What are Your Sources of Water?
- Compiled by:
- Katharina Conradin (seecon international gmbh), Michael Kropac (seecon international gmbh), Dorothee Spuhler (seecon international gmbh)
Water Sources in Your Area
Here, collect information on water sources - and keep in mind different sections of society, that may use different water sources:
- Where does your water come from (e.g. rainfall, surface water, ground water, waste water, etc.)?
- How is it collected (e.g. open dug well, bore well, rainwater harvesting etc.; individual collection or centralised water supply etc.)?
- Are there different sources of water for the different areas?
Where to get further information: If you do not know the answer to these questions yourself, ask the local stakeholders or the governmental entity or service provider responsible for water supply.
Interlinkages: Try to analyse the interlinkages between water sources and other areas of the water and nutrient cycle: What influences your water sources? This could be the form of wastewater treatment or the lack of wastewater treatment of the village upstream; the water consumption of local industries or agriculture or households; etc).
The Case of Unsustainaville
Water Sources in Unsustainaville
Unsustainaville's water sources (SEECON 2010)
Unsustainaville has three main sources of water:
- Riverwater, and deep groundwater are used to supply the central grid, which serves the industry, the high-income areas, and parts of agriculture
- In the low-income areas, shallow wells are used to get water.
Problems with Water Sources in Unsustainaville
Unsustainaville's problems with water sources
In the case of Unsustainaville, there are several problems with these water sources:
- The groundwater table has been decreasing steadily over the last decade. Because of this, riverwater has to be used as an additional source of water.
- Riverwater is heavily polluted and needs an expensive pre-treatment before it can be used as a source of drinking water
- There is an ongoing conflict with the neighbouring town about water allocation
- The water that people in low-income areas get from their small dug wells is heavily polluted by faecal bacteria and nitrates.
Where do I find further information to tackle problems with water sources?
- See the water sources section of the implementation tools.
- To learn how you could start a change process, see planning and process tools.
- Learn more about integrated water resources management.