Reviews & Press : : Water Watch - A Community Action Guide

Malaysian Naturalist
57(4), 2004
by Henry Barlow

Asia-Pacific People's Environmental Network (APPEN) is to be congratulated for producing the booklet under review. This eloquently draws attention to the problems faced by many countries, and not just those in arid areas, from shortage of freshwater.

Although two thirds of the planet is covered in water, 97.4% of this is seawater and thus not fit for human consumption. It is an alarmingly small percentage on which much of life on earth depends - including the whole of the human race.

We have over the years always assumed that we had a right to endless supplies of clean water at negligible prices. It is only in the last ten years or so that we have come to realise that even in a place like Malaysia, with some 90 inches (2,286 mm) of rainfall each year, there can be frequent water shortages.

Moreover an affluent lifestyle leads to a vast increase in water consumption. Americans consume an average 200 gallons (about 757 litres) per day, while a rural Kenyan is estimated to use 1.3 gallons only (4.9 litres).

Industry also uses vast quantities of water - for example 17,000 litres of wastewater are used for the production of a computer chip, over four tonnes of water for every tonne of steel produced and 4,500 litres of water are needed for every one tonne of cement.

Irrigation accounts for 70-80% of all human water use - and if not used widely can lead to salinisation of previously healthy land. It is also the most wasteful form of use, with 50-80% of the water consumed never reaching the crops. Vegetables consume less water than livestock. For a pound of tomatoes allow 23 gallons of water. A kilogramme of hamburger or steak however uses some 20,250 litres of water.

The book, after the introduction, deals with such issues as water and climate change, water ethics, water profile and the water cycle. This is followed by a discussion of human use of watersheds and descriptions of techniques suitable for schools, encouraging students to study watersheds and waterways, as a means of learning about the importance of water. This leads into water monitoring and a community action guide.

The most practical part of the book deals with ways in which water can be saved in the house or flat. Perhaps the most dramatic is to fit a flow faucet aerator, which mixes air with water, and reduces tap flow by some 50%.

The book concludes with a glossary, selected readings and an index. It will prove particularly valuable for schools, but can also be read with considerable benefit by anyone trying to reduce their home water consumption.

Price: RM20 per copy; RM 25 including postage within Malaysia
Available from Janus Print & Resources, Penang.
Copies can be ordered from and cheques sent to:
120 Armenian Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-262 0213
Fax: 604-263 3970
Email:areca@streamyx.com