The big gulp and water poverty
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Transcript of The big gulp and water poverty
The Big Gulp and Water Poverty
Where does it come from, why it’s important, water scarcity and sustainability
Javed MohammedA K2Vista [email protected]
Imagine it is hot, you are thirsty, you’re lips are parched, but you can’t turn the tap on.
Imagine having to carry water for hours each day for you and your family twice a day
Imagine closing your eyes or pinching your nose as you drink muddy water and to avoid it’s awful smell.
Imagine that as much as you want to quench your thirst, this water is going to make you sick
Today 1 Billion, i.e. 1 in 6 people on earth don’t have access to clean water
That’s like all the population of
US South America Western Europe
> 1 Billion
+ +
Oceans contain 97.5% of all water
But only 2.5% of water is drinkable
Clean water: It’s not much but it’s all we have
Glaciers, Snow & permafrost 1.725%
Ground water 0.075%
Lakes, swamps & rivers 0.025%
Global Water Usage
70%
8%
22%
01020304050607080
Agriculture Domestic Industry
% o
f tot
al w
ater
use
d
Water uses
Agriculture Domestic Industry
Per capita water availability is on decline
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1960 1990 2025
Africa
Asia
MEast & NAfrica
Th
ou
sa
nd
m3
World
6
Agua, Maa, Djour, Voda, Shouei, Paani, Woda, Mizu, Eau
all mean water
Water = Life
• ~2/3s of human body is made of water and we need 1.5 liters/day to drink and sustain it. We in the West use 70 liters just to flush our toilets, the 1.1Billion are lucky to get 5 liters per day. (source the Big
Thirst)
Water = Survival• It carries our food and waste in and
out of our cells. It keeps our temperature at the right level
Water = Sickness
• 90% of wastewater in developing countries is discharged directly into rivers and streams, where they pollute water supply, resulting in 80% of illnesses.
Water = Death
• 1.8 Million children die from lack of water or disease every year. That’s one every 15 seconds. 5,000 children a day. 5 Elementary schools of 500 kids each a day. (source the Big Thirst)
Water scarcity is a major problem
Water scarcity= poverty
Water scarcity= climate change
Water scarcity= population growth, 300% increase in 20th century but
700% increase in water use
Water scarcity= waste Approximately 2M tons of human waste is released annually into
rivers and streams around the globe
The world’s water resources are under rapidly growing
pressure
http://www.iucn.org
Stress on World’s River Basins
High None
Stress
North America
Europe
Asia
Australia
Africa
South America
Major rivers including the Indus, Nile, Colorado, Rio
Grande, and Yangtze struggle to reach the sea
Inland Seas and Lakes are drying upAral Sea (Central Asia) has 60% less water than 1975 Lake Chad (West Africa) is 1/20th its 1970s size
By 2030, half of the world’s people will be living in areas of
acute water shortage (UN)
27% of the urban population in the developing world does not have piped water in its house.
Source: UNESCO
1.8 Billion don’t have access to water in their homes so they are forced to
leave home in search of water
Women and children in developing countries spend many hours each
day walking miles to get water
Carrying heavy water containers is bad for children’s backs, leads to
exhaustion, poor attention or absenteeism from school
Without major water investments, many poor economies cannot grow
Present Solutions to Water Scarcity
• Bottled Water• Water pumps, Tube wells• Dams• Lined Irrigation Canals• Desalination Plants• Rainwater harvesting• Others
Bottled Water although convenient and portable has
many downsides• Bottled water is
from 500 -10,000 times more expensive than tap water, so large corporations are profiting from it.
• Quality or Safety is not always better especially in developed countries
Bottled Water although convenient and portable has
many downsides• As much as 25% of
bottled water comes from municipal (tap) water
• It causes environmental pollution. Although water bottles are recyclable, only 5% are recycled, the rest fill waterways, landfills etc.
• In developing countries there are many scams relating to bottled water
Water pumps allow access to ground water
Tube wells allow access to ground water. However as the water table
lowers, the pumps have to go instead of 10 feet deep, 200 or a 1000 feet down. These are constructed by larger farmers,
encouraged by cheap electricity but drain ground water faster than it can be recharged.
Dams can provide control, year round water, flood control
and electricity. However, they are expensive, displace communities, lead to deforestation, reduce soil quality, also lose a lot of water to evaporation,
silt up, and cause conflicts between nations
Lined irrigation canals prevent water loss through seepage, but
have negative effect the eco-system
Desalination plants take sea water, distill it and provide
drinking water to dry regions, however they cost >$ 1Billion and their water can be more expensive that gasoline
Rainwater harvesting makes use of run-off water as most
water reaches the ground through rain
Water PrivatizationSome governments addressing issues through
Water Privatization, eg Cochabamba, Bolivia which was strongly rejected by the people. Private
companies are motivated by profit and have no interest to conserve water nor meet the needs of
the poor
Water may replace Oil as next source of conflict and war
amongst nations• River Nile: Egypt depends on Nile for
irrigation. Ethiopia controls flow upstream.
• River Jordan: Israel annexed lands of Golan heights, West bank and controls the Jordan River
• River Indus: Lifeblood of Pakistan and breadbasket for the Punjab, but it is sourced, dammed and controlled by India in Kashmir
• Tigris and Euphrates rivers: Pass through Jordan, Syria but being dammed upstream by Turkey
Solutions
• There are no easy answers, no silver bullets. For many of us in the West, we have taken water for granted. In the West or the East, with demand outstripping the freshwater supply, we have to take a new look at the Eco-system of water and decide what is best and moral for the future of our children and the human race.
Sustainable Water Use Ideas
• Use Rainwater Harvesting• Leveling fields with lasers• Irrigating at night to reduce evaporation• Using soil and satellite sensors and
computer systems to monitor soil moisture and add water only when necessary
• Growing water-efficient crops using drought-resistant and salt tolerant crops varieties
• Outside party mediation of water disputes between nations
Sustainable Water Use Ideas
• Prevent groundwater contamination• Reuse treated wastewater for irrigation• Work with nature to treat sewage• Practice four R's of resource use
(refuse, reduce, recycle, reuse)• Use drip irrigation• Consumption of clean water must
balance natural recharge• Need major water investments, so poor
economies can grow
References
• Blue Planet Run by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt
www.blueplanetnetwork.org• When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce• The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman
A K2 Vista [email protected] 2012
All images are from public domain and copyright of respective owners