| Some time ago I wrote a post on what I thought the | | | | water and hope that a new dam will supply the water. |
| next big thing would be. For some years now I have | | | | Of course one hopes that there will be rain to fill the |
| wondered what, after the internet and the mobile | | | | dam. |
| phone, would be the one thing that would capture the | | | | This kind of limiting viewpoint and lack of political |
| imagination and business acumen of the world. My | | | | courage is wide spread. Civil servants are not |
| suggestion in that article on my blog was that the next | | | | prepared to take a chance on new technology in case |
| big thing would be the management of garbage, | | | | this could mean that if the implementation is not |
| mostly actually the disposal of garbage. | | | | successful, they might end up losing their jobs. |
| Reading an article on the BBC online news I have to | | | | One does not know whether the Sudan actually even |
| revise that thought. The next big thing is going to be | | | | considered desalination plants. This is besides the fact |
| water. The article discusses that a huge underground | | | | that it had apparently long been known that there |
| lake has been found in the Sudanese region of Darfur. | | | | were underground lakes in the Darfur area. But the |
| This is the area where some of the worse human | | | | Sudanese government had not wanted to spend the |
| atrocities are happening with some 200 000 people | | | | money on looking for the new water resources. |
| having died and 2m displaced since 2003. | | | | Instead it was prepared to allow a war to happen. I |
| The article further points out that a fair amount of the | | | | suppose the poor farmers did not matter sufficiently. |
| conflict may be attributed to the search for water. The | | | | It does remind one of the films which show the future |
| Arab nomads and the black African farmers are | | | | as wastelands with marauding criminals grabbing |
| fighting over this precious resource in a region where | | | | whatever they can with a small pocket of ethical |
| drought has led to the spread of desert areas with | | | | warriors fighting a losing battle, bring on Arnold |
| farming being reduced to subsistence levels. | | | | Schwarzenegger. Is this what we are heading for? |
| It seems that the deserts have increased by an | | | | Are we facing a fight for scarce resources, which |
| average of 100km over the course of the last 40 | | | | could have been replaced with some foresight and |
| years and almost 12% of forest cover has been lost | | | | planning and possibly some courage shown by |
| over the last 15 years. It is probable that the forests | | | | politicians. As an aside, the stifling of innovative designs |
| have been cut down to provide basic fuel, with other | | | | for motor cars which are not reliant on petrol, springs |
| words firewood. | | | | to mind as another example. |
| It is probably fair to say that climate change has been | | | | Whatever the reasons are that have seen mankind |
| a contributing factor to the dessertification of the area. | | | | sitting back and watching parts of the world turn to |
| However, it would probably also be fair to say that | | | | dessert, it will certainly be something that future |
| mismanagement of existing resources as well as an | | | | generations will regret. Alone what Israel has managed |
| inherent inability to plan for the future could be causes | | | | to achieve in their country, which is not exactly situated |
| as well. Sudan after all touches the ocean. There is | | | | in lush rain forests, provides proof that flourishing |
| plenty of water there. Sure it is salt water. But some | | | | agriculture can be developed in arid countries. |
| really cost-effective desalination processes have been | | | | However, fighting the effects of global warming |
| developed. | | | | requires intelligent thought, planning and follow through. It |
| It is a fairly typical way of approaching the threats | | | | seems that the government of Sudan was unable to |
| facing humanity. It's called sticking ones head in the | | | | do this. The effects of global warming also require a |
| sand. I lived in Cape Town, South Africa during a few | | | | mindset that understands that mankind is capable of |
| years of drought. The area meets its water needs via | | | | extraordinary achievements. It is therefore not |
| dams and reservoirs. During a few years of poor rain | | | | necessary for humans to sit back and allow 'fate' |
| fall, the water levels of dams had fallen to alarming low | | | | dictate that they will be without water and therefore |
| levels. Water was restricted to homes and businesses. | | | | will starve and die of diseases. |
| The city decided it needed another dam, as the | | | | Possibly it was the fact that the Sudanese |
| expansion of Cape Town meant that existing services | | | | government leaders needed to build new palaces and |
| were not coping. On the other hand Cape Town is | | | | buy jets for themselves that stopped them from |
| surrounded by the sea. And in fact in the Western | | | | worrying about water. These important activities took |
| Cape, scientists have developed a new desalination | | | | precedent over such efforts as ensuring that its |
| procedure which reduced the costs per potable liter of | | | | citizens had water. |
| water considerably, and in fact was in terms of price, | | | | Whatever the reason, it wasn't really necessary for |
| fairly competitive with water supplied via dams. | | | | the people of Darfur to have to battle over water |
| The Cape Town city decided against the desalination | | | | resources. Regrettably, I don't think it will be the last |
| plants as it had not been proven to work efficiently | | | | time that the world will disappoint and let down its |
| elsewhere. The city's politicians were not going to go | | | | citizens. And it will also not be the last time that world |
| out on a limb on a new technology. Lets rather ration | | | | citizens will need to fight over water resources. |