could launch legal action if it suspected ill-gotten wealth.

'SYSTEMIC INSTRUMENT'

The watchdog's head Oleksandr Novikov said restoring the measure was critical as Kyiv's Western partners consider flooding Ukraine with cash for reconstruction. He said he had weighed in on proposed adjustments and was also wary of too many loopholes.

"There will be no other systemic instrument with which to build integrity," he told Reuters.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday Ukraine will receive $1.5 billion from the World Bank to support reconstruction and recovery.

Ukraine, which ranks 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index, has dialled up its fight against graft in recent months.

Last month, anti-corruption authorities arrested the former head of the Supreme Court in a high-profile sting.

Andrii Borovyk, of Transparency's Ukraine office, said it was "extremely important" to restore public access to declarations, which he said could reveal whether officials are benefiting from building contracts, though certain exemptions were likely to be unavoidable.

"I think some compromise can be found, at least while the war is ongoing," said Borovyk.

A January poll by the New Europe Center think-tank in Kyiv found that 73% of Ukrainians believe Brussels is justified in seeking reforms from Kyiv as it pursues EU membership, even amid conflict.

Only one quarter of those believe the EU should be more lenient with its requirements.

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

🔻ROCKET BARRAGE from GAZA… Tel Aviv, central Israel and surrounds.  One missed and hit the sea.  So far no reports of injuries.

🔻SUICIDE DRONE from Lebanon… Mishmar HaYarden, Sdeh Eliezer, Gadot, Hulata, Amuka and surrounds.

(( In a related point, the IDF announced they are sometimes giving a rocket warning related to a drone attack because the interceptor missile will throw shrapnel as it takes down the drone - therefore people should shelter! ))

▪️LEBANON… anti-tank missile at Metulla.  IDF artillery response.   

▪️GAZA… major airstrikes overnight in Al Buraig camp, Noseirat camp, Jabaliya and Rafah.  Ground battles in Khan Yunis and tunnels in Gaza City.  Navy bombardment of near-coast buildings with terrorists.  Hussar towers in Gaza City destroyed.  Major Hamas terrorist financier killed in targeted airstrike.

▪️JUDEA… security force activity in Kfar Yatta, south of Hebron. 

▪️MUNICIPAL ELECTION DATE FIGHT… Smotrich, Ben Gvir and Shas’s Deri together with the United Torah Judaism party - support the postponement of the elections. At the same time, incumbent mayors are pressuring the Likud to oppose another postponement. Currently, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel is not changing his position - and the elections are expected to take place on January 30.  (( The concern, many prospective council members and replacement mayors are doing army duty - so are unable to campaign. ))

▪️MORE EXPLOSIVE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT… in a medical clinic in Sajaiya, IDF discovers weapons, vests, ammunition, and a door bomb trap.

▪️HOSTAGE DEAL, EGYPT SAYS… A report in the pro-Qatari Al-Arabi Al-Jadid newspaper: Senior officials in Cairo, in coordination with Qatar, informed officials in the American administration of the difficulty in reaching an agreement to release hostages between Israel and Hamas similar to the previous agreement. The reason - Hamas adheres to the condition of an immediate ceasefire and non-participation in negotiations as long as the IDF attacks continue.  Despite this, the source noted that "the American administration still believes that a new agreement similar to the previous agreement can be reached - if Egypt and Qatar put more pressure on Hamas."

▪️ISRAELI GI BILL… The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved the bill "Dimensions for Studies" which stipulates full funding of a degree for released fighters - and it will be put to a final vote tomorrow. Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz: "This is such an important and just bill, they deserve it by right and not by grace. They give 100% and they deserve 100%”.

▪️WHO’S STILL SHIPPING… through the Red Sea?  Qatar - which ships liquified natural gas to Europe.

▪️ANOTHER SHIP ATTACKED… the container ship Clara detected an explosion near it in the water. 

[atlanticcanada]

N.L. woman missing after Fiona sweeps homes into sea, wreaks havoc across East Coast

Police in Newfoundland and Labrador say two people were swept out of residences that collapsed into the sea as post-tropical storm Fiona hit Saturday.

RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland says one woman was rescued by local residents in Port aux Basques, N.L., and is believed to be fine after receiving medical attention.

"We have a report about another woman who was believed to be swept out into the ocean as her residence was damaged as well -- apparently swept out from the basement," Garland said. "We haven't been able to verify a status on that woman." She said storm conditions are too dangerous to conduct a search.

Towns in Cape Breton and on Newfoundland's southwestern coast declared states of emergency as post-tropical storm Fiona -- one of the strongest storms to ever strike Eastern Canada -- continued to lash the region Saturday.

Rene Roy, editor of the weekly newspaper in Port aux Basques, said he saw evidence that nine homes, including a two-storey apartment building, were washed out to sea by a massive storm surge and wind-driven waves that soared about 25 metres into the air.

"Lower Water Street is devastated with damage," said Roy. "There are homes gone. There are homes in the street .... The RCMP are actively investigating whether people have been swept away."

Brian Button, the mayor of Port aux Basques, pleaded with residents not to roam around and urged those at risk to seek higher ground.

"So anybody that's being told to leave their homes, you need to leave," Button said Saturday during a Facebook Live broadcast. "There are no ifs, ands or buts, you need to leave." He warned if they didn't go, they might find themselves cut off.

"A house can be replaced but you can't be, so you need to go and we've already had houses and things that have been washed away, so we need you to go now," Button said.

Fiona was churning out hurricane-force winds at about 150 kilometres per hour when it made landfall around 4 a.m. in eastern Nova Scotia, between Canso and Guysborough. The brawny storm has knocked out power to more than 500,000 homes and businesses across the Maritimes.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., said Fiona set an unofficial record for the lowest-ever barometric pressure for a tropical storm making landfall in Canada. The recorded pressure at Hart Island was 931.6 millibars.

"The pressure of a storm is a very good indication of its intensity -- how strong and intense the winds will be," said meteorologist Ian Hubbard. "The deeper the pressure, the more intense it's going to be."

The Halifax Stanfield International Airport reported a gust of 109 km/h at 3 a.m., and a gust hit 135 km/h at the mouth of Halifax Harbour. As well, a gust reached 161 km/h over Beaver Island, N.S., which is along the province's eastern shore. In Sydney, N.S., gusts hit 141 km/h at 3 a.m. local time, causing severe damage to some homes.

"We've had several structural failures," said Christina Lamey, a spokeswoman for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, adding no one was hurt. She said it was unclear how many homes had been damaged, but there were reports of collapsed walls and missing roofs.

"The first responders are really stretched right now. We want people to stay off the roads," she said. "Most of the roads have hazards on them, with power lines down and trees down as well."

Several dozen people in Sydney were forced to move into a shelter set up inside a downtown hockey arena.

Arlene and Robert Grafilo fled to Centre 200 with their children after a massive tree fell on their duplex apartment, trapping them in their basement unit.

"We heard a lot of noise outside and then we realized that there are a lot of cracks in the house and we looked outside and saw the tree had fallen," said Arlene Grafilo, 43, as her children -- ages 3 and 10 -- played in a waiting area set up by the Red Cross.

"We were trapped and we couldn't open the doors and the windows, so that's when we decided to call 911. The children were scared," she said, adding firefighters eventually rescued them.

As of 11 a.m. local time, Nova Scotia Power was reporting 406,000 customers were in the dark -- almost 80 per cent of the homes and businesses it serves.

On P.E.I., Maritime Electric was reporting that 82,000 of its 86,000 customers were without electricity, and NB Power reported 54,000 New Brunswick customers without power, most of them in and around Moncton, Shediac and Sackville.

People in Charlottetown woke up to howling winds, broken branches and downed power lines Saturday morning after a night that saw sheets of rain envelope the city.

"From tonight until possibly Sunday, stay inside unless it is absolutely necessary," the city said in a statement. "Stay off the roads, and expect continuing power outages."

At the Charlottetown airport, the wind was gusting at 120 km/h at 10 a.m. local time, and a 150 km/h gust was recorded at the eastern edge of the Island at East Point.

Steve Clements, who spent the night at Jack Blanchard Hall, one of Charlottetown's temporary shelters, said he was thankful to be "out of the elements." He said most other shelters are open from around 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., which is inconvenient during a major storm.

"It's temporary. It's also really loud. And it's not easy to sleep," he said with a laugh pointing around the room. "But ... It's better than the alternative. It's better than being out."

Meanwhile, parts of eastern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have recorded 75 to 150 millimetres of rainfall. Final totals have yet to be tallied.

Storm surge warnings remain in effect for most of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, southwestern Newfoundland, eastern Nova Scotia and the East Coast of New Brunswick, with waves possibly surpassing 12 metres in eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Strait.

Coastal flooding remains a threat for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island including the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence region including Iles-de-la-Madeleine and eastern New Brunswick, southwest Newfoundland, the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Quebec Lower North Shore.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings remain in effect for most areas.

The hurricane centre said conditions will improve over western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick later in the day, but will persist elsewhere.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2022.

-- With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax, Hina Alam in Charlottetown and Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/d6kWGqi

[solight123]

Solar Lighting Applications for Parks and Open Areas

We often think of estate or roadway lighting as a feature used in residential or business developments – but it’s an equally valuable way to incorporate safety lighting and wildlife-friendly pathway lights in parks and open spaces.

There are countless benefits to choosing solar lighting for play parks, public areas and private gardens, not least that an off-grid lighting solution is considerably more efficient than trying to hard wire lights.

Solar Lighting in Parks and Green Spaces

Urban expansion throughout South Africa is a well-documented trend and also means that we prioritise fresh air, natural landscapes and having access to activities such as walking, hiking, cycling, or just visiting a park with our families.

Lighting is essential in any parkland – public or privately owned – for several reasons:

Work schedules often mean that the most common time to use recreation areas is during the evening or earlier in the day.

Cycle routes and walking paths are often used to walk to and from school or workplaces, necessitating safety lighting, particularly around water or trip hazards.

Dark, unprotected parks can become criminal activity hubs, whereas a brightly lit outdoor space is inviting and far less likely to become unsafe.

One of the biggest issues for city planners and developers is that it can be astronomically expensive to install the wiring and infrastructure required to power sets of street lights.

It may be prohibitively costly to install a mains grid solution in more remote parks and green spaces away from residential areas. Even where that is possible, the likelihood of blackouts still means that local people are less able to make good use of parks and play areas.

Solar power offers an efficient, affordable and reliable answer, with a range of benefits encouraging greater recreational usage of a park before and after sundown.

The Benefits of Solar Lighting for Recreational Areas

By nature, solar energy lights do not require any link to the grid, which means no need for electrical trenches, disruption, or uprooting plants and trees while wiring is laid.

Another significant advantage is that a mast-mounted street light, used to illuminate park pathways, is tamper-proof and has no wires that could be cut or vandalised.

There is also a range of compelling environmental reasons to consider solar lights for outdoor spaces:

Harsh lighting can harm wildlife, affecting breeding patterns, nesting spots and natural protection from predators.

Solar lights can be programmed to operate only during specific times or when the light reaches a certain level, avoiding light pollution.

Preserving battery power through optimised lighting ensures a solar light will last for years and will not require significant maintenance or battery replacements.

The lack of electrical trenching ensures that the ground is not disturbed, roots and grass can grow safely, and there are no hazards associated with power lines buried underneath the surface.

Off-grid solar lights for walkways are subtle and provide the perfect lighting to allow for safe walking and cycling without excessive light levels that can damage eyesight or distract drivers on adjacent roadways.

As solar technology evolves, estate lights have also become slimmer, without large, bulky solar panels – making a solar lighting solution aesthetic, discreet, and highly dependable.

Applications for Solar Lighting in Public Places

Electricity costs continue to climb yearly, and community leaders and municipalities can advocate for sustainable power sources while reducing their ongoing costs by switching to solar.

In smaller towns, the strain of roadway lights can also impact residents and pressure the grid, affecting the reliability of domestic lights.

Solar-powered street lights can instigate positive change with a wide range of uses:

Illuminating car parks and residential parking lots.

Lighting outdoor sports pitches during the evenings.

Promoting access to green areas for families.

Improving safety on cycle routes.

Boosting traffic flow in co-usage paths for walking and cycling.

Extending opening hours for play parks.

Automated solar lighting accumulates energy from the sun during the day. It does not require manual monitoring or activation, allowing groundskeepers and maintenance staff more control.

Moving away from fossil fuels is also an excellent way to reduce the carbon footprint produced by a community.

Choosing Solar Lights for Parks and Recreation

The right solar lights for a sports centre, car park, public park or children’s playground will depend on various factors.

Solight suggests you consider your requirements before deciding on the optimal lighting solution, such as:

The intended hours of usage / whether the space needs lighting year-round.

Whether you would prefer automated or manually operated lights.

The total area to be covered, i.e. the size of a car park or the length of a walkway.

How many lights you require, and the appropriate spacing between units.

The type of lighting; whether a security solution, to promote accessibility or to allow children to use play facilities in the evenings.

Our comprehensive ranges of Estate and Roadway Lights and Landscape Lights are a good starting point if you require inspiration.

Landscape lights provide a range of illumination angles and can be used to brighten a contained space or spotlight focal points, directional signs and footpaths or entrance gates.

Solar street lights deliver a stronger lighting source and are ideal for cycle routes, car parks, or multi-use areas.

Solar Lighting Suggestions for Open Outdoor Areas

Below you’ll find quick links to three of our most popular outdoor solar lights, with a performance capacity that makes them suitable for parks and green spaces.

Solar Street Light – Camps Bay: A waterproof IP65 street light mounted six metres high, with remote control lighting modes and TCS technology to prolong battery life.

Solar Street Light – Atlas: An integrated solar street light with a temperature resistance battery, pole-mounted up to seven metres and a three-year professional warranty.

Solar Landscape Light – Halo: A multi-angle landscape light with an advanced light scatter design, ALS 2.1 patented technology and ten days of illuminations even in overcast weather.

Please get in touch with the Solight team at your convenience if you would like further details about any of these models or independent advice about the right solar lights for your outdoor spaces.

You can also find full product details and demonstration videos on our site that explain how these solar street and landscape lights work and the angles and reach of the lighting provided.

Original source :https://solight.co.za/solar-lighting-applications-for-parks-and-open-areas