Issues Facing Global Water Supply CGR4M: ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Learning Expectations Overall Expectations  analyse environmental and resource management issues and explain their global implications; Specific Expectations  explain how growth in population and economic activity around the world increases pressure on natural resources and natural systems  evaluate the effectiveness of the efforts of individuals, groups, organizations, and agreements (e.g., United Nations, Kyoto Protocol) to implement solutions to global environmental concerns;

Water Scarcity  Two types of water scarcity:  Physical scarcity: when there isn’t enough water to meet our needs. This type of scarcity is associated with arid areas.  Economic water scarcity: when various institutes (govt., businesses, etc.) and finances limit access to available water

What Happens When Water is Scarce: Mexico City  20 million people in Mexico City  Founded on a cluster of ancient lakes (had lots of freshwater)  1800s – discovered groundwater – created wells  1930s – had to dig deeper wells = sign of problem  Groundwater supplies 80% of Mexico City’s usable water  Old, rusty, leaky pipes waste 25% of the water

Water Trucks  Arid / rural areas  If no infrastructure for water delivery, then truck delivery  Trucks also serve displaced communities (refugee camps), areas with intermittent supply  Could be public or private  In slums (unplanned neighbourhoods)  Water is only supplied by privately owned trucks  Quality varies  Sometimes better quality  Sometimes the same thing  Sometimes unsafe to drink

How can Mexico City Help Itself?  What are some things Mexico City can do to mitigate (to make less severe, to alleviate) the water crisis ?

Water Uses Naturally, as population grows, so does the need for more food – and the need for more water.

Trends  Since the dawn of irrigated agriculture at least 5000 years ago, controlling water to grow crops has been the primary motivation for human alteration of freshwater supplies.  Today, principal demands for fresh water are for irrigation.

Timeline of Human Water Use  7000 years ago: water shortages spur humans to invent irrigation  1,100 years ago: collapse of Mayan civilization due to drought  Mid 1800s: fecal contamination of surface water causes severe health problems in major North American cities (Chicago)  1858: “Year of the Great Stink” in London  1900s: The green revolution strengthens human dependency on irrigation for agriculture  The Green Revolution = 1940s – 1960s, research + technology + development = increased agricultural production worldwide  WW2: water quality impacted by industrial and agricultural chemicals  1972: Clean Water Act passed; humans recognize need to protect water

Conflict over water is likely to increase because of…  Population Growth  Economic Development  Increased Agriculture  Industrial Growth  Global Warming  Water Pollution  Groundwater Depletion  Shared Resources

 Population Growth – as population increases, so does demand for water, for drinking, for bathing, for washing…  Economic Development – generally more developed countries use more water, so as countries get more developed, they will have flush toilets, showers, dishwashers …

Link to Millennium Development Goal 7 (Ensure Environment Sustainability)  Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation  World has met the target 5 years ahead of schedule !  Between 1990 and 2010, more than 2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources. Despite progress, 2.5 billion still lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

 Increased Agriculture – estimated that it takes litres of water to produce 1 beef steak  Industrial Growth – demand for cars, televisions, computers…

 Global Warming – affects different regions differently – some become wetter others suffer drought  Water Pollution – polluted groundwater affects supply of water  Groundwater Depletion – unsustainable extraction (removing faster than can be replenished), can cause saltwater intrusion (makes aquifer unsuitable for drinking)

Contaminated Aquifers  How does an aquifer get contaminated ?  What happens if an aquifer is contaminated ? -Landfills -Industrial waste sites -Oil storage tank leak -Septic tank leak -Accidental spills -Infiltration from farm land with pesticides and fertilizers

Naturally Contaminated  Overabundance of naturally occurring iron, sulphides, manganedes   Seawater can seep into aquifer to make it salty

Consequences of Contaminated Aquifer  Loss of water source  Aquifer may not be used for decades or ever  Risk migration of contaminants – it is, after all, a water cycle  Contaminants go to nearby lakes, wetlands..

 Shared Resources: as supply decreases and demand increases, countries get in conflict about who the resource belongs to Turkey has proposed a series of dams. What does this mean? What are the effects of this? What do you know about the Nile River?

Fast Facts : The Nile River  Longest river in the world  10 countries share the basin of the Nile  Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Congo, Uganda  Covers about 10% of the African continent  160 million people depend on the Nile River for their livelihood  Within the next 25 years, the region’s population is expected to double…  Except for Kenya and Egypt, all of the basin countries are among the world’s 50 poorest nations (vulnerable to disease, famine)  Egypt & Sudan (technically) hold absolute rights to use 100% of the river’s water under agreements reached in 1929 between Egypt and Britain (colonial power in Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda at that time)

 "Ethiopia is killing us," taxi driver Ahmed Hossam said, as he picked his way through Cairo's notoriously traffic-clogged streets. "If they build this dam, there will be no Nile. If there's no Nile, then there's no Egypt."

Conflict at the Local / National Scale  Case Study: The Nile River Video: Troubled WatersTroubled Waters

Conflict at the Local / National Scale  Case Study: The Colorado River  Chasing Water: The Colorado River; Flowing Through Conflict Chasing Water: The Colorado River; Flowing Through Conflict  The Colorado River – The Most Endangered River in America The Colorado River – The Most Endangered River in America

Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water  Video: The Cycle of InsanityThe Cycle of Insanity

Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water  How can wells reduce flows in nearby rivers and streams?  What are some ways communities get water?  What is the issue around agricultural water use?  Why are wetlands useful?  What have we done to them?  What is salt water intrusion and how does it happen?  Issues with Urban Development…  Current Water Management (Issues and Ways)…  What’s desalination? What’s the problem?

World Water Crisis : Conflict Zones  water_crisis/default.stm water_crisis/default.stm

‘Huge’ Groundwater supply found beneath Africa  Video: Huge Groundwater Reserves in AfricaHuge Groundwater Reserves in Africa  What implications could this have on health and well-being in Sub Saharan Africa?  Think of access to freshwater, waterborne diseases, agriculture