|
One solution to all of the above
mentioned tribulations is privatization, or the transfer of ownership from a
state/government into the hands of a private business organization. Through
privatization of water; desalinization or purification techniques will not
be threatened by budget cuts or politics. On the other hand, privatization
is not as beneficial as it sounds. Many countries currently subsidize water
for their citizens depending on the economic status of the citizens in
general. If privatization was to take place in these nations, there won’t be
any more subsidies to lower the cost of water, quite the opposite; the price
will increase because the cost of purification techniques, acquisition, and
distribution is all added into the end cost. This can become devastating for
many countries because the lower and middle classes will not be able to
afford the hike in price. This could even lead to riots which will not only
cause problems in the nation but will also aggravate the world dilemma of
water shortages. Much thought is needed to decide if water should stay
government regulated or become privatized. In regions such as the Middle
East, privatization will harm more than help in the immediate future and
later on the benefits will also be hard to notice. In solving the dilemma of fresh drinking water, we have many solutions which vary in technique, cost, and distribution. Although these solutions are possible and well researched, they do not apply to every region of the world. Unfortunately the Middle East is troubled with many issues including political instability, disunity, and slow technological advancement. This is why the solutions must be divided into local and global categories so as to distinguish between what will be most beneficial and efficient to regions around the world which are affected by water problems.
Globally, there are many solutions which can be applied to
almost every region of the world. These solutions mainly focus around water
management, reuse, and behavioral practices including engineering practices.
One of the solutions is mainly implemented in developed and industrialized
nations, it’s called metering. The measurement of water use with a meter
provides essential data for charging fees based on actual customer use.
Billing customers based on their actual water use has been found to
contribute directly to water conservations because people realize how
valuable water is. Meters are also very helpful in detecting leaks
throughout a water system.
|
|
