Disease in Non-Potable Water, Africa- guinea worm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWKIQzRTow&feature=relmfu

Works Cited: Guinea Worm Disease Eradication:Coutdown to Zero(The Carter Center). 2010. Photograph. Youtube

Analysis 4: The Big Thirst

Cassie Bence

Mr. Zarwell

Global Scholars Seminar

February 12, 2012

Where Did All the Water Go?

            In his book, “The Big Thirst,” Charles Fishman focuses one chapter on ‘Who Stopped the Rain’ or more accurate, who is taking all the water and using it. He observes a man Laurie Arthur, who lives in Australia, whom owns a rice farm. He argues that Arthur the rice farmer is both a, “water baron and a water prisoner” (185). When Arthur gets enough water, which is usually six thousand mega liters a year, he can grow enough rice to feed his whole town of 100,000 people. Fishman finds that there is a problem with him using that much water. The large outtake of six thousand mega liters from the Toowoomba reservoir creates a scarcity of water for the others in town. Fishman explains how the reservoir when found was very full but now it is depleting at a fast rate as the farmers consume the majority of the water for irrigation.

            Fishman further explains with sympathetic language that it is not Arthur’s fault per say that there is a water scarcity, he is not the only one using it, everyone together is overindulging. He tries to not point a finger when expanding on the fact that maybe Arthur shouldn’t be farming rice that needs lots of water in an arid region. He then asks if we can blame Laurie Arthur for a lot of water depletion when he has the largest rice production in the world and feeds all of us. Fishman reveals that it is not just Laurie Arthur who will be running out of water from consumption. Other farmers down he irrigation system are loosing water, and dams on which the Murray River depends on are running low. Fishman finds that it is just hard to not see the “water gluttony of the farms upstream,” in this chaos (189).

 Fishman argues that humans are basing their whole lifestyle around, “an assumption of water abundance” (191). He finds that rice farmers in total consume1.7 trillion liters of water a year. Still it’s not just the farmers who see water as an ever-giving source. Metropolitan Melbourne requires 400 giga-liters a year for its residents. He points out, “Every drop of water in the river is owned by someone,” (195) we cannot put blame on one person. Instead, he is blaming humans over all for how we are advancing on the Earth using as much of everything that we can get our hands on.

Fishman is right that humans as a whole are overindulging. The economic expectations of humans, farmers in this case, force them to overuse water in order to produce the largest yield to feed the world. Getting rid of large farms that ‘overindulge’ in water will not fix the water problem. All humans need to start making sacrifices to replenish the water supply so there is still water left or the others on the bottom of the economic chain.  

Works Cited

Fishman, Charles. The Big Thirst. New York: Free Press, 2011. Print.

Bibliography 8: India's Industries

Barlow, Maude. Blue Covenant. New York: The New Press, 2007. Print.

In this section of Maude Barlow’s book, she considers that of many India’s water projects create more devastation than bringing good and the improvements they expect. The author agrees that yes, the Indian government is backing away from certain plans such as the linking of fourteen Himalayan rivers and sixteen southern rivers to irrigate large field of farmlands which will pose large environmental impacts and displace many residents. However, private corporations are buying rivers to use for their business. One company has a “twenty-two-year lease for the exclusive use of a twenty-seven-kilometer river” (113). The government allows companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. to set up plants in the rural countryside which creates great distress on the water supply. Barlow is on the board of directors of Food  &Water Watch, and is a member of the World Future Council. She shows no bias in her writing. This book backs up my other sources, which claim that Indian governments are letting industries set up and use the dwindling water supply.    

Bibliography 7: Groundwater Sources are Depleting

Barlow, Maude. Blue Covenant. New York: The New Press, 2007. Print.

In the chapter, where has all the water gone, in Maude Barlow’s book, Blue Covenant, she speaks to how, “we are taking water from where it is accessible” and putting it mainly towards companies where it is highly in use and highly full of pollution (10). Barlow finds that about one third of the world’s population is dependent on groundwater. The over pumping is drastic in some cases and are victims to water abuse. In first world, the use of water is transported to industrial agriculture. The Third World has millions of farmers that are extracting groundwater at a fast rate form personal pumps for their farms. With the increase in technology and agriculture the “Green Revolution” is emerging. The goal to produce more food for more mouths is ultimately a stressor on the groundwater supply because it uses way too much water and copious amounts of pesticides that find their way into the groundwater supply. Groundwater extraction is turning oases into deserts. Barlow insists that we lessen our outtake before we suffer more droughts worldwide. Barlow is a highly respected writer for the Council of Canadians. She shows no form of bias in her work, uses all facts and data. This excerpt agrees with other sources of mine, which claim that water is over pumped by industrial means.

  

Paper Proposal

Cassie Bence

Mr. Zarwell

Global Scholars Seminar

January 16, 2012

Water Depletion 

Statement of purpose

            I am hoping that my research will help me to understand why water is depleting so fast in some regions over others to where people and whole communities have to travel to bad quality rivers and use that water for daily purposes including drinking. My research will demonstrate the reason why the subterranean waters are rising in some areas and lowering in others. I want to find out why in some villages the sewage pipelines are being connected to the main water lines forcing the villagers to drinking nothing but the dirty water. I hope my research will talk to how the lives of people are stressed from water depletion which is ultimately making them trek miles for many hours to obtain clean water from a neighboring well. I hope to demonstrate with my research how life straws can help people in the villages where they have no other choice than sewage water to drink from. My have two main research questions that relate to each other: Why are the water tables dropping worldwide? How successful are efforts to provide sufficient potable water in developing countries such as Africa and India?

Background and Rationale

            I am interested in water depletion and what its affects are to the world because I hear about it all the time on commercials, and have always wondered what the underlying cause is to certain places running low on water. I realize that since their nations are far behind ours in means of their pre-industrial/industrial compared to our post- industrial nation that they have fewer resources to help these villages out; but why are these villages loosing water in wells for the first place? I visited Africa in second grade, yes a long time ago, but I do remember driving on the back roads during our safaris and seeing people walking with buckets on their heads. I asked my mom what they were doing, when our driver started telling us that these villagers have to walk 7 miles a day to the nearest well to get water for their animals and family. I was so confused and sad but didn’t think much of it then. I now look back at those pictures and wish to learn more about water and how it affects others than me.

Significance

            This topic is very important to me because I believe I want to go on and be an engineer and get into the program ‘engineers without borders’ and be developing water ways and water purification systems for people who need this kind of help in their community. Even though the water issue is mainly in third world countries, the U.S. could hit a water depletion stage sometime in the future and by educating people with what is happening to others around the world right now we will know how to solve the problem. We all need to be educated on how we as humans do certain things that alter the subterranean sea levels and affects others drastically when we don’t even realize it. I want to educate others and make them aware to the defining crisis of our century, the depletion of water.

Field Component

            This is not realistic or possible unless I am sponsored to take a trip to Africa and India to study the water in those regions.

Bibliography

 1. Pearce, Fred. When the Rivers Run Dry: Water—the definition. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 2006.

2.  Bessong, Pascal, Johnm Odiyo, Justice Musekene, and Abera Tessema. “Spatial Distribution of Diarrhoea and Microbial Quality of Domestic Water during an Outbreak of Diarrhoea in the Tshikuwi  Community in Venda, South Africa.” Journal of Health, Population anad Nutrition. 27.5 (2009): 1-8. Web. 15 jan. 2012. http://search.proquest.com/docview/202994755?accountid=285

3.  Mincer, Jilian. "Product Design (A Special Report); Water, Water Everywhere...The LifeStraw looks simple; But it has the potential to save many live." Wall Street Journal [New York] 23 Jun 2008.n.pag.Web.15 Jan 2012. http://search.proquest.com/docview/399011954?accountid=285

4. Thompson, Ginger. “Water Tap Often Shut to South African Poor.” New York Times. N.p., 05,29,2003.Web.10 Dec 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/29/world/water-tap-often-shut-to-south-africa-poor.html?scp=1&sq=water%20tap%20often%20shut%20to%20African%20poor&st=cse

5. “Groundwater Depletion Rate Accelerating Worldwide.” Targeted News Service [Washington D.C.] 23 sep 2010, n. pag. Web. 15 jan. 2012. http://search.Proquest.com/docview/753782712?accountid=285

6. Ilemobade, Adesola A, J R Adewumi, and J E van Zyl. "Framework for assessing the viability of implementing dual water reticulations systems in South Africa." Water S.A,. 35.2 (2009): n. page. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. http://search.proquest.com/docview/218703632?accountid=285 

7. Anonymous, . "one Solution to Water Supply Problems Lies in The Rocks." Civil Engineering: Magazine of South African institution of Civil Engineering. 16.6 (2008): 2-4. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/221164467?accountid=285>;.

Bibliography 6: Our Surface Waters are Polluted

Barlow, Maude. Blue Covenant. New York: The New Press, 2007. Print.

In this excerpt of the book, Blue Covenant, Maude Barlow speaks to how humans are polluting surface waters at an alarming rate. In the last half- century the world is running out of clean water in third world countries at a threatening rate. Ninety percent of water being drained back into surface water such as rivers and lakes in these countries is not going through proper treatment. Barlow explains how seventy-five percent of lake and river’s in India obtain so much pollution they should not be open for human use. Even with the sacred Ganges where millions come to worship is full of pollution. Some even go as far as not taking part in jumping into the river to clean their sins at the religious festival. Barlow finds Africa to be just as bad. Of the twenty-five countries with inadequate water for human consumption, African has nineteen. She points out the Lake Victoria is a place of sewage dumping. She even looks at satellite pictures and sees that 677 major lakes in Africa have deterioration. Maude Barlow is the head of the Council of Canadians, the largest public advocacy organization. She is a founder of Blue Planet Project, and has written sixteen books. She represents herself as someone who is comfortable with being monitored. Her job shows no source of bias since she is on global councils and writes the truth. This chapter of her book is similar to other articles of mine about humans polluting surface waters at an alarming rate.    

Analysis 3: Groundwater Shock

Cassie Bence

Mr. Zarwell

Global Scholars Seminar

February 12, 1012

Pollution in Freshwater

            In his essay “Groundwater shock: The polluting of the World’s major Freshwater Stores,” Payal Sampat focuses on how people believe the major water contamination is surface water, when the dependence on groundwater shows pollution that is worse and irreversible sometimes. He argues that groundwater is very slow to recharging its self where the average recycling time is around 1,400 years. Since the water in aquifers moves through the Earth very slow, pollutants begin to accumulate and can be contaminating the freshwater source for many decades. Thus he believes that this further diminishes our availability to clean fresh water. Sampat also explains how the use of water for irrigated agriculture is the biggest drain on freshwater. Sampat is correct to point irrigation to the largest discharge of freshwater since it accounts for about 70% of the water humans drain from wells each year. He correctly assumes that the threat of Freshwater availability is directly linked to the threat of contaminants and over use or irrigation.

            Sampat’s use of factual and threatening evidence shows that he worries about our capacity of fresh water and if it will always be there. On his second page he reveals how ground water is being tapped in arid regions where there is barely surface water to use, “major aquifers are tapped on every continent, and groundwater is the primary source of drinking eater for more than 1.5 billion people worldwide” (2). A principal reason for the increase in groundwater use is the rise in agriculture. India is doubling its amount of land with irrigation. Sampat explains that the expansion in land pushes for more aquifers to supply now more than half of India with water for irrigation. Similarly Sampat discusses how industries are expanding their use of water. This other source of freshwater depletion is creating ‘competition’ with other, ‘powerful users’ for obtaining the drinking water (2). Sampat realizes that he must overlook the competition among the farmers, factories, and households, because all three are essential to humans even if humans are accounted for the wells that are now polluted with industrial and urban waste.

            Sampat studies how farm runoff is a leading case of groundwater pollution in many parts of India. These non-point or point source pollutants leach through the soil into the freshwater aquifers down below and contaminate them. In Namibia, Africa environmental investors are beginning to build “industrial symbiosis” parks where unusable waste from factories becomes the input of another (9). By offering systems that can decrease the quantities of waste that factories send to landfills, the system protects aquifers where the pollutants leak into. Sampat truly believes this is the system that will save households from water poisoning.

            Sampat is right that agriculture is depleting most of the worlds freshwater. He points out that these farms may not be the best eco-friendly where runoff leaches through the soil and diminishes the amount of clean water available. The aquifers containing pollution from human sources will close to never be available for consumption. Human life will not survive past a certain time period if protection systems are not put up to ensure clean freshwater aquifers.

             

Works Cited

Sampat, Payal. “Groundwater Shock: The Polluting of the World’s Major Freshwater…” World Watch. Jan./Feb.2000:10-22.SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 31 Jan 2012.