(Freebase) War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war"; including "murder, the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps", "the murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war", the killing of hostages, "the wanton destruction of cities, towns and villages, and any devastation not justified by military, or civilian necessity". Similar concepts, such as perfidy, have existed for many centuries as customs between civilized countries, but these customs were first codified as international law in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. The modern concept of a war crime was further developed under the auspices of the Nuremberg Trials based on the definition in the London Charter that was published on August 8, 1945. (Also see Nuremberg Principles.) Along with war crimes the charter also defined crimes against peace and crimes against humanity, which are often committed during wars and in concert with war crimes. Article 22 of the Hague...

(Freebase) The term war rape labels rape committed by soldiers, other combatants or civilians during armed conflict or war, distinguished from sexual assaults and rape committed amongst troops in military service. During war and armed conflict, rape is frequently used as means of psychological warfare in order to humiliate the enemy and undermine their morale. War rape is often systematic and thorough, and military leaders may actually encourage their soldiers to rape civilians. War rape may occur in a variety of situations, including institutionalised sexual slavery, war rapes associated with specific battles or massacres, and individual or isolated acts of sexual violence. War rape may also include gang rape and rape with objects. When part of a widespread and systematic practice, rape and sexual slavery are now recognised under the Geneva Convention as crimes against humanity and war crimes. Rape is also now recognised as an element of the crime of genocide when committed with the intent to...

(Freebase) Wasit (Arabic: واسط Wāsit‎) is one of the governorates of Iraq. It is in the east of the country. Its name comes from the Arabic word meaning "middle," as it lies along the Tigris about midway between Baghdad and Basra. Its major cities include the capital, Al Kut, and Al-Hai. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. Another city in this Governorate is Wasit.

(Freebase) Waste (also referred to as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, or junk) is unwanted or unusable materials. In living organisms, waste is the unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from them. More commonly, waste refers to the materials that are disposed of in a system of waste management. Waste is directly linked to human development, both technologically and socially. The composition of different wastes have varied over time and location, with industrial development and innovation being directly linked to waste materials. Examples of this include plastics and nuclear technology. Some components of waste have economical value and can be recycled once correctly recovered. Waste is sometimes a subjective concept, because items that some people discard may have value to others. It is widely recognized that waste materials are a valuable resource, whilst there is debate as to how this value is best realized. There are many waste types defined by modern systems of waste management,...

(Freebase) Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is also carried out to recover resources from it. Waste management can involve solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive substances, with different methods and fields of expertise for each. Waste management practices differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Management for non-hazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while management for non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator. Integrated waste management using LCA life cycle analysis attempts to offer the most benign options for waste...

(Freebase) Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. Its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state, water vapor or steam. Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, and is vital for all known forms of life. On Earth, it is found mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation. Oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. A very small amount of the Earth's water is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products. Water on Earth moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea...

More than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water, and 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) include a target to halve the fraction of the world’s population without access to water and sanitation by 2015.

(Freebase) A water filter removes impurities from water by means of a fine physical barrier, a chemical process or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to various extents for irrigation, drinking water, aquariums, and swimming pools. Filters use sieving, adsorption, ion exchanges and other processes. Unlike a sieve or screen, a filter can remove particles much smaller than the holes through which the water passes. Types of water filters include media filters, screen filters, disk filters, slow sand filter beds, rapid sand filters and cloth filters. Point-of-use filters for home use include granular activated carbon filters (GAC) used for carbon filtering, metallic alloy filters, microporous ceramic filters, carbon block resin (CBR) and ultrafiltration membranes. Some filters use more than one filtration method. An example of this is a multi-barrier system. Jug filters can be used for small quantities of drinking water. Some kettles have built-in filters, primarily to reduce limescale...

(Freebase) A water meter is a device used to measure the volume of water usage. This article provides an overview of technical aspects of water meters. The worldwide prevalence of metering as well as its economic benefits and costs are covered in the separate article on water metering. In many developed countries water meters are used at each residential and commercial building in a public water supply system. Water meters can also be used at the water source, well, or throughout a water system to determine flow through that portion of the system. Water meters typically measure and display total usage in cubic feet (ft.), cubic meters (m) or US gallons on a mechanical or electronic register. Some electronic meter registers can display rate-of-flow as well as totalization. There are several types of water meter in common use. Selection is based on different flow measurement methods, the type of end user, the required flow rates, and accuracy requirements. In North America, standards for...

(Freebase) Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater). Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging either to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities. Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. Water pollution is a major problem in the global context. It has been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily. An estimated 700 million Indians have no access to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal sickness every day. Some 90% of China's cities suffer from some degree of water pollution, and nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. In addition to the acute problems of water...

(Freebase) Water purification is a process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose. Most water is purified for human consumption (drinking water) but water purification may also be designed for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial applications. In general the methods used include physical processes such as filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters or activated sludge, chemical processes such as flocculation and chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light. The purification process of water may reduce the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; and a range of dissolved and particulate material derived from the surfaces that water may have made contact with after falling...

(Freebase) Water security is the capacity of a population to ensure that they continue to have access to potable water. It is an increasing concern arising from population growth, drought, climate change, oscillation between El Nino and La Nina effects, urbanisation, salinity, upstream pollution, over-allocation of water licences by government agencies and over-utilisation of groundwater from artesian basins. Water security is rapidly declining in many parts of the world. It impacts regions, states and countries. Tensions exist between upstream and downstream users of water within individual jurisdictions. During history there has been much conflict over use of water from rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Water security is sometimes sought by implementing water desalination, pipelines between sources and users, water licences with different security levels and war. Water allocation between competing users is increasingly determined by application of market-based pricing for either...

(Freebase) Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing. Stagnant water can be a major environmental hazard. Malaria and dengue are among the main dangers of stagnant water, which can become a breeding ground for the mosquitoes that transmit these diseases. Stagnant water can be dangerous for drinking because it provides a better incubator than running water for many kinds of bacteria and parasites. Often times, stagnant water is contaminated with human and animal feces, particularly in deserts or other areas of low rain. Stagnant water may be classified into the following basic, although overlapping, types: To avoid ground and surface water stagnation, drainage of surface and subsoil is advised. Areas with a shallow water table are more susceptible to ground water stagnation due to the lower availability of natural soil drainage. Excessive watering may cause ground or surface water stagnation. Some plants prefer flowing water, while others, such as lotuses, prefer stagnant water. Various...

(Freebase) Water supply is the process of self-provision or provision by third parties in the water industry, commonly a public utility, of water resources of various qualities to different users. Irrigation is covered separately. In 2004 about 3.5 billion people worldwide (54% of the global population) had access to piped water supply through house connections. Another 1.3 billion (20%) had access to an improved water source through other means than house, including standpipes, "water kiosks", protected springs and protected wells. Finally, more than 1 billion people (16%) did not have access to an improved water source, meaning that they have to revert to unprotected wells or springs, canals, lakes or rivers to fetch water. Access to an improved source of water does not necessarily imply that it is safe to drink from that source. Water supply systems get water from a variety of locations, including groundwater (aquifers), surface water (lakes and rivers), conservation and the sea through...

(Freebase) A water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes: Raw water (untreated) is collected from a surface water source (such as an intake on a lake or a river) or from a groundwater source (such as a water well drawing from an underground aquifer) within the watershed that provides the water resource. Shallow dams and reservoirs are susceptible to outbreaks of toxic algae, especially if the water is warmed by a hot sun. The bacteria grow from stormwater runoff carrying fertilizer into the river where it acts as a nutrient for the algae. Such outbreaks render the water unfit for human consumption. The raw water is transferred to the water purification facilities using uncovered aqueducts, covered tunnels or underground water pipes. Virtually all large systems must treat the water; a fact that is tightly regulated by global, state and federal agencies, such as the...

(Freebase) Water tanks are liquid storage containers, these tanks are usually storing water for human consumption. The need for water tank systems is as old as civilized man. A water tank provides for the storage of drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many other possible solutions. Chemical contact tanks of FDA and NSF polyethylene construction, allow retention time for water treatment chemicals to be in contact with product water. (black tank in foreground) Various materials are used for making a water tank: plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene), fiberglass, concrete, stone, steel (welded or bolted, carbon or stainless). Earthen ponds function as water storage and are often referred to as tanks. Materials used in the manufacture of these water tanks shown in picture: Ground water tank is made of lined carbon steel, it may receive water from a water well or from surface water allowing a...