1) Introduction
Nowadays, we have created our own world of technology. Convenience and efficiency are catered through it. Yet, the earth, the natural world, seems to rebel against such artificial world, by sending signals of natural crises to us. In this project, we are going to talk about “How people benefit from Water Crisis” surrounding the theme “Crisis and Opportunity”. The water crisis is branched out as two sections, namely water shortage and water pollution.
The amount of water in the world is stable; it just changes its physical forms. Nonetheless, the problem of water shortages still exists. In fact, what we lack is clean water. With rapid advancing of human activities and technology, and unfavorable natural features like uneven distribution of rivers, the water crisis is growingly affecting our lives negatively and takes them at risk. Water is polluted by increasing human activities. Industrial wastes which include heavy metals like mercury and lead, harmful to living things, are illegally dumped into water sources; Sewage is directly deposited into rivers, which normally is a source of clean water. Ultimately, global warming, was elicited by human too, depletes clean water. With changing of climates, some countries face more floods which pollute clean water while other countries face more droughts which cause massive drying out of clean water.
Now, we start worrying about the crisis because water controls our lives tightly as we could not survive without it. On the other hand, people are developing more and more solutions. By approaching the problem optimistically, this ought to turn this crisis into an opportunity so that we and the world can proceed sustainably. Scientists from all around the world have come up with ideas to solve the problem piecemeal.
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2) Literature Review
We used secondary research in this paper as there is simply no way for us to conduct our own research on water crisis. We mainly consulted online websites and read some online books. We also read articles from credible magazines such as National Geographic There is also a website called global water Intelligence which is a Market-Leading website for the analysis of International water industry.
From these sources, we mainly found out that water is very limited around the world and there are people dying from consuming polluted water or simply dehydration. We also found out that the water crisis brought out some new technologies that changed the water pattern of the world.
Have you ever thought of turning water from your basin into drinking water? Some people may think that it is impossible, or even a disaster. However, in Singapore, scientists have developed some methods, which can change waste water into pure water. The reused water is called the “New Water”.
How to purify used water? Used water is collected from residence, companies, and schools, and then it is purified by three steps. First, it undergoes microfiltration. Large particles can be filtered away in this step. Afterwards, it undergoes reverse osmosis. Differentially-permeable membranes are used in reverse osmosis. These membranes contain tiny holes, which can only allow water molecules to pass through, so contaminated substances, such as viruses, bacteria can be removed. Lastly, ultraviolet light is used as a back-up to ensure the remaining micro-organisms were completely killed. This makes “New Water”.
On the other hand, some people might worry that “New Water” was unclean, and thus may affect the health of citizens. However, research conducted, as shown in figure 1 and 2, the level of organic substance and amount of bacteria in “New Water” was much lower than the local reservoir water. Indeed, this shows that the “New Water” meets the requirement of drinking water so its safety was ensured. Compare to the other sources of water, “New Water” is even cleaner. Therefore, it was awarded many global water awards among these years, and this can surely tackle the problem of water shortage without polluting.
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There is another way to tackle water shortage and pollution. Do you know how sailors obtain fresh water when they are on a voyage? They obtain fresh water by changing sea water into drinking water. This method is called desalination.
Sea water accounts for 97% of the world’s water resource. Only the remaining 3% is consumable for humans. In some countries like Saudi Arabia, there is water shortage. They only have a small amount of consumable fresh water. However, they have a large supply of sea water. However the salinity of sea water is four times higher than our body fluids. When we drink salt water, water molecules in our cells will move out of the cell due to osmosis. This net transfer of water may cause our cells to shrink, which may lead to dehydration, and death in serious situations. So how can this modern technology help us to turn this crisis into another opportunity?
Desalination refers to the removal of salt and other minerals of saline water to make it consumable. It has become increasingly popular in recent years due to enhancement in technology. There are two methods for desalination.
The most common type is work by reverse osmosis, which is based on osmosis- the movement of substances from a lower concentration to a higher concentration. It is a membrane-technology filtration and removes salt and minerals by pressurizing the sea water, forcing them to move through the selective membrane. The selective membrane has pores that allow only water particle to pass through, so that salt molecules and other pollutants are trapped behind the membrane. The by-product produced in the process is salt. It creates an economic opportunity.
The process in a desalination plant
Thermal distillation is another way of desalination other than reverse osmosis. It is known as the multi-stage flash distillation. It distillates water by flashing a portion of water into steam in multiple stages and then condense them into portable water.
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Where do we find desalination plant? In Hong Kong, the Water Supplies Department has two desalination plants which use reverse osmosis. The first one is located in Ap Lei Chau and the other one located in Tuen Mun. The government is also planning to build another desalination plant in Tseung Kwan O. There are 100 countries around the world which uses this technology. Saudi Arabia accounts for 25% of the world’s desalination output, with over 2000 desalination plants around the country.
A desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.
Apart from the problem of water pollution and water shortage, water crisis itself can also be an opportunity, if we look at it from another perspective. It can raise global awareness and promote international cooperation. Thus it drives globalization.
Water crisis is a global issue. It cannot be solved by only the cooperation of a few countries; full cooperation from countries all around the world is required. Therefore, some international cooperation was established in order to help countries joining hands to solve water crisis. One of the examples is the World Water Council.
The World Water Council organizes the World Water Forum once every three years. In the forum, representatives from different countries join together and come up with some solutions to solve the water crisis. It includes signing of protocols, reducing pollutants in order to help geographic areas that are facing an immediate water shortage. This can not only help to solve the water crisis, but also create peace among countries.
3) Discussion and Analysis
What are the benefits of using “New Water” instead of local reservoir water? First, it can solve the problem of water shortage. In Singapore, there is not enough water because there are only a few rivers running through this small country, but it is densely populated. Reused water is using the same amount of water many times, so we can have unlimited water source without worrying being used up. Moreover, using “New Water” can help protecting the environment. Waste water cause water pollution, which can contaminate fresh water source; by using “New Water”, water can be reused and it will not cause any further pollution.
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This is beneficial to the environment. Furthermore, “New Water” can boost tourism. In Singapore, the “NEw Water” visitors centre is a new attraction. It attracts tourists to visit as it provides opportunities for them to explore Science and learn more about water. Last but not least, “New Water” can help Singapore to make money, as it can sell this technology to other countries. Some countries, such as, China and Europe has already started using “New Water” instead, as it is purer than local reservoir water. In conclusion, “New Water” is alternate solution, which can change water pollution and shortage into a profitable opportunity.
Now, let us move on to desalination. Some people think that although desalination may seem to be a solution to our current water crisis, it has certain potential implications that cause harm to our environment. Fossil fuels or nuclear power are used in the majority of desalination plants. The burning of fossil fuels releases a large amount of carbon dioxide into the air. The increase in this disastrous greenhouse gas consequently makes global warming worse. Alternatively, but still, nuclear power is dangerous. The radiation leakage in Japan had spread concerns all over the world. Radiation is carcinogenic. People living near the nuclear power plant had to be relocated. It even made Japanese seafood un-consumable. Besides, the food chain is affected since water and soil is polluted by radiation. Furthermore, membrane-technology is expensive.
The production cost of water per meter cube is HK$7.8- HK$8.4. However, the advantages of desalination outweights its costs because it can make water available to areas that have a scarce supply of fresh water. Why Saudi Arabia needs a lot of desalination plant? It is because it is located in a place where there is short supply of water. With desalination, they can change sea water into fresh water. It provides a reliable and sufficient supply of water to the growing communities, which reduces the crisis of water shortage. More people will have a steady supply of water and lives will be saved. People will no longer die from the lackage of water. The costs of human lives are much more important than the costs of desalination.
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Water Crisis in Pakistan Introduction: Water is one of the most important natural resource and the major driving force for any economy. God has blessed Pakistan with abandoned water resources. As a result of this natural resource, today we have the world’s largest irrigation system that irrigates over 16 million hectors of land. Basically we have two major sources of water i.e. surface water & ...
The cost of desalination is only short-term and it can be solved by using renewable energy instead, such as solar energy and wind power. Also, the cost of desalination will be lowered once it is developed and widely used around the world. To sum up, desalination is another effective way to change water crisis into an opportunity.
“A coin has two sides”. Water crisis does not only bring disadvantages, but it is also an opportunity for countries to join together and solve this global issue. This can improve international relationships and bring peace to countries.
On the one hand, some people may argue that water crisis would not bring any peace to countries, but instead it brings conflicts and chaos. Some research show that as water crisis is getting more and more serious, water source becomes a weapon, and it may be a threat to other countries. Therefore, if one country is located at the upper course, while the other is located at the lower course, the one at the upper course can control the flow of water.
However, the establishments of international organizations help to solve this problem together by promoting the saving of water supply and improvement of technology. This can create communication channels and may help to maintain peace in certain countries. For example, the 6th Water Forum held in Marseille, from 12 to 17 March 2012 was a great success. Participants from over 145 countries join this event. They discuss global water problems together. Through debates and in-depth dialogue, they were able to know more about water crisis and many stakeholders commit that they would try their best to conserve water in order to help the needy. This shows that water crisis can raise global awareness and promote international cooperation.
(+ but piecemeal and suggestion) (favourable risk and insight)
4) Conclusion
The water crisis does not have to be devastating. Flipside, there are advantages of it on bringing opportunities to communities, the world and to us. In face with the same problem, people unite and untangle the cluttered yarn of puzzle, mystery and problems. Because of the water crisis, people start organizing Water Forums so that opinions all around are synthesized, analyzed and become a grand solution. Working scientists, assisting each other and aiming at the target, invented ways like the New water and desalination of water.
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‘Even the darkest night will end. And the sun will rise.’ There is always a solution to a problem. However, we could not just rely on the technology to solve this problem but we should also help conserving water and raise the global awareness. To solve the problem entirely we must start from its roots. Take a shower instead of a bath. Don’t leave the water running when you are brushing your teeth. Switch off any dripping taps. This will also decrease your electricity bill and help to build a greener environment where water is plentiful. If we still consume water at a stage like this, we are exploiting resources from our next generations, which doesn’t make the planet sustainable. With the cooperation of everybody, we strongly believe that water crisis will definitely change into an opportunity and the world would be a better place to live in.
5) Reference and Appendices
Asia’s Water Crisis…and Opportunity (No.2 2011) Solutions http://solutions.bv.com/asias-water-crisis-and-opportunity/
Peak Water: Crisis or Opportunity? (Tuesday, December 1, 2009) Carbon Foresight http://carbonforesight.blogspot.hk/2009/12/peak-water-crisis-or-opportunity.html “Turning China’s Water Crisis into Investment Opportunity” Market Brief Water August 2009, New Ventures
http://www.new-ventures.org.cn/sites/default/files/upload/turning_chinas_water_crisis_into_investment_opportunity.pdf “Who profiting from the water crisis”, Issue 452, New Internationalist Magazine
http://www.newint.org/features/2012/05/01/water-crisis-profit-opportunity/ Singapore National water agency
http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/newater/Pages/default.aspx
Graphs: Fig1 and 2
http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/newater/quality/Pages/default.aspx How Desalination works
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/how-does-desalination-work.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/desalination.htm Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination
Fdu Magazine online 2003
http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/03su/desalination.html
The World water Council
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/
“Solving the World Water Crisis Takes International Cooperation”, Suite101 http://suite101.com/article/solving-the-world-water-crisis-takes-international-cooperation-a265088
