Water+Disparity

__The Facts__

- population growth is creating a huge demand for water - "myth of abundance" is the idea that water is never going to disappear - the global water shortage is more serious than both the energy crisis and global warming - in China, an area of desert the size of Rhode Island is create each year in the decrease of water - 36 states in the USA will create a "large water crisis" in the next 5 - 10 years - the issue of water privatization is a growing one in a world of decreasing water resources, however no one should have the right to own water when there are thousands of people dying due to the lack of -the problem with privitization is the following: - unclean water is the greatest cause of child deaths worldwide - we are pumping water from the ground faster than it can be replaced naturally - water is being mismanaged through its use in agriculture, by displacing it, and by taking it from the ground faster than it can be replaced.
 * people need water to survive
 * water is becoming a commodity
 * it denies water to those people who cannot pay
 * everyone has the right to water, but not to own it
 * it is a fundamental human right

__Middle East Water Activity__

- In the Middle East, water supply and resources have reached a crucial threshold - water scarcity in the Midde East is affecting current negotiations in the majority of peace process movements - the water crisis in the Middle East has hurt agricultural income as it has reduced irrigation


 * Jordan River** is one cause of the tension between its sharing countries (Isreal, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan), however if equitable distribution is maintained, Israel and Jordan will exhaust their supply.


 * The Yarmouk River** is a tributary that flows south westerly throught the Middle East, forming part of the tri-border between Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. In the 1940s and 1950s co-operation was maintained over the sharing of this water supply, bowever in recent years conflict with Israel hascaused this peace ot be lost. Israel is now extract over four times more water than they were originally taking from the river, hence lessening the water supply to the other bordering countries.


 * The West Bank Mountain Aquifers** are three aquifers (Western, Eastern, and the North-Eastern) that, along with Yarmouk and Jordan Rivers, have extreme potential to begin conflict within the surrounding areas. Israel is attemping to prevent mutal sharign of the Eastern Aquifer among its Palestinian borders, however becasue the aquifer is the only fresh water available, palestinian authority are also claiming this water as their own, and state the Israel is "stealing" the resource.


 * The Euphrates River** has the potential to start war between Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. 90% of the river originates in Turkey, however both Syria and Iraq rely on its flow, hence, although they are traditionally enemies, they share the belief theat Turkey's unilateral control over the Euphrates is unfair and dangerous.

Disparities are everywhere—global and local, big and small—however perhaps one of the greatest impacts a disparity has ever had on our world is that of water disparity. Water is our most precious resource because it is essential to life, and hence, a human right. However, this right that should hypothetically be available for all, has sadly been corrupted and is dangerously close to causing many fatal losses in our world. Whether politically, economically, environmentally, or socially, each of these aspects has either caused this disparity or //feels// the cause of it in varying ways—the majority of which are negative.

This map shows the level of water depletion world wide. The inflated areas of the map are those most effected by depletion:  



Population is a large factor within the economic aspect of water disparity. The sad reality is that many of the most populated countries in the world are the ones with the least or quickly disappearing water. Many economies within these countries are agriculture-based; hence the lack of water and sanitation is also hurting a main source of revenue and/or sustenance in these areas of the world.



Bottled water is a relatively new phenomenon that baffles scientists and confounds economists everywhere and most of all, horrifies environmentalists. Despite the “innocent” and healthy notion of bottled water, it’s tremendous increase in sales and production in recent years has not had such an innocent effect on our environment or pockets. The hazardous production process that is repeated over and over again consumes countless gallons of fossil fuels—a virtually pointless loss with our widespread access to clean tap water—and creates unbelievable pollution throughout the entire consumer process.

The social and emotional causes of water disparity in the world are some of the most upsetting and numerous of all. From lack of education to disease to even death, the effects can be tragic and life-threatening. Unfortunately, it is most common for these effects to occur in developing and impoverished countries due to unstable conditions and lack of sanitation.

Politically, many countries have large decisions to make as the water around them begins to decrease. Politics around water has become more common in recent year as this issue has skyrocketed and is often called //Hydropolitics.// Due to these hydropolitics, many countries must redistribute their priorities in concern to what little water they have left, from agriculture to industry, or even one state to another. As Ghana’s water resources continue to disappear, they will soon have to decide on if they should cut down on their long-established agriculture to save water. Many governments have similar decisions to make, however there is also the greater risk of the outcome when countries completely run out of water and start depending on others for this basic human right.