Facing the Freshwater Crisis: Peter Rogers (Scientific American. August 2008)

Population increase, rising incomes and consumption, and climate change will increase the demand for water, according to Peter Rodgers. Furthermore, the pollution of existing resources by defective waste disposals, industrial and agricultural discharges, and the infiltration of saltwater into fresh water sources threaten available resources. Rodgers enumerated the potential consequences--"starvation, disease, political instability and even armed conflict" (p. 46).

To assess water demand, Rodgers accepted Malin Falenmark's estimate that a person, on average, required 1,000 cubic meters of water per year "for drinking, hygiene, and growing food for sustenance" (p. 48). Stating the obvious reality that water does not flow where needed and that money determines water consumers, Rodgers acknowledged the inequities in water allocations. The poor and natural ecosystems of flora and fauna often experience unsustainable distributions. Apportioning water between countries, such as the Jordan River within the jurisdictions of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and the Palestinian territories, pose greater challenges than those within country boundaries.

In addition to the macroeconomic forces of population growth and others, water pricing will influence demand, Rodgers claimed. Rodgers advocated raising water prices to encourage conservation by domestic and industrial users. Revenue from rate increase would fund necessary infrastructure maintenance and improvements, reducing water leaks and main breaks. As the largest water user, farmers would need to adopt agricultural efficiencies, such as
lining porous irrigation canals to prevent leaks, creating subsurface reservoirs as water banks for 'just in time' usage, and greater application of drip irrigation systems.

Other suggestions that Rodgers proposed included virtual water contracts, low-water sanitation, and desalination. Rodgers defined virtual water as "the amount of water that is used to produce food or another product and is thus essentially embedded in the item . . a proxy trade remedy" (p. 52). The trade agreement in foodstuffs between Jordan and Israel illustrates this principal. The Gebers Housing Project in Sweden exemplified the extremes of low-water sanitation. In addition to low-flow water fixtures and appliances, "treated urine is used as fertilizer in farming . . . excrement bins are transported to composting sites" (p. 52). Advances in the technology of reverse-osmosis and its processing in coastal areas enables new and more efficient sources of potable water. However, reverse osmosis still demands large energy resources, "so the availability of affordable power is important to significantly expanding its application" (p. 53).

Booz Allen Hamilton, the consultancy, estimated that monetary funding of $1 million per year from now until 2030 will allow nations the resources "for conserving water, maintaining and replacing infrastructure, and constructing sanitation systems" (p. 53). The trend of funding has decreased rather than increased, "investment in water facilities as a percentage of gross domestic product has dropped by half in most countries since the late 1990s" (p. 53). Rodgers envisions progress in water infrastructure improvements from the fast developing countries of China and India.

Rodgers, P. (2008, August). Facing the Freshwater Crisis. Scientific American, 299(2), pp. 46-53.

Suggested reading: Balancing Water for Human and Nature: The new approach in ecohydrology. Water Crisis: Myth or reality. The World's Water 2008-2009, Peter H. Gleick. Water for Food, Water for Life: A comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture.