Record Detail Back
Water Resource Management
- Share to:
By now it has been clear that urgent action is needed if we are to avoid a global water crisis. Despite the vital importance of water to all aspects of human life, the sector has been plagued by a chronic lack of political support, poor governance and underinvestment. As a result, hundreds of millions of people around the world remain trapped in poverty and ill health and exposed to the risks of water- related disasters, environmental degradation and even political instability and conflict. Population growth, increasing consumption and climate change are among the factors that threaten to exacerbate these problems, with grave implications for human security and development (based on WWAP 2009a, p. vii). “Sub-Sahara Africa, in particular, remains mired in poverty. Its progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals lags behind that of other regions. The percentage of population living in absolute poverty is essentially the same as it was 25 years ago. About 340 million Africans lack access to safe drinking water, and almost 500 million lack access to adequate sanitation” (WWAP, 2009a, p. xii).
In order to provide recommendations, develop case studies, enhance assessment capacity at a national level and inform the decision-making process the World Water Assessment Programme, the flagship of UN-Water, housed in UNESCO, was founded in 2000 to monitor all aspects of freshwater issues. The volumes of WWAP: Water for People (2003), Water – a Shared Responsibility (2006) and Water in a Changing World (2009a) and Case Study Volume (2009b) provide an authoritative picture of the state of the world’s freshwater resources and procure very valuable background information for this course.
The course Water Resource Management comprises 8 chapters: Chapter 1 (The global water crisis) sets the scene and states the challenges. The data given are not always congruent with other figures presented in the course because (1) they are only estimates and (2) they are often based on different literature sources. Chapter 1.3 deals with the impacts of global climate change on the water resources. A small climatology excursus is added for a better understanding of the process of global warming.
Chapter 2 (Science of water) deals with the general properties of water, its global distribution and its use. The path of water from groundwater to waste water and water treatment is shown mainly by an urban example. The problems of rural water supply in Africa are dealt with in chapter 4.2.
Chapter 3 (Water, governance and water policy issues) is divided into two major parts. 3.1 deals with water governance, and here the introductory statement is remarkable that the water crisis appears to be more a crisis of governance than a crisis of resources. So there is still hope to overcome it in the future. On the topic of water governance and water policy issues you will have to write an assignment.
In 3.1.13 the progress in global water related conferences is given. Main attention should be paid to the Dublin conference in 1992, because the four principles (freshwater, participation, women and economic value of water) are referred to several times in the text.In chapter 3.2 (Hydropolitics) some case studies of water conflicts are presented. Before the Jordan-, Tigris and Euphrates- and Nile basins are dealt with in detail and for a better understanding of the problems, legal principles concerning the sovereignty of states over water resources are explicated in 3.2.1.
Chapter 4 (Water, sustainability and development) is also divided into two major parts, the first dealing more with the social environment and the second more with the natural environment. The case study 4.2.1 (Rural water supply in Malawi) is contrasted with the statements of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for optimisations of water supply and sanitation and their constraints, and 4.3 lays the focus on the role of gender in water and sanitation. You will have to write an assignment on this topic. In 4.4 the inadvertent impacts on hydrological processes are shown, and in 4.5 the environmental effects of large dams are exemplified by the case study of the Aswan high dam.
In chapter 5 (Methods and techniques for water management) some practical tools are presented. For planning purposes the most important one is the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). This method is referred to in many places in the text. So, whenever there is need you might go to chapter 5.1 for clarification and/or further explanation. The biotic index presented in chapter 5.2.4 is mainly applied in Europe. You will have to find out what indexes are being used in your own country.
Chapter 6 (Water and economics) deals with the ‘value’ of water. You will be required to complete an assignment on the social, environmental, economic and cultural values of water.
Chapter 7 (Management for sustainability) puts the focus on rural drinking water supply. The various technical possibilities of water supply are described and some practical hints are given, and in chapter 7.2 the great importance of operation and management (O&M) is highlighted.
In chapter 8 (Case studies for Namibia and SADC) two examples of a successful application of Integrated Water Resource Management are presented. In Zambia, the application of IWRM, which is at the moment awaiting the necessary legal and institutional structure, will help combat poverty and malnutrition, while in the management of the Cuvelai Basin (Namibia) the introduction of an integrated approach is off to a good start.
For a better understanding the text is supported by a great number of plates.
When working with the text, it is advisable to have it printed out and view parallel the coloured plates on your computer screen. Some of them, where the legend is quite small, you may have to enlarge to 200%.
Walter Lukenga - Personal Name
978-87-403-0978-2
NONE
Management
English
1-283
LOADING LIST...
LOADING LIST...