river flow recsources byoladokun sulaiman

river flow resources
Water is the biggest chanllenge of this century, depletion of water resources and even errosion of land cover is becoming matter of greatest concerned of this century. in previous blog i have discussed, some important water isues facing the planet. River basin is water system that is in direct communication with the final recipient of the water, weather it be ocean, sea or lakes.

Water management follows three stages:
1-unregulated river water become supply – oriented , it remain so as long as water is abundant and the demand can be satisfied without modifying hydrological regime.
2-Scarcity of water-with increase pressure of demand for water and water related services, water management become resources oriented and the basis for multipurpose development.
3-Regulated natural regime-as Limit of acceptable stream flow regulation and development are reached, marginal cost of water supply radically increases, and here development management becomes important.

water resources development




Earlier technological development aimed at better using facilities provided by nature- fertilizer, inland water waterway and water power. Modern technology tends to replace these by new ones- natural soil fertility by chemicals fertilizers, inland waterway by roads and railways , hydropower by chemical power(coal , oil or nuclear).
Which indicate that new technology attempt to replace use of renewable natural resources with non- renewable ones- which required more energy and produces more waste- in fact this is the why we are facing various natural environmental revolt of today – from flooding to global worming .

New strategies






Therefore the new trend now towards survival of man and future generation is to go back to renewable use of natural resources, other new strategies focus on integrated water and and internationalization of water mangmenet !!!!

According to the UN there are:
-214 river basins in the world
-South America provide 10 times water flow than Asia or Europe
-North America ½ times that of Africa

Within the same continents:

Congo provide 37 times water flow than the Nile
Irrawaddy provide 17 times water flow than huang-ho (yellow river)
Rhine – 4 times that of Rio Grand
Amazon- 250 times that of panama
Per capital flow


Amazon- 1620,000 cubic meter /year
Amazone-750cubic meter /year
Brathmaputhra- 11200cubic meter / year
-The lower per capital flow is well below the quantity of water used the highest industrialized countries ie US – 2300cubic meter per person-
-The world pollutions is rapidly rising and this per capital will continue to decrease


Chronology of water use development work


The use of water wheel goes back to 3000 years
Earlier development in Asia and the Mediterranean – single purpose system connected with agriculture+ basic irrigation techniques including regulated flow of water through canals.
Dams and other systems goes back to 1000`s years
The improvement of river for navigation+ building of dikes to control floods were first practiced in china
The Romans used aqueduct that brought water to urban centers.
New technology during industrial age contributed more speculative work
2is century saw the advent of multipurpose and integrative approach to development of water basin.
Problem of siltation, salinity, deterioration of soil started
Irrigation work problem because of lack of maintenance to of upstream terraces, canals, ditches or dam.
UN intervention


1949- Reorganization of water resources as a limited precious, nature of the earth at (United Nation scientific conference on the conversation and utilization of resources.)
1957-Committee forth coordination of the study of lowers Mekong lunched basin wide effort
1958-economic and social council emphasized the importance of integrated, multipurpose development schemes (panel of expert report on all aspect and ramification).
New impact appraisal sophisticated method was developed
New cost benefit method analysis method was developed
Supplemental measure affecting other aspect of the use of water to support engineering method were incorporated-For example ,the storage and canal facility of an irrigation project must be supplemented by arrangement for credit , marketing , transport, fertilizer, seed supply and forth if real gain farm production are to be archived.
Mass earth moving and electric energy bring new development
The rapid development of information technology and simulation models opened new horizon in river basin planning
My questions:
-In your areas which of the natural renewable resources have been replaced buy new technology?

-What are new strategies to use renewable natural and water resources in your areas?

-Which of these stages the water resources in your areas fall into?
-Integrative part of water use has not been implemented in your area?

Next time we can discuss issues relating to environmental impacts, integrated water and international water

dokunsulaiman@yahoo.com