S
WITHAPOPULATION
of18milliongrowingbyalmost400,000everyyear,thewaterneedsof
theresidentsofMumbai,India,arestaggering.Becausewaterisprohibitivelyexpensive,manyslum
dwellersrelyonleaksfound—orcreated—inthemassivepipelinesthatcarrywatertomoreaffluent
neighborhoods.Mumbai’shave-notsavoidthegarbageandhumanwastesurroundingtheirdwellingsbywalkingontopofthepipelines.Aroundtheworld,lossesoffreshwaterduetoleakageareroutinely
reportedashighas70percentinsomemajorcities. ChristopherBrown,Redux
1.1 billion
Thenumberofpeopleworldwide —1 in every6—withoutaccessto clean water
WecallourplanetEarth,butitssurfaceismainlywater.WeshouldcallitOcean.Inthehollowsofspace,Earthabidesasa
sparklingoasis,afloatwithjumboislands,andalwayshalf
hiddenbeneathamenagerieofclouds. InmyupstateNewYorktown,sevenwaterfallstumbleandspume
inloftydialectsofwater.Liquidscarvesloopthroughglacier-carvedgorges,andwinterreminds
usthatlight,airybitsofwatercanhurdlef ences,collapsebuildingsandbringaburlycitytoits
knees.Inwinter,icef ormsacataractontheeyeofLakeCayuga,butthelakeneverfreezessolid.Itcan’t.Luckilyforus.Eccentricrightdowntoouratoms,we’dbeimpossiblewithoutwater’sweird
bagoftricks.Thelitanyofwe’re-only-here-becausebeginswiththischillingone:We’reonly
herebecauseicefloats.Otherliquidscontractandsinkwhentheyfreeze,butwateralone
expands,intheprocessgrowingminutetriangularpyramidsthatclumptoformspacious,holey
designsthatfloatf ree.Ificedidn’trise,theoceanswouldhavefrozensolidlongago,alongwith
allthewells,springsandrivers.Withoutthispresto-changoofwater,anelementthatone
momentslipslikesilkthroughthehandsandthenextcollapsesroof topsandchiselsgorges,
Earthwouldbebarren.Sincelifebloomedintheseas,weneedperpetualsipsoffreshwatertothrive.Become
dehydrated,asIoncedidinFlorida,andthebrain’ssaltflatsdryout,mentallifedulls,andonly
electrolytesdrippedintoaveinkeepdeathatbay.Wearewalkinglagoonswhoquaffwater
S
THEREISNOMORE
ornolesswateravailableforhumanusenowthantherewasatthedawnofhumankind.Butsomeareasoftheplanethavealwayshadmorethanothers.InCanada,wherekarstlimestoneclif fslineDeathLakeinthe
NorthwestTerritories,atwentiethoftheworld’spopulationenjoysalmostatenth
oftheworld’sfreshsurfacewater. RaymondGehman,GettyImages
50 percent
Thenumberof peoplewho don’thaveaccess to thequalityof wateravailableto thecitizens ofRome2,000 years ago
S
THEARALSEA,
onceaglisteningbodyofwater,haslosttwo-thirdsofitsvolumebecauseitssourceriversweredivertedforcottonirrigation
duringtheSovietera.Previouslythefourth-largestlakeintheworld–the
sizeofSouthernCalifornia–muchofitisnowadrygraveyardofrusting
shipwrecks.Thisdesertificationhasproducedtoxicdust,resultingin
respiratorydiseasesandcancersincommunitiesdownwindofthelake.GerdLudwig
S
SLUMDWELLERS
scramblef orwaterinJaiHindCampintheheartof
Delhi,India.Thecampishometomorethan4,000migrantworkerswhoare
dependentondailydeliveriesfrompublicandprivatewatertrucks.Ironically,
themiddleclassinIndia,whichreceiveswaterviahomef aucets,paysatenth
ofwhatthepoorpayf ortheirwaterdeliveredbytruck.Indiahasnearly17
percentoftheworld’spopulationbutonlyabout4percentofitsfreshwater
resources. StuartFreedman
5.3 billion
Thenumberof people— two-thirdsof theworld’s population— who willsufferfromwatershortages by2025
lawsuitsandnegotiationsoverwaterintheU.S.southeast,newresidentsofAtlantamayoneday
soonturnonthetaptofinditempty,southernGeorgiafarmlandscouldbecomepermanentlyparched,oreconomicgrowthinFloridaandAlabamacouldbesignificantlystunted.Whiletheglobalwatercrisisisgrowingevermoredangerous,therearenonethelessafew
potentialwinners—namely,thosenationsorindividualswhohaveasurf eitofthepreciouscommodityorwhodevelopnewwaystoproduceanddistributeit.Withapopulationofonly30millionandvastamountsofterritorycontainingmorethan20percentoftheworld’sfreshwater,CanadastandstobecometheleaderofanOPEC-likecartelaswatertakesitsplacenexttooilasadepletedessentialresource.ToshipthiswaterfromCanada,aswellasplaceslikeRussia,GreenlandandthenorthernreachesofChina,bargeswithmassiveliquid-holdingbladdersand
streamlinedpipingsystemsforbulkwatertransfersarealreadyonthedrawingboards,whilenew,lessexpensiveandmoreef ficientdesalinationtechniquestomakesaltwaterfresharecloseto
completion.Alloftheseinventionsandnewonesbeyondourimaginationwillbecomemoreand
moreeconomical—andperhapstemperthewaterdisputes—asthesupplyofwatercontinuestodiminishandthepriceofwaterinexorablyrises.Othersolutionsthatcouldminimizetheinevitablewaterwarsrequireviewingwaterina
differentlight—thatis,asasharedresourcethatdemandsglobalcooperationtomanage
correctly.Tothatend,internationalfundingagenciesliketheWorldBankshouldusetheir
financialleveragetodirectthatwaterdevelopmentprojectsbeinitiatedsolelyunderregional
umbrellas,jointlycontrolledbyallofthenationsinthearea.Andwatermediationgroups,suchas
GreenCrossInternational,foundedbyformerSovietUnionPresidentMikhailGorbachev,shouldbebackedbyaUnitedNationsmandatetofulfillthecharterof ,asGCIdescribesit,“preventing
andresolvingconflictsarisingfromenvironmentaldegradation.”Noneofthiswillbeeasy.Ultimately,conflictislessdifficultthancooperation.Butwereallyhave
nochoice:Thewaywerespondtothewatercrisiswilldeterminewhetherwesurvive.
– J
EFFREY ROT
H
FE
D
ER
ARMEDMEMBERS
oftherebelgroupMEN
D
(MovementforEmancipationoftheNiger
D
elta)havedestroyedoilf acilitiesandforcedthe
closureofasignificantpercentageofthearea’soiloperations.Theyhave
turnedtoviolencetoprotestthepollutionoftheircountry’swaterways
andallegeddegradationofthenaturalenvironmentbyf oreignmultinational
corporations.OnMay1,2007MEN
D
causedChevrontoshutdownsomeoilproductionwhenitreportedlyattackedthecompany’sOloibiri
floatingproduction,storageandoffloadingvesseloffsouthernBayelsastate.
MichaelKamber
32
Blue Planet RunDrinking Dinosaur Water
33
134
Blue Planet RunINREGIONAFTERREGIONAROUNDTHEGLOBE,
water—orputanotherway,controloverrapidlydiminishingsuppliesofcleanwater—isattheheartofmanyoftheworld’smost
rawgeopoliticaldisputes,someofwhichhavealreadyrippledintodangerouslydestabilizing
conflicts.Notsurprisingly,amongthehottestflashpointsistheMiddleEast,wherewaterisatapremiumanddisagreementsareinabundance.Virtuallyeverypolitical,socialandmilitary
strategyundertakenbyIsrael,Syria,Lebanon,Jordan,Egyptandothernationsintheareais
drivenbyitsimpactonaccesstowater.ConsidertheGolanHeights,capturedbyIsraelduringtheSix-DayWarin1967.FormerlysouthwestSyria,thisruggedplateauishometoheadwatersoftheJordanRiverandtheSeaofGalilee,twoofIsrael’smostessentialsourcesofwater.
DespiteSyria’ssaberrattlingandwidespreadinternationalcondemnationf oritsoccupationofthisterritory,IsraelrefusestoretreatfromtheGolanHeightsbecauseitfearsthatSyria
woulddivertthewatersupply,ashadbeenthreatenedintheearly1960s.
Similarly,the2006Lebanon-Israeliwarwasfoughtprimarilyinsouthern
Lebanon,wheretributariesoftheJordanRiverlie.Hezbollah
hasvowedtocontrolthewaterresourcesforLebanon,evenif
Israelhastodowithless.Meanwhile,inamirrorimageofthesedisputes,thePalestinianrejectionofpeaceaccordsin
thelate1990sgrewinlargepartoutofconcernthatthesepactsensuredthatIsraelcould
determinehowmuchwaterPalestinianareasreceive.ThePalestiniansclaimthatIsraelhas
cappedtheirpercapitawaterconsumptionatabout18gallonsofwaterperday,comparedto
about92gallonsforthetypicalIsraeli.
It’snowonderthatsoonaftersigningpeacetreatieswithIsrael,thelateKingHusseinofJordanandPresidentAnwarSadatofEgyptpointedlynotedthatonlyaquarreloverwatercouldbring
thembacktowarwithIsrael.
Inlargeorsmallways,similarbrinksmanshipoccurswithdisturbingregularityinregionsalready
tensewithenmitythathasevolvedovergenerations:
S
InSouthernAfrica,thewatersoftheOkavangoRiverbasinarepulledinfourdirections
byAngola,Botswana,NamibiaandZimbabwe,withhardlyacordialwordspoken;
S
IntheIndian-controlledterritoriesofKashmir,whereheadwatersoftheIndusRiver
basinreside,PakistanhasthreatenedtousenuclearweaponsagainstIndiaifanyofits
watersupplyisinterrupted;
S
ANARMEDGUIDE
walksonacliffabovetheNileRivernearAmarna,Egypt.TheNileflows
through10countriesineasternAfrica,butbyforceofanearly80-year-oldtreaty,Egyptcommands
mostofitswaters,asourceofdisputeandstrainedrelationsfordecades.Upstreamcountries,suchas
EthiopiaandSudan,haveproposeddamsontherivertoaidtheirowndevelopment.Buttheseplans
havebeencondemnedbyEgyptasitanticipatesitspopulationdoublingoverthenext50years.
KennethGarrett,NationalGeographic,GettyImages
S
InSriLanka,violent
conflicts
havebrokenoutbetweengovernment
armies
andarebelgroup,Liberation
Tigers
ofTamilEelam,who
closed
aprovincial
sluice
gatein
protest
overgovernment
delays
inimprovingthe
nation’s
water
system;
S
InKenya,
dozens
werekilledand
thousandsfled
their
homes
when
youths
f romthe
Maasai
andKikuyutribal
communities
foughtwith
machetes,spears,bows
and
arrows
and
clubs
overwaterintheRiftValley.Thebehavior
is
irrational,yetthemotivation
has
anundeniablelogic.
Decades
ofpoorly
designed
irrigation
techniques,
the
construction
of
massivedams,
toxicdumping,
wetlands
and
f orestdestruction,industrial
pollution,
residentialsprawl,
lackof
conservation
and
misuse
havetakenadiretollonglobalwater
resources,
andclean
fresh
water
is
becoming
scarcer
ineverycorneroftheplanet.The
worstconditions
arein
places
likeHaiti,Gambia,CambodiaandMali,where
residentssubsist
onanaverageof
less
than2
gallons
ofwaterperday—f ewerthanthreelarge
bottles
ofbottledwaterandwellbelowthe13
gallons
perday
considered
theamountofwaterneededtomeetaminimumqualityoflif e.With
less
and
less
watertogoaround,theideathatpeoplewouldbeginto
fight
over
what’s
left—andoverwho
determines
who
gets
what
remains
—
is
anythingbut
outlandish.
Andwhilericher
countries
liketheUnited
States
havebeenhidingwater
shortages
withengineering
sleights
ofhand,
thisstrategyis
now
backfiring.Southeast
Florida,
southern
California,Atlantaand
parts
of
Texas
arealllikelytobedrywithin20
years
iftheirgrowth
patterns
andmanagementofwateraren’t
sharply
altered.IntheUnited
States,
thewater
wars
aremoreoftenwagedincourt.Forexample,after30
years
andnoendtotheamountofmoneybeing
spent
onattorney
fees,
three
states
inthe
southeast
are
still
feudingovertheChattahoocheeRiver.
Rising
northofAtlanta,theChattahoochee
is
the
sole
water
supply
forthe
sprawlingcity’s
metropolitanarea
as
well
as
a
source
of
downstream
waterf ortwoneighbor
states,
AlabamaandFlorida.Providingwaterfor
Atlanta’s
uncontrolledpopulationboom—thecity
has
grownfrom2.2millionpeoplein1980to3.7millionpeoplein2000—
severelytaxes
theChattahoochee.The
city’slargest
treatmentplanttapped3.8billion
gallons
ayearofthe
river’s
waterwhenitopenedin
1991;
nowit
pumps
nearly20billion
gallons
annually.If,
as
expected,
Atlanta’s
population
reaches
5millionby2025,theChattahoocheewon’tbeabletohandletheload.
Butthat
isn’tslowing
Atlantadown.
Instead,
thecity
isaggressively
making
plans
to
squeeze
morewateroutoftheChattahoocheebybuildingadozenadditional
dams
and
reservoirs
ontheriver.
This,
inturn,
hasraised
theireofAlabamaandFlorida,whichclaimthatGeorgia
isstealing
theriverfor
itself.Farmers
in
southern
Georgiaare
siding
withAlabamaandFlorida
against
Atlanta,
as
theirirrigationallotment
falls.
Dependingontheoutcomeofthemany
KIBBUTZHATZERIM
gainedaterritorialfootholdin
Israel’s
Negev
Desert
andkickedoffaglobalrevolutioninagriculturewhenitpartneredwithwaterengineerSimcha
Blass
in1965todevelopand
mass-produce
dripirrigation.
Netafim,
the
kibbutz’s
irrigation
business,
now
controls
alargeportionofthedripmarket,with$400millionin
saleslast
year.ManagerNatyBarak
checks
thekibbutzdrip
lines,
whichfeedcorn,cottonandtomato
crops
inanareathat
receivesless
than8
inches
ofrainannually. AlexandraBoulat
JinZidellaskedifwecouldmeetbecausehewantedtodosomethingtomakeadif ferenceinaworldthatappearedtobespinningoutofcontrol.LikeAshok,Jinhad
lostalovedone,hiswife,andhadspentalongandprofoundperiodinmourning.Tothoseofuswhowerehisf riends,hisheartacheseemedbottomlessandimmeasurable.
Butonthatdaywemetforlunch,Jinseemeddifferent.HewantedtodosomethingtohonorLinda.WhatstruckmeaswespokewasthescopeofJin’sdreams.HiseyeswereasbigashisloveforLinda.Hisgriefhadbecomeresolve.
WhenJinaskedmetosuggestawayhecouldmakearealdiff erenceIsuggestedthathedosomethingthatwasmeasurable,somethingthatcouldchangeanindividual’slife
inasingleday,thathef ocusonaglobalproblemthatcouldbesolvedinadecade,anendeavorthatcouldactuallypushtheneedlewithrespecttoimprovingpeoples’
livesandtheenvironment.Helookedatmepuzzledandasked,whatwouldthatbe?
Iknewofonlyonething:water.Ninetyminuteslater,heleftdeterminedtofindaway
toprovidesafedrinkingwaterto200millionpeoplefortherestoftheirlivesby2027.
Sincethatday,Jinhasneverlookedback.FiveyearslatertheBluePlanetRunFoundationhasthreemajorinitiativesunderway.
ThefirstisthePeerWaterExchange,whichaimstoenjointhousandsof non-governmentalorganizationstofind,fundandsharethebestwaterprojectsaroundtheworld.Thesecondistheextraordinaryphotographybookyouareholdingin
yourhands,designedtobringhomeJin’sbeliefthatthatpurewaterisaright,nota
commodity.ThethirdinitiativeoftheBluePlanetRunFoundationisthecircumnavigationofthe
globebyrunners,symbolizingacircleinourheartsandminds,aclosingoftheloop
oflove,careandresponsibilitythatpeopleshareforeachother.FromJune1through
September4,2007,ateamof22dedicatedrunnerssetasidetheirownlivesfor95daystocarryamessagetotheentireplanetthatundrinkablewaterisunthinkablein
today’sworld.IftheBluePlanetRunFoundationcanchangetheworldtoensurethat
nochildwilleverbeharmedbythewaterheorshedrinks,thenitwillbeoneofthegreatmiraclesofthe21stcentury.AndJin’sdedicationtothememoryofthepersonhe
lovedmostwillhavechangedtheworld.
—PAUL HAW
K
EN
102
BluePlanetRunWe're All Downstream
103
FOULSMELLINGWATER
mixedwithcoalhadbeenrunningfromKennyStroud’sf aucetf or
morethanadecadebeforecleantapwaterwasfinallyprovidedbythecityofRawl,WestVirginia,last
March.Foryears,residentsoftheAppalachiancoal-miningtownhadtorelyonwatertrucksandbottleddeliveries,arealityunknowntomostcitizensinthedevelopedworld.Theirfightstillcontinuesinthe
courtsagainstMasseyEnergy,amountaintopcoal-miningcorporation,whotheyblameforpollutionand
illnessesdisruptingtheircommunity. MelissaFarlow
ALLISONCOLE
saysthewaterinherwellinSheridan,Wyoming,turnedintoslurryaf ter
gasdrillingoperationsbegannearby.TherollingplainsofthePowderRiverBasinhavebeen
transformedbythedrilling.Fortythousandwellsandhundredsofmilesofroads,pipelinesand
powerlinesnowcoverthelandscape.Toaccessthemethane,companiespumpmillionsofgallons
ofsaltygroundwateroutf romdeepcoalseams.Arearesidentshavesaidtheprocesspollutestheir
surfacewaterandgroundwater. JoelSartore
EVENINPROSPEROUSCITIES
inIndialikeNewDelhiandMumbai,citydwellersoftenhave
wateraccessforonlyaf ewhoursaday.Thepublicwaterdistributionsystemisundersomuch
stressthatresidentsmustriseat3or4a.m.topumpwaterintorooftopstoragetanks.Here
VineelaBhardwajventsherfrustrationtowaterauthoritiesaboutfrequentservicefailures.Battles
overthewatersupplyhavebecomesocommonthatPriyaRanjanDasmunshi,theMinisterof
WaterResources,sometimesdescribeshimselfasthe“MinisterofWaterConflicts.”
StuartFreedman
Itwillcostupto $1 trillion in thenext30 years toclean upcontaminatedgroundwateratsome300,000 sites in theUnitedStates.Theworld’smajorcitiescouldsavemorethan40percentoftheirannualwatersuppliesbyfixingleaksinwatermainsandpipes.
CREATED BY RICK SMOLANAND JENNIfER ERwITT
BL UE P L ANE T R UN
T HE RA CE T OP R O VI DE S Af E DRI NKI N G wAT E RT OT HE w ORL D
Smolan&Eritt
Blue Planet Run provides readers with anextraordinary look at the water problemsfacing humanity and some of the hopefulsolutions being pursued by large and smallcompanies, by entrepreneurs and activists,and by nongovernmental organizations andfoundations. By the end of the book, readersare left to form their own conclusions as towhether or how the human race is capable of taking the steps necessary to solve this globalcrisis before it is too late.Blue Planet Run is two books in one: First, itis about an extraordinary 15,000-mile relayrace — the longest relay race in human history — in which 20 athletes spent 95 days runningaround the globe to spread awareness of theworld’s water crisis. Secondly, it is a showcaseof powerful, inspiring, disturbing and hopefulimages captured by leading photojournalistsaround the world who documented the humanface of the crisis and its possible solutions. Theresult of these two parallel projects is the book you hold in your hands.One hundred percent of the royalties fromthis book will be used to provide clean waterto people around the world who desperatelyneed it.
www.BLUEPLANETRUN.ORG
Pbshed by Earh Aware Edos17 Pa DrveSa Rafae, CA 94903800.688.2218Fax: 415.526.1394www.earhawareedos.coAgas A OddsPO Box 1189Sasao, CA 94966-1189www.agasaodds.coBe Pae Rwww.bepaer.org
ABOUT THE AUTHORSRick Smolan is a former Time, Life and NationalGeographic photographer best known as thecreator of the
Day in the Life
book series. He andhis partner, Jennifer Erwitt, are the principals of Against All Odds Productions, based in Sausalito,California. Fortune Magazine featured AgainstAll Odds as “One of the 25 Coolest Companiesin America.” Their global photography projectscombine creative storytelling with state-of-the-arttechnology. Many of their books have appearedon the New York Times best-seller lists and havebeen featured on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Fortune. Their books include
America 24/7,One Digital Day, 24 Hours in Cyberspace, Passage toVietnam, The Power to Heal
and
From Alice to Ocean.
They live with their two children, Phoebe and Jesse, in Northern California.
Coverage: Rober Rada
US Price $45.00
ENVIRONMENT/PHOTOGRAPHY
9 7 8 1 6 0 1 0 9 0 1 7 15 4 5 0 0
US$45.00
ISBN-13:978-1-60109-017-1ISBN:1-60109-017-X
It is estimated that one billion people across theplanet now lack access to clean water. But, asthe extraordinary images on the following pagesshow, there are solutions to the world’s freshwater crisis, and they are within reach. This book,ostensibly about a world crisis, is also a work of optimism and hope.The Blue Planet Run volume you are holdingin your hands represents two extraordinary
projects. The rst is the result of a worldwide
search for images and stories to capture thehuman face of the global water crisis. For onemonth, 40 talented photojournalists crossedthe globe taking photographs to show theextent of the problem. At the same time, a teamof researchers contacted photographers on everycontinent to identify existing bodies of work focused on this crucial issue. Simultaneously,20 runners representing 13 nationalities embarkedon a 95-day nonstop relay race around the globe,serving as messengers to raise awareness of theseverity of the water crisis.The Blue Planet Run is designed to be a wake-upcall to the world, sounding both a warning and anote of hope, letting us know that there is stilltime to solve this problem if we act now, beforeit is too late.The book also features insightful original essaysfrom an extraordinary range of noted writers,environmentalists, inventors and journalists includ-ing Diane Ackerman, Fred Pearce, Dean Kamen,Michael Malone, Bill McKibben Jeffrey Rothfeder,Michael Specter, Paul Hawken and Mike Cerre.In keeping with the theme of the book, two treeswill be planted for each tree used in the productionof this book and 100% of all royalties will fund safedrinking water projects. For more information onhow you can help, visit www.BluePlanetRun.org
COntinuED On BACk FlAPCOntinuED FROm FROnt FlAP
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