Briefing Paper

1
You could not step twice into the same rivers
for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus (500 BCE)
2
Briefing Paper 1

• Comments, suggestions and what not

3
Comments

• Proofread prufread proofreed prufreed
  proofreade. Pleeze.
• Formatting and structure are important (some
  papers were just rambling essays)
• If you use place names, be sure that they are
  labeled on associated maps (note on place names
  Sea of Japan/East Sea)

4

• Clarity is important so read each sentence
  individually then each paragraph then each
  section. What are you trying to say?
• Are cause and effect clear? (e.g., salmon catch
  on Columbia)
• Is there consistency in thought?
• Please use your own words (will need to summarize
  from multiple publications)

5

• General rule is to write out (alphabetically)
  numbers from one to ten and then use numbers gt 11
  (except in figures and tables).
• Think simplicity succinct(ness) and overall
  tightness (ie., avoid redundancies).

6
Tables and Figures

• Use selectively
• Pictures are not always worth 1000 words, but
  they can be worth more
• Make certain they are clear and labeled correctly

7
Labeling

• Figures are labeled at bottom Tables at top.
• Figure 1. Map of the Columbia River Basin.
• Table 3. Population of riparian countries in the
  Mekong River Basin (Source Wolf, et al., 2004)
• Titles should be self-explanatory
• In text, refer to Figure 1 As Figure 1 shows
  or (Figure 1) or (Fig. 1)

8
Table 1. Cumulative emissions of CO2 since 1950,
top 12 countries.
Source Pew Center, 1999
9
Figure 1. Damage from the 1998 ice storm near
Drummondville, Quebec (Source Cohen, 2004)
10
Citations

• In text de Villiers (2003) or (de Villiers,
  2003) de Villiers (2003a, b, c, etc). If just
  name and page s, multiple publications by the
  same author poses problems.
• Page numbers needed only for direct quotes
  (Lonergan, 2003, p. 5)
• Or WWF, 2003 (no need to write World Wildlife
  Fund, although it should be in references, as WWF
  (World Wildlife Fund), 1963. Etc).

11
References (not biblio citations, etc)

• List only references that are cited in text (and
  vice versa)
• Pick a style and then stick to it. Alternatives
  APA Manual Strunk and White relevant journal
  (most journals have style guidelines in back of
  journal at least once a year)CAG Journal
• I will be much more picky about citations in
  assignment 2

12
Jargon

• Be careful with technical language (use only
  where appropriate)
• Do not use colloquialisms (like dude)
• Beware of malapropisms and homonyms (because the
  spell-checker thingie wont pick em up)
• Dont use no contractns (and beware of double
  negatives)

13
If English is not your native language

• Get others to read your work
• If English is your native language get others to
  read your work.

14
Midterm Answers

• What are the four types of water scarcity?
  (include a sentence on each)
• Type A Absolute Scarcity
• too little rainfall in comparison with
  evaporative demand.
• Type B Erratic Rainfall
• dry spells and droughts
• Type C Soil Disturbance
• reduced permeability of soils
• Type D Population Growth
• combination of hydro-climate limitations and pop.
  Growth
• Lectures

15

• Leading up to the Second World Water Forum in
  2000, a Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative
  Council (WSSCC) was established. In their
  report, Vision 21, three key water supply and
  sanitation targets were identified. List these.
• To reduce by 2015 by one-half the proportion of
  people without access to hygienic sanitation
  facilities.
• To reduce by 2015 by one-half the proportion of
  people without sustainable access to adequate
  quantities of affordable and safe water.
• To provide water, sanitation and hygiene for all
  by 2025.
• WWDR, Chapt 1.

16

• What are the accepted levels of water
  availability that defines whether a country is
  under water stress or is water scarce?
• Water stressed lt 1700 m3/person/year
• Water scarce lt 1000 m3/person/year
• Lectures

17

• What is a DALY? How/why is it used?
• DALY stands for Disability-Adjusted Life Year
  (or, a DALY is a summary measure of population
  health)
• It is used to measure the gap between the current
  health of a population and an ideal situation
  where everyone in that population would live into
  old age in full health. (it is measured in terms
  of years lost to premature mortality or YLL
  and healthy years lost due to disability YLD.
  (WWDR-Chapt 1)

18

• List the four types of water-related diseases and
  give examples of each.
• Waterborne Diseases (bacteria in the water)
  Cholera or Cryptosporidiosis
• Water-washed Diseases (contact with water)
  salmonella or E.coli
• Water-vectored Diseases (water is the vector or
  host) malaria or sleeping sickness
• Water-based Diseases (contaminated drinking
  water) guinea worm disease or Schistosomiasis
• Lectures

19
Discuss the concept of Integrated Water Resource
Management.

• IWRM involves managing (or integrating) the
  supply side of water resources (both natural
  resources surface water and groundwater and
  non-conventional resources such as brackish
  water and waste water) along with the demand
  side. Demands include consumptive uses from
  agriculture, industry and residences as well as
  non-consumptive uses such as hydropower,
  navigation and recreation.
• Lectures WWDR

20
2. Discuss the benefits and difficulties in
pricing water.

• Pricing water promotes more efficient use. It
  also reduces demand so that infrastructure does
  not get overbuilt. (Examples in class include
  Edmonton vs Calgary Middle East).
• Problems include
• Requires measurement of actual use (not always
  possible)
• Difficult to administer
• Water pollution damages do not exist (so charging
  for wastewater is difficult)
• Issues of equity (Lectures)

21
3. In my discussion on water and security in the
Middle East, I described water as a Strategic
Resource. Provide an explanation on what this
means, and give examples

• Resources as strategic goals. Historical
  accounts blatant discrimination in water
  pricing, allocation and delivery
• Resources as strategic targets. Cutting water
  supply to Jerusalem in 1948 National water
  carrier development
• Resources as strategic tools. Discussions on
  cutting water to Beirut in 1982 Cut electricity
  (but not water) to Jalazun refugee camp during
  the first intifada Total control over water by
  the Military Authority.
• Resource inequities as roots to conflict. This
  could include discrimination in pricing lack of
  access to wells Nigerian oil (not sharing
  profits with the population) .
• Environmental services and conditions as roots to
  conflict. Diversion of saline springs into Lower
  Jordan Deep well drilling has affected shallow
  Palestinian wells. (Lectures)

22
4. How might global warming affect water
resources?

• Change in precipitation
• Increased Evaporation
• Sea-level rise (coastal erosion wetlands
  salt-water intrusion into aquifers)
• Increase in extreme events
• Increased climate variability (droughts floods
  heat waves famines)
• Permafrost melting
• Glacial Melting (irrigation and drinking water)
• Increased malaria

23
5. What are creeping dead zones? How are they
created?

• Dead zones are hypoxic areas along certain coasts
  (from algal blooms).
• They are created by an overload of nitrogen which
  travels in rivers to the coast. Caused mainly
  by
• Fertilizer
• Fossil fuel production/consumption
• Human and animal wastes

24
6. Discuss the various components of the Reform
Agenda promoted by the World Bank to address the
water problems of developing countries.

• Adopt Integrated Water Resource Management
• Link sector needs with water policy, resource
  allocation and mgmt
• Central policy-making and local management
• Problems in pricing, fragmentation of decision
  making health concerns
• Use water more efficiently and reduce pollution
• Promote efficient use through technical
  instruments and economic incentives.
• Resource pricing, water banking and modernization
  of conveyance and distribution systems
• Improve partnerships among NGOs, government and
  the private sector
• Decentralized and participatory approaches
• Private sector participation (services, mgmt)
• Enhance supply
• Desalination
• Imports (tanker, pipeline)
• Virtual water
• Promote partnerships regional and international
• Better technical and financial cooperation on
  water issues
• World Bank Regional Water Initiative

25
1. Discuss the changes affecting water supply and
quality over the next twenty years.

• Population growth
• Industrialization in developing countries (need
  fertilizer and pesticides trade in toxic waste
  lack of water pollution regulations use of
  outdated technology
• Urbanization in developing countries (lack of
  adequate sanitation water-related disease
  affects poor and children)
• Changing land use (ag development, e.g., coffee
  and flowers in Kenya)
• Deforestation (releases nutrients from soils)
• Conversion of wetlands (natural pollutant sinks)
• Climate Change
• Millennium Development Goal related to access to
  freshwater may help
• WWDR, Chapter 1 Lectures