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October 26, 2000
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When the Tap Runs Dry
| ...Nor Any Drop to Drink |
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote the lines: "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink" in his epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He probably didn't imagine that he was describing a situation that within two centuries would become daily reality for more than a billion people. In September 2000, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Global Environment Outlook 2000 (GEO-2000), the most authoritative assessment ever made of the growing environmental crisis worldwide. The report, authored by 200 leading scientists from 50 countries, identified a shortage of clean water as one of the most urgent problems facing humanity. According to the report, 20% of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water. Each year, water-related diseases kill 15 million children under the age of 5. If action is not taken, by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will live in areas with unstable water supplies. The global water problem is the result of several factors, most prominently the growing population. More people means more demand for water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use. The growing population must eat. Agriculture accounts for about 70% of water usage. Production of a ton of grain requires roughly 1,000 tons of water. Uneven distribution is also a factor. For example, Africa's Niger Delta receives significant quantities of rain, while the nearby Sahara Desert gets very little. According to GEO-2000, there are 50 African rivers that provide water to two or more countries. The potential exists for armed conflict when the demand for water from these rivers outgrows the supply. Even when there are adequate water supplies, the water is not necessarily safe to drink. Sewage is a serious threat to water sources. In developing areas, sewage systems are often primitive, and sewage flows into rivers. In developed areas, deteriorating sewage systems can lead to contamination of water supplies. Water quality is also affected by use of pesticides and fertilizers, and by industrial waste. A large unknown in the future of water resources is the impact of human activity on the climate, and how these climatic changes will affect water supplies. Rising temperatures affect evaporation-precipitation cycles. Scientists believe that global warming will cause extreme drought in some areas and more flooding in others. |
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Thousands
of Chinese farmers in the Shandong province rioted in the
summer of 2000 when officials cut off water flowing from a
leaky dam. What factors have made water supply a critical
issue around the world?
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| In the Land of Plenty |
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In 1992, seven western states signed an agreement for sharing the Colorado River. According to the agreement, California is entitled to the water from 4.4 million acre feet. Over the past decade, California's usage has averaged 5.2 million acre-feet. Typically, the shortfall was taken from water allotted to Arizona and Nevada. With Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, among America's fastest-growing cities, these states no longer agree to send their surplus water to California. The state of California is working on a plan to reduce its reliance on the Colorado River. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a polluted body of water, be it a lake, river, stream, or beach. All of America's "Great Waters"—the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Champlain, and the coastlines—all suffer from pollution and runoff.
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Water
is a global problem, not one limited to developing countries.
In the United States, water distribution, water pollution,
and high water consumption are all causes for concern. For
example, drought across the Southwest in 2000 caused many
municipalities to impose restrictions on water use for chores
such as watering lawns and washing cars. In Throckmorton,
Texas, water levels in the town reservoir dropped from 23
to 7 feet, and there was a real threat that the water taps
would run dry. | You Can Make a Difference |
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Every individual can have an impact on water conservation. Consider these facts:
Examine how you use water throughout the day, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the laundry room, and outside your home. Make a list of 10 things that you can do to save water. For example, a toilet displacement device can save about 5 gallons per flush.
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| Water Management for the Future |
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According to Fortune magazine, "Water promises to be to the twenty-first century what oil was to the twentieth century: the precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations. How a country handles its water problem could spell the difference between greatness and decline." GEO-2000 believes that water management is linked to land issues, and that the two must be approached together. The report outlines the following points for water management programs:
Another group looking at water management is the World Conservation Union (IUCN), an umbrella group of environmental agencies and institutions. At a congress held in Amman, Jordan, in October 2000, the group announced the launch of a $30 million Water and Nature Initiative, which will fund 24 projects to help communities develop and maintain sustainable water resources. The first two projects will be in El Salvador and Vietnam. |
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| Other Solutions |
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A technology that provides water in arid and densely populated areas is desalination—removing the salt from saltwater so that it is drinkable. Desalinated water is used widely in the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, and even the southeastern United States. Desalination is an expensive process, but new developments are reducing the price at the same time that demand for water is growing. Considering that 97% of Earth's water is saltwater, this process could make a difference in many people's lives. Some cities around the world are taking a different approach to water management: they are licensing it out to private companies. In the early 1990s, Buenos Aires, Argentina, suffered a water crisis when the city didn't have the income to fix the deteriorating pipes and pumps of the city water system. The poor had to buy water from vendors who sold this basic necessity from the backs of trucks at exorbitant prices. The city licensed the water system to a private French company, Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, which restored the water system—at lower prices.
The Middle East is recognized as one of the problematic areas with insufficient water resources. As part of the peace treaty between the two countries, Israel sells a guaranteed quantity of water to Jordan annually. Water rights have been an issue in negotiations between Israel and both Syria and the Palestinians. After several years of drought, Israel's water resources are running low, and the country is examining the possibility of importing water from Turkey, a country with ample water supplies. |
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Related Resources
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