Economic value of water A Multi-Criteria Analysis approach
Introduction
Water is an essential resource that has a multiplicity of use in domestic, Industrial, agricultural, hydropower generation, mining, environmental etc activities but the present unsustainable use and mismanagement in the Kafue Basin of Zambia has put pressure on the resource and conflicts among stakeholders have emerged due to the diminishing quality and quantity of the water from the main source- the Kafue River.
The current trends in the appropriation of water resources of the Kafue flats for human use, and particularly for irrigated agriculture are not sustainable. The water uses have risen due to low taxes and heavy subsidies on water by the Government of
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However, it should also be recognized that, the social welfare account includes not only economic welfare stocks and flows but also changes in properties, such as sense of identity, cultural and historical significance of the water resources components. The value data compiled in this context, vis-à-vis view points of different cultural and other interest groups give rise to different degrees of support for alternative decision-making procedures and the underlying valuations elicited via the social discourse process (Turner et al, 2004).
Relevance and justification
The study is intended to contribute to the national capacity building for water management. From the foregoing it can be seen that the study is important since it will contribute to the determination of ways of how water could be managed on a sustainable and efficient basis without incurring great negative externalities to the resource as well as to the environment.
The effect of human population and its characteristics on water use, distribution, abundance, and quality ought to be addressed and recommendations and strategies of water conservation should be made to answer future trends and scenarios in the Kafue basin.
Many of the major institutions benefiting from the Kafue waters hold comparable and complementary views on what potential actions would
According to the International Water Management Institute environmental research organisation global water stress is increasing, and a third of all people face some sort of water scarcity. Where demand exceeds supply and no effective management operates, there will be conflicts between the various players involved.
Water is one of the most precious resources, which support the life of almost everything in the world. Indeed, the world is covered by 75% water, but most of this water is not suitable for human consumption or use. On the same note, the world has been increasing its consumption of water due to the increasing population, leading to increased demands. The increased water consumption, which has been a result of high population, is worrying because the matter may lead to massive water shortages in the future.
The author of "Water" develops their claim by giving their argument, stating water-related challenges, arguing the right to water, setting goals, and lastly, explaining the importance of water to hygiene and sanitation. In order to raise awareness, the author gives staggering facts about the issue and possible solutions. This author uses informative yet convincing language pointing his article at an audience who is researching the problem or those who would like to contribute to the
Water scarcity is an environmental problem that reaches around the globe. This lack of water is called the World Water Crisis. In the U.S, people are privileged enough to be able to use clean water for many things. However, the U.S is effected by water scarcity as well as countries who are underdeveloped and aren 't as privileged as we are. Only 2.5 percent of Earth 's water is fresh water, of which industrial uses account for 22 percent of available fresh water, domestic use requires only 8 percent, and the rest-over two-thirds of our demand-is used for agriculture. Water is said to be a right for all living things, however, many underdeveloped countries in the world, such as Ghana or Rajasthan, are victims of corporations who come
The goal of this paper is intended to provide the legal, political, social, economic, ecological dimensions of water resource policy
There is a water crisis which faces many parts of the world and it is a threat to survival of human beings since humans are primarily dependent on water. Shortage in drinking water is beginning to show its effects in first world countries, but is a current major problem facing lesser developed countries which have not taken drastic steps to harvest water and purify it to make it safe for human consumption. In developed countries the population growth has strained available water resources and stretched the ability of governments and private firms to provide safe drinking water to the vast majority of the population. Seventy one percent of
The water supply now and in the future affects the population in many ways. According to “Water in 2050”, the water supply is the determining factor of how large the population may grow. In some areas lack of
Whether water is a human commodity or basic human right has become a large problem around the world while dealing with the availability of clean drinking water in developing societies. If water is either recognized to be a right or a commodity, many complications come to these developing countries in several social and political aspects. A human right is a freedom and a right that belongs to everyone in the world. Water as a human right gives everyone the right to water as
Many people know that water is essential for human-being and it is not only valuable for health and life, but water is also important for industry and agriculture. Furthermore, use of water has a spiritual, cultural and recreational dimension. However, water resources are not infinite. Wide and inefficient use of water resources can lead to irreversible consequences, such as water shortage. This essay will firstly discuss the problem of water shortage on examples of developed and developing countries and include the diversification of the same issue in the different parts of the world. It will also identify causes and effects of this environmental problem on society and other spheres of life. Moreover, in this essay I am going to propose
One statement can be seen as the premise for National Geographic’s Water: Global Challenges & Policy of Freshwater Use (2013): “Water is life” (p.8). The book discusses how access to clean freshwater is not only essential to our survival, but shows it is also a contested resource. With much freshwater being unavailable due to location, sustainable water management decisions are an important part of supporting regions across the globe. National Geographic’s book elaborates on multiple freshwater issues and highlights how important water is to our survival. Providing regional, water-related examples of conflict, critical challenges, mitigation efforts, and economic importance it reveals many common themes regarding freshwater and its global importance.
This population provided the needed labor in the commercial exploitation of oil. With the small percentage of arable land and low precipitation in the country, it became considerably important to develop water alternatives that meet the peoples’ needs. Since the country has little amounts of surface water, it has focused on the extraction of underground water and desalinization in order to sustain the growing water demands. Similarly, the economic proceedings in the country have facilitated the appropriate means of supplying water. Regardless of the government’s efforts, there still exists a huge gap between the amount of water supplied and its demand. Therefore, the study focuses on the factors that influence water crisis in UAE. In analyzing the water crisis, the study seeks to establish the role that nature and people play in contributing to the phenomenon. In this regard, conclusions will be drawn based on the major contributor, which has escalated the water crisis in UAE. This implies nature will entail factors such as the level of precipitation and availability of surface and underground water, which enhance the adversity of water crisis in the country. On the other hand, people will entail analysis of the level of water utilization in activities such as agriculture, electricity generation, and consumption. Therefore, they can establish the major contributors to the water crisis.
People often think that water will never be used up. There is plenty of water, such as rain, water from the rivers and wells. It seems as if water is always available around us and we never have to worry about water shortage. In fact water is rather limited on the earth. With the rapid increase of population and fast development of industries, water is more needed than before. At the same time, a large amount of water has been polluted and wasted every day. Some big cities in China are facing the problem of water shortage already. There, water supply is controlled and industry has been restrained.
As supported by Christopher D. Stone, it is evident that rivers need special attention from the public(302). The main reason behind this is that, water inhabits many creatures that cannot survive without it. Even human beings rely on rivers for refreshment purpose especially for swimming. The American conservationist supports the water ethics issue in that they view it as an evolutional event meant to change the utilitarian approaches towards water(304). The best thing that the article is focusing is how to satisfy the need of the people rather than concentrate on natural resources with the purpose of maintaining them. Under his claim, measures need to be set up to ensure that clean water is protected from unauthorized access in order to reduce the problem of shortages. Postel advocates for introduction of ethics in use and supply of water. The ethics aims at safeguarding the clean water especially the natural one to ensure that people use it in a positive way. Since water is the stepping stone for each and every activity in any nation, once it becomes insecure, then the other activities are interfered with. (303).Postel tries to convince people to not waste water by saying that water not does just belong to the human. It can help the global markets to change from the utilitarian form of water management to a better holistic approach that will ensure that the relationship that exists between people and
Economic relations and resource management, 2. Ideology and culture including the way people think about the environment and water rights, 3.political agents like the state, transnational actors and organizations involved in water disputes and trade 4.the transnational social movements which endorse and resist water privatization, and 5.the power relations which engender unequal access to safe water (Bywater, 2008).
It is an essential resource for sustaining life as well as central to agriculture and rural development, and is intrinsically linked to global challenges of food insecurity and poverty, climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as degradation and depletion of natural resources that affect the livelihoods of millions of people across the world. According to the World Bank, (2010) report, water is a scarce resource with multiple interwoven uses that range from drinking water, energy, irrigation, manufacturing things, transport of people and goods among others. The report further states that, more than one-sixth of the Worlds’ population does not have access to safe drinking water, with 80% living in rural areas thus access to water cannot not be guaranteed globally.