Surveying Rwanda’s Water Supply
August 24, 2010
By Michael J. Mascarenhas
Michael J. Mascarenhas is a World Water Corps volunteer currently on assignment in Rwanda. This is his first installment in the Scientist At Work blog on the New York Times web site.
When I tell people I am going to Rwanda, I usually get the “are you kidding me?” look. Most people in the West have come to know Rwanda through its bloody civil war; more than 800,000 people were killed there in 1994, marking one of the most infamous genocides of modern history. Apart from this sad event, however, very little is known about contemporary Rwanda and the people who live within its borders.
Since the 1994 genocide, the government of Rwanda has made tremendous efforts toward human development. Among the areas where efforts are greatly invested are water and environmental sanitation management. However, with regard to water resources Rwanda is not alone. It is estimated that over a billion people worldwide — most heavily concentrated in Africa and Asia — lack access to safe drinking water, and almost double that lack access to basic sanitation.
Global climate change is likely to make the situation worse. More frequent and more intense floods and droughts, as well as the rapid melting of glaciers and ice caps are all predicted. The flooding in Pakistan and mudslides in China may be a foretaste of even worse to come.
What do you think?
