{"id":5671,"date":"2013-03-23T01:01:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-23T01:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/africa-and-science.com\/?p=5671"},"modified":"2013-09-14T22:41:53","modified_gmt":"2013-09-14T22:41:53","slug":"water-management-water-crisis-what-can-we-do-to-prevent-or-reduce-the-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africa-and-science.com\/?p=5671","title":{"rendered":"Water management \u2013 water crisis: what can we do to prevent or reduce the crisis!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On March 22, 2013, the international community\u00a0celebrated<\/span>\u00a0the World water Day. To mark this important day, Adrien Djomo and Madelyn Webb (bio-environmentalists) share with readers their analysis on the importance of this precious resource.<\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Le 22 Mars 2013, la communaut\u00e9 internationale a c\u00e9l\u00e9br\u00e9 la Journ\u00e9e Mondiale de l\u2019eau. \u00c0 l\u2019occasion de cette journ\u00e9e si importante, Adrien Djomo et Madelyn Webb (bio-environnementalistes) ont bien voulu partager avec les lecteurs leur r\u00e9flexion sur l\u2019importance de cette pr\u00e9cieuse ressource.<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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The abundance of water in Canada and in some countries such as Brazil, Russia, etc. induce most Canadians and some people in the world to take water for granted. They don\u2019t realize that we need a sustainable management of this precious resource to prevent the crisis. Over use of water linked to global warming is now threatening this important resource. This presentation illustrates the water cycle, the situation in Canada, in U.S, in Africa, the importance of the crisis in the world and provides some actions needed to reduce the crisis.<\/p>\n

Water management \u2013 Water crisis<\/b><\/p>\n

Water cycle<\/b><\/p>\n

Water represents 71% of the earth surface and is covered by oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. When the sunlight enters to the earth surface, it heats water and plants creating vaporization of water molecules and transpiration of plants. The water vapour in the atmosphere gets cold and changes back into liquid forming clouds through condensation. After a certain level, more accumulation is not possible and the water falls back onto the earth\u2019s surface through precipitation which can be rain, snow, sleet or hail. Part of the water infiltrates into the ground and remains in the water table and another part runs off to fill the water reservoirs (sea, ocean, lakes, rivers, streams, etc.). The process continues over and over if not disrupted and constitutes the water cycle.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"figure<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: Environment Canada<\/p>\n

Situation in Canada<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0Availability<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Canada is blessed being surrounded by three oceans (the Atlantic in the east, the Pacific in the west and the Arctic in the North). The Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie, Michigan, Huron and Superior), Lakes Winnipeg, Athabasca together with other lakes and rivers constitute the renewable fresh water of Canada which represents 7% of the world\u2019s renewable fresh water and the third largest in the world after Russia and Brazil. Canada\u2019s wetlands are the homes of a huge biodiversity and represent 25% of the world\u2019s wetlands. Sixty per cent of this fresh water drains to the north while 85% of Canada\u2019s population lives within the 300 km of the Canada-US border making restricted water supply and water availability in some areas to be a major concern.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\"figure<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Crisis<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Canadians consume in average 335L per person for residential needs (bath, toilet, laundry, kitchen and drinking, laundry) which is very high compared to the 200 to 300L in Europe or just 5L in some parts of the world. Towns and cities still dump raw sewage into lakes and rivers which represents tens of billions of liters per year only for the great lakes. Thus, contaminated water, excessive water withdrawals, and dams decimate fish and other aquatic population. Climate change worsens the situation and will continue in the future through higher evaporation rate leading to lower levels in our lakes. Another effect of climate change is through the melting of glaciers which increases the heat, leaves less water for drinking, crop irrigation, industrial and other land uses. In addition, water scarcity in some other places in the world and US will increase pressure on Canada to export fresh water.<\/p>\n

Situation in the U.S.<\/b><\/p>\n

The southwest of the U.S. illustrates the water crisis in that country where low rainfall, high population, high use for cooling in electrical generation, agriculture, industry, the legacy of water policy from the past and present climate change impacts come together. According to a recent study The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest Water Crisis<\/i> (Feb, 2011), the five southwestern states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico are facing shortages in the near future as the supplies now being used are unsustainable. The sources of water in this region include rainfall, ground water and the Colorado River. Desalination is a theoretical source but, to date, it has proven to be very expensive and the technology unreliable. To avoid water shortages that are happening now, Californians face reducing their water use up to 41% and increasing the price of water 41% for urban areas and 68% for agriculture by 2030. Fortunately, water conservation can provide rapid reductions, especially in new homes where new standards have been developed and by retrofitting appliances in older homes. New standards in California will see homes reduce their indoor water consumption by 20%.\u00a0 However, this is only half the requirement for sustainability suggested by the Stockholm Environment\u2019s February 2011 report.<\/p>\n

Situation in Africa<\/b><\/p>\n

In Africa, the water scarcity and uneven distribution make many people suffer from water related disease such as typhoid fever, diarrhoea and cholera. According to WHO, each year limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation causes approximately 2 million deaths. <\/strong>Infants and young children are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems are experiencing everything for the first time. Climate change has affected water supply in many areas. In dry lands, it contributes to droughts, floods and growing uncertainty about the onset of the rainy season making these areas to become more vulnerable. In Durban South Africa, the Water project reports that rains which usually come and supply the country’s water have come infrequently, resulting in a 20% lower level of dam reservoirs compared with 2010. Though the country has one of the cleanest water systems in the world, the threat of water borne disease<\/a> is steadily increasing. Kenya struggles to supply clean water to its population. People depend heavily on water resources for drinking water and also for crops, agriculture, livestock and fishing. As clean water becomes harder to find, in this country as in many other African countries, people have to walk many miles each day to find the water needed for the family.<\/p>\n

Situation in the world<\/b><\/p>\n

Nearly 1 billion people don’t have clean, safe water to drink. In 2008 WHO reported that more than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. 780 million people lack access to an improved water source, approximately one in nine people. The picture is bitter with UNDP (2006) reporting: \u201cwater and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns\u201d.<\/p>\n

What can we do?<\/b><\/p>\n

Individual actions are important for water conservation. Environment Canada suggests measures for all the rooms of the house (kitchen, bathroom, laundry) and outdoors. For example the whole family can follow advice that will have a significant impact such as:<\/p>\n