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It's hard to imagine what it's like to not have clean water to drink. Water is not evenly divided around the world. Some places have lots and others have very little. Water supply is a big problem in some countries. We found a site that really showed us how things were in Africa, written by people who live there. If you click here , you can visit it, too. This Peace Corps site showed us that water supply can be very different all across the globe. Some people in Africa carry water from a hole that is bored or dug into the ground. This water source might not even be in their town and they will have to travel to get it. Some kids wrote about how they have dirty water at their school and sometimes kids get sick from drinking it. We wonder what we can do about this. We thought that the United States didn't have any of those problems but we were wrong. Appalachia, in the southern part of the United States, has some homes that still don't have running water. In Arizona, the Central Arizona Project gets water piped in from the Colorado River. This is a problem for the places that used to get most of the Colorado River water because they can't get as much now. There are rules about how much water can be taken out of rivers. Some rivers in the West have reached that limit. There are 'water wars' where people argue over who has the right to use the water. The problem of water supply keeps a lot of people looking for new ways to use water better. Every time we use it, we take water away from the Earth. We now know how it flows on the surface and underground until it gets to us. If we don't spend that extra five minutes in the shower, or run the water when we brush our teeth, we can make a difference! Water scarcity From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search
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Page 1: upasana---water.docx

   It's hard to imagine what it's like to not have clean water to drink.  Water is not evenly divided around the world.  Some places have lots and others have very little.  Water supply is a big problem in some countries.  We found a site that really showed us how things were in Africa, written by people who live there.  If you click here, you can visit it, too.   This Peace Corps site showed us that water supply can be very different all across the globe.  Some people in Africa carry water from a hole that is bored or dug into the ground.  This water source might not even be in their town and they will have to travel to get it.  Some kids wrote about how they have dirty water at their school and sometimes kids get sick from drinking it.  We wonder what we can do about this.     We thought that the United States didn't have any of those problems but we were wrong.  Appalachia, in the southern part of the United States, has some homes that still don't have running water.     In Arizona, the Central Arizona Project gets water piped in from the Colorado River.  This is a problem for the places that used to get most of the Colorado River water because they can't get as much now.  There are rules about how much water can be taken out of rivers.  Some rivers in the West have reached that limit.  There are 'water wars' where people argue over who has the right to use the water.    The problem of water supply keeps a lot of people looking for new ways to use water better.  Every time we use it, we take water away from the Earth.  We now know how it flows on the surface and underground until it gets to us.  If we don't spend that extra five minutes in the shower, or run the water when we brush our teeth, we can make a difference!

Water scarcityFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search

Deforestation of the Madagascar Highland Plateau has led to extensive siltation and unstable flows of western rivers.

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NGO estimate for 2025, 25 African countries are expected to suffer from water shortage or water stress.Water scarcity involves water stress, water deficits, water shortage and water crisis. The concept of water stress is relatively new. Water stress is the difficulty of obtaining sources of fresh water for use, because of depleting resources. A water crisis is a situation where the available potable, unpolluted water within a region is less than that region's demand.[1]

Contents 1 Measurement 2 Economic scarcity 3 Water stress 4 Water crisis

o 4.1 Manifestations o 4.2 Overview of regions suffering crisis impacts

5 Effects on climate 6 Outlook 7 Global experiences in managing water crisis 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

MeasurementSome have presented maps showing the physical existence of water in nature to show nations with lower or higher volumes of water available for use. Others have related water availability to population. A popular approach has been to rank countries according to the amount of annual water resources available per person. For example, according to the Falkenmark Water Stress Indicator,[2] a country or region is said to experience "water stress" when annual water supplies drop below 1,700 cubic metres per person per year. At levels between 1,700 and 1,000 cubic metres per person per year, periodic or limited water shortages can be expected. When water supplies drop below 1,000 cubic metres per person per year, the country faces "water scarcity".[3] The United Nations' FAO states that by 2025, 1.9 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under

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stress conditions.[4] The World Bank adds that climate change could profoundly alter future patterns of both water availability and use,thereby increasing levels of water stress and insecurity, both at the global scale and in sectors that depend on water.[5]

Another measurement, calculated as part of a wider assessment of water management in 2007,[6] aimed to relate water availability to how the resource was actually used. It therefore divided water scarcity into ‘physical’ and ‘economic’. Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands, including that needed for ecosystems to function effectively. Arid regions frequently suffer from physical water scarcity. It also occurs where water seems abundant but where resources are over-committed, such as when there is overdevelopment of hydraulic infrastructure for irrigation. Symptoms of physical water scarcity include environmental degradation and declining groundwater. Water stress harms living things because every organism needs water to live.

Economic scarcityEconomic water scarcity, meanwhile, is caused by a lack of investment in water or insufficient human capacity to satisfy the demand for water. Symptoms of economic water scarcity include a lack of infrastructure, with people often having to fetch water from rivers for domestic and agricultural uses. Large parts of Africa suffer from economic water scarcity; developing water infrastructure in those areas could therefore help to reduce poverty. Critical conditions often arise for economically poor and politically weak communities living in already dry environment.

Water stressFifty years ago, when there were fewer than half the current number of people on the planet, the common perception was that water was an infinite resource. People were not as wealthy then as they are today, consumed fewer calories and ate less meat, so less water was needed to produce their food. They required a third of the volume of water we presently take from rivers. Today, the competition for water resources is much more intense. This is because there are now over seven billion people on the planet, their consumption of water-thirsty meat and vegetables is rising, and there is increasing competition for water from industry, urbanisation and biofuel crops.The total amount of available freshwater supply is also decreasing because of climate change, which has caused receding glaciers, reduced stream and river flow, and shrinking lakes. Many aquifers have been over-pumped and are not recharging quickly. Although the total fresh water supply is not used up, much has become polluted, salted, unsuitable or otherwise unavailable for drinking, industry and agriculture. To avoid a global water crisis, farmers will have to strive to increase productivity to meet growing demands for food, while industry and cities find ways to use water more efficiently.[7]

The New York Times article, "Southeast Drought Study Ties Water Shortage to Population, Not Global Warming", summarizes the findings of Columbia University researcher on the subject of the droughts in the American Southeast between 2005 and 2007. The findings were published in the Journal of Climate. They say the water shortages resulted from population size more than rainfall. Census figures show that Georgia’s population rose from 6.48 to 9.54 million between 1990 and 2007.[8] After studying data from weather instruments, computer models and measurements of tree rings which reflect rainfall, they found that the droughts were not unprecedented and result from normal climate patterns and random weather events. "Similar droughts unfolded over the last thousand years", the researchers wrote, "Regardless of climate change, they added, similar weather patterns can be expected regularly in the future, with similar

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results."[8] As the temperature increases, rainfall in the Southeast will increase but because of evaporation the area may get even drier. The researchers concluded with a statement saying that any rainfall comes from complicated internal processes in the atmosphere and are very hard to predict because of the large amount of variables.

Water crisisWhen then there is not enough potable water for given necessity, the threat of a water crisis is realized.[1] The United Nations and other world organizations consider a variety of regions to have water crises such that it is a global concern.[9][10] Other organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, argue that there is no water crises in such places, but that steps must still be taken to avoid one.[11]

ManifestationsThere are several principal manifestations of the water crisis.

Inadequate access to safe drinking water for about 884 million people[12]

Inadequate access to water for sanitation and waste disposal for 2.5 billion people[13]

Groundwater overdrafting (excessive use) leading to diminished agricultural yields[14]

Overuse and pollution of water resources harming biodiversity Regional conflicts over scarce water resources sometimes resulting in warfare

Waterborne diseases and the absence of sanitary domestic water are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. For children under age five, waterborne diseases are the leading cause of death. At any given time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from waterborne diseases.[15] According to the World Bank, 88 percent of all waterborne diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.[16]

Water is the underlying tenuous balance of safe water supply, but controllable factors such as the management and distribution of the water supply itself contribute to further scarcity.A 2006 United Nations report focuses on issues of governance as the core of the water crisis, saying "There is enough water for everyone" and "Water insufficiency is often due to mismanagement, corruption, lack of appropriate institutions, bureaucratic inertia and a shortage of investment in both human capacity and physical infrastructure".[17] Official data also shows a clear correlation between access to safe water and GDP per capita.[18]

It has also been claimed, primarily by economists, that the water situation has occurred because of a lack of property rights, government regulations and subsidies in the water sector, causing prices to be too low and consumption too high.[19][20][21]

Vegetation and wildlife are fundamentally dependent upon adequate freshwater resources. Marshes, bogs and riparian zones are more obviously dependent upon sustainable water supply, but forests and other upland ecosystems are equally at risk of significant productivity changes as water availability is diminished. In the case of wetlands, considerable area has been simply taken from wildlife use to feed and house the expanding human population. But other areas have suffered reduced productivity from gradual diminishing of freshwater inflow, as upstream sources are diverted for human use. In seven states of the U.S. over 80 percent of all historic wetlands were filled by the 1980s, when Congress acted to create a “no net loss” of wetlands.In Europe extensive loss of wetlands has also occurred with resulting loss of biodiversity. For example many bogs in Scotland have been developed or diminished through human population expansion. One example is the Portlethen Moss in Aberdeenshire.

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On Madagascar’s highland plateau, a massive transformation occurred that eliminated virtually all the heavily forested vegetation in the period 1970 to 2000. The slash and burn agriculture eliminated about ten percent of the total country’s native biomass and converted it to a barren wasteland. These effects were from overpopulation and the necessity to feed poor indigenous peoples, but the adverse effects included widespread gully erosion that in turn produced heavily silted rivers that “run red” decades after the deforestation. This eliminated a large amount of usable fresh water and also destroyed much of the riverine ecosystems of several large west-flowing rivers. Several fish species have been driven to the edge of extinction and some, such as the disturbed Tokios coral reef formations in the Indian Ocean, are effectively lost.In October 2008, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman and former chief executive of Nestlé, warned that the production of biofuels will further deplete the world's water supply.

Overview of regions suffering crisis impacts

An abandoned ship in the former Aral Sea, near Aral, Kazakhstan.There are many other countries of the world that are severely impacted with regard to human health and inadequate drinking water. The following is a partial list of some of the countries with significant populations (numerical population of affected population listed) whose only consumption is of contaminated water:[22]

Sudan 12.3 million Venezuela 5.0 million Ethiopia 2.7 million Tunisia 2.1 million Cuba 1.3 million

Several world maps showing various aspects of the problem can be found in this graph article.[23]

According to the California Department of Resources, if more supplies aren’t found by 2020, the region will face a shortfall nearly as great as the amount consumed today. Los Angeles is a coastal desert able to support at most 1 million people on its own water; the Los Angeles basin now is the core of a megacity that spans 220 miles (350 km) from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. The region’s population is expected to reach 41 million by 2020, up from 28 million in 2009. The population of California continues to grow by more than two million a year and is expected to reach 75 million in 2030, up from 49 million in 2009. But water shortage is likely to surface well before then.[24]

Water deficits, which are already spurring heavy grain imports in numerous smaller countries, may soon do the same in larger countries, such as China and India.[25] The water tables are falling in scores of countries (including Northern China, the US, and India) due to widespread overpumping using powerful diesel and electric pumps. Other countries affected include Pakistan, Iran, and Mexico. This will eventually lead to water scarcity and cutbacks in grain

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harvest. Even with the overpumping of its aquifers, China is developing a grain deficit. When this happens, it will almost certainly drive grain prices upward. Most of the 3 billion people projected to be added worldwide by mid-century will be born in countries already experiencing water shortages. Unless population growth can be slowed quickly it is feared that there may not be a practical non-violent or humane solution to the emerging world water shortage.[26][27][28]

After China and India, there is a second tier of smaller countries with large water deficits — Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, and Pakistan. Four of these already import a large share of their grain. But with a population expanding by 4 million a year, it will also likely soon turn to the world market for grain.[29]

According to a UN climate report, the Himalayan glaciers that are the sources of Asia's biggest rivers - Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Yellow - could disappear by 2035 as temperatures rise.[30] It was later revealed that the source used by the UN climate report actually stated 2350, not 2035.[31] Approximately 2.4 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers.[32] India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar could experience floods followed by droughts in coming decades. In India alone, the Ganges provides water for drinking and farming for more than 500 million people.[33][34][35] The west coast of North America, which gets much of its water from glaciers in mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, also would be affected.[36][37]

By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. In June 2008 it became known that an expert panel had warned of long term, possibly irreversible, severe ecological damage for the whole Murray-Darling basin if it does not receive sufficient water by October.[38] Water restrictions are currently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages resulting from drought. The Australian of the year 2007, environmentalist Tim Flannery, predicted that unless it made drastic changes, Perth in Western Australia could become the world’s first ghost metropolis, an abandoned city with no more water to sustain its population.[39] However, Western Australia's dams reached 50% capacity for the first time since 2000 as of September 2009.[40] As a result, heavy rains have brought forth positive results for the region.[40] Nonetheless, the following year, 2010, Perth suffered its second-driest winter on record[41] and the water corporation tightened water restrictions for spring.[42]

Effects on climateAquifer drawdown or overdrafting and the pumping of fossil water increases the total amount of water within the hydrosphere subject to transpiration and evaporation processes, thereby causing accretion in water vapour and cloud cover, the primary absorbers of infrared radiation in the earth's atmosphere. Adding water to the system has a forcing effect on the whole earth system, an accurate estimate of which hydrogeological fact is yet to be quantified.

Outlook

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Wind and solar power such as this installation in a village in northwest Madagascar can make a difference in safe water supply.Construction of wastewater treatment plants and reduction of groundwater overdrafting appear to be obvious solutions to the worldwide problem; however, a deeper look reveals more fundamental issues in play. Wastewater treatment is highly capital intensive, restricting access to this technology in some regions; furthermore the rapid increase in population of many countries makes this a race that is difficult to win. As if those factors are not daunting enough, one must consider the enormous costs and skill sets involved to maintain wastewater treatment plants even if they are successfully developed.Reduction in groundwater overdrafting is usually politically very unpopular and has major economic impacts to farmers; moreover, this strategy will necessarily reduce crop output, which is something the world can ill-afford, given the population level at present.At more realistic levels, developing countries can strive to achieve primary wastewater treatment or secure septic systems, and carefully analyse wastewater outfall design to minimise impacts to drinking water and to ecosystems. Developed countries can not only share technology better, including cost-effective wastewater and water treatment systems but also in hydrological transport modeling. At the individual level, people in developed countries can look inward and reduce overconsumption, which further strains worldwide water consumption. Both developed and developing countries can increase protection of ecosystems, especially wetlands and riparian zones. These measures will not only conserve biota, but also render more effective the natural water cycle flushing and transport that make water systems more healthy for humans.A range of local, low-tech solutions are being pursued by a number of companies. These efforts center around the use of solar power to distill water at temperatures slightly beneath that at which water boils. By developing the capability to purify any available water source, local business models could be built around the new technologies, accelerating their uptake.[43]

Global experiences in managing water crisisThis section is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (September 2009)

It is alleged that the likelihood of conflict rises if the rate of change within the basin exceeds the capacity of institution to absorb that change.[36] Although water crisis is closely related to regional tensions, history showed that acute conflicts over water are far less than the record of cooperation.

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The key lies in strong institutions and cooperation. The Indus River Commission and the Indus Water Treaty survived two wars between India and Pakistan despite their hostility, proving to be a successful mechanism in resolving conflicts by providing a framework for consultation inspection and exchange of data. The Mekong Committee has also functioned since 1957 and survived the Vietnam War. In contrast, regional instability results when there is an absence of institutions to co-operate in regional collaboration, like Egypt’s plan for a high dam on the Nile. However, there is currently no global institution in place for the management and management of trans-boundary water sources, and international co-operation has happened through ad hoc collaborations between agencies, like the Mekong Committee which was formed due to an alliance between UNICEF and the US Bureau of Reclamation. Formation of strong international institutions seems to be a way forward - they fuel early intervention and management, preventing the costly dispute resolution process.One common feature of almost all resolved disputes is that the negotiations had a “need-based” instead of a “right–based” paradigm. Irrigable lands, population, technicalities of projects define "needs". The success of a need-based paradigm is reflected in the only water agreement ever negotiated in the Jordan River Basin, which focuses in needs not on rights of riparians. In the Indian subcontinent, irrigation requirements of Bangladesh determine water allocations of The Ganges River. A need based, regional approach focuses on satisfying individuals with their need of water, ensuring that minimum quantitative needs are being met. It removes the conflict that arises when countries view the treaty from a national interest point of view, move away from the zero-sum approach to a positive sum, integrative approach that equitably allocated the water and its benefits.

See alsoWater portal

Environment portal

Peak water Irrigation in viticulture Water contamination Water resources Water scarcity in Africa Drought rhizogenesis 1998 Klang Valley water crisis Arable land California Water Wars Chinese water crisis Consumptive water use Deficit irrigation Green Revolution Life Saver bottle Living Water International Ogallala Aquifer Water resource policy Spragg Bag Sustainable development in an urban water supply network

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Seawater Greenhouse Water conflict Water footprint Water resource policy WaterPartners International

References1. ^ a b Freshwater: lifeblood of the planet[dead link]

2. ̂ Falkenmark and Lindh 1976, quoted in UNEP/WMO. "Climate Change 2001: Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". UNEP. Retrieved 2009-02-03.

3. ̂ Samuel T. L. Larsen. "Lack of Freshwater Throughout the World". Evergreen State College. Retrieved 2009-02-01.

4. ̂ FAO Hot issues: Water scarcity5. ̂ The World Bank, 2009 "Water and Climate Change: Understanding the Risks and

Making Climate-Smart Investment Decisions". pp. 21–24. Retrieved 2011-10-24.6. ̂ Molden, D. (Ed). Water for food, Water for life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water

Management in Agriculture. Earthscan/IWMI, 2007.7. ̂ Chartres, C. and Varma, S. Out of water. From Abundance to Scarcity and How to

Solve the World’s Water Problems FT Press (USA), 20108. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/science/earth/02drought.html NYTimes 2009 -

Columbia University9. ̂ "United Nations statement on water crisis". Un.org. 2006-02-20. Retrieved 2011-03-10.10. ̂ UN World Summit on Sustainable Development addresses the water crisis[dead link]

11. ̂ "No global water crisis - but may developing countries will face water scarcity", FAO.org 12 March 2003

12. ̂ "Progress in Drinking-water and Sanitation: special focus on sanitation". MDG Assessment Report 2008 (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation). July 17, 2008. p. 25.

13. ̂ "Updated Numbers: WHO-UNICEF JMP Report 2008". Unicef.org. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

14. ̂ "Water is Life - Groundwater drawdown". Academic.evergreen.edu. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

15. ̂ WaterPartners International: Learn about the Water Crisis16. ̂ "All About: Water and Health". CNN. December 18, 2007.17. ̂ Water, a shared responsibility. The United Nations World Water Development Report

2, 200618. ̂ "Public Services"]". Gapminder video.19. ̂ Fredrik Segerfeldt (2005), "Private Water Saves Lives", Financial Times 25 August20. ̂ David Zetland, "Running Out of Water"21. ̂ David Zetland, "Water Crisis"22. ̂

http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/about/sgreport-pdf/03_SafeDrinkingWater_D7341Insert_English.pdf

23. ̂ "Looming water crisis simply a management problem" by Jonathan Chenoweth, New Scientist 28 Aug., 2008, pp. 28-32.

24. ̂ "U.S. Water Supply". Fairus.org. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

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25. ̂ Jul 21, 2006 (2006-07-21). "India grows a grain crisis". Atimes.com. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

26. ̂ "Water Scarcity Crossing National Borders". Earth-policy.org. 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

27. ̂ Water Shortages May Cause Food Shortages28. ̂ Yemen's Capital Facing Water Shortage Due to Rapid Increase in Population[dead link]

29. ̂ "The Food Bubble Economy". I-sis.org.uk. 2002-04-12. Retrieved 2011-03-10.30. ̂ "Vanishing Himalayan Glaciers Threaten a Billion". Planetark.com. 2007-06-05.

Retrieved 2011-03-10.31. ̂ Bagla, Pallava (December 5, 2009). "Himalayan glaciers melting deadline 'a mistake'".

BBC. Retrieved 2009-12-12.32. ̂ Big melt threatens millions, says UN[dead link]

33. ̂ "Ganges, Indus may not survive: climatologists". Rediff.com. 2004-12-31. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

34. ̂ [email protected] (2007-07-24). "Glaciers melting at alarming speed". English.peopledaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

35. ̂ Singh, Navin (2004-11-10). "Himalaya glaciers melt unnoticed". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

36. ^ a b "Glaciers Are Melting Faster Than Expected, UN Reports". Sciencedaily.com. 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2011-03-10.

37. ̂ Water shortage worst in decades, official says, Los Angeles Times38. ̂ Bryant, Nick (June 18, 2008). "Australian rivers 'face disaster'". BBC News. Retrieved

December 2, 2011.39. ̂ Ayre, Maggie (May 3, 2007). "Metropolis strives to meet its thirst". BBC News.

Retrieved December 2, 2011.40. ^ a b "Dams at record levels". ABC News. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2009-09-25.41. ̂ "More winter blues as rainfall dries up". ABC News. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2011-01-

13.42. ̂ "Saving water in spring". Water corporation (Western Australia). 2010-09-23.

Retrieved 2011-01-13.43. ̂ Tapping A Market CNBC European Business, October 2008

Further reading An International Food Policy Research Institute book about the intersection of water

policy, globalization and food security: Ringler, C., Biswas, A., and Cline, S., eds. 2010. Global Change: Impacts on Water and Food Security. Heidelberg: Springer.

Steven Solomon (c2010). Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization. Harper. p. 608. ISBN 978-0-06-054830-8.

Alexander Bell (c2009). Peak Water : Civilisation and the world's water crisis. Edinburgh: Luath. p. 208. ISBN 1-906817-19-7.

Peter H. Gleick, ed. (c2009). The World's Water 2008-2009: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Washington D.C. : Island Press. p. 402. ISBN 10: 1-59726-505-5.

Maude Barlow (c2007). Blue covenant : the global water crisis and the coming battle for the right to water. New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-59558-186-0.

Richard Heinberg (c2007). Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines. Gabriola, BC : New Society Publishers. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-86571-598-1.

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Engelbert, Ernest A., and Ann Foley Scheuring, ed. (c1984). Water Scarcity: Impacts on Western Agriculture. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Jameel M. Zayed. "No Peace Without Water – The Role of Hydropolitics in the Israel-Palestine Conflict". London.

The World Bank, (2010) Water and Climate Change: Understanding the Risks and Making Climate-Smart Investment Decisions.

External links "Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis" . United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP). 2006. Water Availability and Use in the Arab World an infographic by Carboun Food exports can drain arid regions : Dry regions ‘export’ water as agricultural products

24.March.2012 Science News The World Bank's work and publications on water resources The Global Water Crisis - myHydros.org | Everything About Water BBC News World Water Crisis Maps International Action: Fighting the Water Crisis in Haiti World Water Council: Water Crisis [dead link]

Food and Water Security under Global Change and Water Policy at the [http://www.ifpri.org/ International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

China water crisis - Greenpeace China Water Wars: Multimedia coverage of East Africa's water crisis from CLPMag.org Water Crisis Information Guide - From Middletown Thrall Library. Subjects include:

Drinking Water, Government Information, International Challenges and Efforts, Global Water Issues, Oceanography, Sea Levels, Desalination, Water Scarcity, Pollution and Contaminants, Conservation and Recycling, News and Special Reports, and library catalog subject headings for further research.

Water and Conflict: Incorporating Peacebuilding into Water Development Raipur Water Crisis Website For World http://water.org Water Wars: A Global Crisis - interview with Dr. Richard Schuhmann Water crisis explained in two mins. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gujarat Home » State News » Gujarat

Water scarcity heats up political arena in Gujarat

Last Updated: Monday, April 08, 2013, 10:41   A- A A+

 0  0 Tags: Gujarat, Narendra Modi, Water Ahmedabad: Water-scarcity in major regions of Gujarat is heating up the political arena

in the state, with Opposition parties and NGOs up in arms against the Narendra Modi government's "inaction" and "mismanagement" of the crisis.

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Passing the buck, Gujarat has targeted the Centre for denying permission to raise the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam, and stalling construction of gates over it. The government claims that permits on the dam would have enabled it to bring water of Narmada river to Saurashtra and Kutch.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi had recently said the Opposition has failed to understand the water problem in the state arising out of the Centre's stand of not allowing permission to raise the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam.

"The BJP will launch a public agitation against the central government on the the issue of Sardar Sarovar Dam," Modi had told a large gathering here on April 8, during the celebrations of 33rd Foundation Day of BJP.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Congress has decided to bring the water scarcity issue before the people by embarking on a 'Jal Adhikar Yatra' while maintaining pressure on the government to take immediate action.

Covering more than 100 villages in nine districts which are badly hit by water scarcity, the yatra will commence from Dwarka on April 10 and culminate in Ambaji on April 21.

"Out of 202 water reservoirs in Saurashtra region, 72 are totally dried up, 89 are almost empty and water level has fallen to 25 per cent of its capacity in another 41," former Gujarat Congress President Sidhharth Patel told reporters while announcing the launch of 'Jal Adhikar Yatra'.

"Our aim is to generate public opinion against the inaction and mismanagement of this BJP government which has been marketing the state as the number one in development. But here people are deprived of bare minimum necessity of drinking water," Patel had said. With the onset of summer, mercury has been on a rise in the state with cities like Bhuj (in Kutch), Deesa and Idar in northern Gujarat and Ahmedabad already logging temperatures around 40 deg C.

On the other hand, shortage of water, particularly drinking water, is becoming more severe with people even in major cities like Rajkot, Amreli, Junagadh, and Surendranagar in Saurashtra region, feeling the heat.

On March 26, the state government conceded in the Assembly that there was a severe problem of drinking and irrigation water in parts of the state and declared that around 4,000 villages in 10 districts were facing water scarcity.

Revenue Minister Anandi Patel had announced that 939 villages in the state were facing

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water crisis whereas 2,979 villages were declared partially affected.

"People in most of Saurashtra, Kutch and North Gujarat region are facing severe water crunch and state government has declared only 939 villages hit by water scarcity. This is very absurd. Government should have come out with a detailed action plan to fight water problems for whole state," Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Shankarsinh Vaghela had said while reacting on the announcement.

Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) of former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has also decided to take the government to task on the water issue.

"We are organising protests and demonstrations in every city and taluka in Saurashtra region to build pressure on government, which has failed miserably to address the water problem," GPP General Secretary and former Minister of State for Home, Gordhan Zadafia said.

Leaders from both Opposition parties have accused the ruling BJP government of not being serious to complete the construction of Narmada canals which could bring river waters to parched Saurashtra region.

Some of the NGOs in Gujarat have also criticised the state government on the issue. Sarvodaya Mandal and PUCL Gujarat branch has organised a people's hearing today in the city where people from affected areas would remain present and narrate their water problems.

Leaders like Shankarsinh Vaghela, Keshubhai Patel, former Chief Minister Suresh Mehta, Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Sudershan Iyengar, former BJP MLA Kanu Kalsaria are going to address the gathering.

"Our aim for this hearing is to sensitise the government on the severe water problem faced by the people across the state," General Secretary PUCL Gujarat, Gautam Thakar said.

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Co-operation, education can solve regional water problems 28/03/2013Despite abundant water resources, secured by the dense network of surface basins and ground waters, Balkan countries continue to suffer from serious problems.

By Tzvetina Borisova for Southeast European Times in Sofia -- 28/03/13

Countries in the Balkans share many of their natural water basins. [Nikola Barbutov/SETimes]

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Regional co-operation and public education will help the Balkan governments improve the quality and access to water resources, analysts said. Countries in the Balkans share many of their natural water basins, which means that pollution can quickly spread. The same goes for natural disasters. Floods in one country often affect its neighbours and cause serious damage across the region. Therefore, co-operation and a regional approach is necessary to address these issues, according to Vladan Bozovic from the University of Montenegro's biotechnical faculty. People in the region should "harmonise national water acts and policies, improve development and implementation of legislation and regulations in accordance with EU directives and policies, co-ordinate management and protection of water basins including reservoirs for hydropower plants, irrigation and rehabilitation of degraded areas around water basins," he told SETimes. "There are several common problems in the Balkans. We are all countries in transition, replacing an old system with a new one. The infrastructure we use is an inheritance from the old system [the communist regime which collapsed in 1989]...," Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Dobromir Simidchiev told SETimes on March 22nd, World Water Day. He said authorities are working to gradually replace the aged facilities, but this is a time-consuming process that requires serious investments, which are difficult to come by, especially in a period of economic crisis. The close connections and mutual problems of the countries in the region also create opportunities for exchange of experience and beneficial business contacts. "For the past 1-2 years, we have seriously strengthened our contacts in the Balkans," Ivan Ivanov, chairman of the Bulgarian Water Association, told SETimes. He said some of the association's members are already successfully developing activities in Macedonia and Kosovo, offering their expertise and know-how in these countries, where reforms are still at an earlier stage. On the other hand, members of the association are actively exchanging experience with their colleagues in Romania, where reforms are at a more advanced stage. "We have common problems here and I believe there is great potential for our members to develop in the regional markets," he said. One of the big regional initiatives in this direction was the 2011 memorandum for the joint management of the shared waters in the Drin River basin between Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Greece. The Drin River basin serves the water needs of more than 1.5 million people who rely on its resources for drinking water, agriculture, fisheries, industry and hydropower. Another important initiative is the International Sava River Basin Commission established in the end of 2008, which aims to promote trans-border co-operation for the sustainable development of the region. The Sava River runs 944 kilometres through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and is the most important Danube tributary, adding almost 25 percent to the Danube's total discharge at their meeting point in Belgrade. According to Simidchiev, another serious problem facing future water supply is people's mentality.

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"People, especially those of older age, still live with the idea that water is something that comes from God and should be free, therefore should not be saved. But this is not the case," he told SETimes.

Related ArticlesMontenegro passes SEECP baton to Serbia01/07/2011Turkey and Serbia strengthen economic and political ties15/02/2013Implementation of EU Danube strategy making progress25/06/2012Ten countries form company to boost electricity distribution16/07/2012Balkan youth consider whether to stay or go07/06/2012Authorities should undertake measures to boost the people's awareness of the issue, including through measures such as higher price. "There is even an educational point in not selling water cheap, so that people can learn to value it," he said. The reality, however, is there are many people in the Balkans who don't even have access to water, let alone waste it. Although in most places water services access officially reaches up to 90 percent of the population, it has deteriorated significantly especially after 1990s conflicts, which caused serious damage to infrastructure in the Western Balkans. This, combined with inadequate facilities, results in some places still having access to water for only a few hours a day. In many states this access is unevenly distributed, being much better in towns and poor in villages. Poor infrastructure and insufficient or completely lacking wastewater management facilities are the main reasons behind another serious problem -- water pollution and risks, hiding serious potential risks to human health. This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

Guwahati water suffers iron overload

RAJIV KONWAR

Guwahati, Aug. 23: Iron in drinking water sources continues to be a major problem in Assam as 17,692 habitations are found to be affected by it. Official figures have shown that water in 18,659 habitations, was affected by different chemicals, which include iron, arsenic and fluoride. Iron is an essential element in human nutrition. Estimates of the minimum daily requirement for iron depend on age, sex, physiological status, and iron bioavailability and ranges from 10 to 50mg per day. However, chronically consuming large amounts of iron can lead to a condition known as iron overload. Left untreated, iron overload can lead to hemochromatosis, a severe disease that can

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damage the body organs. Early symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, and joint pain, but if hemochromatosis is not treated, it can lead to heart disease, liver problems and diabetes. A blood test can identify iron overload. Water collects iron in several ways. Even as it falls through the air, water acquires small amounts of iron oxides found in the atmospheric dust. Water, rich in carbon dioxide, readily dissolves iron from the earth’s plentiful deposits as it leaches these in its underground flow. To tackle iron affected habitations, Assam has a total of Rs 496.50 crore under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme in the financial year 2010-11, of which, expenditure till March this year has been Rs 320.13 crore (64.5 per cent). “Generally piped water supply schemes with the provision of aeration and filtration are proposed to tackle the problem of excess iron in water,” an official of Assam public health engineering department said. However, statistics have shown that only 20 per cent of the rural population in Assam have been provided piped water supply. The state government had decided to take up 3,158 affected area in 2011-12. “In a meeting to discuss the annual action plan in March this year, senior officials of our department had apprised the ministry of drinking water and sanitation about the problem of presence of iron in drinking water. Use of a filtration method, improved by the Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, was also mooted for Assam in the meeting,” said the official. In 2010, the public health engineering department proposed to cover 121 arsenic-affected habitations (out of 2,599 arsenic-affected habitations), all 248 fluoride-affected habitations and 3,879 iron-affected habitations (out of 17,692) by 2010-11. It was decided that the remaining 2,478 arsenic-affected habitations will be covered by the end of 2011-2012 and 13,813 iron-affected habitations will be covered by the end of 2013-2014. A survey, conducted jointly by IIT Guwahati in association with the public health engineering department, also revealed that as on January this year, more than 7,00,000 people in the state were exposed to arsenic contamination.

Arsenic in AssamRecently arsenic has been detected in ground water of one block of Dhemaji district and three

blocks of Karimganj district. Water samples of Hand Pump from Majuli riverine island of

Jorhat district and Mankachar area of Dhubri district are also sent to UNICEF, Kolkata for

getting the samples tested through Atomic Absorption Photo Spectrometer, as such instrument

is not available in APHED laboratories. The detailed position of samples tested and

corresponding result are shown below:

Assam Public Health Engineering Department officials were the first to detect fluoride

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in excess of permissible limit and endemic of fluorosis in May 1999 in Karbi Anglong though the diseases were prevalent for the last twenty years. Prior to that it was believed to exist no problem of fluoride in the North Eastern States  though sixteen other states of the country were identified as having excess fluoride and fluorosis endemic. Intensified water quality testing and monitoring and health survey have detected more and more areas to be fluoride and fluorosis endemic which include some parts of Nagaon and Kamrup districts besides Karbi Anglong.

An Iron Removal Unit

Most of the ground water sources in Assam are found to have excess iron content. Though excess iron does not have major health problem, but it stains and has aesthetic problem.

As per Indian Standards acceptable limit of fluoride in consumable water is 1.0 mg/l while 1.5 mg/l is the cause for rejection. However, in some cases fluoride content in water has been found to be as high as 23 mg/l.

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