http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/in-yemen-water-grows-scarcer/?scp=4&sq=water&st=cse
Summary:
Increasingly sharp water shortages could end up costing Yemen 750,000 jobs. This could also slash incomes by as much as 25% over the next decade. The groundwater is decreasing so rapidly, in the capital, Sana, that the city could actually run out of water by 2025. Yemen is one of the most driest countries on earth and relies almost fully on groundwater and rainfall for its water supply. Sana is located more than 100 miles inland, and is at about 7,400 feet elevation. It is at risk for water shortages in coming years. Its main groundwater supply is rapidly decreasing because of thousands of illegal wells. They expect many of the private wells to dry up soon. If this happens they will have to find a new source or keep drilling deeper. Due to the huge population growth the water supply is decreasing. The population of Yemen is now at 23 million people, this is more than double the population in 1975. The economy is not so good in Yemen right, which makes it harder to supply the country with what it needs, especially water. This is a growing problem in Yemen and it is going to continue to get worse if it doesn't get under control.
Opinion/Reflection:
I think it is horrible that these people are running out of water. It is a shame how scarce the water is. I also feel bad because their economy is low and it is so hard for them to get enough water supply. I hope that they can stop the illegal wells from taking their water. I hope they don't run out of water. In the future, I really hope that they can get this problem under control and get enough drinking water for Yemen.
Questions:
1. How long do you think this problem will go on for? Why?
2. Do you think they will ever get this issue under control? If so, why?
3. What do you think we can do to help Yemen with their water scarcity problem? Explain.
Summary:
Increasingly sharp water shortages could end up costing Yemen 750,000 jobs. This could also slash incomes by as much as 25% over the next decade. The groundwater is decreasing so rapidly, in the capital, Sana, that the city could actually run out of water by 2025. Yemen is one of the most driest countries on earth and relies almost fully on groundwater and rainfall for its water supply. Sana is located more than 100 miles inland, and is at about 7,400 feet elevation. It is at risk for water shortages in coming years. Its main groundwater supply is rapidly decreasing because of thousands of illegal wells. They expect many of the private wells to dry up soon. If this happens they will have to find a new source or keep drilling deeper. Due to the huge population growth the water supply is decreasing. The population of Yemen is now at 23 million people, this is more than double the population in 1975. The economy is not so good in Yemen right, which makes it harder to supply the country with what it needs, especially water. This is a growing problem in Yemen and it is going to continue to get worse if it doesn't get under control.
Opinion/Reflection:
I think it is horrible that these people are running out of water. It is a shame how scarce the water is. I also feel bad because their economy is low and it is so hard for them to get enough water supply. I hope that they can stop the illegal wells from taking their water. I hope they don't run out of water. In the future, I really hope that they can get this problem under control and get enough drinking water for Yemen.
Questions:
1. How long do you think this problem will go on for? Why?
2. Do you think they will ever get this issue under control? If so, why?
3. What do you think we can do to help Yemen with their water scarcity problem? Explain.
Water is so important to humans that it can cost people's jobs. If the captial of Yeman, Sana runs out of water by 2025, I think we should be worried about the possible water shortage in our area in the future. I'm afraid if all parts of the world will encounter this threat. I know people really needs to have access to water, but they shouldn't dig up wells illegally. This makes the government more difficult to be able to control the water shortage and harder to find a solution to this probelm. I think the officials of Yemen should take control and in the long run, have the economy rise to have resources to use. They can also ask help from other countries like the United States for resources and money to build up public wells for everybody and have restrictions in creating a well.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think this issue can be controlled because if there are a lot of people in Yemen demanding water, and there are not much of supply, then the aquifers wouldn't have time to recharge. This is why the wells are drying up and there aren't any posssiblities that the water would refill in a short period of time.
3 NEW QUESTIONS:
1. Do you think this will be the same problem in our country towards the future?
2. What does this mean when people say there are shortage of natural resources? Does this mean the world is coming to an end?
3. Do you think Yemen will end up finding water in 2025? Why or why not?
4. What are some things that the people of Yemen can do to make this situation in a better term?
It is absolutely horrible that Yemen is running out of water. Water is such a necessity that it would be hard to imagine a life without it. The need for water is so bad that people are actually digging illegal wells. What makes it bad is the fact that water is so scarce there is such a thing as an illegal well. I think that we should try and help Yemen get some water. There are cloud seeds that you can put in the atmosphere to induce rain. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
ReplyDelete1. I think that Yemen will get this issue under control. It may be bad now, but weather can sometimes be unpredictable, so they might have rain in a month from now. Droughts don’t last forever. We should give them a little push but the problem should be able to fix itself in time.
This link bring you to a picture of the drought in Yemen. I think that the picture not only represents that there is a drought, but there that there is also rain is the distance, not too far away, so there is hope.
http://www.ruthgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/drought_wideweb__470x3100.jpg
The shortage of water is unimaginable for us. If we are thirsty, we just go to a water fountain. If the Yemen are thirsty, they have to go to a public well or a illegal well. The shortage is so bad that there will not be any ground water left. I think the government should enforce the law stronger so the people will not make illegal wells. I think the government should take some action now because it will be too late in 2025. Already people are losing their jobs so many more will lose their jobs if the government do not take action. I believe every country can help out by giving water to the Yemen and finding a solution to the problem.
ReplyDelete1) I think the problem will go on for a few years because no one would want to get rid of their illegal wells if they don't see anyone else getting rid of it first. Nations will give them help, but it will not be enough to stop the ground water from being used. I think the problem would be solved faster if they built a man make source like a river or a lake. If they have another source to rely on, people will use the source and so the problem would be solved.
This is a link to a picture of a man who waited 3-4 hours to fill his tank of water in his truck. He is in Yemeni capital in Sanaa.
http://humanitarianfutures.wordpress.com/
Unfortuanately, I am not surprised by the shortage of water in Yemen. All around the world, countries are dealing with water problems and Yemen is one of them. I am amazed at how heartless people can be by owning an illegal well in Yemen. Water is already scarce for the people there and the illegal wells certainly don't help.
ReplyDelete3) One thing that people can do to help the water scarcit problems in Yemen is to stop the illegal wells. This will provide at least a little more water for the Yemenites and will stop them from destroying their land in search for even more water.
Here is a link to another article about not only the water shortage, but also the food shortage in Yemen.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90328214