THE FEASIBILITY OF DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR PROVIDING FRESH WATER TO ARID REGIONS OF THE WORLD - Essay Example

? THE FEASIBILITY OF DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR PROVIDING FRESH WATER TO ARID REGIONS OF THE WORLD Sub- Water Conservation and Methods of Harvest Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Water is one of the most important merchandise in a human being, and is very crucial in every day life and doings. In most urban areas, population is fast growing and the government is required to come up with methods of supplying water to its people, in particular, those that are dwelling in areas that are dry and lack tap running water. There are two solutions which include; finding an alternate or extra water resource using conservative centralized approach. This report entails on different methods used in harvesting water to make it useful for human consumption and domestication. The methods include: a) Rain water harvesting b) Water diversions c) Desalination d) Water re-use e) Storing water in reservoirs f) Transferring water among basins 1. Rain water harvesting Rain water management which is also known as harvesting has received numerous renewed attentions as an alternative means of augmenting water sources. The method involves collecting and intercepting rain water where it falls to the ground before it gets contaminated to the extent of being harmful to human consumption (Pereira et al, 2002) as the author suggests. Water harvesting has been employed for a long time for the purpose of irrigation and restoration of lands’ productivity, used for drinking by both humans and animals, increase ground water resources, minimize risk in drought stricken areas and to reduce ( rain water harvesting, 2006 ) storm water discharge as the journal states. Water harvesting has a few advantages which includes; I. It provides a good supplement to other water sources and co- exists well with them, hence relieving pressure on the other sources of water. II. It reduces storm drainage and flooding in urban streets. III. Its maintenance, construction, and operation are not labor intensive, and the technology applied is very flexible. 2. Water diversions Water diversion is where water is directed to a certain direction where it is easily manageable and monitored. The technique used to deal with natural variability in flow consists of; diversion of water into ditches, recharge pits spreading basins and infiltrations lagoons. The practice of water diversion is widely applied in most countries especially the ones in the arid and semi-arid regions throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean terrains (UNESCO, 2000; Mahnot et al., 2003) as it was reported from the international organization focusing on water development in developing and developed countries. 3. Desalination This method is used only in water-scarce semi-arid and coastal- arid areas that are inland located where the only available source of water is either (brackish) ground water or saline. This technology of water harvesting has been used since the twentieth century as (Awerbuch, 2004; and Schiffler 2004) report about the global use of desalination capacity and its challenges. About fifty percent of worldwide desalination occurs in the Middle East, followed by North America and Europe. The future usage of desalination is emerging at a high rate with an increasing demand and up- scaling process. It promotes tourism and also acts as a recreation for the development of economy in the coastal regions (Pyne et al, 2004) as reported in the world water development report. 4. Water re-use It was recently summarized (Asano and Levine, 2004) that there are many challenges associated with water recovery and reuse. They stated that the technique used in water reuse has been employed in many countries such as the United States and Germany. Modern waste water treatment has facilitated its increased usage in up to date waste water treatment procedure. These technological processes can effectively remove environmental material, pathogens and nutrients leaving the treated water with a wide range of prospective applications. According to the water recycle survey (Mantovani et al, 2001) the best water reprocessing projects in conditions of cost-effective and communal approval are those that exchange with domestic water in lieu of clean water for use in cleaning, toilet flushing, environmental restoration, industrial use and for irrigation. 5. Storing water in reservoirs Water is stored in reservoirs that are constructed to cope with the growing demand for water in order to provide irrigation, fishing and recreation, hydro power, potable supplies and as well as lowering the impacts and risks that accompany us in times of natural calamities for instance floods and droughts. A dam is an example of a modern water reservoir. It collects water runoffs and stores it as a constant, reliable and available resource. The creation of a dam as a water reservoir enables higher availability of water at any time incase an emergency occurs. 6. Transferring water among basins This method of transferring water from one basin has bin used in the arid and semi-arid regions for a long period of time to meet water demands. It occur when existing water resources have been outstripped by agricultural, domestic and population increase (Shao et al, 2003) according to a presentation in china. Summary As observed in this report, the application of water harvesting technique is highly efficient and effective in reserving future water for the purpose of water security initiatives around the world. Recommendations I recommend that all nations practice water harvesting methods and implement laws that govern these vital water reservoirs. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the following authors. Author s Awerbuch and Schiffler , for contributing in the report about global use and desalination of water. Author Levine, for his good work about the challenges associated with water recovery and reuse. And those that attended The United Nations World Water Development Report 2 (2006), and in assisting in the collection of the topics for the report, and most especially to God who made all things possible through out References Asano, T. and Leavine, A. D. 2004, Recovering sustainable Water from wastewater, Environmental Science and Technology, June, pp. 201–08. Awerbuch, L. 2004, Status of desalination in today’s world. S. Nicklin eds Desalination and Water. The Online Water Harvesting Community, 2004, http://www.harvesth2o.com/ Rainwater Harvesting, 2006, Centre for Science and Environment. http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/methods/methods.htm. Asano, T. and Cotruvo, J. A. 2004, A Review, Groundwater Recharge with Reclaimed Municipal Wastewater: Health and Regulatory Considerations, Water Research, Vol. 38, pp. 1941–51. Gleick, P 199, Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Freshwater Resources, Oxford University Press, New York. UNEP, 2005, Sourcebook of Alternative Freshwater Augmentation in Africa (www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/ Tech Pub-8a/index.asp, lvOct05) Steenvorden, J. and Endreny, 2004, Wastewater Re-use and Groundwater Quality, IAHS Pub, 285. Read More