I. Introduction
Research on potential futures for the earth has suggested that in the future, clean, fresh, potable water will be as important if not more valuable than oil is today. The future of the world and of humanity is very dependent upon water; although much of the planet is covered in water, the vast majority of it is contained within Earth’s oceans, making it undrinkable in its current state. In recent years, the global community has come to recognize that access to fresh and potable water will become an issue in the relatively near future, and finding a solution for the problem of water shortages is one that plagues many governments, regardless of whether the country is a developing nation or a well-developed nation. For instance, California, despite having a large GDP, faces the problem of water shortages in its arid southern regions on a yearly basis; the counties in Southern California must rely on water pumped in from outside of Southern California to fill the reservoirs and keep the area hydrated (Damon and White). Countries in Africa and the Middle East-- such as Yemen and Iran-- have similar problems with an arid landscape, but their issues are also compounded by political issues plaguing the area. However, there are potential solutions to the problem of water sustainability in arid regions; the problem is across-the-board implementation and good cooperation between governments, multinational corporations, and other involved organizations.
II. Philanthropic solutions
There are currently groups working towards providing potable water for people in developing nations. Damon and White write, “Traditional charity models are becoming outmoded. What began as investments in digging wells have evolved into far more dynamic, market-oriented approaches like targeted grants intended to optimise social returns per philanthropic dollar The PepsiCo Foundation has pledged $35m to water programs in developing countries Most of this has gone to Water.org's WaterCredit model, a microfinance initiative which links access to finance with access to water and sanitation” (Damon and White). However, philanthropy is not going to solve the problem in the long run; it is merely a short-term solution for a problem that is going to become larger and more pronounced as time goes on. Instead of focusing on the philanthropic aspect of water sustainability, which is important, the bulk of the discussion here will center around potential solutions to the long-term problem of sanitation, water accessibility, and potable water.
III. Desalination
Desalination is one type of program that has been implemented widely in recent years. However, desalination on a large enough scale to provide potable water for an entire nation faces a few problems-- the first problem is that many countries that face a potential water shortage do not have the disposable income necessary to fund full-scale desalination facilities (Carter, Tyrrel, and Howsam). Carter, Tyrrel and Howsam suggest that on a larger scale, nuclear desalination processes may be effective for nations that have a large amount of arid land that must be irrigated and a large number of people without access to clean water; however, global leaders are often unwilling to move forward with nuclear energy as a result of international tensions, and the recent disaster in Japan involving the Fukushima nuclear power facility (Damon and White). This may be a good solution for a number of countries, particularly those that are in close proximity to large bodies of saltwater, but it will not be a solution for land-locked nations, or nations that cannot attain nuclear knowledge for any given reason.
IV. Groundwater Recharge
Another potential solution for some regions, particularly regions that are only semi-arid rather than completely arid, is the recharge of groundwater. The use of groundwater requires the drilling of wells and the implementation of infrastructure in such a way that areas without groundwater access can be irrigated and provided with water. Sophocleous writes, “hallmarks of Kansas water management are the formation of local ground-water management districts, the adoption of minimum streamflow standards [], the implementation of integrated resource planning [], and the subbasin water-resources management program in potential problem areas The Kansas examples show that local decision-making is the best way to fully account for local variability in water management it is imperative that public education and involvement be encouraged, so that system complexities and constraints are better understood and overly simplistic solutions avoided” (Sophocleous). In short, the best way to handle the issue of groundwater use is to provide good political structures that allow for decision-making on the local levels. Of course, this assumes a compliant and honest government; in places where governments are corrupt and the leaders cannot be trusted to make fair and equitable decisions regarding the use of resources, other groups or overarching governments may need to step in and mediate the process until structural controls are put in place.
V. Greywater Use
Lastly, for irrigation, greywater is an excellent solution for many places. Greywater is water that has not been completely purified through the processes that most potable water goes through; it is water that is not safe for drinking, but is safe for use as irrigation water or even water for use in toilets rather that clean, potable water. While greywater is not safe for drinking, it is safe and approved for many other uses in the United States and other locations (Al-Jayyousi). A problem with greywater exists when a sewer system is not designed to handle greywater and blackwater; in this case, greywater and blackwater are mixed and the greywater is contaminated to the point where it is no longer acceptable for use in irrigation or other places within the community. Greywater use can reduce the cost of purification and can reduce the water consumption of a household if used properly (Al-Jayyousi). Greywater may even be conserved internally within a home, if sustainable measures are used to build new homes. The problem with greywater will arise when available infrastructure does not support greywater and the separation of greywater and blackwater.
VI. Discussion.
There are a variety of potential solutions to the problem of water sustainability in the world, but they are complicated by geography and politics. The complexity of water politics cannot be overstated; in the future, when water scarcity becomes more of a global problem, the issue of water politics will be compounded by regional, political, and ethnic differences, much in the same way that oil has become a complex global issue. With the growth of these issues may come further political problems, which is why the issue of water sustainability and sustainable water politics must be addressed early and decisively by all countries, corporations, and other related organizations. Without decisive action, the situation may devolve more quickly than anticipated.
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