Urban Water Demand - Literature review Example

URBAN WATER DEMAND Student’s Name University Affiliation Urban water demand Water is a transparent fluid made up of a combination of hydrogen and oxygen which makes up streams, lakes and oceans. Water is a very important compound for the survival of life as no life can survive on this planet without water. Not only is water vital for mammalian life, it is also an integral part for running the economy of any country and the state as a whole. The demand of water in a country is depend is dependent on the number of in habitants in that country, the climatic conditions of the country, the industrial practices of the country and also miscellaneous factors (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The population of a country is a vital indicator of the water demand by that country as the number of people in a country directly influences the amount of water used in that country. People use water for several functions including but not limited to cooking, bathing, washing and also for recreational purposes. The water demand by the population of a place can be subdivided into domestic and public use. Domestic water demand refer to the water used for washing bathing and several activities within a home setting whereas the public water demand involve water used for washing roads, recreational fountains and cleaning parks. In general, the more the inhabitants of a region the higher the demand of water to sustain their wellbeing (Coutts et al., 2007, p. 490). The climatic conditions of a place influence the availability of water in the region which directly influences the demand of water. Some countries are surrounded by water, some are landlocked and some are located in area in deserts. Australia and Kuwait are in separate climatic regions and will serve as a good basis to prove this point. Australia is surrounded by water and also has several rivers running through the region with ample rainfall throughout the year making the supply of water to be constant. Kuwait, on the other hand, is located in the Arabian continent which is mainly a desert. Apart from the Persian Gulf bordering the country from the East, the entire country experiences long dry periods typical to a desert. Climate therefore has a huge bearing on the demand of water on a region as it affects availability of the water (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). All industrial processes require huge amounts of water in order to run effectively. In industry water is needed as a raw material, as a means of transport and also to cool of the machinery so that to prevent malfunctioning due to excess heat. After the final product of any industry is attained, large amount of water is once again needed to clean the machinery and prepare for the next batch. The number and nature of industries in a country determine the water demand of that country, meaning that the higher the number of industries, the higher the water demand for that particular country (Marks et al., 2006, p. 156). Miscellaneous water consumption involve water used for processes such as firefighting, recreation, sports and also accounts for spillage and water wasted. Amount, frequency and severity of fires in a place determine the amount of water allocated for that task whereas a peoples’ sporting and recreational preference determines their water demand in that aspect. Australia is a country where water based sports and recreational practices are prevalent and hence water demand is high as compared to Kuwait. Due to the stringent water supply in Kuwait as compared to Australia, it is highly unlikely to have water spillages and wastages in Kuwait as compared to Australia. Fires are more common in Australia as compared to Kuwait and hence water demand in the Australian fire department is higher than in their Kuwaiti counterparts. Furthermore, Kuwaiti fires are mostly oil related which are not to be solved by water (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2001, p. 62). The urban water sector can be sub divided into three main areas which are going to be focused on in this paper. First, there is the planning, procurement and supply of water of appropriate quality to the residents and all relevant facilities of the urban sector. Then, the collecting treatment and disposal, or better and preferred, recycling of waste water. Last but not least, the management of drainage and where possible the storm water in a bid to curb flooding, environmental protection and disposal or recycling purposes. These three aspects will all be considered drawing relevant examples or illustrations from the countries in question which are Australia and Kuwait (Postel, 2000 p. 948). To effectively look at the urban water demand in the two countries, the following aspects of the water demand are considered and the two countries’ practices in each aspect compared; supply of the water, water consumption and the pricing of the commodity, services and projects developed to meet the urban water demand of the countries and lastly the government’s role in the urban water demand (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The supply of water to any urban center is a vital function of any government and is done by the relevant government agency in the region. Australia is an island and therefore the supply of water to the place is not a problem. The climate of the Australian continent is also tropical which means that there is sufficient supply of rainfall throughout the year. Kuwait, on the other hand, is a country in the Arabian continent which is mostly a desert. The only upside is that Kuwait borders the Persian Gulf and this ensures relatively easier access to water compared to other Arabian countries (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The department of water, acting on behalf of the national government of Australia, is responsible for water supply and distribution in Australia. The department has subcontracted a few private firms to ensure that water is available to all citizens. Sydney water is one of the many firms which help supply water but it is mainly tasked with supplying that city. In Kuwait, the government partners with NGOs to ensure water reaches all its citizens (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). Australian water comes from a combination of rivers, streams, reservoirs as well as the desalination of sea water. The major urban centers depend on these sources but in different capacities as some are served by rivers like the town of Adelaide which is served by rivers Torrens, Onkaparinga and Murray while the reservoirs serving the town are Barossa, South Para and Little Para among others. Perth is served by a series of reservoirs as there are no major rivers in the area. In contrast, with an exception of the Al Jahra oasis located about 15 kilometers from the capital, Kuwait relies on underground springs. These springs are not sufficient cater for the entire population and the rising demand from the industrial need s of the country. This has led to the introduction of desalination of sea water as a means of bridging the water demand gap. Kuwait has also introduced water treatment plants to recycle used water and make fit for consumption among other domestic and industrial uses (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). The population of a country determines the amount of water consumed by its citizens whereas the availability of the water determines the price the people have to pay for the commodity. The higher the population the more the gallons to be consumed by the country and availability of water in indirectly proportional to the price a unit of water will fetch in the market (Postel, 2000 p. 948). According to the official records of Australia, the country’s population is slightly over 21.7 million with more than half of these people living in the five major urban centers which are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. This shows that most of Australia’s population is urban. With these huge number of in habitants, the daily water consumption in the country is very high. The favorite pass time of many Australians is also water based recreational sports and this means, on average, the amount of units of water used by an Australian person per day is very high. To supply this huge number of people with the hundreds of gallons of water a day for the whole year is a task that falls on the government. According to the business models where supply determines the price off a commodity, Australian water is fairly priced because it is readily available (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). The official population of Kuwait stands at about 2.2 million people with most of them being in the urban centers. With the country hugely made up of large tracts of sandy land and rocky areas characteristic of the Arabian countries, settlements are mainly in the towns and very thinly distributed in the remote areas. Kuwait’s water consumption is very high due to the industrialization and the dry conditions and this is stretching the natural resources beyond its capacity. Generation of water from the Persian Gulf is very expensive and as a result the prices of water in Kuwait are very high. According to the reports in the Asian Tribune, Kuwaitis are consuming more water than the desalination process can produce and the water situation in the country is dire. The government is now forced to come up with measures to ensure all its citizens are supplied with this basic commodity (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). In order to meet the urban water demands in the two countries, some practices have been developed by the governments in partnerships with local and international firms so as to track the ever increasing urban water demand. In the Australian continent, some urban centers have developed dams which act as reservoirs to store water required in the lean periods. The town of Perth, for example, depends mostly on these reservoirs to meet the water demands of its inhabitants. Torrens, Onkaparinga and Murray reservoirs are examples of such reservoirs which store water collected during the rainy season and such water is used by the in habitants even in the dry periods. This method of conservation of water is nonexistent in Kuwait because of many reasons. First, there is rarely any rain in Kuwait and in the event it rains, the water seeps into the ground very fast and cannot be collected for a long period. The geography of the Arabian country is also not ideal for the construction of a dam (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). Desalination of sea and ocean water is another method of keeping up with the water demand with this method being embraced by both countries. The process of desalination is the main water producing process in Kuwait since the country has its only water source as the Persian Gulf. Salty water is not fit for consumption and industrial works which led to the desalination process. This process is very expensive and as such is undertaken mainly by the government and some private firms with the citizens of the country feeling the pinch of the expensive process. The effects of the expensive desalination process are worse in Kuwait since this is the main water supply process. In Australia, desalination is largely small-scale as it is one of the many ways water supply and not the main one (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). Storm water collection and recycling is also one of the ways in which supply of water in urban areas can be bolstered. In deserts, flash floods are common every time it rains and this water is usually trapped and stored mainly in tanks so as to be used in dry times. The rains in Kuwait usually comes very rarely, mostly once a year, and as a result trapping and storing the flood water is more important in Kuwait than in the Tropical regions of Australia. Recycling is also a good way to ensure continued supply of water all year round. Collection and treatment plants have been set up by both the governments of Kuwait and Australia in an effort to minimize the wastage of water and boost urban water supply all year round. These methods are prioritized in Kuwait as compared to Australia (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2001, p. 62). In Kuwait underground water sources are the major natural source of water. This means than oases and springs are well taken care of and protected against encroachment. This is to ensure that the water resources are not unnecessarily depleted and also to ensure that these spring serve the maximum number of people they can possibly support. Springs and oases are not common in Australia and as such they are not considered as primary water sources (Postel, 2000 p. 948). The government plays a huge part in management of water supply in both urban and rural areas of any country. In order to effectively regulate and manage the urban water resources of a country. The government partners with other countries as well as private companies within and without the country (Marks et al., 2006, p. 156). The government has the sole mandate to come up with the objectives which any water supply institution has to meet in order to operate in the region. These objective guide the players in the water distribution and management industry. This function is universal thus applies to both the Kuwaitis and the Australians with the only difference coming in the objectives created by the two (Coutts etal., 2007, p. 490). For the smooth running of the water demand systems, the government is also supposed to come up with policies that govern the industry. One of the policies involved is the market share of the companies in the urban water industry. The policies guide the functioning of the industry as the water demand fluctuates throughout the year and sound policies come in hand to deal with the vagaries of nature that may arise. At the moment the Kuwaiti water demand is way above the country’s supply and the policies have to be reconfigured to deal with this issue (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). The prices of water in the country are something that the government is to keep an eye so that the distributing companies do not take advantage of the citizens. Due to the high cost of desalination, which is the main water source in Kuwait, the government had to subsidize the cost of the water to make sure it’s less fortunate citizens had access to water. The government is also tasked with the quality controlling function of the water industry. Water is life and without proper control of the water being released into the market, diseases may spread or worse yet, fatalities may arise. Kuwait’s Bureau Veritas and SGS Australia are the organizations tasked to ensure water released to the market is safe for consumption and use (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2001, p. 62). The government has also the mantle to invest in sustainable water projects to assure its citizens ample and quality water. The government gives the tenders to other firms, private and international, the opportunity to invest in the country’s water supply market. In Kuwait the desalination industries are mainly government owned and the private ones are monitored closely by the government. In Australian government similarly largely controls the water supplying industry (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The urban water demand industry encounters some problems both in the Australian continent and in Kuwait. In order to streamline the industry and ensure quality and adequate water reaches all the citizens, these problems are to be identified and sorted out in time (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The supply of water has some problems especially in Kuwait. The Al Jahra springs, which re the main natural water sources in Kuwait, are not sufficient to supply the fast growing population an industrial needs of Kuwait. The solution which was desalination of water from the Persian Gulf worked well though it was expensive for the citizens hence requiring the government’s intervention. The urban water demand of Kuwait is now greater than the supply due to desalination and the natural springs and some solutions need to be developed. The government is increasingly emphasizing on efficient water management and recycling ‘grey water’ methods are being introduced every day. Contrary, Australia has many water sources and the demand is way below potential supply but still water management methods are being introduced to further lower down production costs (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). Water consumption and pricing problems are more pronounced in Kuwait as compared to Australia. The high cost of desalination dives up the prices and the government is forced to come to the aid of the citizens to ensure good quality water for all. The pricing dilemma for the Australian government is how lower the already low prices can go. Emphasis and sensitization of water management practices will go a long way in reducing the demand and as a result the prices will drop. The government is also coming up with new and cheaper ways to produce water and also commercializing the desalination process will help lower the water prices further (Coutts etal., 2007, p. 490). The water management practices major problem is outreach scope of the programs which result in not all the citizens taking part in the process and as a result the water conservation is not as effective as planned. The urban population in the two countries have sufficiently high literacy levels making the process a bit easier. The major downside to the implementation of these practices is the expenses incurred which means that individuals may find the hard to undertake. This leaves the government solely responsible to develop and implement these management practices. A possible solution to this is the introduction of relative small scale and pocket friendly practices which are more attainable by the citizens (Marks et al., 2006, p. 156). The government role in water demand management is mostly hampered by the financial cost of some of the projects. The government has to solicit investors and sieve through the tenders available to get the most efficient and pocket friendly deals. The funding of these projects at times has to come through loans from the World Bank, IMF or the other GCC countries for the sake of Kuwait. The loan repayment can become a problem to the government and may result in the abandoning of some projects (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2001, p. 62). These problems and other which may develop along the way have led to the development of policies to help a country through some of these issues. These policies ensure the future of safe and quality water is maintained in the two countries in question. As it stands the capacity of the desalination plants is overstretched and the supply of water in Kuwait is lower than the demand by the country. The government of Kuwait in partnership with several local and international funders have plans to double the desalination plants capacity by the year 2015. These will ensure that the demand is met by the supply and also go a long way in ensuring continued supply. Currently there are four phases of the new Az-Zour plant expansion which are to be completed by 2015. The future of Australian water demand is not really in doubt as the supply is way higher than the demand (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). The Kuwaiti and Australian governments have both increased the sensitization of the water management and conservation practices in a view to enable complete collection of rain water and recycling of water to bolster supply. The projects aim to help the citizens of both countries be self-reliant on their water storage and recycling systems so as to reduce demand and effectively the prices. At the moment it is common to both Kuwait and Australia that every new construction has effective waste water management systems which are capable of running the place in lean times (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). Inventions are being developed in both countries to lower the e cost of the desalination process and increase its effectiveness. These innovations are widespread in Kuwait and involve even individual home owners with the aim of driving the supply of water up thereby reducing the prices (Postel, 2000 p. 948). The natural sources of water in both countries are to be protected from encroachment from both human settlement and industrial developments. The improvement of the desalination industries relieve pressure on the Al-Jahra springs and as result the natural water sources are protected. In Australia, the mountains which are the water sources are kept secure so as to ensure the rivers and streams remain pure and ever flowing even under threat of climate change (Abusam, 2008, p. 108). As the moment the future of urban water supply in Australia is secure with only a few initiatives being put in place to ensure total self-reliance and very low prices of water across the country. The situation is dire in Kuwait and round the clock efforts are being initiated to curb the increasing water demand and to improve the water supply. The policies and actions put in place to ensure the future of water demand in urban places if adhered to, to the later will ensure the two countries have good and quality water now and even in future (Hatt et al., 2006, p.124). References Abusam, A. (2008). Reuse of greywater in Kuwait. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 65(1), 103-108. Coutts, A. M., Beringer, J., & Tapper, N. J. (2007). Impact of increasing urban density on local climate: spatial and temporal variations in the surface energy balance in Melbourne, Australia. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 46(4), 477-493. Hatt, B. E., Deletic, A., & Fletcher, T. D. (2006). Integrated treatment and recycling of stormwater: a review of Australian practice. Journal of environmental management, 79(1), 102-113. Marks, J., Martin, B., & Zadoroznyj, M. (2006). Acceptance of water recycling in Australia: national baseline data. Water, 33(2), 151-157. Mukhopadhyay, A., Akber, A., & Al-Awadi, E. (2001). Analysis of freshwater consumption patterns in the private residences of Kuwait. Urban Water, 3(1), 53-62. Postel, S. L. (2000). Entering an era of water scarcity: the challenges ahead.Ecological applications, 10(4), 941-948. Read More