Water 4

Devasting 1607 flood that affected Burnham-on-Sea

Kappa

Kappa - Toriyama - Sekien

Kappa - Shirikodama

Kappa - Hokusai

The Flood -Gustave Dore

Water 3

A timeline of human water use:

> 12,000 yrs. ago: hunter-gatherers continually return to fertile river valleys

> 7,000 yrs. ago: water shortages spur humans to invent irrigation

> 1,100 yrs ago: collapse of Mayan civilization due to drought

Mid 1800's: fecal contamination of surface water causes severe health problems (typhoid, cholera) in some major North American cities, notably Chicago

> 1858: "Year of the Great Stink" in London, due to sewage and wastes in Thames

> Late 1800s-early 1900: Dams became popular as a water management tool

> 1900s: The green revolution strengthens human dependency on irrigation for agriculture

> World War II: water quality impacted by industrial and agricultural chemicals

> 1972: Clean Water Act passed; humans recognize need to protect water

Water as a Resource

Since antiquity, irrigation, drainage, and impoundment have been the three types of water control having a major impact on landscapes and water flows. Since the dawn of irrigated agriculture at least 5000 years ago, controlling water to grow crops has been the primary motivation for human alteration of freshwater supplies. Today, principal demands for fresh water are for irrigation, household and municipal water use, and industrial uses. Most supplies come from surface runoff, although mining of "fossil water" from underground aquifers is an important source in some areas. The pattern of water withdrawal over the past 300 years shows the dramatic increases in this century.

Water 2

Some believe that fresh water will be a critical limiting resource for many regions in the near future. About one-third of the world's population lives in countries that are experiencing water stress. In Asia, where water has always been regarded as an abundant resource, per capita availability declined by 40-60% between 1955 and 1990. Projections suggest that most Asian countries will have severe water problems by the year 2025. Most of Africa historically has been water-poor.

wells in Guinea Bissau

Washing clothes in Sao Tome and Principe

Scenes of the daily life of the inhabitants of Praia.

"Access to water is a critical issue in Cape Verde, and meeting the MDG target of increasing access to potable water remains a priority

Poor in natural resources and with only 10% of arable land, Cape Verde remains vulnerable. Within the 4,000 square kilometers that make up its 10 islands, Cape Verde hosts a scattered population of around 500,000, on all islands but one. Island countries suffer particular vulnerability, especially with regard to the environment and opportunities to develop". 

Source: United Nations - Cape Verde