EAN: 9789811243189

LECTURE NOTES IN WATER POLICY - DAVID L FELDMAN...

Freshwater is our planet's most precious resource - essential for life itself. Despite this
fact  many people across our planet face difficulties finding safe  clean  potable water. A
U.S. State Department report contends that the world's thirst for water may become a human
security crisis by 2040. The World Bank reports many developing nations face catastrophe from
intensive irrigation  urbanization  and deteriorating infrastructure. Also  numerous reports
contend that in many places un-treated wastewater is still released directly into the
environment. This is particularly true in low-income countries  which on average treat less
than 10% of their wastewater discharges. In short  we face three imminent challenges regarding
freshwater: (1) demands by agriculture  cities  industry  and energy production are increasing
(2) severe pollution from various contaminants and growing withdrawals are limiting the
capacity of waterways to dilute contaminants - threatening human and aquatic life  and  (3)
climate change will cause periods of frequent and severe droughts - punctuated by acute periods
of flooding. The goal of this book is to illuminate how the governance of freshwater is a
political  social  economic  cultural  and ecological challenge. The management and provision
of water are not merely technical problems whose resolution hinges on hydrological principle 
cost  or engineering feasibility. They are products of decisions made by governments 
businesses  and interest groups that exercise control over who has access to water  how they
use it  and in what condition they receive it. It discusses basic knowledge about water supply
and quality  the evolution of water policy in different societies  the importance of water to
human and environmental health  the role of law  politics  and markets in its allocation  use 
and protection  and  the importance of ethics in its equitable provision.

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