Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

1 6 / S E T T I N G T H E S C E N EThe World’s Water CrisisTechnological changesThe last century and in particular the last few decades havewitnessed an acceleration of major and highly significanttechnological changes, many of which have had direct impact onwater resources and their management. However, the application ofthese advances has not been uniform and thus the benefits havebeen biased towards the more prosperous nations. A few illustrativeexamples are given here.Surveillance and monitoring of the resource itself have beengreatly affected by advances in remote sensing, giving us muchbetter appreciation of spatial and temporal variation in many aspectsof the resource. New instrumentation allows more precise, moreefficient and more effective monitoring of precipitation, energybalances, river flows and water quality. Advances in data andinformation transmission, coupled with great increases in the abilityto store information have allowed information systems to expandexponentially. Data and information can be shared more easily,increasing our knowledge base, which can be made more readilyavailable to all. Systems of analysis allowing better diagnosis ofproblems and prediction and forecasting of future scenarios arebeing developed apace.Exploitation and use of the resource is being made moreeffective by technological changes such as more efficient ways ofboring wells and extracting groundwater, better systems of watertransmission, from piped systems to tanker transport, and bettersystems for producing freshwater through desalination techniques.Management of demand is also benefiting from technologicaladvances. More efficient systems of irrigation – drip irrigationinstead of spray irrigation – more efficient toilets and shower-heads,recycling techniques and new wastewater technologies are allowingwater to be conserved more effectively.However, while of potential benefit to all humankind, thesetechniques are being preferentially applied within the more affluentcountries and sections of societies. Cultural backgrounds andpolitical situations as well as ability to pay affect the rate at whichnew technologies are applied. The applications and thus thebenefits are not even and it is the aspiration of many organizationsto help redress this imbalance.LifestyleBecause water is so integral to many of life’s needs and behaviours,increasing prosperity heightens pressures on all resources, includingwater resources. Water is often viewed as a right, and many,particularly in the Western world, believe that they can use it inunlimited quantities. For example, we expect to be able to havefood crops all year round, requiring irrigation. The water required forthe production of many consumable goods is significant. Acquiring arefrigerator or a television requires electricity, and more electricityplaces demands on water. While this issue is often difficult toquantify due to its diverse nature, its impact on the changing faceof the global water resources should not be underestimated.Recreation and tourismOne such change in lifestyle that deserves special mention is theexplosive increase in tourism in the last three decades. During the1970s, only one person in thirteen from industrial countries hadtravelled to a developing country as an international tourist. By theend of the 1990s it was one in five (Honey, 1999). Cuba has seen afivefold increase in tourists since 1990 (Figueras, 2001 quoted inMastny, 2002a). For Saint Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda, tourismreceipts now account for nearly 50 percent of the GDP; for theMaldives it is nearly 90 percent. Tourism is the only sector in whichdeveloping countries consistently run a trade surplus.This boom in tourism has multiple impacts. There are undoubtedlyeconomic benefits at a national level due to the increased revenueavailable, but the development also requires the use ofdisproportionate shares of local natural resources, of which water isoften the most crucial. Much of this water, when used, is disposed ofwithout adequate treatment in ways that impact irrevocably on thesurrounding water resources and their ecosystems. In a 1994 study forthe Caribbean Tourist Organization, it was disclosed that 80 to90 percent of sewage from hotels and associated facilities wasreleased in coastal waters and was thought to have adverse effects oncoral reefs and mangrove swamps. Hotels and their guests consumevast quantities of water. In Israel, water use by hotels along the RiverJordan is thought to be contributing to the drying up of the Dead Seawhere the water level has dropped 16.4 metres since 1977 (Gertmanand Hecht, 2002). Golf tourism has an enormous impact on waterwithdrawals – an eighteen-hole golf course can consume more than2.3 million litres a day. In the Philippines, water use for tourismthreatens paddy cultivation. Tourists in Grenada generally use seventimes more water than local people and this discrepancy is common inmany developing tourist areas (Mastny, 2002b). Tourism is, however,vital to the economic well-being and the reduction of poverty in manydeveloping countries. Since natural resources are a powerful part ofthe attraction of this industry, it provides added incentive for resourcepreservation. In many cases though, tourism leaves an undeniableecological footprint. Countries that depend on tourism are makingmajor efforts to simultaneously maintain their tourism industries andreduce the environmental impact (including water use) of the industry.Recreation is a major use of and a major issue in the planning ofwater resources in all parts of the world. The use of lakes andreservoirs for sailing, fishing and water skiing is an importantconsideration even in the prosperous countries of Europe and NorthAmerica. It can add significant economic benefits to these resources,but also has implications for water quality in ecological terms.