LIQUID ASSETS

I wish I could be there! I am routing for the Sluice Gators, for no reason other than I love their name. Let’s go urban wastewater management!!

Water resource management is not confined to international contexts, of course. For me, it literally hits home with regard to the issue of hydrofracking, which is being considered in New York State. The Hudson Valley sits upon a vast expanse of shale, which contains large quantities of natural gas. But the extraction of this resource is costly, environmentally destructive and nowhere near foolproof. As this article states, “leaked fracking fluids have been suspected to cause cattle deaths, an array of human health problems, and environmental damage as well as depleting property value.” While there may be financial profit to be gained from natural gas extraction in the short term (and where does that money go?), the future costs could be much higher – what would be the cost of purifying a contaminated water supply for the entire city of New York? I say NO to fracking in NYS!

This article by Carolyn Lamere outlines many examples of injustice surrounding groundwater use by foreign landowners. Mismanagement of aquifers leads to overextraction, unsustainability and conflict. We’ve seen this before with Pepsi in India and Aguas del Tunari in Bolivia. The human right to water must be enforced and legal recourse for affected local populations readily available.

This is definitely the grosser side of WASH. But at least there’s a happy ending… :) Eradicating guinea worm and other neglected tropical diseases IS possible, all that is needed is some will power and action!