scholarly journals Perception of the inhabitants of the department of Caldas, Colombia on the effects of climate change on water quality

Author(s):  
Jenny Paola Ríos Hernández ◽  
Olga Lucía Ocampo López ◽  
Paula Tatiana González Pérez ◽  
Fabián Guillermo Gaviria Ortiz ◽  
Victoria Salazar Gil

Abstract Climate change has direct effects on the availability and quality of water for human consumption. In order to propose actions aimed at reducing vulnerability caused by water shortages and risk management required due to extreme events, real knowledge of the communitỳs perception is vital. This study developed in the department of Caldas, in the Colombian Andean region, analysed the perception of the incidence of climate change particularly related to water resources. To achieve this, a survey was used with various actors based on the first National Survey of Public Perception of Climate Change. The results show that the respondents perceive that the availability and quality of water are indeed highly threatened by climate change. As actions for adaptation, they suggested the promotion of the protection of hydrographic basins and a greater control of dumping liquids into surface water sources. Finally, they requested increased opportunities to improve water governance and participation in decision-making bodies regarding climate change, which they see as a fundamental aspect to achieve a real climate empowerment that can lead to action and adaptation in the territories in emerging countries.

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Noemí Barral ◽  
Raúl Husillos ◽  
Elena Castillo ◽  
Manuel Cánovas ◽  
Elizabeth J. Lam ◽  
...  

This study deals with the potential use of water stored in a lake formed by Reocín’s old zinc mine, which has become the second most important reservoir in Cantabria, with a flow of 1300 L s−1. The methodology used is based on the hydrogeological and hydrochemical characterization of the area studied. A total of 16 piezometers were installed to monitor the amount and quality of water. Results obtained show a pH close to 8 and iron, manganese, zinc, and sulphate concentrations lower than 0.05 mg L−1, 0.05 mg L−1, 1.063 mg L−1, and 1305.5 mg L−1, respectively. The volume of the water stored in the lake amounts to 34 hm3. Measurements show that Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations are below the limits acceptable for human consumption, according to the Spanish 0.2, 0.05, and 5.0 mg L−1 standards, respectively, while sulphate greatly exceeds the 250 mg L−1 limit accepted by the norm. Therefore, the water could be apt for human consumption after a treatment appropriate for decreasing the sulphate level by, for example, reverse osmosis, distillation, or ion exchange. Although industrial and energy uses are possible, the lake water could be utilized as a geothermal energy source. The management of the hydric resources generated when a mine is closed could improve the economic and environmental conditions of the zone, with all the benefits it brings about, thus allowing for compensating of the pumping cost that environmental protection entails, creating, at the same time, a new business opportunity for the company that owns the mine.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (08) ◽  
pp. 844-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sita Malhotra ◽  
Shailpreet K Sidhu ◽  
Pushpa Devi

Introduction: Safe water is a precondition for health and development and is a basic human right, yet it is still denied to hundreds of millions of people throughout the developing world. Water-related diseases caused by insufficient safe water supplies, coupled with poor sanitation and hygiene, cause 3.4 million deaths a year, mostly in children. Methodology: The present study was conducted on 1,317 drinking water samples from various water sources in Amritsar district in northern India. All the samples were analyzed to assess bacteriological quality of water for presumptive coliform count by the multiple tube test. Results: A total of 42.9% (565/1,317) samples from various sources were found to be unfit for human consumption. Of the total 565 unsatisfactory samples, 253 were from submersible pumps, 197 were from taps of piped supply (domestic/public), 79 were from hand pumps, and 36 were from various other sources A significantly high level of contamination was observed in samples collected from submersible pumps (47.6%) and water tanks (47.3%), as these sources of water are more exposed and liable to contamination. Conclusions: Despite continuous efforts by the government, civil society, and the international community, over a billion people still do not have access to improved water resources. Bacteriological assessment of all sources of drinking should be planned and conducted on regular basis to prevent waterborne dissemination of diseases.


Daedalus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-26
Author(s):  
Allen Isaacman ◽  
Muchaparara Musemwa

Abstract This essay explores the multiple ways in which the nexuses between water scarcity and climate change are socially and historically grounded in ordinary people's lived experiences and are embedded in specific fields of power. Here we specifically delineate four critical dimensions in which the water crises confronting the African continent in an age of climate change are clearly expressed: the increasing scarcity, privatization, and commodification of water in urban centers; the impact of large dams on the countryside; the health consequences of water shortages and how they, in turn, affect other aspects of people's experiences, sociopolitical dynamics, and well-being, broadly conceived; and water governance and the politics of water at the local, national, and transnational levels. These overarching themes form the collective basis for the host of essays in this volume that provide rich accounts of conflicts and struggles over water use and how these tensions have been mitigated.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document