“Temperature, like money, exists in sufficient amounts but is not evenly distributed”
Carl Hubbs
General water issue classes:
- Too many people to little water: Saudi Arabia
- Dirty / contaminated water
- “Natural”: Bangladesh
- Industrial: Navajo
- Biological: Bangladesh
- Barriers to water access
- Economic: Card operated water spigot
- Political: Colorado River
- Cultural: ? Surely loads
Water factoids• 70% of water is locked in ice• The majority of remainder is in aquifers
that we’re draining• 2/3 is used to grow food• American’s use 100 gallons at /day• World’s poorest use <5gal/day• Women walk an average of 3.7 miles to
get water• 46% of population does not have piped
water
The Burden of Thirst shamelessly stolen from National Geographic
Ethiopia• Fetching water is strictly women's work• Takes up to 8 hours a day• Multiple trips with 50lb load• Burden prevents
– Education– Economic development
• Water scarcity leads to poor sanitation– Increasing illness which increases burden
Failures of international aid
• Many projects fail soon after groups leave– Nine out of 35 projects function– Complex systems– Social failure
• lack of trust for pooled resources• No oversight
WaterAid http://www.wateraid.org
• Participation involves joint planning and self-analysis
• Men and women of all levels of wealth involved in decision making
• Water committees are formed to ensure that tariff rates, spare parts, and mechanical costs are kept at a suitable level
• Committee of seven, four must be women
• Train hygiene promoters• Typical charge is around a
penny per jerry can
Bangladesh
• 7th most populous country
• 9th in population denisity (2,917/mi2) (U.S. 83/mi2)
• Low elevation (predicted 50% land loss with 1m sea level rise)
• Subject to extreme droughts and flooding (1998 flood 2/3 of country under water)
Crisis leads to international response
• Massive drought 1972
• Dirty surface water which was killing up to 250,000 children a year
• International effort to install 10 million tube wells
• 20 million currently drink from arsenic wells– Up to 400 times safety limit– Increasing cancer rates– Inhibits intellectual development– Causes skin lesions
• Alternatives – Rainwater collection– Filtration– Deeper wells
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-the-west-poisoned-bangladesh-1924631.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-
the-west-poisoned-bangladesh-1924631.html
Source of uranium
• ¼ of nations U, easiest to extract, cheap labor• 4 million tons of U removed (mostly for
weapons) • Complex patchwork of legislation but mostly
boundary shifting• Mines closed with zero clean up• 1979 tailings dam failed releasing 1,100 tons of
radioactive mill waste and 94 million gallons of acidic wastewater
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/us/27navajo.html and deLemos et al 2009
Uranium effects
• Cancer– Lots of issues from surface U that I will not go
into “downwinders”
• Acts as estrogen mimic
• Fertility problems
• Reproductive cancers
Raymond-Whish et al 2007
Resolution? • Banned U mining in the 2005• However, a new mine might be forced in
Churchrock• Hydro Resources owns 160 acres in
Chruchrock– “ involves pumping a chemical solution
through an underground ore deposit to leach out the uranium”
– “tends to contaminate the groundwater.” – 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just gave
the green light
http://newmexicoindependent.com/49829/church-rock-uranium-mining-cant-start-just-yet
http://sfreporter.com/stories/brave_nuke_world/5433/
• Generally and specifically talk about solutions to the water issues: no water, bad water, and inaccessible water
• Can we avoid ratchets?
• How do we increase the longevity and success of water projects?
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