NewsWhore
03-19-2009, 06:40 PM
The DR has a 2,378 cubic meter per capita demand for water per year, which classifies it as a country with high water consumption. But water supply does not meet the demand, and there are ongoing water-related tensions.
This statement is contained in a joint declaration by the Ministry of the Environment and the state organizations that deal with water (Indrhi and Inapa, for example) to celebrate World Water Day on 22 March. The institutions warn that the country has relatively low water availability and a culture of high consumption and poor use, with losses in the order of 50% of the production of the supply systems of potable water that reflect an efficiency of irrigation of just 25%.
The document emphasizes that the country has approximately 12 billion cubic meters of water that represent 49% of the usable water, so the water shortage index is very low, and this "could produce a limiting factor for national development, if the proper measures are not taken to face up to the situation."
The institutions said that despite the fact that water occupies three quarters of the earth's surface, thousands of its inhabitants suffer shortages and even die of thirst, because 97.5% of the water is saltwater, leaving just 2.5% of fresh water. "Despite this reality, the per capita consumption of potable water in the country is high, surpassing in some urban locations 500 liters per person on a daily basis, when international standards specify a rational consumption of 200 to 250 liters per person per day," according to the document. Executives from the institutions responsible for preserving the nation's fresh water attended the ceremony.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
This statement is contained in a joint declaration by the Ministry of the Environment and the state organizations that deal with water (Indrhi and Inapa, for example) to celebrate World Water Day on 22 March. The institutions warn that the country has relatively low water availability and a culture of high consumption and poor use, with losses in the order of 50% of the production of the supply systems of potable water that reflect an efficiency of irrigation of just 25%.
The document emphasizes that the country has approximately 12 billion cubic meters of water that represent 49% of the usable water, so the water shortage index is very low, and this "could produce a limiting factor for national development, if the proper measures are not taken to face up to the situation."
The institutions said that despite the fact that water occupies three quarters of the earth's surface, thousands of its inhabitants suffer shortages and even die of thirst, because 97.5% of the water is saltwater, leaving just 2.5% of fresh water. "Despite this reality, the per capita consumption of potable water in the country is high, surpassing in some urban locations 500 liters per person on a daily basis, when international standards specify a rational consumption of 200 to 250 liters per person per day," according to the document. Executives from the institutions responsible for preserving the nation's fresh water attended the ceremony.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)