Preview

The Feasibility of Different Techniques for Providing Fresh Water to Arid Regions in the World

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1348 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Feasibility of Different Techniques for Providing Fresh Water to Arid Regions in the World
The feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh water to arid regions in the world

1.0 Introduction

Water is the most valuable and indispensable resource for all forms of life. People need it for every activity: domestic use, agriculture and industry. Access to fresh water is regarded as a universal human right (United Nations Committee in Economics, Social and Cultural Rights, 2003). Drought has become an increasingly important problem in many parts of the world. Water scarcity is most common in arid and semiarid regions of the world, which cover one third of the Earth’s land surface (Smallwood, 2011). UNESCO and the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory (IMET) have launched “The Water Programme for Africa, Arid and Water Scarce Zones”, which seeks to develop the potential management of water resources to protect the fragile environment of water scarce regions. Additionally, limited fresh water resources available in these regions are also threatened with deterioration in quality due to hydrological changes. The accessible water in arid regions are often restricted to groundwater. Surface flows are usually limited to flash floods due to short duration and high intensity rainfall events. The purpose of this report to describe the feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh water to arid region, like Africa. Firstly, this report will consider the background to this problem and then it will compare and analyze two water provision methods in Africa, desalination and dams. Finally, this report will offer some recommendations.

2.0 Background

Water is not only a physical resource: in every culture it is spread among social, spiritual, political and environmental meanings. So, solving the water problem means progress across all of these developments. This is mostly relevant in countries with no perennial rivers, streams, or permanent surface fresh water. Also, people in arid regions are uniquely vulnerable to economic and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Meeting the world’s growing water needs will require far more effective use of available resources. By combining appropriate technology, strategic management and involving all the players water conflicts can be avoided.…

    • 915 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    This report aims to compare and recommend water provision methods for arid region of Egypt. In order to identify what water provision methods are suitable for arid region in Egypt, this report will firstly compare two water provision methods which are desalination and water reuse by considering three requirements in relation to the specific situation of Egypt, which are cost, environmental impacts and public acceptance, finally, this report will recommend water reuse as a water provision method for Egyptian arid region.…

    • 2011 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Best Essays

    In some developing country,arid are able to cause poverty and death, so it is important to provide clean, cheap and sustainable water to those residents living in arid area. However to supply water in arid regions can be a great challenge, it should concern about cost, sustainability, environmental impact and social impact. This report will focus on 3 methods of water prevision: Desalination, Rain Harvesting System and Dam. The report aims to analyses 3 different water prevision methods, and find out which is fit the situation in Middle East. In order to achieve this aim, report will compare those 3 methods in 4 requirements: Cost, Sustainability, Environmental Impact and Social Impact and carry out a recommendation to the region of Middle East.…

    • 2285 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It is important for humans to have access to clean water and in regards to economic development one of the most significant inputs is water (Allam and Allam, 2007:205). In countries like Egypt, the importance of water is recognized due to hot, dry summers with moderate winters; its desert climate results in aridity (FAO, 2013). A major part of the country is desert land with very low and uneven rainfall with an average of about 51mm annually (ibid). The Egyptian territory comprises of various basins, one of which is the Nile basin that covers about 33% of the country’s central part; however, it draws only 55.5x109m3 annually from the River Nile’s flow of 84x109m3 and totaled with its internal renewable water resource of 1.8x109m3, the availability of water in the country is still below the water stress limit of 1000m3 per head (ibid).…

    • 2161 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Report

    • 1623 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Water provision has always been the most important issue and the most difficult subject for an arid region especially extremely arid region such as Africa. Take Kenya for instance, which is ranks as the sixth most populous country in Africa. As all we know, Africa have abundant recourses, with the rapidly growth of economy, has led to a huge amount number of water consumption. moreover , According to the World Health Organization, only 45% of Kenyans have access to an improved water source, which is lower than the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of 70% .(Lifewater 2013) . In addition, nearly 884 million people in the world still do not get their drinking-water from improved sources, almost all of them in developing regions. Especially Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over a third of that number. (WHO/UNICEF, 2010). The figure shows use of improved satiation facilities is low in Sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia. (Figure1)…

    • 1623 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Looking for Abrandi

    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This video provides an overview of the global geographic issue of access to fresh water. It investigates: - the social and ecological dimensions of the issue - different approaches to management of fresh water (at various scales) - conflict within and between communities - implications for social justice and equity The video includes an introductory section that provides facts about global water resources – availability, distribution and consumption. Then the video examines issues surrounding access to fresh water, through three sample studies in the Middle East, China, and Australia. The conclusion…

    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Access to clean water is considered a basic human right and in many countries when sustainable development is considered, water is at the top of the list of priorities (Omer, 2008). The value of water is increasingly felt in areas such as Sudan, where precipitation is inadequate while temperatures are high resulting in dry or arid conditions (Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), cited in USAID, 2010). Two-thirds of the country is arid and rainfall is less than 400mm annually. Regardless of the fact that about 60% of Sudan lies within the Nile basin, it only draws 18.5x109 m3 from the Nile’s annual flow of 84x109m3 and added to its internal supply of 12x109m3, the water availability falls considerably below the water stress limit of 1000m3 per head (ibid).…

    • 2036 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Water shortage is a very serious problem in arid and semi-arid regions such as Australia. These regions are very vulnerable to drought, and the impacts drought tends to be more serious for the environment and the communities which rely on the land for food. This problem of water shortage is happening due to the huge rise in population and also the increase in the use of water for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes. There are different ways of water provision but two of the most in Australia is desalination and waste water recycling. The purpose of this report is to compare these two water provision methods for Australia and give a final recommendation according to the comparison of cost, environmental impact and public acceptance on which methods is the most suitable for a country like Australia.…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In this research paper, we are going to look into water shortage problem in Australia, China and Ethiopia. We will identify and compare causes, impacts of the problem and responses of the government to deal with the problem among the three places. We will also find out the…

    • 4293 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    We know that water is one of, if not the most vital resource for any living being’s survival. Since ancient times, man kind have use it for their daily routines. Most people recognize the necessity of water and preserve it and yet some people still take it for granted by wasting it through over usage and pollution. At this moment, water scarcity is a common tragedy all over the globe and affect the lives of most people in developing countries, and it’s not just developing countries. Australia as a developed country has also been affected by the rising water scarcity, especially in their food export, economy, and…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Water In The Middle East

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Water is the key essential element to living life. In America water is only limited by the amount you can drink in a lifetime. But unfortunately in the Middle East due to harsh weather climates, water resource is incredibly low. People in the Middle East are rationing there only key to surviving a healthy life. Despite being very well endowed in oil supply, gold and other minerals water is what they truly lack and people in the area are struggling to get by. It’s difficult to create a solution to a problem purely caused by uncontrollable whether conditions but I believe a solution is possible.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It makes up approximately 70 percent of the Earth that we inhabit. You may find yourself “up to the neck in it” at any given point, seeing as humans can be composed almost entirely of it. Water is all around us, and is essential to the ongoing cycle of life. Although water may seem abundant throughout the Earth and atmosphere; the amount of clean, useable water is an everyday crisis for some of the drought stricken, less fortunate countries. While the Oceans hold roughly 97% of the water on Earth, making it saline, humans are left to raise weapons over the mere 3% we have to use as fresh water. From that 3%, about 70% of that is frozen in the glaciers and ice caps, making it out of commission too (Fig. 1). It is clear and unfortunate that drinkable water is a resource that can be hard to come by in certain environments. The aim of this paper is to depict and examine the impacts of warfare on clean water in Afghanistan, and to identify ways of alleviating those impacts. There are many factors related to the war that affect Afghans accessibility to clean water. Dilapidated water infrastructure with little service to the public results in leakage and contamination of useable water. Streams and canals that were improperly designed and received substantial destruction result in poor water flow to farmlands. The constant search for useable water drinks wells dry, making clean water seem like a luxury to the poorest parts of Afghanistan who rely on groundwater as their only source of water. The quandary of drought exceedingly cuts into agricultural production, where it was once possible to farm rain-fed crops without having to worry about the severe lack of water. Introducing and carrying out new strategies and campaigns to help cope with dehydrated communities is essential to the recovery of Afghanistan’s water crisis. Proper infrastructure and legal water distribution organizations are needed to mitigate some of the affects caused by…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    It is commonly accepted by many that the world faces a crisis over restrictions on water supply and we cannot continue to expect water to be a finite resource. According to A. Kirby (2000), the earth is covered by water in approximately two thirds of its surface. However, the vast majority of this water is too salty to use and, alarmingly, there is only 2.5% of it available for consumption by the human species. Furthermore, two thirds of that small percentage is locked in the icecaps and glaciers and with only 0.08% of supply accessible a picture begins to emerge of the challenges facing the world. Humans utilise approximately 70% of its water supply in developing its agriculture and related activities but the World Water Council has stated that it believes this figure could rise by up to 17% by the end of 2020. It could be argued that in ten years time millions of lives could be at risk because of the careless nature of our attitude to the production, treatment and consumption of water. Even in the present day it is estimated that approximately 30,000 children in poor and third world countries are dying each year from diseases directly related to the transfer and storage of water. The world’s water shortage issues have arisen because of the people who live in it, the rise in their population but most importantly their waste of this product. Overpopulation is another problem which causes water shortages.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Middle East Water Shortage

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The need for water is not only for human consumption, but it is also vital in order to sustain agriculture. A nation that is unable to produce enough water and thus, food, for their own people is reliant on other nations to provide for them. This dependence can give rise to suspicion and conflict, which unsurprisingly has plagued this area of the world for centuries.…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Economic Concept Paper

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An important aim of water use in dry places can be stated in terms of maximization of the product or revenue obtained from that water use. What is to be maximized is the social benefit from the water used and not the quantity of water used itself. The economic concept also base on the economic value of water comes from the many uses to which water can be put in satisfying people’s needs. Water can have a very high economic value because it is scarce and because it is capable of being applied to many different uses. As a consumer good in ordinary households, water is needed first to drink, then for cooking, then for toilets and bathing, then for cleaning things like clothes and dishes, next for washing cars and driveways, and finally, in dry regions, for landscape irrigation. In the summertime in…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays