Global Issues of Water Loss - Research Paper Example

Water Loss Introduction a. ment of the Problem Water is one of the essential needs of all living things. Water loss is the process through which the available amount of water gets lost or wasted hence disrupting the normal and expected water supply. For quite a number of years, water loss has been a common vocabulary due to the inconvenience it creates. It can occur from drinking water, which range from poor water network maintenance, poor equipment and poor use (Alsharhan 2). Water loss can also occur through irrigation where the transport channels allow for more evaporation, growth of weeds consuming water purposed for irrigation, and excess irrigation due to lack of experience from farmers. This has become a significant subject of study in efforts to look for a long term solution. Though may options has failed, the efforts to control and mitigate water loss still persists. b. Definition of Terms Water supply- this is the provision of water by concerned bodies in a country like commercial organizations, government parastatals, public utilities through a defined system. Economic growth- this is the positive change in production of products in an economy from one period to another. Population growth- this is the change in population for a certain region over time. Maintenance costs- this is the cost incurred in maintaining of water conservation methods, Water related diseases- these are diseases caused by ingestion of contaminated water. c. Up to date examples Many countries have undergone a huge water loss in the recent days, an issue that has led to deaths of people and animals and outbreak of water related diseases like Cholera among others and also led to drought. An example of water loss was brought out by a research conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which showed an alarming water loss in the Middle East, caused by poor management causing a huge draught in 2007. Water loss has become a major concern as it has led to international conferences which congregate to discuss the problem because it has affected almost whole world. Other countries have constructed water resources to cater for the water that comes fro the rain. Saudi Arabia, which relies mainly on ground water for agriculture has constructed dams which have varying storage capacity to capture the flooding water (Alsharhan 3). Many organizations have also been formed to look into the issue of water loss under the mandate of monitoring the causes of the problem and the operational management of water systems. d. Significance of the study The significance of the study is to help identify the causes of water loss, the problems associated with water loss, how it has affected certain countries and how the problem can be solved because, its effect on one country affects the other. The current situation of water loss is serious and if unaddressed, it will be a worldwide problem. The research will majorly touch on Bahrain as our country of interest in studying about water loss. 2. Body There are several factors that have contributed to water loss. i. Population growth This is the increase in the number of people in a certain country. The population increase in a country contributes much to its development plans. The higher the population of a country, the higher it demands more resources (AWWA 113). Bahrain is an island, located in a group of other islands, which form the country of Bahrain at the middle of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Persian Gulf (Tollner). Bahrain is the biggest island of the state, and it is the capital city. According to FAO 2007 report, it is one of the world’s heavily populated countries. The increase in oil revenues and the improved living standards catalyzed the growth in population. The improved standard of living has led to urbanization where the residents build on the agricultural land. The increase in population affects the water availability in the country because there is little to cover the needs of the dense population (Larson 41). ii. Agricultural activities These are the activities that involve land and water in terms of farming. An example of the activities is irrigation (AWWA 267). Water can be lost through irrigation where there are no proper methods used. The farmers may also lack knowledge or experience on irrigation and lead to high water losses. Agricultural activities like irrigation affected the ground waters in Bahrain due to excessive pumping (Tollner). The excessive pumping, results from inexperienced farmers engaging in irrigation.in the planned activities do not succeed, economic growth is significantly restricted. iii. Deforestation This is the cutting down of trees without planting more. This affects the climate of a country in that it reduces the rainfall which is mostly the sole water source that many countries have. It affects the water level expected in dams, rivers and other catchment areas. The countries that have undergone deforestation face high water shortages. Advisably, countries through governments should preach the significance of discouraging deforestation and instead encourage afforestation as a key initiative towards water loss control. iv. Conservation methods The water conservation methods contribute either positively or negatively to water loss. If a country has poor conservation methods, then it will have the most cases of water loss (AWWA 181). Lack of water conservation methods results to high water losses, for example, runoff water can be lost through evaporation if not conserved. To ensure that water is conserved, farmers have adopted method that minimize water loss. They also put into consideration the maintenance costs for these methods. For instance, those using sprinklers have devised a method that does not encourage watering the gutter. Thus, they position sprinklers so that the water lands on the garden and usually avoid watering on windy days. The diagram below further explains this; Web. 29 March 2013, from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EzszggWg6no/S__gVdM7bzI/AAAAAAAAAA0/h_fpwRR-j8A/s1600/sprinklers_250x251.jpg 3. Conclusion a) Concluding statement Water loss has become a world concern because many countries have gone through it for years. A good for example presented in this paper is Bahrain, which has faced a high increase in population growth leading to great water loss. As argued in this paper, many affected countries have turned to methods of fighting this problem. International countries have formed groups to create awareness in water reduction to groups, governments, individuals and even companies. Examples are the International Water Association and NASA among others. These organizations sensitize people on the importance of controlling water losses because any lose means an expense in the future thus it is important to prevent further losses. However, it is important to note that this problem will remain a unsolved if individuals do not take personal initiatives towards adopting the above-discussed points. b) Short Summary of all the points This paper has presented water loss as a major problem not only in Bahrain, but the whole world. In discussing this phenomenon, this paper has highlighted and deeply discussed the major causes of water loss, detailing significant support to each. The key factor that came out in this paper include increased population, agricultural activities, deforestation, and water conservation methods. Allt hese factor play a significant role in elevating the water loss calamity. c) Importance to Bahrain Different countries have realized the importance of water management and have formed ministries to be in charge of all water operations. A country like Oman established the Ministry of Water Resources in 1994 (Alsharhan 4). The ministry is in charge of evaluating the quality of water in Oman. The unavailability of good soil and water in Bahrain has led to farmers’ concentration in one area of land. This is because, most of the soils in the country are sandy and can not hold water for a long time, and they also lack nutrients and are not good for agriculture. The agricultural land has decreased due to urbanization, water logging and the salinization of soil caused by poor quality of water used in irrigation. The government in Bahrain has worked for the replacement of traditional irrigation methods with modern ones. It has also provided training to farmers on irrigation methods and good farming methods. The country created the Bahrain High Council for Water Resources in 1982 and charged it with the responsibility of development and maintenance of water resources, forming the country’s water policies, regulating the water utilization among others according to Food and Agriculture Organization (Tollner). Bahrain represents other countries that have faced water losses over the years. Water loss has affected the countries in different ways, which if not well attended to will lead to acute problems. The countries that have developed need to assist those that are developing and are faced with the challenge of water loss and other related problems. The problem of increased population growth is evident in the whole world due to urbanization and high standard of living, causing pressure on the small piece of land that is left after much of the land is occupied (Tollner). Different organizations have been formed to help solve the problem of water loss, for instance, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which assist Bahrain in National Water Demand Management. d) Solution Several activities have to be done to curb the problem of water loss. The agricultural practices on agriculture should be addressed thoroughly through organizing for trainings for farmers on better and modern methods of irrigation and be encouraged to leave the traditional ones. Farmers should also be discouraged from conducting agricultural practices in areas that are densely populated. This will help reduce the effect of irrigation on soil salinization and ensure availability of water. Secondly, people should be discouraged from deforestation because it largely affects the climate and the contribution of vegetation to rainfall. Instead, they should be encouraged to preserve vegetation as it contributes much to water conservation. Water conservation methods like building of dams should be the initiative of the government in order to preserve the runoff water from being wasted (Alsharhan 5). Although the Bahrain government has tried to control water loss in the country, it needs assistance from developed countries to face the remaining challenge. The high rise in population needs to be addressed urgently because if it continues at this rate then all the development progress of the country will be adversely affected. There are pending projects in Bahrain’s government plans due to lack of capital (Tollner). To cater for their deficiency in the effort to fight water loss, the government should look for international agreements with the developed countries. The problem of population growth and its effect to agriculture should be dealt with to safe the future of the country. Work Cited Alsharhan, A S. Hydrogeology of an Arid Region: The Arabian Gulf and Adjoining Areas. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2001. Internet resource American Water Works Association (AWWA). Water Audits and Loss Control Programs. Denver, CO: American Water Works Association, 2011. Internet resource. Larson, Curtis E. Life and Land Use on the Bahrain Islands: The Geoarcheology of an Ancient Society. Chicago, Ill. [u.a.: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983. Print. Tollner, Ernest. Food and Agriculture Organization: Water profile of Bahrain. Web. 28 March 2013. Read More