Feasibility of Various Techniques of Providing Fresh Water Accessibility in Arid Regions - Essay Example

Feasibility of Various Techniques of Providing Fresh Water Accessibility in Arid Regions Table of Contents i. Introduction ii. Water Situation in Arid Regions iii. Inter-basin Transfer iv. Water Diversion v. Rainwater Harvesting vi. Wastewater as an Additional Water Resource vii. Conclusion 1. Introduction Water is the ultimate resource and the basis of all life on earth. Only a few years ago, it was inconceivable that the civilized world would be facing universal scarcity of inland water supply. However it is now estimated that by the year 2025, 3.4 billion people would be having to deal with chronic water shortage (Calzolaio 5). And if that happens, the global community is going to witness great fighting over control of water resources unlike ever before, though water resource-related conflict has a marked history going back to medieval times (Gleick 105). Hence the focus must now shift towards addressing the causes and remedies of the fresh water availability issue. The unfortunate fact is that the need for conservation and preservation of water is present mainly in the underdeveloped regions of the world, not only because raising awareness about the problem among illiterate populations is hard but also because these areas are densely populated and require establishment of water sources in very high concentrations. Environmental factors continue to play their role in exacerbating the problem. For instance global warming is having a profound impact on the average temperature of the earth’s water body causing it to be more prone to evaporation and speeding up the transfer of fresh water into sea water (Vorosmarty et al., 284). Anyhow, the society must continue to look for solutions; and to continue the march towards civic sustainability. It is encouraging that in the last decade there has been many an information drive towards raising awareness among the general public about the issue of water conservation. Water management is going up the stairs of multi-national political agendas as well. Water management is the exploration of strategies for improving the quality and quantity of utilizable water while minimizing potential negative impacts on human health and environment (Drechsel et al., 14). 2. Water Situation in Arid Regions Aridity of a land implies perennial scantiness of rainfall and scarcity of inland surface water. Most of the severely arid regions of the world are found in close proximity to the line of equator. Arid and semi-arid areas comprise about thirty percent of the total land area of the earth (Joana Rosado & Maria M. Morais, 8). While it was known that mainly deserts and semi-arid areas would bear the brunt of the dip in global water security, it was not anticipated that the impact would be this great (UNEP 66). The urban centres fare relatively well in arid regions; it is the rural areas that are hit the hardest. Often availability of safe drinking water becomes a problem in rural areas because the water supply in these areas is heavily dependent upon natural availability of fresh water unlike urban centres which have public water supply mechanisms (Hauschild & Doll). Thankfully late advancement in technology has provided for effective management of fresh water supply in arid regions, diminishing dependence on natural sources by employing various water management practices such as water reuse, rainwater harvesting, enhanced groundwater recharge and inter-basin transferring etc. 3. Inter-basin Transfer The practice of forced flow of water from one basin to another is at least a century old. It has often been done for political reasons but now there is impetus for transferring water for civic purposes. The impetus is recent development of cheap methods of moving the water. This way inland water from a region of high availability can be moved to a region of shortage. The viability of this method has been proven by its use in long-distance schemes in different areas, most notably in the recently constructed Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system which operates in a region of the third world (India and Bangladesh) (UN 187). However because this method may have a profound effect on the ecosystems of the region environmental, social and political implications must also be taken into consideration in planning of such a project (Ballestero 75). 4. Water Diversion Water diversion from active streams to dormant aquifers causes water seepage into the ground, raising the water table. It is a concept quite similar in terms of environmental consequences to Inter-basin transfer. However, this technique has been successfully employed in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. It is even more cost-effective than inter-basin transferring as it utilizes the flow of water to spread it to areas where ground-water supply is scanty. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) programmes, which also include injection of treated wastewater have spread out across both developed and underdeveloped economies (e.g. in Australia, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Kenya, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, the southern Africa region, Switzerland and the US) (UN 198). 5. Rainwater Harvesting According to Pereira and other writers (55), "intercepting and collecting rainwater where it falls is a practice that extends back to pre-biblical times." Recently in India rainwater harvesting has been widely employed to recharge groundwater reservoirs at rates that keep the water table from falling low (Mahnot et al., 20). Perhaps the biggest program of utilizing rainwater harvesting is the One Million Rainwater Harvesting Programme (P1MC) launched by social service groups in Brazil and carried on by Articulacao do Semi-Arido (ASA), a consortium of more than 750 NGOs. The program was launched in consideration of the clean drinking water problem of Brazil's rural population. It aims to build one million Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RHSs), one each for every household. The program is jointly funded by the Brazilian government and the ASA; and until December 2007, 221,514 RHS systems had been constructed. Rainwater harvesting is however subject to a limitation in that it can only be employed in semi-arid climates or regions that experience some amount of rainfall on a periodic basis. 6. Wastewater as an Additional Water Resource Civic water recycling is touted as the ultimate path to sustainability; or the final solution to the water crisis. In 1998, T. Asano asserted that recycled wastewater use could serve as a substitute for fresh water withdrawal for all uses except drinking. Now though it has emerged that it can be used as drinkable water as well if it is disinfected properly and marketed as bottled water in order to defeat the stigmatic public perception of waste water. Nevertheless the United Nations Environment Programme (77) contends that not only is the relevant technology far from ensuring safety of consumption of recycled water but also: Irrigating with untreated wastewater can represent a public health risk, as untreated sewage can contain pathogenic bacteria, worms, viruses, heavy metals, and hazardous human-made organic compounds. 7. Conclusion Even in the developed countries fresh water recirculation and availability are in crisis in arid climates. Take for instance south-eastern Australia where availability has been decreasing continuously since 1999 (Isaac & Turton, 16). And the impact of global warming in addition to the anthropological change is causing variability and uncertainty in natural systems (Kundzewicz et al., 7). However it is evident that responsible sections of society are acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and coming up with new safe, effective and economical techniques for providing fresh water to dry regions. The Water Framework Directive (WFD 3), instituted within the European Union, is a relevant example of emphatic environmental legislation for dealing with water problems. It stipulates encouragement of private enterprise spearheading the development of the water management sector, stresses on the cost recovery principle; and provides incentives to citizens for participation in local water management activities. Works Cited Joana Rosado and Maria Manuela Morais. Water Management Strategies to combat scarcity in Semi-arid and Mediterranean regions: differences and similarities. 2nd International Conference: Climate, Sustainability and Development in Semi-arid Regions, 2010. Calzolaio, V. Securing water resources for water scarce ecosystems. 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Report A0003, Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, Water Availability and Vulnerability of Ecosystems and Society in the Northeast of Brazil Brazilian-German cooperation program. 2000. UN, Water, a shared responsibility. The United Nations World Water Development. Report - 2. UNESCO and Berghahn Books, Paris and London. 2006. Ballestero, E. Inter-BasinWater Transfer Public Agreements: A Decision Approach to Quantity and Price. Water Resources Management 18. 2004. Pereira, L., Cordery, I. & L. Lacovides. Coping with water scarcity, IHP-VI Tech. Documents in Hydrology No. 58, UNESCO. 2002. Mahnot, S.C., Sharma, D.C., Mishra, A., Singh, P.K. & K.K. Roy. Water Harvesting Management, Practical Guide Series 6, V. Kaul (ed.). SDC/Intercooperation Coordination Unit. Jaipur, India. 2003. Asano, T. Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse, Water Quality Management Library Volume 10. Boca Raton, Florida, CRC Press. 1998. Isaac, J. & S. Turton. Expansion of the tropics: Evidence and implications. Cairns: James Cook University, Australia. 2009. Kundzewicz, Z.W., L.J. Mata, N.W. Arnell, P. Doll, P. Kabat, B. Jimenez, K.A. Miller, T. Oki, Z. Sen, & I.A. Shiklomanov. Freshwater resources and their management. Climate change 2007: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2007. WFD Water Framework Directive. Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October. 2000. Read More