Water Resource Management in Deveolping Countries
Give 6 most critical issues which affect clean/safe water supply & sanitation in developing countries.
Approximately 1 in 8 people (884 million people) have no access to clean water, and almost 40% of the world’s population has no access to basic sanitation. 9% of all the world’s children will die before the age of 5 from water related diseases and a large number of people are disabled from consuming unsafe water. The provision of access to clean water and sanitation helps to eliminate poverty by supplying health, dignity and improving economic productivity.
The UN millennium declaration pledged to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to sustainable water by 2015. The main challenges facing people in the developing world are:
1. meeting basic needs- potable water/ sanitation
2. Securing the food supply from agriculture
3. Protecting ecosystems from pollution or from climate change
4. Sharing water resources between riparian communities
5. Valuing water/ governing operation and maintenance/ political will
6. Cultural issues such as gender inequality and mental health
The need for access to safe and sufficient water and sanitation are basic human needs, and are essential to health and well-being. Through the process of water management, the community is empowered (particularly women). Water is traditionally collected by women, who have a limited amount of energy to dispel on travelling the distance to the nearest water source in perpetual drudgery. Alternatively, water is delivered and sold infrequently by suspect ‘vendors’. The water is much more expensive to purchase in this way, and is often of unknown source or quality.
Water should be allocated more efficiently in food production to enhance food security of poor and vulnerable people in particular. Water is used very inefficiently in irrigation- developed countries use twice as much water than industrialised countries and yield three times less crops. Aquifers are depleting faster than they are being replenished, and intensive pumping from groundwater sources can deteriorate the quality of the water by attracting salt water from the sea or from saline groundwater. The integrity of all ecosystems must be ensured through sustainable water resource management, as environmental investments (land/water management/ sanitation/waste management/clean air) can yield high rates of economic and social return. Environmental management can reduce negative impacts of increasing economic development. 90% of all sewage in developing countries is discharged directly into water courses.
Prevention of conflict over water resources must be avoided. Competition for increasingly scarce water, particularly in arid countries, may lead to regional conflict. Alongside water aid such as implementing sustainable sources, investment in international diplomacy may be essential. Where possible, synergies should be developed for different uses of water between communities.
Valuing water so that is reflects its economic, social, environmental and cultural worth for poverty reduction. Water management should be seen as a cross-sectoral issue, to be considered in most developmental activities. In peri-urban and rural areas in developing countries, the approach for providing water and sanitation is similar. The illegal status of many peri-urban settlements means there is a lack of funding, a fragile or non-existent local government and little or no utilities. This environment breeds a weak community capacity, unable to progress and develop autonomous solutions; this is primarily due to a lack of education of the benefits of improved water resources and sanitation.
Mental health issues such as alcoholism and depression are experienced by members of the community, and oppression and sexual harassment of women is common. Men make decisions for the community when women are affected most, and the poorest people have the least understanding and say in matters. The comfort, security and privacy of women and children must be respected in scheme design. Culture and custom must not be damaged by development, and important social norms such as women gathering socially when collecting water, must be preserved.
In the developing world, organisations cannot simply give the communities the sanitation and water supply they need, as the success of schemes depends on the consumer demand. Unwanted services that are provided are under-used, poorly maintained, and therefore a wasted investment. However, communities often have no experience of the benefits of water supply and sanitation, so do not know what to demand. Therefore, in close conjuction with the local community small stages of development are employed where the locals discover the benefits of water resource management and sanitation for themselves, creating a latent demand.
The demand must be determined by communication between the population and the aid team, to determine the amount the community is willing to pay. The attractive characteristics of the possible development are promoted to encourage interest.
Technical options:
Groundwater can be utilised through hand-pumps, or wells; this water generally needs no purification as it has good bacterial quality. There is a need for educating the community about protection procedures to safeguard the quality of the water.
Surface water from rivers and lakes is viable, but the quality is variable and can be harmful without treatment. Locally produced filters can purify the water, such as charcoal purifiers to reduce turbidity in conjunction with UV light to kill pathogens. Water taken from near to the source of a river, or natural spring is naturally of good bacterial quality. Rainwater may also be collected for periods of low river discharge.
For sanitation, there are many options: for individual houses/ small villages septic systems, pour-flush latrines, or pit latrines (simple/ventilated/single/double/composting- the material is in the pit long enough to become useful as compost) are efficient and clean. For villages and towns, simplified condominial sewerage treatment works are recommended, which are affordable and for longer term strategies where settlements are permanent. Lagoons with anaerobic ponds remove BOD and suspended solids; shallower facultative ponds remove BOD by algae, and maturation ponds remove pathogens and some nutrients. Methane produced from anaerobic activity can then be recycled as a form of biomass power, however the issue of odour and nitrogen contained in the effluent is not ideal.
Water and sanitation education is also extremely important to ensure people understand the benefits of adequate sanitation in relation to health- even something as simple as handwashing.
Community participation, ownership and control of operation and maintenance (such as Community Led Total Sanitation) are important; communities are encouraged to develop their own standards and to take pride and responsibility for their schemes. The focus should always be on enabling local communities to manage their own resources sustainably. The construction, operation and maintenance costs must be manageable for local people. Supporting sustainable, economic, social and environmental development promotes the gradual integration of developing countries into the world economy.
[Skip if you don't care about engineering]