GEO 313 Term Project Description and Deadlines
Project summary: Analyze available water resources, usage, and specific sources of stress for a country of your choice*, or, in certain circumstances, a particular region within a country.
Provide an assessment of the main challenges faced by the country for future water resources / needs.
Choice of country: *Your choice requires my approval. You should choose a country that has an
interesting water issue. Obvious choices are water-stressed countries in arid regions or countries that share water resources with neighboring countries. You may not choose the US or Canada. I won’t approve other very large countries, such as Russia or China. However, I would consider
well defined regions within a large country; but you will have to explain your rationale before I will approve it. There will be very limited duplication of countries, so make your choice early and notify me to get approval. Hand in printed out copy of your country of choice with a short
(two paragraphs) proposal / justification as to why you are choosing this particular country or region ASAP.
Project details: Evaluate surface water and groundwater resources in the country chosen. Related considerations include climate, location and size of major watersheds, runoff vs. infiltration,
groundwater recharge, etc. Use all of the knowledge that we’ve acquired. The focus should be on the supply-demand aspect of water resources. Issues relating to water quality are secondary and should only be addressed if they impact supply-demand aspects. I will post some links on
Blackboard to help you locate resources. Also consider usage by sector, and evaluate demand,both current and projected future needs. For some countries, treaties or conflicts with
neighboring countries may be important to address. Consider what infrastructure exists for management of water resources, and what may need to be developed / changed to provide for anticipated future demand. It can be useful to consider available resources on a total and per capita basis.
You must document your findings. Use table, graphs, maps, etc. as needed. Cite information sources using proper reference procedures. Length and format: The length of your typed paper should not exceed 4 pages of text (double or 1.5 spaced, Times New Roman, font 11- 12). References are not included in this page limit.
There is no limit on supporting graphs, tables, etc. It is important to be concise; the amount of detail you can provide will be limited. You must hand in a printed out copy and submit an electronic version on Blackboard through SafeAssign as a MS Word document file.
Time table:
1. Your choice of country (region) must be finalized by this date. Hand in printed out hard copy in class copy of your country of choice with a short (two paragraphs) proposal /
justification as to why you are choosing this particular country or region. Feb 25th. No exceptions.
2. I want to see your outline and citations for at least two major reference sources (Hand in
printed out copy as Word.doc). Make sure that your name is in the Word document file
name. Due by 5:00 pm on Mar 31st. Upload it through SafeAssign. No exceptions.
3. Final projects are due by 5:00 pm on April 26th. Upload through SafeAssign and hand in
a hard copy in class. No exceptions.
Questions? Ask (mirza.beg@stonybrook.edu).
Here is the proposal from one of your writers
Water Resources in the Philippines
The Philippines is home to 18 main river basins in addition to 421 rivers. The sources of water include surface water sources such as lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Other sources include ground water resources as well as rainfall. The two major lakes; lake Laguna and Lanao are mainly used for fishing. The ground water reservoir covers an area of 50,000 sq km and few of the basins are under laid by over 100,000 sq km. The rainfall range is between 1000 to 4000 mm every year. Hence availability surface water is rated at 80% while ground water is at 20,000 MCM per year.
In theory, the situation of water supply is sufficient for industrial and domestic uses. However, the realities of effects from seasonal variations and the spell of dry seasons along with population distribution pose a problem of water shortage. Critical issues of water scarcity are mainly experienced in the urbanized regions. Due to climate change most water resources are drastically drying up indicating a negative progression of the situation (Leal, 2012). The consumers are continually facing water rationing due to the prospected increase in demand against low levels of supply from the sources. The demand and supply of water problems are mainly attributed to distribution of water according to time, prevailing climate conditions and geographic situation. Depletion of ground water supplies caused by unsystematic ways of using wells for industrial and residential use is increasingly affecting the countries’ water supply. Water management is Philippines’ main set-back; the formula of allocating water is adversely affected by population increase, poor infrastructure, facilities and water pollution. In case of emergencies or drought the policies of priority only favors a small percentage of domestic users. Rights and control of freshwater resources is a continuous battle between the corporations and the local residents. The country lacks rational and conservational policies that regulate water use (Jose & Cruz, 1999). Moreover, the water sector management is highly fragmented leading to conflicts and overlap of duties among the agencies hence affecting the required process of distribution and water resource management.
References
Leal, F. W. (2012). Climate change and the sustainable use of water resources. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Jose, A. M., & Cruz, N. A. (1999). Climate change impacts and responses in the Philippines: water resources. Climate research, 12(2-3), 77-84.
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