Looming water problem

[aegap]

My bad!

Mirador, does Venezuela decides not to charge them or is it that it cannot legally charge?

 

[Mirador]

My bad!

Mirador, does Venezuela decides not to charge them or is it that it cannot legally charge?

Venezuela's Orinoco river discharges into the Atlantic Ocean at an average volume rate of about 20.000 cubic meters per second. Now, why would anyone charge for what it considers waste water? It's there for the taking! By the way, did you know that the Orinoco river is the third largest in the world in terms of water volume?

 

[aegap]

One men's waste water, anothers...

Could Venezuela charge if it wanted to?

 

[Mirador]

One men's waste...

Could Venezuela charge if it wanted to?

This is an issue of international law. I guess, Venezuela technically can, since it can regulate water usage within its territorial waters.

 

[Keith R]

One thing I dislike about the liberal arts/humanities type people: They get too emotional and love to dramatize, eg. presenting the issue more critical than it really is.


Please stop crying wolf.

aegap, you must be referring to INHDRI, the Inter-American Development Bank and others that originally raised the issue. I didn't invent the issue; I am just noting their concerns, not crying wolf.

Could it be that you have a dog in this fight? i.e., since it was your OP full of PR about the place, perhaps you have a connection with the area's developments that explains your dislike of having the subject raised?

 

[aegap]

Why don't you read my analysis of the situation.

I was not refering to INHDRI.

--There is certainly and issue. That issue has been over dramatized on this thread.

 

[Keith R]

And you didn't answer the question.

I read your "analysis." But knowing nothing about you, why should I trust it more than that of the DR's own hydrological engineers or the Inter-American Development Bank?

 

[aegap]

And you didn't answer the question.

It ain't necessary. Much in the same way it's not necessary for you to tell us whom you work for.

 

[Keith R]

It ain't necessary. Much in the same way it's not necessary for you to tell us for whom you work for.

Ah, but you're wrong. Unlike you, I do disclose who I am (my real name) and about my work. Check the intro to the Environment Forum which has this information. Also, check http://www.temasactuales.com/about_temas/index_keith.php

The owners of this site, Dolores and Robert, know me, my work, my history. I have met many of the people on this board. I have been posting here since July 1998 (not March 2005 like you), and have posted many details about me, my life and work. Have you? No.

Now it's you who is picking the wrong fight.

 

[aegap]

my comment still stands

Could it be that you have a dog in this fight? i.e., since it was your OP full of PR about the place, perhaps you have a connection with the area's developments that explains your dislike of having the subject raised?

Keith, your assuming too much - I never said I didn't like the subject raised; I only took issue with its over dramatization on this thread.

Fight? I haven't pick any fight.

 

[Keith R]

And yet you still hide. It is hard to give more weight to your comments (can't quite call it "analysis") than those of acknowledged government and international experts without knowing your bona fides.

 

[aegap]

Once again-

There is certainly an issue. I am not taking issue with any government or the IADB for that matter.

The issue has been over-dramatized on this thread.

 

[Keith R]

The issue has been over-dramatized on this thread.

And we have only your word that it has been. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't. But the opinion of an unknown, masked person is hardly enough proof that it has been.

If you investigate my post history, you'll find that I am not afraid to say when I'm wrong or have overstated something. But you are giving me zero to go on. Convince us with something a little more substantive than the word of an unknown.

 

[aegap]

I give up - you win!

Prior to claiming your price, please reread the thread.

 

[Keith R]

If you're going to charge me with crying wolf, be ready to back up your charge. I was ready to document why I raised my concerns. And I suspect most posters on DR1 know I am ready to defend what I say. I am not simply some "liberal arts type" merely "crying wolf." I have worked on environment issues 25 years, and I do my homework.

 

[aegap]

Actually, CapCana has many fresh water natural reserves (or holes) on its property. I don't have the exact numbers so I don't know if it'll be enough but so far they don't look too worried...

Cap Cana has built its own aqueduct.

 

[Keith R]

For those who thought I was making it all up, "crying wolf" or "over-dramatizing":

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETENVIRONMENT/954627-1112970276912/20542241/DR.pdf

World Bank. Dominican Republic - Environmental Priorities and Strategic Options - Country Environmental Analysis. June 29, 2004.

Copied as fair use.

2.17 Aquifer supply threatened. Currently coastal limestone aquifers are overdrafted and seawater intrusion already reaches inland 20 to 50 km from the seashore. Although coastal limestone aquifers contain only about 4 percent of the available groundwater reserves, human activities in the southeast of the country (from Santo Domingo to La Romana and Punta Cana) are heavily dependent on them ? for example, some 30 percent of Santo Domingo?s water supply comes from underground sources.23 Many coastal aquifers are at risk of contamination from agrochemicals and poorly located solid waste disposal, contributing to water scarcity by making resources unavailable.

2.18 Impending water scarcity will translate into high costs. Given the reliance of the southeast on groundwater, aquifer overdraft and pollution are bound to translate into very high costs in the near future. Particularly noteworthy is the overdrawing of the aquifers in the Bavaro-Punta Cana area, which threatens the sustainability of this fast growing tourism area. Rising competition over water between agricultural, industrial, tourism, and urban users will necessarily translate in trade-offs, as some of these activities will suffer water shortages. New wells are being excavated at increasing costs, but ultimately, if there is no control of demand, the DR may have to turn to desalinization of seawater, which is an expensive solution. Water scarcity also has ecological costs ? reduction in dry season river flows due to diversion of water for irrigation reduces and degrades the habitat available to freshwater aquatic life.

2.23 Tourism policies do not take into account water quantity constraints. Current tourism policy is largely geared towards increasing the number of tourists, without taking into account the carrying capacity of the natural resource base. The case of the Bavaro-Punta Cana area, where tourism planning has not taken into account the availability of water resources, is a case in point. In the 1980s, INDRHI estimated water availability in the East to serve a maximum of 20,000 rooms, but the planned new developments will largely overcome the initial estimates.

 

[samanasuenos]

Go Keith! You rock!

And are heads going to roll when we run out of water! Ouch! Can we getany "lessons learned" from other tropical locales where they ahd to turn to expensive desalinization of sea water?

 

[Keith R]

Can we getany "lessons learned" from other tropical locales where they ahd to turn to expensive desalinization of sea water?

Well, that's one of the issues I'm looking into for the blog series we'll eventually do on water issues in the DR -- that and experiences elsewhere in the Caribbean with things like rainwater catchment systems. But I'm also a big believer in planning, prevention and promoting rational use, which when done properly can often avoid the need for such measures. So I'm looking into that too....

 

[Narcosis]

The owners of this site, Dolores and Robert, know me, my work, my history. I have met many of the people on this board. I have been posting here since July 1998 (not March 2005 like you), and have posted many details about me, my life and work. Have you? No.

Now it's you who is picking the wrong fight.

I guess that explains your open hijacking of this thread.
irate: