Lecture Outline - April 13
Water and Rivers
I. The Situation with Water
97 % of the waters of the planet are in the oceans
3 % is Fresh Water
of this 99% is locked up in polar ice, glaciers and in deep, inaccessible aquifers
Thus, only .003% of the planet's water is available for humans, most is difficult to reach
II. A few observations about annual runoff
Humans expropriate 54% of all available freshwater from rivers, lakes, streams, and shallow aquifers. The human intake is expected to rise to 70% within 25 years.
3/4 of this comes from surface waters;
1/4 from aquifers (signs of being depleted in some areas)
Of human water use, 69% is by agriculture, 23% by industry, and 8% municipal use (drinking, bathing, etc.)
III. Global demand for water is rising
Demand for water is doubling about every 21 years
More than 2 billion people lack access to clean water or sanitation
Areas of particular shortage
Middle East
North Africa
Northern China (50 cities face acute water shortages)
Western and Southern India
Sub-sahara Africa
Parts of Mexico
BBC, "Water Scarcity a Looming Crisis"
IV. Looking ahead, within a decade
By 2025 Egypt's water supply per person will shrink by 30%, Nigeria by 40% , and Kenya by 50%
Amount of water available per person will drop by 80% in North Africa and the Middle East
V. The Prevalence of International River Systems
Globally there are 214 river or lake basins that are shared by two or more states
Africa 57
Europe 48
Asia 40
South America 38
North and Central America 33
In 44 countries--80% of total area is within international river basins
Major shared systems
Danube 11 (map)
Niger 10 (map)
Nile 9
Zaire 9
Zambezi 8
Rhine 8
Amazon 7 (map)
Lake Chad 6 (map) (is now 1/10 its original size)
Mekong 6 (map)
Those involving United States (map)
Colorado River
Rio Grande
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River
VI. Conflict over River Systems
A. Tigris/Euphrates Rivers (map)
Currently, 88 million people live in basin, expected to increase to 177 million by 2020
B. Nile River (map)
Sources-- Blue Nile (begins in Ethiopia, and runs though the Sudan)
85% of the water of the Nile
White Nile (begins in equatorial forests of central Africa)
Headwaters in Lake Victoria in Tanzania
Egypt 63 million people (growing at 2.2% a year)
Sudan 28 million (growing at 2.7% a year)
Ethiopia 55 million (growing at 3.0% a year)
C. Jordan River (map)
Israel gets between 50 and 75% of the Jordan River flow, primarily through the National Water Carrier(a huge canal and pipeline that transports water to the south)--can move 11 billion cubic feet annually from the Sea of Galilee to Rosh Haayin near Tel Aviv
D. Amu Darya and Syr Darya and the Shrinking Aral Sea (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan) (map)
Diversion of these rivers has led to the dramatic shrinkage of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea has lost 3/4 of its volume since 1960s
VII. The Helsinki Rules on Sharing River Systems (1966)
Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997)
1. To inform and consult with water-sharing neighbors before taking action that may affect them
2. To exchange hydrological data regularly
3. To avoid causing substantial harm to other water users
4. To allocate water from a shared river basin reasonably and equitably
Factors to be taken into account:
Population
Need
Historical allocation
5. Prevent, reduce, and control pollution
6. Prevent introduction of new or alien species
Another fundamental tenant of international water law
Water within one catchment area should not be diverted outside the area--regardless of the political boundaries--until all need of those within the catchment area are satisfied.