Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Report - Essay Example Sub-normal rainfall, with less than 100mm of rain per year can occur every 3-4 years. The region is characterised by one wet season, between April-August, followed by a prolonged dry season. Average rainfall varies from 600mm in lowland areas to 1500mm in the highlands. Temperatures range from 16Â °-30Â °c (BDVS, 2005). 1.4 Population The mean density of people is 33.1 per km? (BDVS, 2005). However, this figure varies, and most settlements and populations are found near water resources. 62% of the population don’t have enough food to maintain a healthy living. 1.5 Land use 20,000 Ha of land is used for cultivation of food and cash crops. However, despite the large size of farmed land, the water supply from rivers and lakes is inadequate to meet domestic, livestock and irrigation needs. 2 Water Provision and Scarcity The WWF (World Wide Fund) states that ‘freshwater is essential to human health, agriculture, industry and natural ecosystems, but is now running scarce in many regions of the world. Figure 2 highlights reasons for current water shortages. Figure 2 – Reasons For Water Shortages Adapted from Sub-sea Infrastructure Report (2006) According to Lomborg (2001), the world’s water consumption has almost quadrupled since 1940. Many experts and environmental agencies including the UN Environmental Report GEO 2000 claim that the water shortage constitutes a ‘full scale emergency’, where ‘the world water cycle seems unlikely to be able to cope with increased demands over the coming decades’. 3 The World’s Arid Regions Arid and semi-arid regions cover 30% of the total area (see Figure 3) of the world’s land surface (Balon and Dehnad, 2010) and over 40% of the world’s population live in these areas. Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1899e/y1899e50.gif 4 Methods of Water Provision Mismanagement of existing boreholes, irrigation furrows and dams have lead to lengthy periods of disrepair , siltation and dereliction of Baringo’s water supplies. Facilities are also often polluted by human and animal waste. For a district that is water-deficient, most of the rainwater that does fall goes to waste due to a lack of appropriate harvesting technologies, especially at household level according to the Baringo District Vision and Strategy: 2005-2015. I aim to highlight how mitigation strategies and water supply management can improve the effectiveness of water resources and provide long-term sustainable solutions. 4.1 Surface Water Capture and Storage ‘There is a need to improve the efficiency of distribution and use of water’ (Gange, 1965). Kenya’s current National Development Plan emphasises the promotion and utilization of rainwater for sustainable development. Non-profit organisations such as Kenya Rainwater Association (KRA) aim to unite communities and bring individuals, institutions, landowners and organisations together to enhance rainwater harvest and utilization techniques. They are currently investing in methods for reducing losses such as evaporation from large storages, seepage from supply channels and other wastage that occurs within the distribution system. They’ve also built roof water tanks for schools that collects and provides safe drinking water. 4.2 Irrigation Agriculture Use of water from the Chemeron Reservoir is a critical issue in Baringo. Current methods of informal basin and channel irrigation involve little monitoring of water application. Modern irrigation