Course: Water Policy and Governance. M. Arshad Manzoor Email: exec4lov@yahoo.com, & m.arshad_manzoor@yaoo.com Dated{ 23rd January, 2011/MPA-2010/11
Population: A strong Driver for Water Policy. Abstract:
Population is a major driver in devising the water policy and the water
supply systems. The rapid increase in population is resulting into rapid increase in the size of average human abodes around the world. The demand and supply mechanism for the water supply systems is compelling the policy makers to keep a constant attention to this aspect. The sustainable water supply systems for a larger population need the efficient parameters to keep pace with ever increasing requirements of water for human consumption. This study is aimed at discussing the population as a major driver of water policy in respect of various factors required for a practicable and efficient water system by looking into various examples from around the world. Introduction: The 21st century is unique in the sense that right from its start, it has made the humans to embark upon the management of every system on the basis of data. The analysis of data is an effective tool for assessment, measurement and management of crises and needs today. The knowledge economy today has proved that if the analysts had a viable data, the problem could be sorted out easily with viable management solutions. The water policy is also assessed, conceived, implemented and managed through the analysis of the data of through the study of its various drivers. Population is one of the main drivers for the governments to evolve the water policies. The research studies by water experts help the policy makers to make projections about demand and supply of water with the increasing population for future requirements. “Using per-capita water availability or water use figures as measures of scarcity explicitly raises the issue of population. When the total amount of water available is relatively fixed, larger and larger numbers of people will reduce total per-capita water availability over time. This simple observation has spawned a substantial literature, ranging from the early work of Falkenmark and Lindh (1974) in which regional water availability is compared to water demands under different population scenarios, to the more recent study of Engleman and LeRoy (1993, 1995 revision), which takes national water availability data from Gleick (1993) and combines them with UN population projections to the year 2050 to highlight those regions where scarcity either already exists or is likely to develop in the coming decades.�1 It is a fact that Earth contains about two third of water in its composition. But
the water use for a large population needs a lot of investment, human resource, and technological support for the development of water supply systems. The Contemporary work of Asit K. Biswas & Cesilia Tortajada through Third World Centre for Water Management, Maxico, is a valuable source of information and analyses for the developing countries.
Population and water Supply:
The increasing population across the world
is ringing the alarming bells for the decreasing availability of water. The main portion of world population lives in Asia. The following “graph”2 shows the percentage of population increase across the world.
The water resources in Asia are constantly under pressure due to rapid increase in population. “The pressure on water resources is compounded by Asia’s limited freshwater endowments, which are among the world’s lowest. South Asia, home to over a sixth of the world’s population, has the lowest level of water resources per capita. Its per capita availability of water has dropped by almost 70 percent since 1950. During the past 50 years, per capita availability has declined by 60 percent in North Asia and 55 percent
in Southeast Asia. This decline has mainly corresponded to rapid population increases at rates previously not experienced. Larger populations have meant increases in water consumption with attendant high levels of waste. Since all waste is not captured in the water balance, overall availability has declined. Industrialization, too, has been responsible for higher water consumption (water efficient technologies are only now beginning to be introduced) with correspondingly higher levels of waste. Low water availability, when coupled with high water withdrawals, accentuates scarcity. Globally, water withdrawals have increased by over six times during the last century, or at more than double the population growth rate. Within the Asian and Pacific Region, water withdrawals are the highest in Central Asia (85 percent), followed by South Asia (48 percent), and Mongolia and northern PRC (25 percent). Correspondingly, these regions suffer from a high degree of water stress reflected in serious water scarcity and groundwater use that exceeds replenishment. The stress is heightened by rainfall variability and the uncertainty of dependence on water from international rivers. For instance, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam are highly dependent on the Padma, Mekong, and Amu Darya rivers; over half their annual water resources come from these rivers. Similarly, Bhutan, Fiji Islands, and Sri Lanka experience high rainfall variability.�3 One can imagine, the impact of increasing population over the water resources in future. The policy makers specially in the developing countries needs to exercise more vigilance and ensure timely decisions for planning to meet the future requirements.
Population and Quality of water:
In the efforts to ensure the continuous
availability and supply of water, the quality of water is always over-shadowed. The increasing demand for water in case of rapid increasing population, all efforts is centered to cope with the challenge of availability and distribution of safe water. Therefore, the quality of water is significant factor for the health of the users. “As a result of the lack of clean water and sanitation services, there are billions of cases of water-related diseases with over five million deaths every year (Warner 1995). Table below shows current estimates of water-related disease morbidity and mortality. These problems are getting worse. In 1991, a new cholera pandemic spread across Latin America, which had been free of cholera for more than one hundred years and which now has more cholera cases than any other continent “
Estimates of Morbidity and Mortality of Water-Related Diseases Morbidity Mortality Disease (episodes/year) (deaths/year) Diarrhoeal Diseases
1,000,000,000
3,300,00
Intestinal Helminths
1,500,000,000 (people infected)
100,000
Schistosomiasis
200,000,000 (people infected)
200,000
Dracunculiasis
100,000 (people infected, excluding the Sudan)
Trachoma
Trachoma
150,000,000 (active cases)
Malaria
400,000,000
1,500,000
Dengue Fever
1,750,000
20,000
Poliomyelitis
114,000
-
Trypanosomiasis
275,000
130,000
Bancroftian Filariasis
72,800,000 (people infected)
-
Onchocerciasis
17,700,000 (people infected; 270,000 blind)
40,000 (mortality caused by blindness)
-
Source: WHO, 1995 “The urban poor in densely populated towns and cities in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal queue at public standposts to access limited quantities of water of dubious quality. In India, the poor are often confined to consumption levels below 15 liters per capita per day compared with the better off who consume up to 300 liters per capita per day. Because proper sanitation facilities are almost never available to them, the poor use community drains and city peripheries for excreta disposal. Coconut water is often used to quench thirst. Poor water quality and associated health problems are a major concern in the Pacific region.�4 The policy making should always be need based in terms of increasing population when water supply is in question. Though, the population is a strong policy driver yet the lack of financial resources, poor management and weak enforcement, are the grey areas for water supply systems especially in the developing countries.
Population and Water Regulations:
The water supply in terms of
population is a complex task. It needs an elaborate system of legislations and regulations. The water legislation in the past was not on the priority of the governments but with the severity of the problems associated with water supply to the populated cities, the water
regulation has gained priority on the legislation agenda. For example, in China, water regulatory frame work emerged gradually for management of water resources. Before 1984, there was no significant legislation on management of water resources. The conventional wisdom was the tool to get the better water quality having no laws in this regard. The Chinese “government adopted an approach of “tapping the stone when crossing the river.” There was no law in place to govern water quality management, many government authorities could interfere in water management and no single government authority was directly responsible for water affairs. As regard water quality management, The Prevention and Control of Water Pollution Act was promulgated in this period (Standing Committee of National People,s Congress (SCNPC), 1984; hereafter the Water Pollution Act 1984).”5 After that various laws and regulations has been adopted at various levels in China. Similarly, we see water regulation in almost all the countries around the world. This is a manifestation of increasing awareness in the public policy making for the people regarding the safe water supply.
Population and Water Supply Management:
The population and
efficient use of water resource has become the need of the hour in today,s world. Many cities across the world has achieved the target of sustainable water supply through effective water supply management. The example of Cambodian Capital Phnom Penh can be mentioned where Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) successfully achieved the targets through efficient management in spite of the increasing population. It was due to the Khmer Rouge policies that population of Phnom Penh declined to about 122,800 in 1979 but the estimates for 2008 show that the population has again increased to about 1300,000.6 “In terms of supplying water to the residents and the industrial users of Phnom Penh, the PPWSA faced two critical challenges. First was to restore a reasonable service delivery to a limited geographical area, which was initially considerably smaller than the situation before the Khmer Rouge assumed power. Second was the supply of Drinking water to the entire Phnom Penh city. As the PPWSA started to improve, especially from 1994, its service delivery was constantly expanded and drinkable water delivery increased. This area was able to get water between 1993 and 2000 primarily because of pipe replacement and the rehabilitation of the overall supply system. During the 2001-2008 period, and especially after the spectacular successof the PPWSA in providing a clean drinking water supply on a 24-hour basis, its service area constantly expanded to include new areas, including the suburbs of Phnom Penh. Its service is still expanding.”7 This achievement has been possible due to the good
governance by the PPWSA otherwise the situation has been poised to get worst with the increasing population of Phnom Penh. The water Management in Bankok is another contemporary good example to support the water needs of ever increasing population of the capital city of Thailand. The water management is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) which had been established in 1967 through Metropolitan Waterworks Authority Act, 1967.8 It is reported that since 2005, the MWA has stopped extraction of ground water mainly due to ground subsidence problem. “At present, the sources of water for the MWA service area are the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong rivers, from which the MWA is allowed to divert 60 and 45 cubic meter/s, respectively. The MWA has been able continuously expand its production capacities and service coverage as guided by its masters and expansion plans. The Production volume has increased by approximately 24% from 3.55 million m³/day in 1999 to 4.82 million m³/day in 2008.”9It is reported that now the MWA is supportind almost 100% water needs of the approximately 5,710,000 population of the Bankok Metropolitan in 2008. 10
Conclusion:
Population coupled with Urbanisation is getting the attention of Policy
Makers for efficient use of water resources. The analysts and the data show that a major effort will be required for the development of fresh water resources to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations for the future needs with the increasing population of the world.
References: 1
Peter H. Gleick,“Human Population and Water: To the Limits in the 21st Century”, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, Oakland, California. http://www.aaas.org/international/ehn/fisheries/gleick.htm 2
. Source: Class Notes by Prof: Asit K. Biswas & Celilia Tortajada for course PP 5257-Water Policy and Governance on 12th Janurary, 2011 at LKY School of Public Policy Singapore. 3
Asian Development Bank, 2001. “Water for All: The Water Policy of the Asian Development Bank.”pp 3. http://www.adb.org/documents/policies/water/water.pdf . 4 Ibid. 5 . Peng Shugang, “China’s Legal System for Water Management: Basic Challenges and Policy Recommendations”.– International Journal of Water Resources Development, March 2010.PP4. 6 . Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada 2010, “Water Supply of Phnom Penh: An Example of Good Governance.”- International Journal of Water Resources Development, June 2010 pp 159. 7 . Ibid. pp 159, 160. 8 Babel, Rivas & Seetharam Kalli Daikurichi, “Municipal Water Supply Management in Bankok: Achievements and Lessons.” - International Journal of Water Resources Development, June 2010 pp 195. 9 . Ibid. pp. 198. 10 . Ibid. pp, 194.