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Discussion Board
mAn waits for rAin
Man, whenever he lives, whatever his culture, waits for the rain. Often he waits in hope, sometimes in fear, sometimes in vain, for the waters of the world do not always suit man’s needs or desires as they move through their predestined circle to and from the sea. Yet if he is wise, man has with in power ability to exercise a measure of control over the movement of waters, and in so doing, he may to a significant degree, control his own destiny. While the laws that control our water cycle cannot be changed, they can be understood and made to work in man’s behalf. The blending of natural law and human endeavor is the essence of resource management (Preudhomme, 1970). Water, like air, is essential to all living things. Water is one of the most abundant yet precious substances on earth. In those places where it is not to be had, no life can be sustained. Average rate water consumption in Dhaka city is about 230 gallons (source: Dhaka WASA) per capita per day. Flashing a toilet requires about 6 gallons, taking a shower 10 or 20 gallons, a bath as much as 30-40 gallons varying gender to gender. More water is being drawn from many of the earth’s surface and underground reservoirs than is flowing into them. We are running out of potable water. This is a fact of life that won’t go away, and it is one that has to be faced. There’s another fact, too, and it is that the quality of water we drink and wash with and swim in today is far from what is use to be, and we have to face up to this, also. The oceans, which cover almost three quarters of the globe’s surface, hold 97 percent of all the earth’s water. Of the 3% balance, being the world’s total fresh water supply, approximately 75% is locked up in the polar ice caps and over 24% exists in the form of ground water and less than 1% is in the atmosphere and all the terrestrial streams, rivers, lakes and wet-land combined. Man has also interfered drastically with wetlands and aquatic animals such as fishes, crocodile etc. and he has also polluted water with factory waste. Swamps and marshes, which form a habitat for many animals has been filled with mud to from agricultural land. Wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on the planet, protecting fisheries, preventing floods, and even filtering pollution. Yet the perception that they are damp, dangerous and disease ridden has produced a near universal response ‘Drain it’! By absorbing flood water and storm surge coastal wetlands reduce the risk of death and crop losses. Eighty percent of the freshwater wetlands which existed over hundreds of years in Dhaka city have been drained. The elimination of these natural holding and recharge basins has resulted in an enormous subsequent loss to the down stream property owners. Many such wetlands still exist simply because the cost or bother of filling them in. Some are in their natural state; others polluted and trash filled to the point of disgrace. In region blessed with natural lakes or sizable manmade reservoirs, those in authority have the responsibility for making them available for the sustainability of the settlement or for enjoyment and use of the entire community. They also provide breeding ground for fish and wild life, and nesting place for the birds which regulate the teeming insects’ population. A water body in a state of natural harmony maintains a balance where nutrients and organic materials combine with dissolved oxygen in a cleaning cycle. Rivers have provided an important means of transportation and a source of profit and pleasure. City dwellers consume prodigious of fresh water daily, much of this drawn from rivers. Industry requires huge additional reserves for its washing and cooling processes. Sewage and industrial wastes, after treatment, are usually returned to waterways as the most convenient means of disposal. It is hard to believe, but it is true, that many communities and some large cities, still dump raw sewage directly into the source of regional water supply. The science of water management is as old as civilization, but in recent years it has taken on new dimension and importance. In broad terms it deals with three aspects of water and its use. Its objectives are to assure the supply, protect the quality, and promote its efficient consumption. In searching for new means by which the fresh water reserves may be sustained, can find a number of possibilities. These include watershed protection and reforestation, new techniques of precipitation catchments, and the tapping of new sources. Most problems of water supply and pollution are the result of unplanned exploitation. Today, with soaring water demands and critical shortage in some regions, we are looking to the science of water management with new respect and interest. The right to produce is not right to pollute. Industries using good quality water for their processing must return an equal amount of good quality water to rivers and lakes. In sum, under the water pollution control act, environmentalist can use the public hearing to make known their views on proposed discharge permit and compliances schedule. They have access to information needed to measure the effectiveness of the permit and compliance schedules. They can determine if laws are being enforced. And if necessary, they can take court action against violators (Zeldin, 1973)
by Ar. Shabab Raihan Kabir, proyog@yahoo.com
President/Chairman SANDEE Dear Sir, Your following member would like to talk to you. Best wishes, Noor M.
by Noor Mohammad, noormu2007@gmail.com
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