Whiskey is for drinking water is for fighting over

1cm

Mark Twain

“Temperature, like money, exists in sufficient amounts but is not evenly distributed”

Carl Hubbs

General water issue classes:

- Too many people to little water: Saudi Arabia

- Dirty / contaminated water

- “Natural”: Bangladesh

- Industrial: Navajo

- Biological: Bangladesh

- Barriers to water access

- Economic: Card operated water spigot

- Political: Colorado River

- Cultural: ? Surely loads

Nat Geo 4/2010

National Geographic 4/2010

National Geographic 4/2010

Water factoids• 70% of water is locked in ice• The majority of remainder is in aquifers

that we’re draining• 2/3 is used to grow food• American’s use 100 gallons at /day• World’s poorest use <5gal/day• Women walk an average of 3.7 miles to

get water• 46% of population does not have piped

water

The Burden of Thirst shamelessly stolen from National Geographic

Ethiopia• Fetching water is strictly women's work• Takes up to 8 hours a day• Multiple trips with 50lb load• Burden prevents

– Education– Economic development

• Water scarcity leads to poor sanitation– Increasing illness which increases burden

Failures of international aid

• Many projects fail soon after groups leave– Nine out of 35 projects function– Complex systems– Social failure

• lack of trust for pooled resources• No oversight

WaterAid http://www.wateraid.org

• Participation involves joint planning and self-analysis

• Men and women of all levels of wealth involved in decision making

• Water committees are formed to ensure that tariff rates, spare parts, and mechanical costs are kept at a suitable level

• Committee of seven, four must be women

• Train hygiene promoters• Typical charge is around a

penny per jerry can

Bangladesh

• 7th most populous country

• 9th in population denisity (2,917/mi2) (U.S. 83/mi2)

• Low elevation (predicted 50% land loss with 1m sea level rise)

• Subject to extreme droughts and flooding (1998 flood 2/3 of country under water)

Crisis leads to international response

• Massive drought 1972

• Dirty surface water which was killing up to 250,000 children a year

• International effort to install 10 million tube wells

• 20 million currently drink from arsenic wells– Up to 400 times safety limit– Increasing cancer rates– Inhibits intellectual development– Causes skin lesions

• Alternatives – Rainwater collection– Filtration– Deeper wells

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-the-west-poisoned-bangladesh-1924631.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/how-

the-west-poisoned-bangladesh-1924631.html

Navajo water use• 80% of Navajo families haul drinking water

• 50% of water sources unregulated

Source of uranium

• ¼ of nations U, easiest to extract, cheap labor• 4 million tons of U removed (mostly for

weapons) • Complex patchwork of legislation but mostly

boundary shifting• Mines closed with zero clean up• 1979 tailings dam failed releasing 1,100 tons of

radioactive mill waste and 94 million gallons of acidic wastewater

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/us/27navajo.html and deLemos et al 2009

Uranium effects

• Cancer– Lots of issues from surface U that I will not go

into “downwinders”

• Acts as estrogen mimic

• Fertility problems

• Reproductive cancers

Raymond-Whish et al 2007

Resolution? • Banned U mining in the 2005• However, a new mine might be forced in

Churchrock• Hydro Resources owns 160 acres in

Chruchrock– “ involves pumping a chemical solution

through an underground ore deposit to leach out the uranium”

– “tends to contaminate the groundwater.” – 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just gave

the green light

http://newmexicoindependent.com/49829/church-rock-uranium-mining-cant-start-just-yet

http://sfreporter.com/stories/brave_nuke_world/5433/

Low tech water sanitationSimple, free, effective

http://www.sodis.ch/index

• Generally and specifically talk about solutions to the water issues: no water, bad water, and inaccessible water

• Can we avoid ratchets?

• How do we increase the longevity and success of water projects?