Wednesday Week Twelve

...with special thanks to Alex and Cort!

1. Where is Bolivia? What are the specific characteristics of the physiography, rainfall distribution, and population density distribution that provide a backdrop for natural water resource management challenges? According to "the numbers," what are Bolivia's water resource management challenges and how are they doing in addressing these problems.

2. Where is Guatemala? According to "the numbers," what are Guatemala's water resource management challenges and how are they doing in addressing these problems.

3. What is Engineers Without Borders? What are their specific goals in Guatemala and Bolivia?

4. How does a biosand filter work? Does it contain sand? What is the Schmutzdecke? Where does a biosand filter get its energy? What water specific quality challenges does biosand filtration manage well? What water specific quality challenges does biosand filtration not manage well? How do nails manage viral contamination? Why are they refering to a biosand filter as an "appropriate technology"? What sort of application scales are appropriate

5. How is a ceramic pot filter made? How does a ceramic pot filter work?

6. What are the specific water resource management challenges that affect the community of Pampoyo, Bolivia? How is EWB helping them to manage this challenge? How does creating a clean water supply for lamas have a secondary effect of improving surface water quality in the area? What is an "eco-latrine"?

7. Why is it a big deal that the privatization of municipal water increased the price of domestic water substantially in Cochabamba, Bolivia?

8. What is the implied goal of increasing the number people in a community with access to improved sanitation? What is the three-step evolution toward effective management of sanitary waste? How is sanitary waste managed in rural vs urban settings in developed nations? How are we (as a global community) doing in providing access to improved sanitation?

9. What does unsustainable groundwater use look like? Why do some areas have unsustainable rates of groundwater use? What are some areas in the USA that have experienced unsustainable rates of groundwater withdrawals in recent history?

10. What seven countries are so effective at withdrawing groundwater that they are responsible for 75% of the world's annual groundwater withdrawals? Which of these countries have sustainable rates of groundwater withdrawals and the country level?

11. Even though India as a country has a groundwater withdrawal rate of 45.3%, why is it important that the replenishable groundwater of Punjab is 39% of groundwater withdrawals for the state? Where is Punjab? Where does their water come from?

Slides (including EWB material) is on Sakai. Your final assigned reading is the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.