“To some countries, saving water loss is a nice-to-have green idea,” says Chris de wet Steyn, a local expert on water wastage. “In a country like South Africa, it is not just a question of leaving a green footprint for future generations, it is an essential component of our being able to survive and thrive!”

According to a recent report in The Mercury nearly half of all of tap water in SA is being stolen, wasted or simply leaking away every year. Record-keeping and water-metering is so shoddy that some municipalities don’t even know how much water they are using, according to the new WRC report, the most comprehensive study to date on national tap water use. The report’s compilers, WRP Consulting Engineers, based the data on 132 of the country’s 237 municipalities and fear the true figure could be as high as 47.7 percent. De wet Steyn, who has been engaging with both the private sector and all three tiers of the public sector for three years while working with his Australian developmental partners, believes that their company, Aquatrip, has developed the best mechanism in the world to save on water wastage.

The Aquatrip monitors the flow of water into a property and in the event of a burst geyser, pipes, taps left running, dripping toilet cisterns, urinal’s and vandalism the Aquatrip will automatically switch off the water. The Aquatrip will protect the entire plumbing system and we have different products to suit most properties.

“The Earth’s water resource is finite. There has been no water added or lost to the planet for almost 4 billion years. While its form may change, from seawater to ice to clouds to ground and underground water, the total volume of the planet’s water never changes,” says De wet Steyn. That is why it is essential for mankind to manage the resource as best it can, he adds.

The report estimates that 36.8 percent of municipal water (worth more than R7-billion) can be classified as “non-revenue water.” This term includes water that leaks out of broken pipes and also water that is not paid for (but excludes the government’s free basic water allowance). But, warn the authors, the true figure could be as high as 47.7 percent because of the massive volume of unpaid water bills written off as bad debts.

The WRC report, compiled by Ronnie McKenzie, Zama Siqalaba and William Wegelin, of WRP Consulting Engineers, covers water usage to the end of the 2010 financial year. While they accept that SA’s nonrevenue water use is similar to the world average, such losses are unacceptable in a water-scarce country, they say.

“Levels of payment are very low in some parts of the country and this inadvertently has a major influence on the non-revenue water, since there is little incentive to save water when the user has no intention of paying for it,” says the report. Few municipalities set targets to reduce water losses, it adds.

“The lack of information from 55 percent of the municipalities indicates that more than half of the country’s municipalities are not even aware they have a problem,” warns the report. It says the worst offenders are rural municipalities. In several areas the researchers found that water reticulation systems had reached the end of their design life, with burst pipes now a common phenomenon. As one of the driest nations in the world, decisive action and stronger political will was needed to solve the problem and avert a “potential water crisis.” Aquatrip’s Chris de wet Steyn, who has been in constant engagement with politicians, believes that there is political will and understanding of the problem.
“We’ve found that, while politicians and government officials understand the problem and would like to address it,” says De wet Steyn, “they believe that any solutions would be high-tech and expensive.” He says that while Aquatrip’s developmental team have found that, unlike in Australia, the SA market has a much lower capacity to fund water-saving solutions.

While both countries share the situation whereby the appetite for consumption grows while there is no source of additional supply, “saving on the massive losses becomes the only solution.” DeWet Steyn says that the desire for a low-tech solution in SA had driven the Australians to simplify their products without reducing the efficacy. “So, in effect, Australia has benefited from the SA side of development,” he says.
The products are now in production and available in both countries –and worldwide patents are being finalised as production ramps up. “We
are even considering moving production from China to the Eastern Cape,” says De wet Steyn, “where discussions to this effect are underway.

WRP Consulting Engineers acknowledge that all water systems around the world leak and it is not possible to eliminate leaking or revenue losses completely. The highest volumes are lost in large cities and towns, which collectively accounted for about 85 percent of tap water use.
Among the large SA cities, Cape Town’s non-revenue water losses were lowest at 25 percent, followed by Tshwane (Pretoria) at 26.5 percent,
Durban at 37.5 percent and Joburg at 38.2 percent. At the high end, in Pietermaritzburg for example, the loss was 63 percent, while Ladysmith and Estcourt both reported losses of 68 percent

“Metering, billing and cost recovery is a major problem area that requires attention. Training of councillors, as well as financial and technical
personnel, is also needed,” said the report. During his State of the Nation address in 2010, the report noted, President Jacob Zuma set a
target to halve water losses by 2014. This was unlikely to happen, however, and there were signals that the volume of water loss was increasing yearly. Part of the problem was that many RDP houses and informal settlements had no water meters. Even once these settlements have been completed, says De wet Steyn, the matter of who should be billed for consumption becomes problematic due to political or administrative will and leadership to ensure that the proper processes are followed.

It is precisely this unique problem that Aquatrip’s products have been developed to respond to, says De Wet Steyn. They meet all the human
rights issues of providing some water to all – while restricting the amount that can be used by those who do not pay for it. For example, says the report, the City of Tshwane (Pretoria) had installed bulk meters in newly-developed areas and then simply sends the bulk water bill to the Department of Human Settlements for payment. Yet there is no standard policy for dealing with this issue in SA and many municipalities constantly at odds with their residents. “We have worked extensively with local, provincial and national authorities to be able to develop products to respond to this problem, says De Wet Steyn. The WRC’s report said the total percentage of non-revenue water seemed to be increasing every year, while paid-for water volumes remained static. This is “of major concern as it raises doubts regarding the long-term sustainability of water services throughout SA,” says the report.

And that, says Chris de wet Steyn, is why so many politicians and government officials assisted in the development of the new device. And, with it having been developed to suit their exact needs in such a unique manner, says Chris de wet Steyn, “that is why local authorities are showing so much interest in Aquatrip.”

Essentially, the product detects water leaks and excess consumption, cuts off the supply and alerts maintenance staff who can act to repair leaks.
The system is also programmable to restrict daily water use – ideal for local authorities who previously were unable to restrict non-paying users
to the required minimum amount of water. It also ensures that careless tenants can’t waste water negligently saddling the property owner with a
huge bill. All AquaTrip products are SABS approved, and have Water Mark Certification.

In Sustainable Water Jobs: A National Assessment of Water-Related Green Jobs, Pacific Institute researchers identify “136 different kinds of jobs involved in implmenting sustainable water strategies, from plumbers to landscapers, engineers to water irrigation specialists.”

“There is great potential for partnerships between labor, business, water experts, community organizations, and policy makers to design projects and policy that are a win-win for jobs and for water improvements,” the Pacific Institute’s Eli Moore was quoted in a press release. “Such partnerships can align worker training and certification with industry and community needs and design policy that maximizes creation of high quality jobs.”

Sustainable water, green jobs and social equity

The Pacific Institute study determined that 10-15 jobs are created by investing $1 million in alternative water supply projects; 5-20 new green jobs are created from a $1 million investment in storm water management; 12-22 jobs by investing same in urban conservation and efficiency; 14.6 jobs from agricultural efficiency and quality; and 10-72 new green jobs from a $1 million investment in restoration and remediation.

Also well worth noting among the report’s conclusions is the potential impact of sustainable water partnerships and investments on the wide range of green job opportunities that can be created, investments that can address what’s become a particularly troubling issue in the U.S.: socioeconomic equity.

“This research indicates that water policy can expand demand for workers without bachelors or advanced degrees if occupational training programs and pathways to jobs are created,” Moore elaborated. “However, the occupations with median wages below the national median demonstrate that measures to improve job quality must also be a priority.”

“It’s key to include local hiring and minority hiring requirements and incentives that increase contracting and hiring with individuals from local and disadvantaged communities,” he continued. “Water utilities, state water agencies, and planning departments should consider job quality, training, and targeted hiring as an integral component of sustainable water project design and implementation.”

“Federal mandates that require water improvements and promote green strategies – such as the recent storm water guidelines and green reserve programs in State Revolving Funds – work to meet anticipated water resource needs in ways that improve, rather than ignore, social equity, ecological conditions, and long-term sustainability of human-ecological systems. They also make labor demand more predictable and allow for more effective planning of green jobs programs,”

“By 2025, 1.8-billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity,” Gadonneix said. ‘The energywater-food nexus is an important issue that will be addressed in WEC’s future work.”

The WEC report, “Water for Energy 2010”, notes that today, almost 14% of the world’s population lives in Africa, consuming not even 6% of the total freshwater annually.

African countries, on average, consume less water per capita than countries in other regions of the world. As a country progresses, such as in the case of Egypt, Libya, South Africa and Tunisia, the per capita amount of water withdrawn annually increases.

However, the report indicates that though Africa has a low share of the world’s total primary energy production (9% in 2005, estimated at 8% in 2050), the water used to produce and generate energy accounts for more than one-third of the water consumed in the energy sector worldwide.

“This is mainly due to a relatively high share, about 25%, of traditional biomass in Africa’s energy mix.”

Legislation and policy to ensure adequate water for energy are in place in South Africa and other more developed African countries, but the challenge lies in implementation and enforcement.

“To reduce the risk of water availability for energy, attention must therefore be paid to water use by agriculture (unlawful irrigation and inefficient water use), water conservation and demand management in the domestic sector, inefficient operation and maintenance of municipal sewerage plants resulting in water quality impacts, as well as the discharge of polluted mine water from old and existing coal and gold mines,” the WEC report says.

“Water is a critical resource for the world,” says Carlos Pone, chief executive of ABB South Africa. “ABB is committed to providing solutions to help manage its usage and treatment more effectively.”

ABB has a wide range of solutions for the water sector, including integrated and optimised instrumentation, control and electrical systems, as well as a range of power and automation products that improve the energy efficiency, productivity and reliability of the water network, desalination and treatment-plant assets.

ABB is involved in many innovative water solutions. For example, it is using its award-winning System 800xA Extended Automation platform to control a unique sand dune water filtration process for a leading Netherlands water company.

This eco-friendly production process uses coastal sand dunes to purify river water into drinking water for 1.2 million people. In South Africa ABB is committed to water conservation in its operations.

Its new energy-efficient head office, manufacturing and logistics centre in Longmeadow, Johannesburg, uses water efficiently. Rainwater harvesting feeds the indigenous gardens.

A grey-water recycling system further conserves water. Solar energy is used extensively to heat water, thus minimising its carbon footprint.

This article was edited by Alive2green 

Article Source: http://mg.co.za/article/2010-11-10-sustainable-water-solutions

That is why the determination by the legislature, as part of the Clean Water Legacy Act, to request that the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center construct a water framework describing what needs to be accomplished and how to get it done was a positive step.

In their evaluation of the status of water in Minnesota, Framework authors describe the significant improvement in water quality that has occurred since passage of the clean water act in 1972. Unfortunately, they further note that some 40 percent of water nationally and in Minnesota remains polluted.

Even with the best efforts of regulators, the public, industry, agriculture, and others, we are still confronted with sediment loads that choke rivers and lakes, nitrogen and phosphorus overloads that produce toxic algae blooms and contribute to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, mercury pollution that restricts our use of fish, pharmaceuticals from human and animal waste, and increasing threats from new and emerging chemicals. We also are finding drinking water aquifers contaminated and depleted, agricultural chemicals are present in quantities that restrict water use.

The Frameworks authors suggest these steps are mandatory if we are to achieve water sustainability:

“Protect and restore water quantity and quality through comprehensive, integrated, and informed management and policy:

• Revise water appropriations permitting, and model the state’s water balance.

• Comply with water quality standards through implementation plans for reducing pollutants and bring farmers to the table to be part of this solution.

• Address future contaminants.

• Address the interconnected nature of water by integrating and aligning planning and policies;

• Integrate water and land use planning.

• Align water energy, land and transportation policies for sustainability.”

These need to be developed within the following recommended principles:

• Protect, maintain, and restore the biological, chemical, and physical health of the nations water resources.

• Provide resiliency to our ecosystems, our communities, and our economies.

• Increase our understanding of our state water balance and the eprocesses and stressors affecting it to provide for improved decision making.

• Improve our capacity for water mangement that can adapt to new knowledge, changing biogeochemical systems, and long-term challenges.

• Encourage sustainable, conservation-minded land use practices.

• Recognize and honor our many uses of water, including recreational, cultural, and spiritual values.

• Preserve our water-rich heritage and ensure our future legacy as national and international water stewards.

• Provide for a lasting foundation to achieve and maintain sustainable water management.

These ends are achievable. But we need to involve people from all walks of life and lifestyles. We need to make it clear to elected and appointed officials that these are the goals of the people of Minnesota. We cannot tolerate any longer the kinds of excuses that delay our efforts to protect water. Arguments that fiscal issues do not permit conservation and protection need to understand that saving money for the future does not matter if what is left for the future is a devastated water resource.Those who would abuse this resource need to understand that their acts are not acceptable. We need to remember that we all play a part in the problem and have to be part of the solution, singling out one industry or user is not productive in the long term.

Most of the recommendations in this plan are achievable by Minnesotans, within Minnesota, some require regional or nation actions, but they all start here.

This article was edited by Alive2green
Article Source: http://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/water-sustainability-is-an-achievable-goal/article_1d3d7e48-1826-5d4d-9490-6436cf8401e7.html

Spiralling demand for water, shrinking water supplies and a warming climate has the job of water manager in the US a suitable feature for NBC reality show America’s Toughest Jobs. The epicentre of course is the water-strapped Colorado River Basin, which spans seven states and is the source of water for 35 million people.

A federal study released last month outlined the enormity of the basin’s water supply gap and the complexities of solving it, whether with fanciful and expensive new supply projects or less glitzy water demand management.

I have a strong bias toward the less glitzy, and our new report, Water Ripples: Expanding Water Risk for US Water Providers, explains why. It also explains why silver bullets, such as a 600-mile pipeline from the Missouri River, could have dire financial impacts, especially on local water users and investors who would bear the burden of such projects.

A Bureau of Reclamation study found that within 50 years, the Colorado Basin’s annual water deficit is likely to reach 3.5m acre-feet (152,460 cubic feet). That’s nearly 25% more than the river’s forecasted annual flow, factoring in climate change, which is expected to diminish river flows.

The study lists dozens of options for supplementing basin supplies, including water desalination plants, towing an iceberg wrapped in plastic to California and various new pipelines.

There are numerous reasons why these big project solutions, many costing more than $1bn, are risky. The biggest problem is paying for them.

A problem with water infrastructure and debt

Like the rest of the country, western water projects are typically financed by issuing bonds that cover a project’s upfront costs. The subsequent debt – and interest costs – are then repaid to bond-holding investors using revenues the water utilities generate by selling the water.

This arrangement was relatively painless years ago when the federal government paid for the vast majority of water infrastructure projects. But those days are over; federal funds have largely dried up. That means water utilities are assuming far larger debt obligations to finance new pipelines, reservoirs and other infrastructure. And that means they need to sell more and more water – and at higher rates – to repay those debts.

And therein lies the rub. Water demand is falling in many parts of the country. Between the 1970s and the late 2000s, the amount of water used by American households fell everywhere, by tens of thousands of gallons each year in Louisville, Kentucky, to nearly 100,000 gallons a year per household in Las Vegas. The trend is due to wide-ranging factors, including smaller households, water-efficient indoor fixtures, conservation programs, and even the protracted economic slowdown that devastated housing markets, especially in the western US.

Whatever the cause, declining demand has surprised US water systems and created complex financial challenges.

Most water systems‘ revenues are highly dependent on volumetric water sales – sales that mostly represent outdoor water use. One of the biggest water hogs is lawn grass, which accounts for as much as 80% of summer water sales in the west. If those sales evaporate, systems have to find another way of replacing that revenue to make good on the debt obligations that built their systems.

To offset declining household demand, many water systems turned to connection fees paid for new houses that were added to the system. But when the housing market stalled, that lucrative revenue source plummeted – most precipitously in Las Vegas which saw its water connection fees from new housing starts fall to $3m in 2010 from a peak of $188m during the housing boom. As a result, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is now allowing customers to replant the lawns they once paid them to tear up, a short-term revenue fix that only contributes to the region’s dire supply shortage.

A love affair with grass

Our love affair with grass was stoked by dirt-cheap water prices that were only financially feasible when the federal government footed the bill for big pipeline projects. Now that local communities are paying for these projects, the question is: how much do westerners really want to pay to keep their lawns green in August?

In the case of the Colorado River Basin, this dynamic also begs the question: how necessary are some of these hugely expensive new projects? And if they are built, will there be enough water sales and revenues to support the debt payments?

For those thinking such scenarios are implausible, take a look at the Las Vegas Valley water district, where nearly $2bn of bond debt was downgraded last year due to a double whammy of declining water sales and emergency supply expenses to finance a new water intake pipe from water-deprived Lake Mead.

Or Colorado Springs, whose water system was placed on a credit watch for a possible downgrade (lower bond ratings mean higher borrowing costs) in light of slow economic recovery and a nearly $1.5bn capital program to build its own big pipeline, which will pump water from a tributary of the Mississippi River.

Water use chart

Government statistics released by Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa show that more than 50 percent of purified pipe water supplies go to waste in most KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, largely from burst pipes and leakages, thefts or other unauthorised use.

The KZN area loses close to 50 percent of its purified water through pipe leaks, theft, neglect and wasteful use.

In the Newcastle area, 76 percent of treated municipal water supplies is “non-revenue water”, while more than 65 percent of treated water in three other municipalities is also leaking away or used illegally.

Although the percentage of non-revenue water in eThekwini is considerably lower at 36.8 percent, the Durban area nevertheless accounts for the largest waste by volume (9 million kilolitres a month).

Adding to the problem is the shortage of dedicated government inspectors to police and prosecute offenders who steal, pollute or waste untreated water supplies in rivers, dams and lakes.

The Blue Scorpions, the special government unit set up to protect our scarce water resources, is woefully understaffed and did not lay a single criminal charge against water thieves and polluters last year, according to a new report by the Centre for Environmental Rights.

Many irrigation farmers, large companies and municipalities also found it cheaper to risk a small fine than to comply with water laws in a country ranked as the 30th driest nation in the world.

The report, “Stop Treading Water”, says there are between 14 and 21 specialist members of the Blue Scorpions dealing full-time with a wide variety of water law violations.

Last year, the Blue Scorpions were asked to investigate more than 100 alleged violations by farmers, mining companies, industries and municipalities, but did not lay any criminal charges between April and December 2011.

By contrast, the Green Scorpions special environmental management inspectorate has 1 076 inspectors and opened 738 criminal dockets in 2010/2011.

Centre for Environmental Rights director Melissa Fourie, a lawyer who used to be in charge of the Green Scorpions, said the government needed to intervene urgently to appoint a senior “water champion” and make the Blue Scorpions a force to be reckoned with.

It should also jack up criminal penalties for water law offenders and roll out a more visible campaign to discourage illegal water use and pollution.

Rather than relying solely on prosecuting offenders in court, it should consider introducing a new system of hefty administrative fines.

Fourie said there was a trend in industrialised nations away from criminal prosecution and towards civil and administrative penalties which had improved compliance considerably.

The National Business Initiative also warned recently that many top SA companies were “not sufficiently aware” about water scarcity.

Chief executive Joanne Ya-witch said the results of the first voluntary Water Disclosure Report raised serious questions on whether major companies were aware of the full value and importance of clean and abundant water to the future of their business.

Less than 70 percent of companies had long-term water management policies in place and only two which responded had set absolute targets to reduce their water consumption.

Simon Scruton of the eThekwini water department said the current figure for non-revenue water was 33 percent.

“The best water utilities in the world struggle to get non-revenue water below 15 percent,” he said.

By comparison, the non-revenue figure for London and Sao Paolo was about 30 percent.

An analysis of eThekwini’s water usage suggests that of 314 million kilolitres bought last year, 66 percent was treated as authorised consumption, while more than 8 percent was classified as water losses due to illegal consumption or metering inaccuracies. The real losses of 23.8 percent were due to leaks in the municipal system.

The majority of unauthorised use was from 40 000 illegal domestic water connections and the city was still offering an amnesty to these illegal users to reconnect legally at a cost of R250

This article was edited by Alive2green

Article Source: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/9-million-kilolitres-of-water-wasted-1.1332098#.UPz3zKG4Fbt

The Summit brought together policymakers, scientists, experts and business executives in order to promote water sustainability in arid regions, and to tackle the urgent water and wastewater challenges they are facing — including the water energy nexus that is gaining prominence on the international agenda.

The Director-General participated in a 1-2-1 interview session on “The Role of Water in Sustainable Growth”, together with Mr. Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, Chairman Qatar National Food Security Programme. The interview, conducted by Mr. Bert Diphoorn, UN-Water vice chair, shed light on international water strategy and policy and the effectiveness of collaboration to achieve water sustainability and to meet global demand for potable water, as well as on the role of the water-food-energy nexus in sustainable growth.

UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, and H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, January 2013

“There can be no development without water, and no sustainable development without sustainable water management” declared the Director-General.

She called for “a global compact on sustainable and more integrated water management”, emphasizing that “water cooperation is one of the keys for water sustainability”. “The ultimate goal of cooperation is to develop a shared vision of sustainable water resources management as being at the heart of sustainable development”, said Irina Bokova.

UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, and Mr. Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, Chairman Qatar National Food Security Programme, at the International Water Summit, Abu Dhabi, January 2013

The Director-General also noted that “the emphasis on the link between water and energy in the two parallel summits is highly consistent with the emphasis UNESCO places on clean and renewable energy, on fresh water, and on the nexus between the two critical components of sustainable development and green growth”.

Discussions continued in the evening at the reception hosted by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in honor of the Director-General.

This article was edited by Alive2green

Article Source: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/i_bokova_there_can_be_no_sustainable_development_without_sustainable_water_management/

Today, the vast majority of these systems are defunct, for lack of use and maintenance. University of California, Berkeley Professor Ashok Gadgil’s water group has invented and developed ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation (ECAR), designed to provide locally affordable, arsenic-safe water at the community level. The sustainable water treatment process relies on the generation of electro-coagulated iron oxides with a strong adsorption affinity for arsenic. In order to sustainably reach the poor in rural settings, a safe water technology must:

• Be robust in difficult field conditions
• Require a minimal supply chain
• Have a mechanism for cost recovery
• Have a good social embedding

ECAR has been designed with all of these challenges in mind. The operating costs of ECAR are low enough (approximately 0.4 cents/L including operation, maintenance and amortization of capital) that it is possible to sell water at a locally affordable price while recovering costs. My research builds on this work to bring two additions to the present technology: (1) a study of the simultaneous removal of arsenic and pathogens from water using iron electro-coagulation; (2) a better understanding of the distribution strategies to maximize the impact of ECAR in the field.

An ECAR 600 L prototype tested at Jadavpur University, Kolkata

The first aspect of my research calls upon water engineering in order to address multiple aspects of water contamination simultaneously. Microbial contamination of drinking water can cause severe diarrheal diseases and puts primarily young children at risk. In my PhD research, I investigate the mechanisms through which electro-coagulated iron oxides produced with ECAR can remove and/or inactivate microbes.

The distribution model envisioned for ECAR-treated water is one of micro-utilities selling and delivering water to households. Cost-recovery through water pricing is necessary to reach the scale of 60 million people and to achieve sustainability.

This distribution model is made possible by the very low operating costs of ECAR. However, while affordability is necessary to achieve sustained impact, it doesn’t guarantee it — social acceptance is also essential. Specifically, the distribution model envisioned for ECAR comes with a significant social challenge, as it requires moderate behavior change from future consumers. In the Bengal Basin, communities are not used to purchasing water. Water gets pumped from individual wells and owning a well is a source of pride and social recognition for a household. Micro water utilities, although providing a solution to a public health threat, may disrupt the cultural relationships of communities with water. It will be a challenge to create new norms given the current relationship of residents to water.

Arsenic is also colorless and tasteless, and its chronic ingestion yields health problems only in the long term and mostly in adults. Therefore, it will be necessary to put in continuous efforts to sustain the enthusiasm of poor households for a solution that they have to buy and whose benefits they will only see in the long term. This will be addressed in the implementation model, which includes ongoing funding for social marketing as well as partnerships with local schools to teach children the importance of clean water to health.

Recognizing that all of the above obstacles contribute to a behavior change challenge, the second phase of my research will build on findings in social sciences to help design innovative strategies to induce such behavior change. Finally, I plan to investigate the ability of the distribution model envisioned for ECAR to reach the poorest fraction of communities. These “social engineering” questions need to be answered for ECAR to be a successful and socially beneficial technology. The prize I received from Dow’s SISCA program will enable me to conduct field research in order to help answer these questions.

The most current estimate of damages related to the North American drought is between $60-100 billion dollars – potentially more extensive than Hurricane Sandy. As of August, Corn prices were up 50% and soybean prices were up 20%. Countries relying on imported food, especially maize and soybeans, will be severely affected. The World Bank reported a 10% increase in food prices in July of 2012, and many U.S. Counties are still experiencing significant drought conditions.

Historically, high food prices have sparked uprisings and toppled governments, directly influencing global economy. The “Arab Spring” and the fall of Haiti’s government can both be linked to high food prices. Today, costly wheat could push more unrest into a shaky Middle East, while a soybean shortage resulting from a dry summer in the Mid-West today could very well mean no meat in China next week.

With 70% of water consumed by humans going towards food production and a middle class that’s estimated to grow over the next 20 years, our water consumption will no doubt increase exponentially, leaving us even more susceptible to dry conditions and water shortage.  According to a report by the National Intelligence Council, roughly half of the world will be without water by the year 2030, looking at a future where severe food shortage is practically guaranteed.

This article was edited by Alive2green

Article Source: http://www.o-sw.com/drought-in-america-has-global-effects-both-today-and-tomorrow/america_drought_2012_07_25/

“Our government is committed to helping farmers adapt to current economic challenges and to make their businesses more efficient to boost our economy, now and for the long term,” said Minister Ritz. “This Economic Action Plan investment will help Ontario farmers make better use of available water supplies and irrigation systems, and ultimately lower their costs.”

“Managing water more effectively is an important part of mitigating and adapting to climate change and the extreme weather it brings,” said Minister McMeekin. “Working together to bring innovative practices and technologies to farmers is one of the best paths to a more productive, competitive, and sustainable future for the entire industry.”

This joint Canada-Ontario investment of up to $1.5 million will go toward the Water Resource Adaptation and Management Initiative. Up to $1 million will be available for projects through Farm & Food Care Ontario on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Applications are now available on the Farm & Food Care Ontario website (http://farmfoodcare.org). The balance of the funding will be used to draft guidelines for water drainage design, benchmarking studies on water use/water efficiency, and informing farmers about best management practices on water efficiency.

The call for proposals will include the following two components:

• Projects or research studies on innovative water conservation and efficiency equipment, technologies, and practices. These projects could include the use of innovative equipment for irrigation, recommendations for water conservation in livestock operations, good soil management practices, and developing droughttolerant crops; and
• The communication of project results through workshops, presentations, outreach, and education materials designed to highlight technologies related to water conservation.

“Farm & Food Care Ontario is pleased to be involved in this environmental initiative on behalf of our members. This initiative will provide practical examples of water conservation technologies that can help farmers adopt their water use practices to the impacts of climate change. Given that 2012 was a dry year across most of the province, this project has even greater relevance to Ontario farmers,” said John Maaskant, Chair, Farm & Food Care Ontario.

The federal portion of this investment is being made through the Agricultural Flexibility Fund, part of the Economic Action Plan. The five-year (2009–14) program was created to help reduce production costs, improve environmental sustainability, promote innovation, and respond to emerging opportunities and market challenges for the sector.

This article was edited by Alive2green

Article Source: http://www.farms.com/news/governments-help-ontario-farmers-find-sustainable-water-management-solutions-58431.aspx