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Posts by Abigail Brown
In Iraq 70 Percent of People Lack Clean Water
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on May 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM.
Less than half of Iraq's population of 29 million people have access to clean, drinkable water. And, according to a recent report by Oxfam, the number of civilians in Iraq without water has risen from 50 percent to 70 percent during 2003 to 2007 (the continued US occupation).
Recent History of Water in Iraq
In the recent past, Iraq had over 140 drinking water and treatment facilities in operation. Air attacks in 1991, during the Persian Gulf War destroyed many of these water treatment plants.
At the same time, UN imposed sanctions disallowed trade between Iraq and other countries. This made import of needed chemicals and supplies for upkeep of the water treatment facilities difficult.
By 2003, Iraq's 140 major water treatment facilities were operating at about 35 percent of their design capacity. In March 2003, the US government launched a direct-attack on Iraq. This continued war, for over five-years now, has rendered useless the already deteriorating water infrastructure systems across the country.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
Road Trip Around India Explores Water Challenges
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on April 23, 2008 at 9:33 PM.
One man's dream will soon raise the world's awareness about the complexity of water challenges occurring in India. Beginning on Saturday, April 26th in Bangalore, CS Sharada Prasad will travel 19,000 km (11,807 m) on motorbike to document the meaning and encompassing challenges of water to people in India.
Crossing 15 major rivers, 28 states, and 7 territories, Mr. Prasad will document his journey on a blog called "K2K - In Search of Water." His route will be mapped with a GPS unit attached to his motorbike and uploaded to Google Maps.
Geotagged blog posts will be updated everyday and photos from his journey will be available on EveryTrail and Flickr.
The trip will take over two months to complete, visiting places such as the Khardung La Pass at 18,380 feet to Kanyakumari at the southernmost tip of mainland India. Mr. Prasad will meet with local citizens, organizations, and community leaders to bring light to their accomplishments and challenges regarding sustainable water supplies.
This event will be a great opportunity for students, classrooms, and people around the world to follow along with his adventure and become educated about water supplies in India. Sharada Prasad is a project officer for the India Water Portal and Blog developed by Archyam, a nongovernmental organization. Archyam "seeks to support strategic and sustainable efforts in the water sector that address basic water needs for all citizens."
Ecuador Embraces Natural Water Treatment
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on March 31, 2008 at 5:16 PM.
Ecuador was recently recognized on World Water Day 2008 for an innovative yet simple approach to water treatment using aquatic lentil and water lettuce.
The people of San Rafael de la Laguna, an indigenous community of 4,700, constructed a water treatment facility along the edge of Lake Imbakucha to offset polluted discharge from local tourist facilities and agricultural practices.
The water treatment facility removes up to 90 percent of the contamination, and the clean water is then used for irrigation of reeds. Local artisans create furniture, crafts, and paper from the reeds, and sell the products through the Totora Sisa Cooperative.
Turkey, Iraq and Syria to Form Collaborative Water Institute
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on March 16, 2008 at 6:04 PM.
The Middle East is an area rich in oil reserves but without ample water supplies to sustain a growing populace.
Over 21 politically distinct countries and jurisdictions maintain 5% of the world's total inhabitants with less than 1% of the world's water reserves. At times, coming to an agreement on how to share the three river systems (the Jordan, Nile, and Tigris-Euphrates) that traverse the region make water policy a virtual nightmare.
Now three countries are coming forward to resolve past arguments on transboundary water issues. Turkey, Iraq, and Syria will soon form an institute to study water in the Middle East, as detailed in The Zaman (a major Turkish newspaper).
Experts, scholars, and professionals from each country will begin meetings at Turkey's Atatürk Dam to share information and work on resolving past water-allocation problems.
Goals of the institute include:
Management of water storage and dams in the region will be an aspect of the institute's endeavors. Turkey and Syria will attempt joint construction of a dam on the Asi River.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
World Economic Forum Takes on Water Crisis
Posted by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages on January 28, 2008 at 10:01 PM.
Water was a major topic of conversation at the World Economic Forum 2008 (WEF) coming to a close in Davos, Switzerland.
At the forum, according to the Environmental News Service, Bills Gates announced a grant of $306 million dollars for development projects to help boost yields of crops for farmers in developing countries. It is unclear whether a portion of this money will be devoted to water conservation practices in conjunction with agriculture. Also discussed was implementation of a cap and trade system for water supplies and the importance of market forces in water allocation.
Leaders at the forum pledged renewed support for the UN's Millennium Development Goals, of which one goal is to increase access to safe drinking water.
Created as a venue for dialogue, research, and networking among economic and political leaders, the WEF is often criticized for more talk rather than action, a membership majority of industrialized countries (primarily USA, Europe, and Asia), and limited media access to specified plenary sessions.
Read the rest of the post on the flip side »
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