The War of the Pacific between Bolivia and Peru in the late 19th century led to major geopolitical, diplomatic, and economic restructuring that still negatively affects the region today.
In the early 1880s, Chile annexed the Peruvian province of Tarapacá and the Bolivian province of Litoral, both substantially mineral-rich territories. Bolivia was stripped of coastal access to the Pacific Ocean and became a landlocked country.
Since the 1884 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Chile, Bolivian politicians including President Evo Morales, have consistently sought to reclaim access to the Pacific coastline in order to promote economic development and increase Bolivia’s international trade.
Recently, recovering maritime rights in Bolivia has made some headway. Last October, Peru granted La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia, access to a three-mile long strip of land, south of Peru’s Port of Ilo and 100 miles north of Tacna, a Peruvian city close to the northern Chilean border.
The agreement, called the Boliviamar secures a 99-year lease of the Port of Ilo and for a free-trade zone, which includes exemptions in the areas of customs duties, taxes, and labor law for Bolivia.
Bolivian President Evo Morales insisted this pact was an opportunity to open the intercontinental door to Bolivians. “The sea is for world trade, the sea is so that the products of our peoples can circulate and have access to these ports.”
The Boliviamar also requires construction of 245 miles of highway to connect Bolivia with the port facilities in southern Peru. According to Viviana Caro, the Bolivian Minister for Planning and Development, this will reduce goods transport from Bolivia into important Asian markets by some 40 per cent.
The Bolivian government also intends to invest $400 million in the development of the Port of Ilo to facilitate the import and export of goods, and to promote tourism.
Bolivia’s free access to its own international port is more than a mere diplomatic break-through. It represents a unique opportunity to boost Bolivia’s economy in several ways. Increased exports in Bolivian goods will generate more revenue for the country and strengthen its competitiveness on the global market.
Sustaining Bolivia’s economic development at a local and international level requires the cultivation of the country’s natural resources, including oil, gas, and other minerals. Trading these goods with neighboring countries and other entities will revolutionize marine trade in the region.
Providing marine access to Bolivia and developing its marine trade will promote economic growth and decrease rates of poverty by providing new employment opportunities for local residents. Marine trade will ultimately generate income for local artisans, farmers, and other small business owners who depend on mercantile trade for survival.
President Evo Morales stated, “Ninety-nine years, that gives us confidence to make significant investments in the Port of Ilo,” as the country seeks to encourage private companies to financially support that effort.”
By reducing duty payments to Chile, increasing exports, developing the tourism industry, and creating new jobs for Bolivians, coastal access will dramatically improve the lives of Bolivians and the economy of Bolivia.
Submitted by Guest Writer: Alice Jobard
The photo above is a picture of the Port of Ilo in Peru, taken by Bruno Moretti
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]]>
AB InBev is the umbrella company that manufactures Budweiser beer. In a previous article published on 03 December 2010, WaterWideWeb interviewed Hugh Share AB InBev’s Global Director, Beer & Better World. Share said, “High quality water is fundamental to our business. It’s the principal ingredient in our beers and soft drinks”.
Water conservation efforts are vital to protecting the market for AB InBev products and ensuring that consumers can enjoy Anheuser-Busch products responsibly well into the future.
Brewing a beerable future is contingent upon the use of best practices in water conservation, cooperation with other leading industry experts in reduction goals, and implementing a comprehensive sustainable business plan.
“Our global water usage target is 3.5 hectoliters of water for each hectoliter of production by the end of 2012”, confirmed Share in the interview on 03 December 2010.
Reportedly, there was a 6 percent decrease in hectoliter water usage per hectoliter of beer production over the 2009 baseline. An AB InBev press release noted that the 6 percent reduction is out of a total 18.6 percent that the company aims to achieve by reaching its 2012 Better World target of 3.5 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production.
For beer drinkers, news of successful water conservation efforts by AB InBev is a piece of good news indeed. In order for consumers to enjoy AB InBev products responsibly, it needs to be brewed sustainably.
Of course, keeping consumers happy is only half of the equation with respect to sustainable food and beverage products. Return on investment, protecting brand reputation, and increasing profit margins is the other half of the sustainable business equation.
The cycle of sustainability requires that buyers, sellers, and manufacturers commit to natural resource management. Without water, there can be no beer. Without beer, America would be a very different place.
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]]>Bilateral agreements between the countries on monitoring water quality of the river require a strategic framework based on the exchange of reliable scientific data between them. “Sixty-three percent of agricultural water needs and fifteen percent of industrial and municipal water needs are supplied by the VAX watershed,” said Atanasko Tuneski, co-director of the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS) project in the VAX. This project is implemented by the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC), under which NATO coordinates its environmental security
activities with five other international organizations.
The VAX accounts for 80 percent of Macedonian territory. It provides more than 75 percent of the country’s water resources. The VAX supports economic development, hydroelectric power, and public health in both Greece and Macedonia. Pollution and a lack of infrastructure to control for water quality in the watershed threatens fisheries, biodiversity, and revenue generated for local economies by tourism.
Runoff from the VAX flows into the neighboring Thermaic Gulf of Greece. Currently, the Macedonian Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning does not have programs in place to prevent hazardous waste from flowing into the VAX. Consequently, groundwater and soil in the VAX are contaminated.
“Non-integrated and unilateral management of the VAX has led to considerable deterioration of the VAX,” continued Tuneski.
The SPS funds the MIRVAX project to promote information sharing, technology transfer, and peace between Macedonia and Greece with respect to the VAX. The MIRVAX project launched the Recourses Engineering and Administration for Local Development (REALD) Academy in Thesoloniki. REALD is a technology center that provides municipalities in Greece and Macedonia with technology assistance and timely data on the status of water quality in the VAX.
“The MIRVAX project provides a huge database of almost three years of water quality monitoring parameters of the VAX. It can be considered the first step toward information sharing and closer consultation on management of trans-boundary water resources as required by the EU Water Framework Director,” informed Tuneski.
Fundamentally, all levels of development in both Greece and Macedonia are contingent upon the water quality of the VAX. “There is a clear need for cooperation between Greece and Macedonia, at the central and local level, to exchange scientific data on the status of the VAX,” concluded Tuneski.
Promoting a sustainable use agenda of the VAX can have an impact on other trans-boundary river issues in various parts of the world. Working toward cooperation, information sharing, and technology transfer are vital aspects of improving water quality in the VAX.
Securing the central and local economies that are based on agricultural production, fisheries, and tourism prevents competition of water scarce resources and will ultimately improve relations between the border countries.
Engaging municipalities in Greece and Macedonia on environmental issues that affect the economy can be achieved if partnerships are based on analytical data and objective facts. Otherwise, the VAX will deteriorate, as will the quality of life of local residents, and governmental relations.
The photo above is a picture of the Vardar River.
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]]>Piet Klop, Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute (WRI) argues that water should not be free. Pricing water appropriately sustains utility services such that they can deliver their service effectively. Funds from pricing water can pay for maintaining infrastructure which is so badly needed, also in the United States.
To some Klop’s ideas seem radical and impractical. To others, his logic is quite reasonable and legitimate. Why does Klop think water should be priced instead of free? Read the Klop’s interview with WaterWideWeb below.
EAB: Should water be free?
PK: No it should not be free. If it’s free, you’ll never get the incentive to use it efficiently. You’ll never get the investments we need to make sustainable use of the scarce water available. It’s a matter of efficiency and investment.
EAB: How can we ensure that pricing water doesn’t disenfranchise marginalized communities?
PK: You can cross subsidize. It doesn’t require all of society to pay large amounts for water. You can shield poor people from paying more than they can afford for a basic necessity. To me these aren’t opposites. You can have water priced at its scarcity value and you can subsidize it for those who can’t pay for it.
EAB: Can you give any examples or anecdotes to support your theory?
PK: Vulnerable communities are already paying much higher water prices than middle classes and elitists already. I lived in Nairobi. We lived in a well-to-do neighborhood. We were connected to the network. You pay hardly anything for that service. Five hundred meters down the road, there’s a slum. The people living there are not connected to the same water network and are dependent on water sellers. they consume much less; yet, per unit of water they pay much more.
EAB: If we’re charging people for water, does that mean we’re compromising the status of water as a human right?
PK: There’s no argument about whether or not people need water. Declaring it a human right doesn’t require that we make it free. There are several things that are human rights, such as shelter and health and we are happily paying for. It’s about treating water as an economic good and not just a social good.
EAB: Are we at the point of pricing water anytime soon?
PK: Paying water at its scarcity value is a long way off. It would require increasing the price of water at 10 times or more. It’s politically unfeasible. Before we get there, we could just pay the cost of water, forget it’s scarcity value. We should charge for the financial cost to pump, treat and discharge it. That way, we’re paying for infrastructure, maintenance, and expansion. But there are still few places in the world where we’re covering just those cost.
EAB: Can you give an example of the negative consequences that occur when water is treated as a social good and not economic good?
PK: Barcelona is a beautiful place. It’s advanced in many respects. But they were down on their luck two years ago. Two years ago, they were shipping in water from France. Water arrived in a tanker by ship. This happened because the watershed which Barcelona is part of is oversubscribed. Water is not sustainably used.
Farmers and others are using more than what is available. As a result, reservoirs dry up. They only pay 2 percent of what it costs to deliver water to their fields. Thus, there is no incentive to use it efficiently. Because farmers are underpaying for water, Barcelona went dry. They had to resort to a desperate measure of shipping in water. This is what happens if you don’t price water economically.
If water is free, people are going to abuse it. Investors are not going to invest in technology.
EAB: There are obviously certain cultural ideas about pricing water. How do you think these ideas impact pricing water?
PK: In the Netherlands, I pay ten times more for water there than I do here. And, the Netherlands has more water. It’s not just about scarcity. In the Netherlands, we got used to the idea that you have to pay for what it takes to deliver water. It’s a culture. It’s something that has been ingrained in the collective psyche. The idea that clean drinking water should be free is self-defeating.
In this country, there’s still an idea that there are no limits. You just go west and start again. In the Netherlands, there’s an idea that we have to make it work with what we have. You have to pay for things that are scarce. Not pricing water is a cultural and therefore a political problem.
EAB: Thank you for interviewing with WaterWideWeb
PK: You’re welcome.
The pricing water debate will continue as WaterWideWeb involves new experts and researchers into the discussion. For now, WaterWideWeb wants to hear from you!
Should water be free?
Why or why not?
If we charged for water, what would the world look like?
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]]>Australia’s coal and mining industry are suspended and farming operations are at a standstill. Damages incurred by the floods could total up to $5 billion.The economy of Australia, which is largely contingent upon agriculture, has been completely compromised by the floods.
Eight people were reported dead and seventy-two others are missing because of the torrential rain. Over 200,000 people have been affected by the floods. Civilians livelihoods have been washed away with the overwhelming amounts of rain that have swept the countryside.
Water management policy in Australia is mostly geared toward stewarding resources efficiently. However, the water world will witness a complete shift in Australian natural resource policy as officials respond to the floods.
The tricky part of managing water resources appropriately, is that unexpected natural events occur. Timely revisions in Australia’s national water management policy must be implemented to address the crisis. Of course, the rising water level is just the first consequence of the floods. The real trouble for Australia lies ahead.
Crops from irrigated farming will undoubtedly be compromised due to the flooding rains. Other deleterious affects brought on by the disaster will only compound the socio-economic problem that the country now grapples with. One has to wonder if an impending food shortage will follow the floods, since harvests may not yield the same output as prior years. Public health and safety, and the spread of communicable diseases is a major concern in the flood equation as well.
The international community will surely have to invest and intervene in relief efforts for Australia. A formal “meeting of the minds” to discuss short and long term consequences of the flooding is required to mitigate the devastation before it gets any worse.
At present, the country exists in a perpetual state of water crisis. Unfortunately, Australia now faces the other side of the water crisis coin. Infrastructure to deal with an event such as flash flooding was not in place. And consequently, civilians are suffering more because of it.
Water reform policy will be in interesting outcome of Australia’s unfortunate tragedy. Adapting to the exact antithesis of what has plagued the nation for a decade, will prove arduous yet interesting. Moderating existing policy and planning for future legislation must be tackled systematically such that short term needs of civilians are satisfied while long term investments in the economy are secured.
The floods in Australia undermine sustainable development on several fronts. The country has suffered a serious blow to the economy, infrastructure is toppled, and people have been internally displaced from their homes and livelihood.
Cyclic drought and flooding is typically common in Least Developed Countries. However, seeing such an event wipe out an industrialized nation puts issues like global climate change and water resource management at the top of the international agenda.
For everything that remains out of human control, officials must grab the reigns on what is in our control. Organizing a comprehensive water management agenda that prioritizes an enforceable global climate change policy and includes a budget for disaster relief needs to be agreed upon by developing and industrialized countries. Because the floods are not just Australia’s problem, they are the world’s problem. And the world must join in solidarity to implement a reasonable solution.
The photo above is credited to Business Insider.
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]]>If you are concerned with water-related issues, have domain specific experience, write and interview well, and wish to contribute to this socially conscious forum, please join our volunteer team. Please send your resume, cover letter and a writing sample that would be appropriate for the categories listed on our website to: [email protected].
This position is a pro bono position and compensation is not offered at this time.
]]>Water instability is compounded by energy concerns concomitantly in Gujarat. Public policy in Gujarat does not require farmers to pay additional expenses for pumping deeper groundwater which is delivered to farmers at a fixed price. Co-dependently, water and energy in Gujarat are being consumed at unsustainable rates.
In an exclusive interview with Dan Stellar, Assistant Director of Columbia Water Center (CWC), he informed WaterWideWeb that the CWC project in Gujarat will enlist local farmers in water and energy use efficiency by providing monetary incentives for conservation efforts.
CWC has partnered with local organizations such as the Taleem Research Foundation, Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited (UGVCL), the Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDAU), and the Government of Gujarat to stabilize water access and energy efficiency management in Gujarat, initiatives closely linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The results of CWC’s study are still confidential pending public release. Nonetheless, Stellar provided preliminary analysis and implications of the Gujarat project to WaterWideWeb.
EAB: How did CWS identify water and energy as an interrelated issue in Gujarat, India?
DS: We have been aware of the severe groundwater depletion problem in Gujarat for a long time. Generally, the electricity supply problem in that region is well known. It is due to the massive amounts of energy needed to pump groundwater. The electric supply is irregular and unreliable.
The state has made efforts to address this problem, most notably through a program called Jyotigram. Jyotigram targeted farmers’ use of electricity.
In light of these facts, CWC conducted an extensive study in the area. The study yielded a great deal of information about the water and energy issues in the region. We have presented several phases of this study to the Government of Gujarat. At the moment, the details of the study are still confidential, but we will be issuing a paper soon. However, the main points from the study show that:
- · Water tables in the study area have been falling steadily over the last 15-20 years. They have reached about 600ft below ground level, risking irreversible salinization of aquifers.
- · Farmers are adversely affected by the falling water tables. They need to drill deeper wells and buy more powerful pumps continuously.
- · Energy use has most likely increased over the last two decades without a matching increase in irrigated area.
- · The depths where groundwater is currently extracted, tubewell irrigated agriculture, as practiced today, is probably not financially viable.
EAB: What are some of the short and long term goals of the project?
DS: The overall goal of the project is to reverse the problem of groundwater depletion in this area. We hope to stabilize groundwater levels above the point at which large scale saltwater intrusion will occur. It is important to note that this project exemplifies a win-win system that encourages farmers to conserve resources rather than taxing them for additional water usage.
EAB: How can this project exemplify a sustainable solution to the water and energy crisis?
DS: The project will demonstrate a policy level solution to the water and energy crisis. While this particular solution is somewhat unique to the Indian context, it will show how policies can be structured to create economic incentives for conserving water and energy.
Currently, farmers in the area pay an extremely low fixed rate for electricity. They use electricity to pump water for crop irrigation. There is no incentive to conserve water or energy since farmers pay the same fixed cost regardless of how much electricity they use.
We propose the institution of an alternate system, one where farmers are given an allowance of units of energy. If they use less energy than their allowance provides, they will be compensated for the amount saved. This system costs the state nothing since it was providing electricity essentially free from the outset.
The project is economically sustainable. It does not have any net cost to any party. The project was designed in close consultation with farmers and government officials to accommodate the local area.
Participation is completely voluntary. Farmers can opt to participate or not. If they prefer to continue with their usual pumping practices, they can do so without facing a penalty.
EAB: Are you sharing best practices on water and hydropower projects with any other organizations?
DS: We intend to share best practices, once the results of the project are analyzed. This will be accomplished through outreach on our website and blog, submission of academic papers, participation in conferences and other media appearances.
EAB: Thank you for interviewing with WaterWideWeb
DS: You’re welcome.
Projects like the CWC’s offer an innovative multifaceted approach to two of the most complex issues of the 21st century— reliable water supply and energy resources. Developing infrastructure and providing farmers with reliable water resources will support the achievement of MDGs in Gujarat.
Overcoming the complex environmental water and energy nexus in Gujarat requires the active involvement of local residents, enforceable public policy and willing participation of public and private sector entities. In the case of CWC’s Gujarat project, both water and energy are forces to be reconciled.
Please watch the video of CWC’s work in Gujarat India here
The photo above was provided by Columbia Water Center.
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]]>By the end of 2007, Zaparde and Petrovic raised $1,000 to dig a well in Paras, India. The two raised money by hosting bake sales and car washes. After the first well was built in Paras, Zaparde and Petrovic continued their water work in other rural villages. In a telephone interview Zaparde told WaterWideWeb, “On the drive to Paras in 2007, I saw at least 25 other villages with the same problem. I figured, if we can help one village, we can help more”.
Currently, DWI partners with schools in New Jersey and other states to raise awareness and funding for well projects in India. “We just want to show other students that young people their age are struggling just to find clean drinking water”, said Zaparde.
DWI builds wells close to schools to maximize the number of people who can access clean water from the well. Residents in neighboring villages can find water at the well without traveling extensive distances in search for clean water.
“Digging wells near schools makes the most sense. Students in schools without clean water access have to sit through an entire day without water. Now, students can bring water home to their families at the end of the day”, continued Zaparde.
Maintenance of water wells is an important facet of the work of DWI. Water wells are used constantly. Villagers sometimes use the well from early as 3 a.m. until midnight. DWI works with village leaders, appointed by local community members, to ensure that the well is functional at all times. Village leaders have the contact number for DWI personnel who can respond as swiftly as possible to a broken well.
Fundraising campaigns of DWI allocate money specifically for repairs if the well should break. “We set aside a certain amount of money so that we are there and ready to respond if a well breaks”, assured Zaparde.
The DWI project is an exceptional example of the social change mobilized by grassroots student-led movements. When it comes to clean water, anyone can make a difference in the life of rural villagers and school children.
Photo Credit: All photos in this article belong to DrinkingWaterforIndia.org
The work of DWI impacts local communities in several capacity. DWI provides a water resource, which in turn, alleviates the strain of finding water. Women, who typically are responsible for finding clean water, can dedicate the precious resource of time, to duties other than water gathering.
Mortality from water-borne diseases such as typhoid fever and bacterial diarrhea will decrease when projects such as DWI expand their work in developing countries. Children can attend school on a regular basis, without worrying if there will be enough water to be comfortable throughout the school day.
Water impacts a community from the ground up—literally. Simply providing clean water has implications for community members at all levels. The structure of these remote villages will develop over time. As water-borne diseases decrease, education and life expectancy will increase.
Questions arise about the work of governmental municipalities responsible for remote village’s water supply when reviewing the work of DWI. Are governmental programs monitoring the complex issues that undermine social and economic development in the rural communities of India?
NGOs and other non-profit organizations can certainly make a difference by supplying the immediate water need of villages. But, legislation and federal regulation of water policy must be implemented and enforced if a sustainable solution to India’s water shortage problems is to be reached.
The short-term effects of water projects in India’s remote villages will relieve the daily task of walking two miles or more to find water, water which may not even be safe for consumption. Over time, the literacy rates in these rural communities will increase. Two symptoms of poverty, illiteracy and unsafe water, will be assuaged.
Efforts to provide clean drinking water to communities that aren’t read about in major newspapers or featured on news specials can be undertaken by any individual. However, a balanced response to water issues must enlist the support of local governments, community members, and aid agencies if a sustainable future for these communities is sought.
Communities can change from within but there must be a solid infrastructure to fit that change from the outside. How can governmental programs reach even the remotest villages in their country? Will that be left up to projects like DWI? Or, will the work of DWI inspire a renewed sense of responsibility for a nation’s people across the socio-economic strata? Unfortunately, only time will tell.
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]]>Is it acceptable that children trudge three miles a day to reach water that they know makes them sick, potentially sick enough to die? If children are the future, then solid investments in education and child health are non-negotiable. In the developing world, these two areas intersect at the point of water—clean water.
Architecture for Humanity (AFH) in partnership with the Nobelity Project (NP) recently completed the Mahiga Rain Court (MRC), in Mahiga, Kenya. Mahiga is a small sustenance based community near Nairobi. In Mahiga, children can only look forward to attending classes through grade 8.
NP was at work with the St. Joseph Mahiga Primary School, before spearheading the MRC. NP realized that impacting the community of Mahiga in a meaningful way was through education and water supply.
Together, AFH and NB constructed a self-sustaining rainwater court that services the local community by providing clean drinking water, a simple solution to the multifaceted issues facing Mahiga. Greg Elsner is a Design Fellow with AFH. Elsner lived in Kenya for 14 months while the MRC was underway. In an interview, Elsner told WaterWideWeb, “While I was in Kenya, the municipal water line ran for maybe two weeks in total”.
Before the MRC began, Mahiga suffered a four year drought. A long rainy season followed the drought, flooding areas where development work was taking place. High rates of absenteeism in school attendance were reported because children were trekking three miles per day to fetch unsafe drinking water from a small creek within miles of Mahiga. These children got sick from the unsafe water and missed additional days of school.
Livestock were dying, farmers couldn’t produce adequate crops for food supply and the crime rate was high. Immediate relief efforts for residents of the Mahiga community would be short-term. A long-term sustainable plan that controlled for global climate change and meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) needed to be implemented in Mahiga.
Drilling a bore hole for a water well would cost up to $60,000. The MRC was the most cost-effective and sustainable option for the community. So, architects and designers set out to assemble a full basketball court that collects rainwater during the rainy season. The MRC is complete with a solar powered UV purification system. The MRC is self-sustaining and operates on an alternative energy system.
“Already, 30,000 liters of water have been collected. The rain water was collected in just two days” confirmed Elsner to WaterWideWeb. AFH estimates that a total of 90,000 liters of rainwater could be collected by the MRC.
The water shortage in Mahiga affected the community in several capacities. Inadequate water supplies impeded social progress from the most fundamental levels of daily living. If the water issue was unaddressed in Mahiga, a generation of uneducated young adults who couldn’t farm their land because of a lack of water would have damned the community into economic and social stagnation.
If successful, the community of Mahiga can use water provided by the MRC for other needs beyond primary education. Rations of water can be used for livestock, agriculture, and hygiene. Most importantly, school children will no longer be forced to make the critical decision between fetching unsafe drinking water and attending school.
Over time, literacy rates in the area will increase. NP is currently working to develop a Mahiga Hope High School, in partnership with the Education District. The MRC reaches beyond the education sector and into the infrastructural development of the village as well.
With clean water, agricultural products will be reliable sources of food. Healthy livestock can make harvesting processes more efficient for farmers, leading to a source of income. With more reliable water systems, farmers can produce high quality agricultural products at fair prices. Markers of economic development will be evidenced by innovative social enterprises that generate income for villagers.
Perhaps the most important contribution that will be made to Mahiga as a result of the MRC and other initiatives like it is the shift from a mentality of limited choices and barely surviving. Once the immediate needs of the community are secured, help from the government, local businessmen and aid agencies can expand beyond disaster management. Only then will the educated children have a true future to look forward to, one that they are prepared to face and one that can embrace them.
The photo above was taken by Turk Pipkin Photography.
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]]>Civil and environmental engineers are advancing techniques in water management. Sharing best practices in project implementation is crucial to the future of sustainable water projects in both the industrialized and developing world. How are environmental engineers tackling the mounting social issues that surround the water demands that exceed the supply of it?
Dr. Pedro Alvarez is the George R. Brown Professor and Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Rice University. In a telephone interview, Alvarez told WaterWideWeb, “Ensuring reliable and affordable access to safe water is one of the biggest issues that we face in the twenty first century.”
Making clean water accessible in the developing world requires an increase in efficiency in water infrastructure and a decrease in materials and energy used for completing projects. Environmental engineers are developing innovative mechanisms to meet the growing water demands with several factors in mind.
Adjustments to existing and new water systems call for technical simplicity. In order for water systems to successfully supply a community with water, the framework should be uncomplicated so that maintenance to the system can be provided without requiring assistance of experts.
The social-cultural acceptability of new water initiatives plays a part in the success of particular engineering endeavors. Reframing the way people think about the significance of water and the means of acquiring it are the next steps in innovative water provision methods.
For example, implementing water recycling paradigms in developed countries may be met with resistance. Individuals in different cultures and social classes may oppose the trend of treating waste water and then recycling it for drinking water.
Information about water engineering projects should also be disseminated so that end users may understand the framework of water programs and share the technology with others at the local level. In this way, the project can be maintained from within the community. If the water system needs repair, local users can fix the problem without forgoing access to water for long spells until an expert arrives to remedy it.
“Technology is not enough. Responding to increasing water demands requires a multi-disciplinary effort that includes education and a sanitation plan”, continued Alvarez. Reliance on unconventional water sources and treatment plants are the next steps in global water sustainability.
“The single-most important engineering contribution of the twentieth century was treating water.” In the twenty first century, engineers must extend and enhance that contribution to meet growing water needs.
Digging water wells, installing chlorinators and bio-sand filters are proven methods of supplying safe water in the developing world, yet these are not sufficient to save the lives of 4100 children who die on a daily basis due to lack of clean drinking water . Clean water will decrease the mortality rate of water borne diseases, lengthen life expectancy and improve quality of life.
So what are we waiting for?
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