ENVS 1301-01 UNIT 7 DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT

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University of the People *

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1301

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Geography

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Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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1. Please list two bits of information, statistics, or facts that you found at some of these links which interested and/or surprised you? Many of the discussed topics in the articles were extremely eye opening and in general we are unconscious as to what is happening around us. What was most shocking for me to find out was that two million tons of sewage, industrial waste, chemical residues from fertilizers and pesticides and other run-offs find their way into water systems daily. Additionally, more people die from consumption of poor quality or unsafe water than all forms of violence combined yearly (UN DESA, 2014). 2. Explain, in your own words, what the difference is between water quality and water quantity. Water quality simply is the usability of water for a particular purpose such as washing clothes, irrigation, washing utensils, cooking, cleaning, watering plants, cleaning floors, or washing clothes as per agreed and established standards in terms of chemical, physical, or biological characteristics such as PH, hardness, turbidity, and color, for example hardwater is not good for washing clothes. While water quantity deals with the amount of water available for use. Unfortunately, due both water quality and quality is increasingly declining due to many factors such as flooding, industrial water pollution, drought, and desertification. 3. Is water quantity or quality the biggest issue in your local village/town/city? Why? Explain. In Bangui where I currently reside, both water quality and quantity are a big issue. Water supply in Bangui is managed by a company called Société de Distribution d’Eau en Centrafrique (SODECA) which gets this water from the two main rivers Oubangui and Mbali, the water is treated and then distributed for the people to use. However, during the dry season, water levels in these rivers drastically drop affecting the quantity of water produced. On the other hand, the water infrastructure in Bangui has been neglected mainly because of the ongoing conflict in the country, because of this, the quality of water is affected with high risks of contamination from consuming it, the poorly maintained old and rusty pipes, luck of sanitation facilities, and floods caused by improper drainage systems during the rainy season can lead to presence of bacteria and other contaminants in the water, hence affecting the quality. 4. Are there disputes, violence, or wars over water in your local village/town/city? In Bangui, where I currently reside, there is no war or violence over water. 5. Look up what IWRM is: define it. * Integrated Water resource management (IWRM) is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems and the environment (Global water partnership, 2018).

6. Would IWRM work to help water issues in your local village/town/city? The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world with very poorly developed infrastructure, the water systems have been neglected for a long time. This is mainly due to the ongoing conflict, additionally the absence of proper drainage systems, improper waste management practices, flooding have led to water pollution and endangered the ecosystems in the water bodies, Support from big international bodies like IWRM will go a long way to ensure sustainability of water bodies, improved water quantity and quality improved home hygiene, and overall environmental sustainability which eventually leads to good health and overall well- being. References: Arora, P. (2017, December). (PDF) Physical, Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Water (e Content Module) . ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322419790_Physical_Chemical_and_Biological _Characteristics_of_Water_e_Content_Module Central African Republic snapshot on water and climate. (n.d.). Global Water Partnership. Retrieved from 1 Global Water Partnership. (2018, August 25). About the IWRM Action Hub. https://iwrmactionhub.org/learn/iwrm-explained United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2014). Home. https://www.un.org/en/desa United Nations. (n.d.). Water scarcity | International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005- 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2023, from https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml

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