“With the onset of hot, humid weather and early monsoon rains, situations of water-borne diseases such as viral hepatitis (A&E), gastroenteritis, typhoid and paratyphoid fever, cholera, dysentery, E-coli diarrhoea, giardiasis and intestinal worms, malaria, dengue fever, poliomyelitis and rotavirus diarrhoea in infants - the second major cause of childhood deaths - is likely to get worse if effective prevention and control measures are not adopted religiously.”

The above was the headline from a recent edition of The News International, the second largest English language newspaper in Pakistan. This summer has shown a rampant rise of water-borne illness in Islamabad and Rawalpindi . And in Pakistan alone, each year over 1.2 people die of water-borne illnesses. 

In this same vein, John Sauer of Water Advocates in Washington DC has informed me of his recent post on the Huffington Post entitled “A Different Kind of Water Torture”.  As the name might suggest, this post discusses the need to increase sanitation and water conveyance projects worldwide.

Check it out, if you get a chance…

Yes, it’s true.  I am a sucker for any great Public Service Announcement (PSA) relating to water.  And, if produced right, sometimes these PSAs have the ability to intrigue me, bring a smile to my face, educate me, and move me to action or even to tears.

Because I love PSAs about water so much, I am going to feature them on Water for the Ages in a PSA-a-thon Installment Series. Be sure and check out the first installment in the series, a PSA on rainwater harvesting made for television in India.

The second installment in the series, today’s PSA, is a little out-of-date but neat nonetheless. It was created for the Tap Project, an outreach effort each year from March 16 to March 22, to raise money for UNICEF’s water programs.  Enjoy.

As most have heard by now, the 34^th annual G8 Summit is underway in Japan from July 7^th to July 9^th in Toyako, Hokkaido.

Leaders from eight of the world’s industrialized nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States in addition to the president of the European Union, and representatives from fifteen other nations, are busy talking and talking some more about the global economy. And again this year, some of these conversations address environmental concerns which embrace the issue of water.

The agenda for the G8 Summit is prioritized something like this:

1. Global Economy  (Subprime Crisis, Rising Inflation, Economic Growth)
2. Environment and Climate Change (Carbon Reduction, International Cooperation, Global Food Security)
3. Development in Africa (Development, Water, Health, and Education)
4. Political Issues (Nonproliferation, Nuclear Safety)

    

Water is linked to the global economy, a changing climate, food security, and is necessary to consider for future development in Africa, but it is unclear exactly how G8 leaders will tackle the matter of water. Many international organizations have been lobbying delegates of the 2008 Summit to focus on the topic of water. The Asia-Pacific Water Forum encouraged G8 leaders to highlight the importance of water security in the region. Water Aid issued a plea for G8 leaders to provide additional funding for sanitation projects abroad. UNICEF met with G8 leaders earlier in the spring to inform participating nations of the one billion people worldwide without access to clean, drinkable water.

Deliberations on water by G8 nations are nothing new. In 2003, global water was discussed at the Summit in Evian, France. Participants from this Summit produced a G8 Water Action Plan outlining an agreement for better global water management “particularly taking into account the importance of proper water management in Africa…”  But indistinct steps have been made towards realization of these goals as evidenced by talks on similar subjects at this year’s Summit and a “reaffirmation” of the G8 Water Action Plan.

So far, the following agreements relating to water (sort of) have been reached (reaffirmed) at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit:

• Environment and Climate Change – The world should cut carbon emissions by 50 percent before 2050 with each nation having individual targets.
• Development and Africa – G8 nations pledge 60 billion dollars over five years to help the continent fight disease. G8 nations reaffirm Millennium Development Goals for water, health, and sanitation in Africa. G8 nations hope to reinvigorate efforts to implement the Evian G8 Water Action Plan from 2003 with a progress report at the 2009 Summit.
• Global Food Security – Nations in the world with sufficient food storage should release food to the market. Worldwide removal of food export restrictions is necessary.

Repetitions of past/existing goals seem to highlight the 2008 Summit list of accomplishments in the environmental realm. Agreements similar to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol ‘reduction of greenhouse gas’ initiative to a repeat of the 2003 Evian G8 Water Action Plan.

Well, you know what they say, maybe the third time is a charm (or the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh)…

A friend asked me the other day, “did you know that it takes about quarter of a bottle of oil to produce one bottle of water?”

I didn’t, and he was right.

His simple statement, and I found myself pondering this fact. To be honest, just thinking about the concept of a quarter of a bottle of oil in a beverage container disgusted me. And it further solidified my aversion to plastic bottles.

The production of plastic PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles is an oil (natural gas and petroleum) intensive process. The Pacific Institute estimates the equivalent of 17 million barrels of oil were required to produce 31.2 billion liters of water in 2006. This figure does not include the immense amount of oil used to transport bottled water around the world. (’Fiji Water‘, oh my).

“The Pacific Institute estimates that the total amount of energy embedded in our use of bottled water can be as high as the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full with oil.”

A friend sent along these great videos of a coffer dam being breached in super-fast speed. This video has since circulated the Internet extensively, but in case you haven’t seen it yet…

Marmot Dam Removal - ‘largest dam removal in Oregon’

This video shows the intentional breaching of a coffer dam, the final phase in a process to return the Sandy River to a free-flowing state.

Just like the Marmot Dam, most dams are finally demolished because of significant upkeep costs and concerns for fish.

So, what is the shelf-life of a dam?

Many dams constructed in the early 20th century are beginning to age and show signs of disrepair. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) is keeping a watchful eye over the dams in America. With over 79,000 dams in the United States, the ASDSO supposes there are thousands (3,316 to be exact) of dams susceptible to collapse.

“…the number of dams identified as unsafe is increasing at a faster rate than those being repaired.“
- ADSO

The possible failure of a dam is probably the most likely contender for its removal. But, many environmental, socio-economic, aesthetic, and cultural benefits also occur with the removal of dams.

We Build Them…

World’s Five Largest Dams by Volume (completed and proposed)

Source of Data: InfoPlease

And, then we take them down…

Three Largest Proposed Dam Removals in the World (so far)

• If approved, four dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon.
• Two dams on the Elwha River are cited for removal in 2012.
• Matilija Dam: Will this dam in Ventura County, California be removed?

American Rivers has compiled a list of dams removed from 1999 to 2007. They state around 713 dams have been removed, to date.

An estimated three hundred and four million of them across the globe, and yet still, researchers are noticing many inland lakes are beginning to dry.

In Siberia, Central Asia, East Africa, and North America - the results are the same - lakes simply cannot compete with man-made alterations to the environment.

And, these are not just small lakes, some of the lakes with dropping water levels are gigantic in size.

There are 122 large lakes in the world each over 1000 square kilometers (386 square miles).

Lake Victoria, in Africa, is the largest tropical lake in the world at 68,800 square kilometers (26,560 square miles). Mounting water-level decline in this lake is slowly eroding the livelihood of local fisherman and ranchers, agricultural producers, and industrial water users near the lake. A lack of suitable drinking water or dependable power supply is also becoming more common in the region.

“Declining water levels in Lake Victoria are disrupting shoreline infrastructure like this small dock.” Photo courtesy USDA Foreign Agricultural Service via NASA.

Morning Edition on NPR recently aired a segment on Lake Victoria by corespondent Jessica Partnow: ‘Battle for Resources Grows as Lake Victoria Shrinks‘. She has also reported on dropping water levels in Lake Haramaya in Africa for World Vision Report.

‘Disappearing Lake‘ by Jessica Partnow

Sometimes occasional fluctuations of water levels in lakes are natural, but the current rate that many lakes are beginning to go dry throughout the world is not.

Humans alter the natural environment near lakes and water levels decline. We build dams, over-pump rivers, over-use groundwater, put roads and parking lots in natural recharge areas, build industries in locations without enough water, over-irrigate our crops, and, often, we use too much water in our homes. Not to mention the effect of a changing climate on water supply sources.

But, some things that could help ‘decline’ at least some of this water-level decline include:

conservation, conservation, conservation - grow crops in regions they are acclimated (low-water crops) - alternative water supply sources such as rainwater harvesting systems - pursue green “water conservative” development techniques - reduce the pavement - rethink industrial production - low impact living - conservation, conservation, conservation.

THE SHRINKING ARAL SEA (Photo courtesy UNEP)

A few other lakes around the world with dropping water levels-

Aral Sea - Central Asia
Great Lakes - United States
Lake Baikal - Russia
Lake Chad - Egypt
Lake Chapala - Mexico

This ship, docked in Barcelona, Catalonia, is carrying 5.3 million gallons of water in 20 storage tanks. This water will serve up to 180,000 people for one day in the capital city. Photo courtesy AP/Manu Fernandez

Spain is enduring a drought. Reservoirs in Barcelona are at 20 percent capacity, and rainfall has been minimal over the past four years. The government has opted, as a short-term answer to this water crisis, to import water from Tarragona, Spain and Marseilles, France. The water will arrive on ten ships (like the one above) each month over the next six months.

Total Price Tag = $68 Million

During meetings in March 2008 of the UN Human Rights Council, Germany and Spain proposed a resolution to identify water as a global human right. Canada and the United States refused to pass this resolution because of wording that defined water as a human right.

The United States and Canada were concerned the inclusion of water as a ‘human right’ would interfere with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) according to Food and Water Watch. NAFTA “defines water as a good and an investment” as highlighted by Water Wired. The identification of water as a human right could possibly hinder future import/export of bulk water between the two nations.

So, to satisfy the United States and Canada, the UN Human Rights Council deleted all phrases in the document stating “right to water and sanitation,” and replaced the phrases with “Human Rights and access to safe drinking water and sanitation.” The Council also voted for an ‘Independent Expert’ to investigate the “issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation” over the next three years.

Water: Property or Human Right? - World Economic Forum 2006

National constitutions recognizing the right to water                (from the great Food and Water Watch)

• 1994, Panama: A constitutional amendment recognized the State’s responsibility to guarantee water for adequate development;
• 1995, Ethiopia: “[P]olicies shall aim to provide all Ethiopians access to [..] clean water;”
• 1995, Uganda: The State is obliged to fulfill fundamental rights to social justice and economic development including clean and safe water;
• 1996, Gambia: “The State shall endeavour to facilitate equal access to clean and safe water;”
• 1996, South Africa: “Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water;”
• 2004, Uruguay: Uruguayans approved a constitutional amendment by popular vote guaranteeing the right to water.

Ashoka’s Changemakers and Global Water Challenge are asking for your opinion on the project proposals for their recent competition: Tapping Local Innovation: Unclogging the Water and Sanitation Crisis.

Three winners will be chosen to receive a 5,000 dollar grant for “innovative approaches to providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation”. Over 265 entries have been received from 54 countries, and now you may help to decide the winning projects.

Vote for your favorite three participants by May 11, 2008!

• Naandi Foundation, India
• WaterPartners, United States
• City Garbage Recyclers, Kenya
• Ecotact – Innovating Sanitation, Kenya
• Swayam Shikshan Prayog, India
• Himanshu Parikh Consulting Engineers, India
• The Clean Shop, South Africa
• Centre for Community Organisation and Development, Malawi
• Manna Energy Foundation, United States

Here are two of the projects, but don’t take my word for it… go to the web-site and vote!

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).

A child cries as a woman fills pans of water from a public water hose on open ground in Najaf, Iraq, in 2006. (Alla al-Marjani/Associated Press)

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.

Years of political upheaval, sanctions against Iraq, consistent mortar attacks, and unstable-transitional governing bodies have made maintenance of the water treatment systems almost impossible.

“Over 600 workers from the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works have been killed attempting to repair these networks since 2005″

- UNICEF

Unsafe water is also taking its toll. Iraq saw the worst outbreak of Cholera in recorded history in 2007.

A man in a village in southern Iraq demonstrates how Bechtel left his village without access to clean water. Photo courtesy the BanglaPraxis blog.

While some measures are being taken to ensure water availability in Iraq…

UNICEF provides water on tanker trucks and distributes home-hygiene kits to civilians.
UNESCO has assessed water resources available in Iraq and evaluated possible management plans.
USAID has refurbished 10 water treatment plants and installed 70 small water treatment systems in rural communities.
The transitional Iraqi Government has been developing water policy.
The Iraq Water Project (Veterans for Peace in conjunction with LIFE) has sent small, sterilized water units for hospitals and schools and has been working to rebuild six water treatment plants in Iraq.

…really, though, these actions are not yet enough.

For it is true, if water conditions are to improve in this country, then current upheaval, war, and fighting in Iraq must come to an end.

“We have photos of the units we sent to several hospitals, including the city of Hit where there has been a recent outbreak of cholera, and we got a dandy little video of our Sterilight in action at al Mansour children’s hospital in Baghdad.” - The Iraq Water Project