Water is a bare necessity both for the survival of an individual and a nation. Freshwater scarcity has become a global concern as the projected worldwide demand on water exceeds supplies. Less developed countries in particular are currently suffering from severe water shortages and water contamination. "…half the population of our "civilized" world suffers today with water services inferior to those of the ancient Greeks and Romans…In many developing countries, cholera, dysentery, and other water related diseases are on the upswing." (Gleick,1999) Kenya, Africa is one such case. Kenya's population is approximately 105,000, with a high infant mortality rate and an average life expectancy of 58. Average water conditions are illustrated in Embu, where only 15% of the population had access to safe water as early as ten years ago. Lack of organized regulation and misuse of available resources threatens drinking water supplies in Kenya; however, work is being done to solve the problem.
Several factors play a part in poor water quality. Kenya has an uneven distribution of water resources. Water systems are highly stressed, including Lakes Victoria, Nakuru, and Naivasha, as well as Rivers Nzoia, Nyando, Turkwell, Kerio, Athi, Voi, Tana, and Ewaso Ng'iro. "Misuse of Kenya's water resources threatens the supply in the next century … consumption of water, both in agriculture and industry, would have greatly outstripped supply by the next century." (http://www.africanews.org, 1997) Many sources, such as Turkana, have salinity levels too high for use. Extensive irrigation from rivers causes water levels to drop allowing more pollutants into water resources. Arid climates in many regions see only 26 -- 48 inches...
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...n any new kind of experience for communities." (http://www.irdc.ca/, 1999) Kenya's water problem is improving as a result of advancing technology. However, education remains a lacking part of the equation. "A key aspect of the campaign is villagers' awareness of the health and sanitation benefits from using bore wells." (http://www.irdc.ca/, 1999) Organized maintenance and distribution of water from wells and other sources is crucial to forming a healthy and self-reliant Kenya.
Bibliography
Africa News homepage. 1997
Online. World Wide Web. 9/25/99.
Available: http://www.africanews.org
http://www.irdc.ca/books/focus/804/chap7.html 1999
Online. World Wide Web. 9/25/99
Available: http://www.irdc.ca/books/focus/804/chap7.html
Gleick, Peter H., (1999). The World's Water The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Washington D.C.: Island Press.
“Don’t waste that water! Kids in Africa don’t even have water to drink!” Almost every American has heard this saying before. We have heard this because there are water shortages in third world countries like Africa, as seen in the movie “Blue Gold”. But why have we developed this notion that there are only water shortages in third world countries? When in reality, there is a shortage of water right here in our home country. The Colorado River’s water is high in demand as it serves millions of people, powers industries, and is home to all different kinds of wildlife. The Colorado River will not be able to keep up with the increasing demand of water and soon enough the river will go dry. Organizations like the Colorado River Water Users Association are trying to change the way that the water is used and adjust how it is managed. The Colorado River is drying up and the western states are running out of water, however, public policy is trying to regulate and preserve the Colorado River to make it more sustainable in the future.
4. United Nations Development Programme, U.N. Human Development Report 2006, Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty, and the Global Water Crisis, web. 6 Dec. 2009 http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr2006_english_summary.pdf
Two fundamental and closely related problems confront our present ecosystems: overpopulation and the destruction or exhaustion of natural resources.Some natural resources are so abundant that they still seem infinite, such as the planet’s stock of air and water.“At this stage of our technological development, we are learning that our powers extend to such heights and depths that we can even destroy the near-infinite resources” (Al Gore). Scientists predicted in the end of last century, that fresh water would be the “new oil” — the global strategic resource for the twenty-first century. This means that control over sources of fresh water will be one of, if not the, most important sources of conflict in the future. The last few years many books have been written about this issue, with titles like “Water Wars, Blue Gold, Last Oasis, Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource, and Thirsty Planet” (Maude Barlow, Tony Clarke)(1), as well as in press articles with the same alarmist titles. In this essay i will use this book, statistics, press articles and examples to discuss this issue. How come Population density, economy and politics affect water pollution?
Those reasons include people not having access to water, the quality of the water not being sanitized, or the water being contaminated. Along with a lack of land use planning, excessive irrigation, and the presence of salt water, deforestation has also contributed to the problem of water scarcity in the country. Deforestation causes the rivers to dry up, thus creating a water shortage (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 71).
“Water in Third World Countries” The United States is very fortunate to have access to clean water at the tip of their hands. Unfortunately, many countries are not granted with the luxury of having access to water. The image, “Water in Third World Countries” by Chaysen Tula, represents third world countries that lack the opportunity of safe water supplies. The image is of two boys who are retrieving water from a small creek bed and putting the water in containers to take with them.
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
“Freshwater” is a documentary film produced by BBC that follows the course of rivers and lakes for hundreds of miles from the isolated mountain plateau all the way to the estuaries, which represent the most productive habitats on earth. One might very well be aware that three-fourth of our planet is covered with water. Moreover, there is much awareness brought upon world issues such as pollution, sanitation and reliable water sources for many underdeveloped countries. Therefore, the question that arises is “where is our water?.”
2). Students will continue to learn about the importance of water and the different ways water is used in everyday lives in some African nations, and will examine the consequences communities face when they lack clean
Erik Swyngedouw, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 103, No. 2, SPECIAL ISSUE: Geographies of Water (March 2013), pp. 261-270
... the land throughout the village. Eight of these bore wells are used for drinking water and sanitation purposes. The village has access to water throughout the year, but it has to cope with the fact of water becoming scarce.
Another problem for people of Africa is clear access to clean water. Clean drinking water is very rare for the people of Africa. Unclean water and sanitation problem leads to many diseases in African countries. Main problem which occurs due to unclean water is child morality. Around 2000 children’s die from diarrhoea which spread due to poor sanitatio...
Have you ever had to walk miles away just to get clean drinking water, or don’t even not have access to clean drinking water? People all over the world, even in North America, don’t have access to clean drinking water or have to walk very far just to drink water. The main areas where this problem is prominent is in third world countries, and this is due to the lack of money and sanitation (Millions Lack Safe Water). Due to this lack of sanitation, water borne diseases can grow and infect people who consume it. Clean water is very important for life, and within this paper I will explain why we need it, how it can affect us, and what it will take to obtain clean water.
Smith, Zachary A., and Grenetta Thomassey. Freshwater Issues: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print
As of this year, nearly 1.1 billion people live without clean drinking water and 2.6 billion live without adequate water sanitation. The McDonald's down the street, however, will sell you a 1/3 pounder burger for only 150 gallons. Changes in lifestyle can easily reduce this number and help not only save water, but money as well. Currently, with our diminishing water supply, one of the main goals of humanitarian organizations is ensuring that everyone has the right and equality to water. With global access to water, it reduces the responsibility for political tension between countries fighting to literally stay alive.
Rogers, Peter. 2008. "Facing the Freshwater CRISIS. (Cover story)." Scientific American 299, no. 2: 46-53. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2010).