Aral Sea Essays

Aral Sea Essays Aral Sea Essay Aral Sea Essay Struggle and conflicts for water among people are unavoidable. Situation is no different in developed and developing countries. Developed countries like Belgium, Great Britain, Poland, Singapore, and North America are already feeling water stress. It becomes difficult for rivers and groundwater resources in UK to satisfy the augmented water demands of summer heat. Similarly in USA, agricultural requirements are fighting for their share with urban needs of water. Different states in India are fighting for their share of water bodies. Chinese farmers are sacrificing their water needs to feed urban demands of cities. Less water for irrigation means less food grains production and eventually a global food crisis. Shared water resources among countries will add to this fight. For instance Africa, where the conditions are already worse, will see different countries fighting for the Nile, Zambezi, Niger, and Volta river basins to meet their water needs. Similarly Aral Sea Basin for Central Asia and rivers like Amu Darya and Syr Darya will be a subject of conflict among Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The US and Mexico also share cold space over the Colorado River (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; Ch. 3. 3 ). Pollution has been the biggest enemy of rivers, lakes and other freshwater resources. Many rivers and lakes today are nothing more than garbage dumps. Industries discard their toxic chemical wastes in the water resources. Use of toxic chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture is polluting ground water resources. People will use 70% of surface freshwater available in rivers and lakes by 2025 which at present is 54%. This will disturb the whole balance of nature and other aquatic ecosystems and their inhabitants. Ecosystems like wetlands are of enormous importance. They help human beings in different ways serving as flood regulators, waste filtration systems and natural flora and fauna habitats. Mismanagement of water resources has led to the extinction of numerous species of invaluable freshwater fish. Damage done is irreversible. Trees are vital for water conservation as they replenish groundwater, protect soil erosion and balance the hydrological cycle. Growing population and industrialization is eating away forests at an alarming rate adding to the problems (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 4). Millions of people are dying around the world due to the unavailability of clean and safe water for their daily requirements. Situation is more disappointing in developing countries where major diseases and deaths occur because of water related diseases. Water borne diseases are caused from contaminated water. Unclean water for drinking and not enough water for sanitation give rise to water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, shigella, polio, meningitis, and hepatitis A and E claiming millions of lives every year. Disposal of human and animal wastes in freshwater resources infects the water and hence leads to the spread of diseases. Industrial and agricultural chemical wastes in water can lead to diseases like cancer. Authorities should take steps to provide clean water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Provision of proper sanitation facilities is also very important for appropriate waste disposal. Another set of diseases is called water based diseases spread by flukes, tapeworms, roundworms and tissue nematodes that live in contaminated water. Diseases like guinea worm (dracunculiasis), paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis, and schistosomiasis (bilharzia) fall under this category. These diseases are more common in areas near Dams. Keeping a distance from unhygienic water and food can help prevent thee diseases from spreading. Water-related vector diseases are spread by mosquitoes, tsetse flies and other insects that carry infections. These carriers live in foul and unclean water and cause diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, sleeping sickness, and filariasis. Using pesticides to kill these insects and wiping out their breeding grounds like dirty and stagnant water helps preventing these diseases. Trachoma, leprosy, tuberculosis, whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria are the diseases that spread due to insufficient water for maintaining personal hygiene. These can be prevented by providing enough water for sanitation (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 5). Water conservation and proper use is very important for ensuring adequate availability of water to everyone on this earth including flora and fauna. Every area needs improvement and water management. Water used for irrigation in agriculture needs foremost attention. A lot of water is wasted while reaching crops through irrigation systems. Some of it gets recovered as groundwater but majority of it gets contaminated by chemicals. On one side inadequate water for irrigation limits land use and crop yield while on the other side excess of water in the fields can lead to water logging and salinization and hence destruction of land and crops. Irrigation techniques like drip irrigation and low-energy precision application (LEPA) can improve irrigation efficiency considerably. Drip irrigation lowers the wastage of water and is getting widely adopted. LEPA is an efficient form of sprinkler system leading to water conservation and increased food production. Water harvesting by collecting water in rainy season and using in dry season is also an attractive option for poor countries. Treated urban wastewater can also be used for irrigation. Israel is famous for its urban wastewater reuse for agriculture purpose. Stopping deforestation and planting more and more trees also helps in water conservation (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6). Water in industries must be recycled and used again and again to save precious natural resource. Many industries employ these techniques to conserve water. Chemicals, iron and steel, and pulp and paper are some of the industries that must pay attention to their water usage and adopt water conservation techniques. In household, people must save water and use it sensibly. We will have to pay the price of wasting water uselessly when in excess sooner or later. Only needed quantity of water must be used. Municipal corporations must ensure that their water transit systems are efficient enough not to waste water and maximum share must reach consumers. Leakage from pipes and illegal tapping must be checked. Laws to prevent stealing and wastage of water must be formulated by the authorities (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6. 2). Population growth is the biggest challenge to be dealt with for saving water. Growing population at unregulated rates is a major problem especially in developing countries that already face water scarcity. It is very important for people to adopt family planning measures to keep a check on the rising population. Authorities must also educate people and spread awareness about the harms of unregulated births. They must inform people about the family planning measures and offer every kind of medical and financial help to achieve this objective (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6. 5). Techniques like pressurization of seawater, filtration via carbon nanotubes, and reverse osmosis can be used for desalinization of water to add to fresh water. Presently these treatments are very expensive. Promotion of vegetarian eating habits and saltwater agriculture on coastlines is needed (â€Å"Water†). Efforts are required on international, national and regional levels for water conservation. Countries must formulate policies and must support each other’s initiatives to create a better living place. Money and resources are essential and developed countries must support developing countries (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 7). Save water! Its precious! Hinrichsen, D. , Robey, B. , and Upadhyay, U. D. â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†. Population Reports, Series M, No. 14. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Population Information Program, December 1997. November 23, 2008 infoforhealth. org/pr/m14/m14chap1. shtml#top â€Å"Water†. millennium-project. org. World Federation of UN Associations. November 23, 2008 millennium-project. org/millennium/Global_Challenges/chall-02. html