HUMAN AND WATER RESESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BY OLADOKUN SULAIMAN

human and water - integrated water resources development

Human has been engaged with effort to maximize use of water for a long time, however recent years have seen the need for integrated water- river resources development – because is a multipurpose phenomena that can be put in multipurpose use, and its survival require multipurpose employment. And the greatest benefits can be realized through a broad plan for the entire drainage system.

Following previous posting on water resources- more than ¾ of the earth world is suitable for integrated river basin development, the rest lack the integration of water and land that will make the integration development technically feasible. And in places where they are feasible political constrain limit regulation and development to a few stream. Leaving large volume of unused water to food water to flow to the sea or energy rushing stream unharnessed.

Coordinated and harmonious development work should normally cover integrative areas like:

Irrigation

Drainage
Generation of electricity
Navigation
Flood control
Watershed treatment
Industrial and domestic use of water
Recreation and conservation of wildlife
Engineering work to be done is determined based on:


· Agriculture

· Industrial

· Domestic needs

· Possibilities

Associated physical characters these in return depends on: Economic and social problem and associated mitigation and solution. In respect to this vital consideration further include:


· Potential market for the crop or power to be produced (taking into account the unites cost of irrigation and power)

· The amount of investment involved

· The competing claim upon available funds

· Availability of people

· Organization to plan, exploit an maintain the necessary work

The purpose of river basin is to improve the distribution and utilization of surface water. Control of water is done through changing its distribution in time and space to make it more useful or less harmless.


· Distribution of water In time- dam – where water is stored in its movement towards the sea- dam is provided with gats or other control devices to regulate the flow according to necessity

· Distribution of water In space –by canals

However conflict arises during course of integrating the above mentioned areas of needs: such conflicts include:


Operating storage dam which produce electric power may adversely affect navigation
Maintaining storage space behind dams for the purpose of reducing heavy flood may conflict with maintaining storage water to release in the dry season.
This opposing purpose may be reconciled through regulating scheduling, reserving allowance for reservoir capacity for each function.

Water resources by their nature always link two countries together – integrative planning cal for need for continuity of organized cooperation – recent time has reveled to many countries the fact of their common needs, for food, energy, drinking water are outweighing the jurisdiction or political dispute and that is why the UN conclude that “ a water( ocean or river ) is a living entity providing a source of wealth which ought to be shared equitably as a legacy among its beneficiaries” and this is what lead to issues of “law of the sea “ which I have discussed before in my previous posting and the joint use of international water which I will discuss later.

dokunsulaiman@yahoo.com