Drops in the Bucket

As I mentioned in my previous entry on Clean Water, we’ve made some surprisingly decent progress over the last decade getting potable water to people all over the world. That said, we’ve still got a ways to go. Today’s Los Angeles Times had an article, Adding up the water deficit, on the slowly declining water resources in the American Southwest, the lack of preventative measures being taken, as well as the blunt possibility that there just may not be anything we can do about it if a natural “megadrought” comes along (which has happened in the past, decimating Native American communities living in vulnerable areas).

But sometimes people decide not to wait for the government, or anyone else, to fix things for them. I’ve come across some interesting solutions to water problems across the world recently, and thought I’d share:

• Also in the L.A. Times, locals are figuring out their own solutions, in some cases, with quite an artistic element.
• I think of Nicaragua (and most of Central America) as full of lush jungle so was surprised to find that they have to deal with drought more and more. Some of the farmers have come up with novel ways to harvest rainwater.
• Re-examining ancient wisdom in India where rulers built “step-wells” to tide people through the dry season.
• And one of my favorites (and I’m guessing a lot of other people’s!) is the “Hippo Roller“:

We’re going to need a lot more of these kinds of solutions to get through the next 100 years or so, but I’m encouraged by the ingenuity of what people all over are coming up with. It would be great if some of our governments would follow their example.

Thanks for stopping by,

Heather McC