Wastewater Management in Literature: The Evidence and the Lack Thereof - Essay Example

?Yelin Zhong ENGL 108 Christina Vega-Westhoff 11/23 Wastewater Management in Literature: The Evidence and the Lack Thereof That water will soon be scarce enough to potentially drive existing and future conflicts inside and among nations is an urgent national and international issue. Water is abundant, but not all people realize that a large amount of water on Earth is not fresh water, and that water that is fit enough for drinking is not strategically placed for human consumption. Cooper reports that: “2.5 percent of Earth's water is fresh, and almost 99 percent of that small amount is locked up in the form of glaciers and permanent snow cover in the polar regions, or largely [nonrenewable] underground aquifers.” The main problem of water scarcity goes beyond the inadequate supply of freshwater for people at the right place and time, but includes the widespread inefficient use of existing limited water resources (Cooper). This essay reviews five articles on water scarcity and what they say or not say about wastewater management. Since water scarcity is growing day by day, being an important cause of the issue, can improvement in wastewater management help in solving the problem? As early as 1955, Packman argued that water scarcity is a national issue and must be resolved through policymaking, before it seriously derails the development of America, in the article, “Water for the Future.” He is an important source of information because he has presented an issue that not many reporters analyze and discuss during his time. Packman blames human mismanagement and the uneven distribution of fresh ground and surface water for water issues. He claims that the government and private sector should look into supporting diverse options to properly manage water scarcity, and these are: 1) efficient management of existing water resources; 2) reusing water, including wastewater; 3) increasing water supply through artificial rain production; and 4) improving research on water desalination. The strengths of the article are the use of authoritative sources and the emphasis on the issue and how to resolve it. Packer employs diverse credible articles to support his statements. For instance, he says: “Measures to combat water shortages must be based on consideration of the fact that water, unlike other resources, cannot be saved by non-use.” He supports this claim by providing evidence: “The conservation of water is not so much the saving of a decreasing' supply for some greater need in the future, as, for example, the storing of natural gas, but the control and use of water to the optimum advantage of all.” Packer gives proper in-text citation for his claims. Moreover, Packer effectively uses logos that can bring attention to urgency of water shortage. He underscores that water shortage is a reality, and to not manage water through different ways will result to developmental and health catastrophes in the future. The weakness of the article is its lack of conclusion. Packer abruptly ends the article after discussing policy issues. He should have summarized his findings and discussed the implications of the policies and resolutions he proposed to increase the effectiveness of his argument. In “Global Water Shortages,” Mary H. Cooper expands the political implications of water shortages that Packard mentioned, and where she argues that the next wars and conflicts will not revolve around oil, but water, because of its scarcity and increasing demand from people of different nations and communities. She is an important source because she specializes in environmental, energy and defense issues (CQ Researcher). Before she joined The CQ Researcher as a staff writer in 1983, she worked as a reporter and Washington correspondent for the Rome daily newspaper l'Unita (CQ Researcher). Cooper claims that one of the most pressing underlying causes of territorial disputes is the shortage of water. Since countries are sharing water sources, they are doing everything they can to defend this basic need. She includes national water issues, such as the interstate conflict over the Colorado River. The strengths of the article are its connection of international and national issues, exploration of different recommendations in resolving water scarcity, and use of logic and evidence to support her claims. Cooper uses her reporting experience to analyze territorial disputes as resource conflicts. This strategy effectively puts water as a major international issue, though a neglected one in the United States. In addition, Cooper examines the various potential solutions to water shortage. She considers the pros and cons of each alternative, such as desalination plants and exporting/importing water. She focuses on the strengths of conserving water through wastewater management and water management, which includes water markets. Moreover, Cooper supports her arguments with testimonials from influential people and statistics about how water is distributed across the country and wasted every year. The weaknesses of her article are the lack of primary resources and cause and effect fallacy. Cooper relies on secondary research, which may not include updates on other options in managing water, especially wastewater. Furthermore, claiming that water is at the center of territorial conflict is somewhat misleading. Many countries are fighting over territories, not only because of water, but also because of other factors, which can include historical, economic, social, cultural, political, and religious issues. Shaffer agrees that water pollution is a major problem that contributes to water shortage in “Water Pollution,” and he recommends policies and industry efforts to reduce water pollution. He is a relevant source because of his reports on similar issues. For this article, Shaffer argues that because of inadequate anti-pollution policies and weak implementation of related policies, pollution is the gravest threat to water availability. He does not exclude the role of population growth and industrial expansion in the aggravation of this issue, nevertheless. The strengths of his article are the comprehensive discussion of the causes and effects of water pollution on water resources and human welfare and the exploration of policies to conserve water. Shaffer extends the discussion on water shortage by analyzing its causes and effects. He stresses that water is already scarce and mismanaging it through pollution will make matters worse in the future. For him, the causes of water pollution cannot be extracted from its severe, long-term consequences, which he supports with credible sources from water and health organizations and journals. In addition, Shaffer talks about policies on water management. These policies can improve managing water pollution and curb its prevalence in the country. The weakness of the article is that it does not discuss wastewater management in a more exploratory manner. If pollution is one of the main controllable causes of water scarcity, wastewater should be an important issue to be resolved. The policies he discussed are focused on water purification and controlling pollution. He lacks investigation on the ways that can be done to manage wastewater itself and the policies needed to encourage and to promote wastewater management. Johnson, Revenga, and Echeverria explore the monetary solution to water scarcity in “Managing Water for People and Nature.” They argue that the first step in efficiently managing water is properly pricing it, so that people and companies will allocate resources appropriately. The strengths of the article are that it provides examples of working solutions and it considers opposition to its solution. For instance, Johnson et al. discussed how in India, farmers in Andhra Pradesh “agreed to a threefold in- crease in water prices as part of a reform package that increased their role in the governance of the irrigation agency and its use of their fees” (1072). These authors are showing that even the poor will consider this solution, if they can benefit directly from it. They support their recommendations with actual cases, though case studies and other empirical studies will improve the validity of their claims. For instance, when they recommended making pollutants pay for their effluents, they connect it with other market models: “Similar taxes have been used effectively to reduce CO2, NOx, and SO2 emissions in some European countries” (Johnson et al. 1072). They are arguing that if these business models worked in reducing the said pollutant elements, the same business model can be applied to water markets. Furthermore, the article considers opposition to its claims. It highlights the importance of social equity in implementing a market approach to water management. Like other articles, however, the focus on wastewater treatment is lacking. Pollution is a basic concern when conserving water, but not many authors want to explore how wastewater can be properly managed through technology and other means. Making polluters pay for their water pollution rights does not improve knowledge on wastewater management. Stander emphasizes wastewater management and the centrality of research on this topic in his article, “Water Pollution Research: A Key to Wastewater Management.” G. J. Stander is an important source of information because his professional experiences make him a scientific expert in this field. He is the Director, of the National Institute for Water Research of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He argues that different fields must work together in conducting research that will improve wastewater management. His claims are that science is not maximized in driving wastewater management practices and systems, and that the private and public sector must spearhead the development of further research on this matter. The strengths of the article are its scientific background and the existing knowledge in resolving existing waste problems. Stander discusses scientific approaches in evaluating wastewater treatment systems and proposing future ones. His language is beneficial for engineers who need inspiration in wastewater management research. Furthermore, Stander exhibits wide knowledge in resolving wastewater problems. He recommends water purification to deal with sludge problems, while advocating research on the purification of wastewater for reuse, among others. He supports his claims and analysis with research, and if research is lacking, he points scholars to research directions. The main weakness of the article is that it is written for engineers. Laypeople can have a hard time following his language and writing style. Another report made for ordinary people and politicians will be useful to promote the ideas he discussed in his article. These articles overwhelmingly use logos to convince their audiences that urgency of addressing water scarcity. Their main answer to the research question is that wastewater management can help answer the problem, but this should be combined with other resolutions. All articles analyzed the causes of water shortage and mentioned natural and human-made sources. They highlighted that pollution from humanity’s varied household and industrial activities increased waste that pollute precious water resources. They recommended policies that control water pollution and improve the efficiency of water management. All of these authors, except Shaffer and Stander, advocate the use of water markets for the efficient allocation of water rights and resources. Only Stander, however, emphasizes the role of wastewater management in improving the availability of freshwater and to curb water pollution. This controversy analysis reveals that since the 1950s, some scholars are concerned of water scarcity, but they are not united on their propositions of resolving it. At the same time, Stander stands out for advocating greater research on wastewater management, which is critical, if water pollution is a major cause of water shortage. Future studies should be undertaken in analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of wastewater management systems and technologies and in proposing prospective ways of reusing and cleaning wastewater, so that water pollution will not further strain the water resources of the earth. Works Cited CQ Researcher. “CQ Researcher Authors.” CQ Researcher. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. < http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/static.php?page=authors>. Cooper, Mary H. “Global Water Shortages.” CQ Researcher 5.47 (1995). CQ Researcher. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Johnson, Nels, Revenga, Carmen, and Jaime Echeverria. “Managing Water for People and Nature.” Science 292.5519 (11 May 2001): 1071-1072. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Packman, M. “Water for the Future.” Editorial Research Reports (Vol. II). Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1955. CQ Researcher. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Shaffer, H. B. “Water Pollution.” Editorial Research Reports (Vol. II). Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1953. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. . Stander, G. J. “Water Pollution Research: A Key to Wastewater Management.” Journal of the Water Pollution Control Federation 38.5 (May 1966): 774-788. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. < http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu/stable/pdfplus/25035551.pdf>. Read More