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Water, Water, But Where?

= = =I. Introduction= The global water crisis is usually defined as the supply of the world’s water resources relative to human demand. The term first found its use during the 1970's. (Nielsen) It manifests itself primarily through the overall scarcity of usable water and water pollution. (Hinrichsen) The scarcity of water is inarguably prevalent-- Public Action International (PAI) estimates that 31 countries, collectively housing a half-billion people, are facing either a water scarcity (Hinrichsen). Although diminished agricultural yields and regional conflicts over the scarcity of water are other manifestations of this crisis, the Earth has a finite supply of fresh water, and this can be found in aquifers, the atmosphere, and surface water. While oceans have a large supply of water, one must remember the means needed to make this water consumable (a process known as desalination) are simply not cost-effective, and due to the numerous opportunities for corporate exploitation, desalination might create more problems than it solves. ("Desalination") The current drought ravaging Australia may illustrate the effects of this crisis the best.

Australia is facing a record-breaking drought. Due to drastic weather changes caused by global warming, Australia is becoming increasingly hotter and drier. Also, the government’s slow realization of the water shortage problem has made matters worse. The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has decided that if heavy rain does not fall upon Australia within six to eight weeks, the water supply leading to the continent's food bowl will be switched off, and irrigation will be banned. Banning irrigation is setting both farmers and the government up for disaster because it could potentially be a huge danger to the economy and its growth. If large amounts of water continue to be used, there won’t be enough to go around among the whole population, so the decision puts a huge strain on the government. Either way, part of the outcome will cause complete chaos and possibly more problems. (Marks)

The use of water must be considered carefully, and should not be taken advantage of. Some people believe that water will always be here, and that simply isn’t true. Water is a precious resource, and it is up to us to make sure that the water is taken care of.

=II. Prove the Crisis= Overwhelming evidence exists, in the form of staggering statistics and current events, to prove the existence of a global water crisis. Already one-third of the world's population lives in countries suffering from moderate to high water stress, according to the most recent Global Environment Outlook, also known as GEO-3, report. (Mayell) Many people all over the world are facing inadequate access to safe drinking water. In fact, one in six people in the world lack regular access to safe drinking water. Over twice that number, around 2.3 billion, lack access to adequate sanitation. (Cui, Davis B1) This crisis is only further harmed by widespread water pollution, and worse, regional conflicts over drinking water. Another huge problem to the crisis is the fact that in many regions of the world, fresh water, both groundwater and surface water, is being used faster than it can be replaced. (La Mer) In addition, extreme droughts, such as in Western Australia, and the extreme water shortages brought on by them show the beginnings of a water shortage that one day could occur on a global scale. (Mercer) Evidence of the water crisis is everywhere according to this diagram. [|(See Diagram)] Its shows water stress, or the need for water. The areas in red show where water is in great scarcity, while the blue areas show little proof of the crisis.

A. Political
Governments are obviously faced with enormous problems in the face of a world water crisis, and the fact that these problems arise is perhaps one of the greatest shreds of proof of a water crisis. In places such as California, plagued by drought, counties already have government-mandated limits on water use. As long as this crisis persists, the communities in California with less severe water issues will rely on pleading, cajoling, or tax incentives to cut water usage. (Wood) However, one of the most astonishing testaments to the existence of a global water crisis is the existence of something called [|Water Politics], a concept in which actual conflicts over water take place around the globe. The Tigris-Euphrates System is a prime example of this concept in action. Since 1974, the availability of water in that system has often clashed with numerous countries in the area's need for water. Specifically Iran, Syria, and Iraq have all laid claims on parts of those rivers, and this has occasionally led to conflict. Iraq massed troops on the Syrian border many times since 1974 and threatened to destroy Syrian dams on the Euphrates. Hungary and Czechoslovakia had a similar dispute over the Danube river in 1992, a dispute that wound up going to the World Court, where it received a controversially inconclusive ruling. (Perlez) Perhaps World Bank Vice President Isamil Serageldin put it best when he said, "many of the wars of the 20th century were about oil, but wars of the 21st century will be over water." (Morisete and Borer) Its ghastly predictions like these that let us know the world is in the midst of a horrifying water shortage.

B. Economic
The economic problems that occur in the wake and as a result of a global water crisis also point to its existence. In many cases, water scarcity has shaken the economy itself, such as in Western Canada, where low lake levels have caused a reduction in shipping loads and reduced water availability for clean hydro-electric power on the Great Lakes. (Morris)

“The World Bank reckons that up to $870 billion dollars will be needed to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation.” (Bastin) A study by th           e U.S government, environmentalists, and utilities show that over the next 20 years, cities and towns of America will have to spend $250 billion to $500 billion just to maintain drinking water and waste-water systems needed for our daily living. [|(Lavelle)]

“With the air conditioners boosting the usage of electricity, hydroelectric power plants are being used in addition to natural gas and coal; therefore, the water level in the dams has decreased from 80% to 52% in 2.5 months. Electricity usage has risen up to 606 million kw/h, and all plans are being shaken." ("Water Shortage") "The crisis in rich nations is proof that wealth and infrastructure are no insurance against scarcity, pollution, climate change, and drought." ([|Pittock)]



=III. Causes= media type="youtube" key="sicip9l4Vzk&hl=en " height="355" width="425" == = =  There is a sufficient amount of causes to blame for this water crisis. Just the basic things we do contribute to this growing problem. For instance, it takes 260 gallons of water to produce 2.2 pounds of wheat and 3,380 gallons of water to produce 2.2 pounds of beef. All of that water is used for a mere 2.2 pounds of wheat and beef. Those 2.2 pounds are gone just like that if you think about it. Also, 40% of fresh water in the US is used in industries. (Cui) Along with that, the UN thinks that people normally use a minimum of 50L of water daily just for drinking, washing, cooking, and sanitation. (Kirby)

One of the primary causes of the global water shortage is the growing problem of overpopulation. (arizona.edu) Africa is especially affected by this cause because of the enormous amount of children families have.

According to [|Anup Shah], "much of the world lives without access to clean water. The privatization of water resources, promoted as a mean to bring business efficiency into water service management, has instead led to reduced access for the poor around the world as prices for these essential services have risen."(Shah) This is the start that will make water so scarce because of its price. And the problem of the prices of water will cause riots and will cause a problem in countries with the mortality rate.

The [|WWF] said that irrigated agricultural systems, which take up 70 percent of the world's water, lost 80 percent of this water through water damage or leakage in earthen channels and inefficient application onto fields. Developing countries are doing the best they to help. For instance, they're trying to send water to areas that have lost water due to water difficulties .(Hadeed)

[|Dominic Waughray], the director of Environmental Initiatives at the WEF, said, "Our water sources are under immense strain as our world economy continues to grow. A richer word is a thirstier world." As the year passes, our slovenly use of water will eradicate the fresh supply of water. Also as our economy grows the use for water will be more expensive than ever which will lead to a world that will suffer greatly due to the lack and cost of water.(Reece)

=**IV. Current Effects**=

**A. Economic**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The [|United Nations Human Development] reports that these human costs can be added to the massive economic waste associated with the water and sanitation deficit. The cost associated with health spending productivity losses and labor diversions are greatest in some of the poorest countries. Sub-Saharan Africa loses about five percent of GDP, or some 28.4 billion annually, a figure that exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region in 2003. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The World Bank reckons that up to $870 billion dollars will be needed to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation.” (Bastin <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">)

B. Environmental
The [|WWF's (World Wildlife Funds) Living Planet Index] indicates that a loss of over half its world's freshwater biodiversity has been in effect since 1970. Certain bodies of water, such as the Aral Sea, Lake Chad, and Iraq's marshland, are already seeing a number of decreases in the amount of water. (Vergano) According to a Stanford scientist, Stephen Schneider, "these areas and several other bodies of water, decreasing, are beginning to have more concentrated areas of pollution." (Borenstein) This is represented by the chart to the right, which shows the extent of pollution in bodies of water. Many serious health problems such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea are caused by polluted waters. "Forty percent of America's rivers are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life. Water from half of the tested sections of China's seven major rivers was found to be undrinkable because of pollution. The quality of water in Europe's rivers and lakes used for swimming and water sports worsened between 2004 and 2005, with ten percent of sites not meeting standards. Thirty percent of Ireland's rivers are polluted with sewage or fertilizer. Around eighty-five percent of the total area of the country of Bangladesh has contaminated groundwater." (Jeantheau)

Around the world, droughts are affecting many lives. Spain is experiencing its worst drought in seventy years. The dry spell has lasted twelve months already and is drying up many of the country’s major reservoirs and water sources. The worst-hit areas are the Catalonia region, which holds Spain’s second-largest city named Barcelona, and central Spain in the Castilla-La Mancha region near Madrid. The Baells reservoir near Barcelona, Spain is only about 20 percent full and in the nearby village of Gelida, which already has trucks delivering drinking water every week because of their three wells that are too dry to use. The Riosequillo Reservoir near Madrid is only one-third full despite recent rains. Barcelona may run out of drinking water by October. (Goodman)

The water crisis is taking a great toll around the world. Africa is already enduring environmental changes because of the water crisis. The amount of rainfall will drop in numbers in areas like Southern Africa. "In effect, this means that in some areas a fall in precipitation can amplify the effect of water loss. In regions that have an average rainfall of 500mm per year could actually reduce the amount of available water. The wettest and driest regions such as the Congo basin or Sahara, should not be strongly affected. Semiarid regions such as Southern Africa and Sahel in particular, are extremely vulnerable. Managing their water sources will become even more critical than it is now, the authors warn, particularly where major rivers cross borders." (BBC news) __http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4769978.stm__

Click the following link to view a video about the effects the water crisis has in Spain. [|Video on the Effects in Spain]__

Spain is not the only place with droughts. The United States is being hit by their fair share as well. Georgia and North Carolina are in the stages of a severe drought. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, is at fifteen percent of its normal water level. A large part of their drinkable water supply comes from Lake Lanier in Georgia, who is also well below their normal water supply. Because of this shortage, Georgia is suggesting that they may cut off Lake Lanier's routes to North Carolina. (Motley) "There is a water crisis today, but the crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs. It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people - and the environment - suffer badly." (World Water Vision Report)

C. Political
The effects from the [|global water crisis] are devastating in multiple fields. As the world’s source of water depletes, nations that already lacked sufficient water sources are in an even greater predicament. As neighboring rival nations share the same limited water source, tensions rise between the two nations, and they are more likely to go to war. This condition even exists in portions of the United States. According to the federal government's top drought scientist Roger Pilwarty, Arizona and Colorado already have legal disputes over the Colorado River Basin. (Borenstein) Other countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and United Arab Emirates are facing the worst outcome from the water crisis. This is due in part to their location in arid areas. Water is the single most important thing in life. If this pattern continues people will face disease and even death. The effects will change the world forever. Until a permanent soultion is discovered, the world water crisis will only be getting worse. http://epi.yale.edu/WaterEffectsOnEcosystem

=V. Solutions= Although numerous solutions for this problem have been designed, most work only on a small scale.

A. The Playpump
The Playpump taps into the groundwater that's found basically anywhere underground, and uses the energy of a merry-go-round to pump the water into a large water tower. The water tower is large enough to fit billboards onto, and the advertisements on these billboards pay for any maintenance required for the playpump. The water then goes down a pipe to a smaller pump, from which anyone may take water. ("How the System") The water is used not only for the purposes of individuals, but also as irrigation water for nearby farmers. ("Smith") Over 700 of these pumps have already been installed in Zambia, Swaziland, Mozambique, and South Africa. ("Facts")

B. The Lifestraw
The lifestraw is an ingenious invention created by [|Torben Vestergaard Frandsen]. This device filters water-borne diseases and all the dangerous substances out of the water. The lifestraw does the following: filters a minimum of 700 liters of water, kills and removes 99.999% of waterborne bacteria, kills and removes 99% of waterborne viruses, removes particles down to 15 microns, requires no electrical power or spare parts for the life time of the straw, and is easy to mass-distribute in areas where drinking water is contaminated. ([|Vestergaard-Frandsen]) The lifestraw has received many awards and accolades, such as the Saatchi & Saatchi Award in 2008 for World Changing Ideas and Europe's Best Invention Reader's Digest. ([|Vestergaard-Frandsen]) The lifestraw gives new meaning to clean water for an affordable price.

=VI. Future= media type="youtube" key="Ikb4WG8UJRw&hl=en" height="355" width="425"

A. Economic
"Water, like energy in the late 1970's, will probably become the most critical natural resource issue facing most parts of the world by the start of the next century." This analogy is also reflected in the often repeated observation that water will likely replace oil as a future cause of war between nations. ("Global Water Shortage") With a shortage of water, many countries cannot afford the prices to import water, which is vital for them to grow food and protect themselves from hunger. (Kirby)

B. Environmental[[image:http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2008/03/23/water-crisis_3.jpg align="right" caption="(Dukiyum)"]]
If certain conditions continue to exist, then severe water shortages affecting at least 400 million people today will affect four billion people by 2050. Southwestern states, such as Arizona, will face other severe freshwater shortages by 2025. ( [|Vergano]) The main sources of drinking water in the Middle East come from Kinneret and two aqueducts. It is said that by the end of the summer, the Kinneret will be at the lowest it's ever been. Also, the two aqueducts will become so polluted that they will become permanently <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">unusable. (Dukiyum) "Already, well over one billion people suffer from water shortages, and 30 countries get more than a third of their water from outside their borders. With climate change, those figures are likely to grow, increasing the possibility of disputes." (Thomas) His department also states that two-thirds of the world's population will live in water-stressed countries by 2050.

C. Political
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dwindling of freshwater supplies, inequitable access to water, and the corporate control of water pose the greatest threat to the planet and our survival. United with impending climate changes from fossil fuel emissions, the water crisis imposes survival decisions upon the world’s populations. Unless we collectively change our behavior, we’re heading toward a world of conflict and wars over the dwindling supplies of freshwater. The conflicts exist between nations, the rich and poor, the public and private interest, the rural and urban populations, and the competing needs of the natural world and industrialized populations. (Smith-Heisters) Most people agree that water wars are most likely to occur in the Middle East because of geography, population pressure, and politics.

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