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Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have several hobby horses that I like to trot out on a regular basis. One of those issues that is near and dear to my heart is the accessibility of fresh water to all who live on this planet. I am delighted to say that another small step in bringing affordable, clean drinking water to all peoples has been taken. Read on.
As a graduate student, Italian designer Gabrielle Diamanti's travels exposed him to the global water crisis and the issue became a fascination for him. Fortunately he's been able to use his skills as a designer to create something that could make a big difference for those with little access to clean water. The Eliodomestico is an open source design for what is essentially a solar still, but with thoughtful details to make it even more functional and easy to use for those in coastal areas where salt water is abundant, but fresh water isn't.
Technology doesn't always have to be complicated, sometimes the simplest materials and concepts are the best. The Eliodomestico works like an upside-down coffee percolator to desalinate salt water. The ceramic oven has three main pieces. The top black container is where the salt water is poured. As the sun heats the salt water and creates steam, the pressure that builds pushes the steam through a pipe in the middle section. The steam condenses against the lid of the basin at the bottom and then drips into the basin, where it is collected.
The oven can make about five liters of fresh water a day. The UN refugee agency states that refugees need a minimum of 7 litres per person per day, just to survive. In the arid regions where many of the displaced are forced to seek shelter, they need more. And to ensure minimum standards of health and sanitation, they need 20 litres of water per person each day.
The design can be built for about $50 and although Diamanti used terracotta for his prototypes, local craftsmen can use whatever materials are most abundant where they live. The basin is also designed to be comfortably carried on the head, which is common in sub-Saharan Africa and other places around the world.
Solar still technology is old and not uncommon to find in developing nations, but it's often on a much larger scale, like at hospitals or water desalination plants that serve entire communities. Diamanti wanted to create this open source project so that individual families could have access to the same desalination process in a simple-to-use format.
Water has long been an issue with me. I believe everyone should have reasonable access to fresh, clean water without fear of rape, beatings or worse. Women and female children should not have to walk for miles/hours to find water to bring back to the family. In some countries, men wait by the water for people to collect it. The women and girl children are raped as are some of the male children. If there are any young men, they are severely beaten.
While these packs won't help much with those problems, they will make the collection of water a faster, more efficient, less painful chore. Hopefully, by drawing attention to the lack of clean, fresh drinking water in these countries; and, the dangers involved in collecting it, light will spill over onto the other problems as well.
A partnership between a major industrial packaging manufacturer and a group of social entrepreneurs has produced an innovative product - a water-carrying backpack to help transport clean water safely and with less effort. And one of the best parts is that they cost just $10.
In many parts of the world, the water crisis is an in-your-face daily issue, with lots of time and energy spent just providing the basic water needs of a family.
"The burden of water transport can be huge for women and children in developing countries. The average person needs 8 to 15 liters of water per day; a family of six needs up to 90 liters daily. And in Africa, for example, women walk an average of 3.5 miles each day to get water."
And on top of that, the containers used to transport it (usually a repurposed container) may be responsible for contaminating the water because they aren't designed to store potable water.
The solution, courtesy of a partnership between Greif and Impact Economics, is the WaterWear backpack, a sanitary, collapsible, and easier-to-carry container capable of making a big impact on the lives of those affected by the water crisis. 2000 of the WaterWear packs have been distributed in Haiti, with plans to distribute many more throughout the world, both for disaster relief and daily use.
"The WaterWear™ pack is the lowest cost, ergonomically correct way to manually transport water from source to home. It is the first for purpose designed water transport product that is economically viable for developing economies and disaster relief conditions."
The following video gives an insight into the problems women and children face collecting water.
The WaterWear packs are capable of holding up to 5 gallons of water, can be carried either on the back or on the head, and stand upright for filling.
Find out more about how you can help make these water containers more widely available: Back the Pack.
One of the wind turbines. Photo courtesy: Eole Water
A new concept, that many consider to "cool", being tested in the Abu Dhabi desert uses a wind turbine to condense water from the air and pump it into storage tanks for filtration and purification. The technology was created by Eole Water after its founder, Marc Parent, was inspired by the water he could collect from his air conditioner unit while living in the Caribbean. He began thinking of ways that water could be condensed from air in areas without access to grid power and the wind turbine concept was born.
The 30-kW wind turbine houses and powers the whole system. Air is taken in through vents in the nose cone of the turbine and then heated by a generator to make steam. The steam goes through a cooling compressor that creates moisture which is then condensed and collected. The water produced is sent through pipes down to stainless steel storage tanks where it's filtered and purified.
How the turbine works. Image courtesy: Eole Water
A prototype of the technology has been installed in Abu Dhabi since October and has been capable of producing 500 to 800 liters of clean water a day from the dry desert air. Eole Water says that volume can increase to 1,000 liters a day with a tower-top system. The system requires wind speeds of 15 miles per hour or higher to produce water.
This technology uses a simple process that has been experimented with in a variety of designs, but this is the first powered by a wind turbine. That component makes it able to produce large quantities of clean water in areas that don't have ready access to it without requiring grid power, which makes it especially promising for remote communities and disaster areas. Eole has already landed 12 industrial partners for manufacturing the turbines.
Now, call me a panic monger if you will; but, I have to wonder what kind of effect(s) this will have on the animals and plants that depend on the water in the desert air also.
Most desert species of lizards, skinks, scorpions and the like get their water requirements filled from the food they eat and/or drinking the tiny amounts of water that condense on plants overnight. If the turbines take the moisture out of the air before it condenses on the plants, there may no longer be enough moisture left in the air to support these fragile ecosystems as they are now. Then what happens?
The difficulty I have with all these projects is that distract people away from the only true, sustainable course of action. The way to clean water is to spend this money on upgrading sewer systems; putting "pitbull" aggressiveness and teeth into upholding environmental laws; beginning a massive cleanup of our rivers, beaches and oceans; immediate outlawing of all toxic chemicals; a world-wide massive clean-up of our environment...or...surely, we will spiral out of existance due to our own short-shighted idiocy.
Keeping water restrictions forefront in the public's mind even comes by way of bus advertisement. Photo courtesy: Bonnie Alter
I was sitting in my livingroom this afternoon watching the tradesperson power wash my balcony. Our complex has chosen to clean up the building and remove algal growth by the use of highly-pressurized water. As I watched the copious amounts of water being used drain off the balcony, I realized our complex had used enough water to supply a small village for one year for this one single purpose.
How totally wasteful when other countries are suffering through droughts with barely enough clean drinking water to satisfy the peoples' thirst.
It's the driest spring since 1976 and the south east part of England is under watering restrictions. They will affect 20 million people and there is a £1,000 ($1,500) fine for flouting the rules.
The cause is two years of very low rainfall and unseasonably dry weather. Reservoirs are well below normal levels and some tributaries of the Thames River have been reduced to mere trickles.
Water is precious and we should all be trying to use less of it in everyday life. During the last drought there was a 10% reduction in demand for water, so people can do it. The funny thing about the ban is that the restrictions are things that we should be doing all the time, not just during a drought.
For example, using grey water, which is recycled household water, to water plants.
One way around water restrictions is to collect rain water in a rain barrel or butt. Photo courtesy: crocus
--Getting a rainwater barrel (called butts in the UK) for the garden and collecting rain water in it. This can then be used to water plants. In fact, many people are doing this--so far three times the amount sold last year have already been snatched up by eager gardeners. Rain water is actually healthier for your plants than tap water as it does not have all the additives we put in our drinking water.
--Use a watering can to water plants: double the number of these have also been sold to date.
--Using a trickle irrigation system in the garden--they release the water gradually and are more efficient. Trickle irrigation systems can use approx. 50% less water than traditional irrigation systems.
--No filling the wading pool with a hose, although buckets of water are allowed.
--No filling up the swimming pool either.
--Washing your car with a bucket and elbow grease, not with the hose.
So how bad is it to use a hose? Apparently "hosepipes typically use 225 litres in 15 minutes – that's 900 litres in an hour. When used they tend to be left on for long periods of time, so a hosepipe ban is seen as a relatively effective way to cut down on excessive water usage."
The Trafalgar Square fountain. Photo courtesy: Mike Fleming
The glorious fountain in Trafalgar Square is going to be switched off as part of the ban. So will 29 other fountains in the London area. But not the Diana Memorial Fountain as it has its own borehole supply.
But even if everyone behaved and followed the ban, the problem would not be solved. Despite the best intentions, the real issue is the water companies: they lose 3.36 billion litres of water a day in leaks. If the leaks were fixed there would be more than enough water. Thames Water was the worst; losing more than 600 million litres a day.
The ban is crucial to saving wildlife which has suffered since the winter in some areas. One official explained "This hosepipe ban is an essential part of dealing with a crisis which could be devastating for wildlife in our countryside. Reducing demand now will help keep more water in the environment, keeping rivers flowing for longer and protecting their precious wildlife."
As for enforcing the ban...the seven water companies have said that they won't be because they've "got better things to do with our money, like fixing leaks."
What an absolutely breathtaking city! The capital city of Sana’a in Yemen is an extremely ancient city filled with history, home to architecture that shouts of times gone by; and, quite probably will be the first capital city to die of thirst.
The nation of Yemen has been under siege from an on-going drought for many years now. A short time ago, I wrote about the water riots in Yemen and the drought in Kenya. Now it would appear that the capital city, Sana’a, could become a ghost town in a mere 20 years.
A recent Reuters' investigation into the water crisis in Sana’a profiled a Yemeni water trader that complains that even though his well is 1,300 ft. deep, he’s hardly pumping out any water at all. His well is not unique in Yemen’s mountain-top capital of Sana’a. Even wells that are 2,000 ft. or 3,000 ft. deep are having trouble producing enough water to supply the demands made upon them.
Families all across Yemen have reported being unable to access water for days or even weeks. On days the tankers are due to arrive with water, women are lined up with plastic jerry cans hours before the scheduled time. As the tankers get closer, the women begin to jostle and shove. Some of them have been without water for days; and, they are determined to get water this time. Sometimes all-out fights erupt and three people have been reported to have lost their lives during “water fights” to date.
Sana’a has the infrastructure to support approximately 80,000 people; but, the population has grown to 2 million. Add to this that Sana’a is a mountainous city with a low water table; and, you have the recipe for a ghost town.
Yemen has 21 aquifers. Wikipedia explains: “An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The beach provides a model to help visualize an aquifer. If a hole is dug into the sand, very wet or saturated sand will be located at a shallow depth. This hole is a crude well, the wet sand represents an aquifer, and the level to which the water rises in this hole represents the water table.”
The problem in Yemen and surrounding areas is that demand is far outstripping supply and the water table is being lowered year after year. Eventually, the water table will be so low that the tiny amount of water remaining will be inaccessible.
Global warming has already created the first “environmental refugees”, now with the water crisis in Yemen; the world may have to deal with the first “water refugees”. As water becomes more and more inaccessible in Sana’a and other highland cities, millions of inhabitants will be forced to move into neighbouring Gulf States or Europe.
At the heart of this crisis is what many refer to as Yemen’s “national drug habit”.
The cultivation of qat (khat) is considered to be root of the water crisis. Qat production siphons off a massive 37% of the 90% of all water used in Yemen for cultivation. Let’s think about these statistics.
If 90% of all water used in Yemen goes toward agriculture; that, leaves only 10% of the water for human consumption, cleaning, cooking, hygiene and everything else. So, the cultivation of qat (a narcotic) is allocated nearly 4 times more water than Yemen’s human population. That does not say much for priorities.
Qat is immensely popular in Yemen and is chewed by Yemeni men throughout most of the day regardless of where they are or what they are doing. Despite the fact that qat contains the alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant which causes excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria, it is not only legal in Yemen; it is socially acceptable. It is chewed everywhere – at home, at work, on the street, at social gatherings, anywhere at all. In some cultures, the chewing of qat predates the drinking of coffee.
There are several obstacles to reducing or eliminating the qat crops. First and foremost, the government subsidizes and encourages qat cultivation. It is hard for the people to believe a crisis is real when the government is encouraging the growth of what is supposed to be the main cause of the problem.
Combine this with the fact that many Yemeni make a living from growing qat; and, the problem becomes even greater. How do you ask a man to give up the job that feeds his family?
The final difficulty is the feelings surrounding qat and the lackadaisical attitude many Yemeni have towards water and water conservation. As one qat merchant told Reuters, "It's true that qat uses much of our water; but, Yemen cannot live without qat." Another said, "We depend on qat. Without it, Yemen is impossible. God will help us find new water."
Many Western governments fear that the instability that would arise from an exacerbated water crisis would not only be devastating to the population in Yemen; but, make it a ripe target for terrorist recruitment.
The population of Yemen stands at 23 million people; and, the population is expected to double within the next 20 years. If no sustainable way to manage their remaining water supply is found, there will be massive repercussions. The area will become unstable with violent conflicts over what little water remains. The Northern provinces have already experienced conflicts over the dwindling water supplies.
If the residents of Sana’a and other hilltop cities have to migrate into the Gulf States and Europe in order to gain access to water, these countries could become overburdened with the huge influx of people in such a short amount of time.
If not properly managed, this could be one of the world’s most challenging crises to date.
Excellent, excellent video explaining the water shortage in Yemen, the misuse of the water that is available; and, the problems of supplying the people with clean, drinkable water. Definitely worth watching.
Istanbul is home to the World Water Forum 2009 to address the ever-increasing water crisis. In just 21 short years (2030) one-half of the world’s population (approx. 4 billion people) will be living in areas of “acute water shortage”. In response to this finding issued in a report by the UN last week, 120 countries have convened in Istanbul in an attempt to ensure an adequate water supply worldwide and prevent wars breaking out over water resources.
Already there are growing tensions and small skirmishes between many countries fighting over rivers, lakes and glaciers. If these issues are not addressed now; we will stand no chance of addressing them later. We must make provisions now to ensure that the water-deprived areas will be provided for during future crises.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who attended the meeting, said that water scarcity is a "potent fuel for wars and conflict," according to Reuters. Today there are 1 billion people living without access to safe drinking water and sanitation and the situation will only get bleaker. Wars and conflict don’t seem so fantastic when you ask yourself the question, “How far would I go to ensure my child(ren) had sufficient safe water to drink?"
A particularly striking example of just how far people are willing to go is the Sudan, where water shortages are one of the underlying causes of the Darfur crisis. The issue is very complex; but, the combination of decades of drought, desertification, and overpopulation are among the causes of the conflict.
Water is also a major issue between Israel and its Arab neighbors; and, the states of Central Asia. Here it is a case of one of the world's driest places, trying to grow thirsty crops (cotton and grain) as their main source of livelihood.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan has asked the World Water Forum to intercede in its dispute with Kyrgyzstan.
These cases – being played out on the world stage - will set the tone for years to come on how effective dialogue and moderation will be considered by the “dry” nations; and, consequently how willing they will be to participate in them. The dry nations, of course, have the most to lose.
By 2050, our population will have increased by 2.5 billion souls for a total of 9.1 billion of us swarming over the planet. Unfortunately, most of these births will be in countries that have problems with water shortages/scarcity already. Adding more demands to a system that cannot handle the present demands is just adding fuel to the fire. As these dryland populations increase alleviating poverty and hunger will become exponentially more difficult.
News of what specific action will be taken by the council remains vague — Reuters offers only this report:
"The heads of state, environment and development ministers, scientists and development organizations hope to draw up a list of recommendations to help safeguard water resources and to share experiences where projects have been successful."
This is a massive first step towards addressing this goliath of an issue – recognizing the coming water shortage and engaging 120 countries (and counting, hopefully) in dialogue regarding the handling of the situation.
Let’s hope it is not too little, too late. The talks take place March 16-22, 2009. Also on the agenda will be discussions on how to avert catastrophic floods and droughts as climate patterns change; and, how the global financial crisis threatens to hit large-scale water infrastructure projects with the next several years.
I'm fortunate to have several passions in my life. I am absolutely an eco-nut. I am always trying to find new ways to reduce, reuse, recycle. We, as a species, have done more harm to this planet in the short time we have been here, than any other catastrophe or happening ever has. It's up to us to fix it.
I care about the environment whether it is as small as a single cell or as large as the universe.
I adore creativity and think we can all do more with much less. This earth has enough resources for us all to live comfortably if we all learn to share. Wasn't that a lesson we were supposed to learn in kindergarten?
I also love the bizarre, unusual, the weird and the strange. Be prepared for the odd "different" blog.
Solar oven being tended by owner. Photo courtesy: © Gabriele Diamanti
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