Paper Outline

Cassie Bence

Mr. Zarwell

Global Scholars Seminar

February 26, 2012

Water Depletion Outline

Working Thesis: Water tables are dwindling due to the excess extraction from agricultural industries and other private businesses that use water in large quantities and pollute it faster than any other source leaving non-potable water or no water for the poor villages who also use the same supply of ground water.

• Problems:

n     Industries take out too much water from private sources.

n     Water is not treated properly after usage.

n     Villages are running out of potable water, and are being sent non-potable water that is not safe for animal or human consumption.

n     Groundwater recharges very slowly naturally, it cannot recharge for humans high consumption rate.

n     Humans are not recharging as much as they should be.

n     Wells are not safe for human use.

• Reasons:

n     Agricultural sites take out large extractions for watering crops in large fields or to feed livestock.

n     When aquifers are highly in use, they dry up where toxicants have the risk of exposing and can threaten the whole water supply.

n     Farm runoff leaches into the underground water supply and contaminate it all. 

n     Small farmers are taking out large quantities for personal fields, drying up wells.

n     Companies are in with governments and can get special privilege to water supplies.

n     Pipes supplying water to rural villages break and no aid is given to fix the crack so the pipe is out of usage and the village must find another way to get water.

n     When wells are dug by funded organizations they dig them but do not test and heck up on them once they are there. This leads to wells containing poisons, which can kill the residents whom drink out of the well.  

• Solutions: - negative (not being done), + positive (done, in progress)

n     Companies must recharge water supplies they use. –

n     Pipes with running water need to reach rural villages that use surface water sources for all day uses. +

n     Wells must be dug in rural areas to give a clean supply of water to the poor villagers who cannot pay for the water by the community pump that is metered. +

n     Wells need to be under surveillance and have tests done on them monthly. –

n      Companies send water in potable and non-potable pipes, which go to villages for using. +

n      Companies watch what they are discharging out of their industries. Such as chemicals that is runoff and contaminates water sources. -

n     Farms watch how much water they in take. –

n     Runoff should lessen. –

n     Governments set up restriction on companies, water wise. -