Sustainability Update 11-17-07: The Distance from Southern California to the Azawak Valley? Near & Getting Nearer with Every Drop of Water.
By Richard Power
The planet as a whole, and especially the USA, would be facing a water crisis even without the devastating impact of global warming, but with global warming and the resultant climate changes factored in, the situation has gotten very serious very fast, and yet, as a body politic, we are in deep denial, and attempting to burrow even deeper into it in the 2008 presidential campaign.
The western USA is undergoing its worst drought in 500 years. (Yes, worse than the Dust Bowl era.)
The drought gripping the West could be the biggest in 500 years, with effects in the Colorado River basin considerably worse than during the Dust Bowl years, according to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey. ... The Colorado River in particular has been in a drought for the entire decade, cutting an important source of water for millions of people across the West, including Southern California. (The full report is online at water.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/2004/3062/.) MSNBC, 2-22-07
Likewise, drought is also savaging the southern USA.
With the South in the grip of an epic drought and its largest city holding less than a 90-day supply of water, officials are scrambling to deal with the worst-case scenario: What if Atlanta's faucets really do go dry? So far, no real backup exists. /em> Associated Press, 10-20-07
Of course, "drought" is a term that implies a condition that is temporary. And the truth is that at least in regard to the southwestern USA, this particular drought will not end; and an area already a desert, and stressed by water shortages, is going to be plunged into very grim circumstances.
Consider the plight of the Azawak.
The Azawak people are amongst the world’s poorest. Nine months of the year they have no water. These people are literally dying of thirst. During the rains ponds store the water. When these dry up they dig holes around the dried ponds to find any water that has seeped into the ground. If the rains are good this can give water for one or two months. When these dry up it is a time of extreme hardship and they will travel up to 32 miles to get water. Sometimes entire villages have to be abandoned because of the need to find water. A New Green Earth
Sooner than later, the denial that the US political establishment has indulged in will lead to ugly circumstances, limited options and desperate measures.
Meanwhile, do for yourself and your loved ones what your government and the fourth estate are not doing for you, learn all you can about sustainability and the climate crisis in general, and water issues in particular, and then act on your own to conserve and to prepare for emergencies.
And, as New Green Earth urges, help the Azawak people.
At present there is little help for these people but there is clean water available in aquifers at an average depth of 650-1300 feet below ground. Amman Imman is drilling for this precious source of life for these people. They are a non profit organization bringing water to those who have none. Amman Imman is dedicated to improving and saving lives among the poorest and most abandoned populations of the world by supplying permanent sources of water to the people living in the Azawak Valley, West Africa.
Amman Imman has some worthy partners, including International Montessori Council, "Wells of Love" Montessori, Yale University UNICEF Chapter, Yale African American Students Association and the Yale School of Public Health.
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Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and http://www.wordsofpower.net. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.net
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