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CHAPTER 2. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF EUTROPHICATION

2.3. Development Status

Water Quality versus Quantity

Eutrophication problems have a special structure when they are analyzed from the point of view of water quality and quantity. When lakes and reservoirs are oligotrophic, water can be used for drinking, recreation, fishing, etc. When eutrophication proceeds, species of commercial fish change and aquaculture becomes a new enterprise. Many developing countries have introduced the aquaculture business to local people. Aquaculture provides food rich in animal protein to local people and funds for fishermen. If aquaculture becomes too active, it becomes a new source of nitrogen and phosphorus from left over food and fish urine. It is less competitive with water supply works, recreation, cattle raising etc., unless blue green algae become the dominant phytoplankton in the lake or reservoir ecosystem. Eutrophication proceeds with the gradual loss of species diversity of the ecosystem.

The use of lake and reservoir water depends greatly on the degree of eutrophication. When blue green algae occupy the surface of lakes and reservoirs, water use is very limited and rehabilitation, which often requires a large investment, is needed. Many lakes and reservoirs, in both developing and developed countries, are at this stage. It takes a long time to reach the eutrophication stage in a large volume of lakes and reservoirs. However, large lakes, such as the North American Great Lakes, Lake Victoria, and the large lakes in China, have already suffered from eutrophication problems. The worst case of water quality versus quantity problems can be seen in a reservoir receiving urban wastewater, while at the same time the reservoir is used as a source of drinking water. This situation definitely requires advanced technology for the water purification of both drinking water and wastewater in terms of water safety. However, this kind of situation often exists in developing countries with a limited quantity of water. It is possible to forecast that urbanization will rapidly progress in the metropolitan regions of developing countries. These regions will face a severe water shortage and eutrophication problems with surface water resources. Without a special effort, all lakes and reservoirs that are influenced by human activity are at the risk of eutrophication.

It is very difficult to obtain clean and safe water in the developing countries. Rapid population growth requires increased food production, increased convenience of life-style, and increased use of synthetic chemicals, metals, motorized transportation, electric power, etc. All these requirements accelerate the input of contaminants into water bodies. However, the current value of water to people is often rooted in the past era and cannot meet the reality of rapid changes to aquatic environments.

Classifying countries into the following four categories may help to understand the countries that face difficulties with water-related problems. The categories are as follows:

Category A: includes societies with a high income and access to sufficient amounts of water.

Category B: includes societies with a high income and access to limited amounts of water.

Category C: includes societies with a low income and access to sufficient amounts of water.

Category D: includes societies with a low income and access to limited amounts of water.

Countries in Category A use their economic and technological capabilities to deal with water quality and other water-related environmental problems. Countries in Category B likewise use money and technology for effective solutions. However, since they have an insufficient water supply, it is difficult for them to solve their water problems. Countries in Categories C and D have many difficulties. Because the former category places relatively loose restrictions on water resources for the sake of socioeconomic development, the countries in Category C are likely to face an increase of water pollution unless some action is taken. Countries in Category D have a real problem: water is already becoming a serious limiting factor in their socioeconomic development. Whether or not a country has the economic capability, a vital consideration is that trained people are needed to solve problems. Without the allocation of resources for educating and training scientists and engineers who manage water resources, there is no hope of finding solutions for many problems.

A good illustration can be seen in Asian countries. Countries in Category A are Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan; in Category B: Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait; Category C: the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Iraq, and Bangladesh; and Category D: China, India, Thailand, Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Central Asian countries.

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