5.9

• China's South-North Water Transfer

  • Northern China suffers from water scarcity as the water table has fallen by 300m since 70's + 60% is polluted so reduces the supply of clean water
  • This transfer delivers 25bln m3 of freshwater/year from Yangtze
  • Raised many concerns:
  • economic - expensive + high maintenance cost
  • social - 300,000 will be displaced as water levels have been raised
  • environmental - extracting from the Yangtze may cause further reduction in discharge levels + affect river ecosystems
• Mega dams – aim to collect water for multi-usage including domestic supply, irrigation, HEP, industrial use, recreation. E.g Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River, China, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Narmada River, India

  
  

  Desalination plants – convert saltwater into freshwater through the partial or complete extraction of dissolved solids. Recent breakthroughs in technology (reverse osmosis process) have made desalination more cost effective, less energy intensive and easier to implement on a larger scale.
• Sustainable water management aims to balance economic, social and environmental needs by working with local people to develop projects that work with the natural processes to provide and also conserve water.

  
  

  Smart irrigation – provides crops with a sub-optimal water supply causing mild stress during the crop growth stages when the plant is less sensitive to moisture deficiency, therefore there's no significant reduction in yield.

  
  

  Recycling of water – e.g cleaning waste water and putting it back in the system, taking storm water and using it for irrigation and rainwater harvesting.
• Rainwater Harvesting in Uganda

  • WaterAid have worked in Kitayita where 3,000 people lack access to safe water
  • local builders have been trained to build harvesting jars to collect rainwater from roofs and store water for drier periods
  • benefits the local people as they don't have to travel long distances across difficult terrain to collect water
  • the jars have a long use and provides a stable water source for years
• An integrated drainage basin management approach aims to establish a framework for coordination whereby all administrations and stakeholders involved in river basin planning and management come together to develop an agreed set of policies and strategies that aim to:

  • Encourage cooperation between basin users and players
  • Protect the environmental quality of the river catchment
  • Ensure water is used with maximum efficiency
  • Distribute water equitably between its users.

  An example is The Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement
• International agreements:

  Helsinki Rules on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers is an international guideline regulating how rivers and their connected groundwaters may be used.

  The UNECE Water Convention March 1992 focussed on the joint management and conservation of shared freshwater ecosystems in Europe.

  Berlin Rules on Water Resources superseded the Helsinki rules. They outline international law relating to freshwater resources. There are nine water management principles that apply to all countries including national and internationally shared waters