Report Assessing the Feasibility of Different Techniques for Providing Fresh Water to Arid Regions of the World
Introduction
Howard, Xin, and Mathias (2010) suggest that approximately 30 percent of the whole land in the world comprises arid and semi-arid areas inhabited by several populations of the world. The authors continue on the same note by asserting that the main challenge to the social and economic development of these arid regions of the world is the acute shortage of water, necessary for the development of various sectors within the society. The impediment results from the fact that the development of the economy has significant dependence on the availability of water in the regions. Sound development of the economy and social structures within the arid areas depends on the sustainable supply of water resources and management of the same resources. According to the proposals put forward by Koundouri (2006), many of the world’s arid areas have face shortage of water because they have no provision from freshwater lakes and rivers. In addition, the areas also have an inadequate supply from the underground sources of water, which contributes to the difficulty encountered in harnessing the resource from the water tables below the ground. The challenges of availability of water in the areas worsens because of the increasing salinization of the available fresh water because of the disruption of the natural aquifers.
Background
Rapid industrialization, population growth, and urbanization in arid areas of the world exert immense pressure on the nations of the world to address the growing demand for water resources. Rapid growth of the population implies that there is a strain on the water resources in the current areas of settlement in the cities of the world. Given that, the sources for fresh water are diminishing because of the growing urban population, desalinization of seawater and exploitation of underground water are the remaining sources of water that are applicable for supplying water to arid areas in the world. The fact that arid areas are the sole alternative areas of settlement implies that the growing pressure on the water resources in the existing settlements is too much for the natural resources. Therefore, countries have a responsibility to ensure that the people settling in the arid areas have enough water resources. The world’s average rate of population growth is nearly 3.5 percent every year. It saw the amplification of the urban population from 17.6 million during 1970 to nearly 38.5 million, 25 years later in 1995. The steady growth projects that it may hit 80 million by 2025. The following graph shows the growth of the urban population that may force encroachment into the arid areas as people search for settlement space.
Techniques Available for Providing Freshwater to Arid Areas
In 2004, Shemang and Chaoka argued that guaranteeing the supply of freshwater is the only method to ensure that there is continuity of life within the arid areas of the world. The next segment of the report explores the feasibility and ability of two methods that offer a solution to the water shortage in the arid areas of the world.
Desalinization
Sometimes, desalinization also qualifies as distillation because of the technical processes involved purifying water. It involves the removal of salt in world’s seawater to make it fresh and usable in times of need. According to the National Academy of Sciences in 2001, desalinization is among the oldest techniques for treating water in the world and one of the most popular too. Mays (2009) argues that the desalinization is highly feasible because it can guarantee the supply of freshwater to the arid regions of the world. He holds that it removes all the other impurities in the water apart from the salt, hence ensuring that the water is safe for the consumption of human beings. By 2002, the world had 12500 plants for the desalinization of water, which produced an estimated fourteen million cubic meters of fresh water every day. The daily production may be low for the demands of freshwater in the whole world, but the plants can provide sustainable sources of water within the arid areas. Shemang and Chaoka also contribute to the subject by suggesting that desalinization plants contribute significantly to the production of freshwater that can be used by a growing population within the urban areas. Storage mechanisms are available for the public where they can store the distilled water in large tanks and reservoirs to provide for any contingencies in case the process of distillation have to stop for a certain period. Many countries have already put the strategy into practice to combat the acute shortage of water within their arid regions.
Recycling Municipal Waste
It is the second method that can help to avail water arid regions. Mays (2009) proposes that it is possible to treat human waste in sewage systems the urban areas in the world. The treatment can result into freshwater, which is fit for the consumption of people. A good example of the application of this method is in Durban, South Africa where the city has a recycling plant that produces 4 million liters of water per day for industrial purposes. The process may happen in urban areas where the waste is readily available, and the water ferried to the arid areas with acute shortage. According to Shemang and Chaoka, the main challenge posed by recycling municipal water is that it is hard to convince the population that the water is pure and safe for their consumption. The mechanism is economical and has an incentive of environmental conservation as it provides a good method to deal with waste, according to Koundouri. Apart from the initial cost of setting up the plant, recycling municipal waste is economical because the maintenance costs are low. The amount of water produced depends on the amount of waste available. However, it is still adequate to meet the growing demand in arid areas of the world.
Requirements that Either Options must fulfill
In both cases, the method chosen for the provision of fresh water must be able to supply freshwater consistently. Since the areas do not have alternative sources of freshwater, the consistency of the method adopted is elementary for the fulfillment of the objective of sustainability. In addition, the mechanisms must be friendly to the environment, with the least possible effects of pollution to the environment. Pollution will lead to further problems in the areas. Lastly, the method must be economical given that the arid areas do not have adequate resources finance the high cost of investment in the provision of freshwater. The regions have other needs, which are equally important.
Evaluation of how the well the Plan Satisfies the Requirements
Boyd, Turton, and Hatibu argue that Desalinization satisfies the requirements for providing fresh water to arid areas because of the availability of seawater for purification. The raw material is available on the shores of many countries, and the engineers can use conduit pipes to ferry the water to the purification plants. Secondly, it guarantees the purity of water produced. On the other hand, recycling municipal wastes fulfills the requirements through its economical nature. It also produces many liters of water that may serve bot human consumption and industrial development in the regions.
Conclusions
The report has an evaluation of the feasibility of two techniques that can improve the living conditions of the world by providing freshwater. These are desalinization of seawater and recycling municipal waste available in the urban areas. However, desalinization remains the most suitable technique because it guarantees the safety of the water, unlike recycling municipal waste. Recycling the waste will rely on the efficiency of the chemical processes used in the purification process. However, the process can still provide water to supplement that derived from the process of desalinization.
Recommendations
- Countries should proceed with the plan to ease the pressure on the water resources in other parts.
- Supplying fresh water in arid regions will make them suitable for human settlement and economic development of the regions.
- The plan is also a good initiative, as it will help countries in the management of municipal waste.
- Seawater is readily available, and its desalinization is a way of maximizing the utility derived from such a vast resource.
- Increasing settlement and population in the arid areas makes it necessary to address the acute shortage of a necessity. Addressing the problem makes arid areas possible areas of settlement and development.
References
Boyd, C., Turton, C., & Hatibu, N. (2000). The Contribution of soil and water conservation to sustainable livelihoods in semi-arid areas of Sub-Sharan Africa. London: ODIC Africultural Research & Extension Network.
Howard, W, Mathias, S & Xin, L 2010, Groundwater Modelling in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Koundouri, P 2006, Water Management in Arid and Semi-arid Regions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.
Mays, L 2009, Integrated Urban Water Management: Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: UNESCO-IHP, Taylor & Francis, New York.
National Academy of Sciences 2001, More Water for Arid Lands: Promising Technologies and Research Opportunities, The Minerva Group, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii.
Shemang, S & Chaoka, R 2004, Water Resources of Arid Areas: Proceedings of the International Conference on Water Resources of Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of Africa, Garborone, Botswana, 3-6 August 2004, Taylor & Francis, New York.
