Water has been one of the most pressing national issues, as Professor Stern points out.
Considering the
earth's water-to-land ratio of 71% to 29%, it's ironic that out of the entire 71%, only 2.5% is fresh
water. Growing up in a place with easy access to water, where digging a well was simple, I may have
overlooked one of the major issues in water management: access to clean water. This realization
underscores the importance of Water Resource Management, which entails the proper management of
water and related resources to ensure sustainable use.
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) establishes that there are different, interrelated
components when considering water resources. I learned about the three E's of IWRM: Economic
efficiency in water use , Environmental and ecological sustainability and Equity, While I was very
familiar with the first two, the third was relatively new to me.
In defining Environmental Management, Professor Stern highlighted the uniqueness of my
Environmental Science and Management course at Montclair State University. He emphasized that
Environmental Management addresses the human aspects related to environmental science, which is a
key differentiator in the real world. It's about taking science and making it applicable to people. As
someone who has always been a "numbers guy" focused on figures and statistical inference, this was an
eye-opener, prompting me to consider the implications of translating research findings into policies.
As part of our discussion on water as a pressing national need, we explored how water impacts
migration and conflict. We examined various global and environmental risks as perceived by different
age groups and stakeholder groups, both now and in the future. Across all boards, extreme weather is
seen as a major risk. I've witnessed how climate extremes can be major drivers of environmental and
societal instability. For instance, extreme drought in the Sahel region of my country (Nigeria) has
pushed Northern nomadic herdsmen to the southern part of the country in search of greener pastures.
This has led to conflicts between crop-based farmers and nomadic herdsmen, escalating into tribal
tensions as the two groups are from different tribes. It has also facilitated rural-urban migration and
reduced crop production due to incessant fights that have resulted in loss of life and property. This
experience reinforces my belief that threats to fresh water pose a great risk to society now and in the
future.
We also discussed the concept of adaptive management, which involves making management decisions
based on present conditions. This approach is crucial as it encompasses redefining problems and goals
towards policy outcomes. Policy evaluation helps to redefine the problem and determine new goals.
Learning about watersheds and river systems from Professor Galster was refreshing. While I was
familiar with the watershed concept, I learned new things such as river distributaries. The concepts of
gaining and losing streams were also new to me, and it was interesting to learn that most New Jersey
streams are gaining streams, which explains why they still have water even when there hasn't been
much recent precipitation.
In learning about watershed management, it was fascinating to understand the role of watershed
boundaries in discharging water, and the location of water treatment dams and wells. These factors can
lead to conflicts between counties or states regarding pollution and sediment deposition, as in the case
of the Conowingo Dam. This becomes particularly complex when there's a need for accountability for
pollution or discharge in the river, or when building dams for hydroelectric energy. A similar case
occurred between Nigeria and Niger, but fortunately, they were able to reach a compromise in
managing the Niger Watershed. The River Niger is the third longest river in Africa, and its basin covers
nine countries. Both Nigeria and Niger reached an agreement and are now responsible for the equitable
development, conservation, and use of water resources in the shared river basins.
Finally, Michael Flood brought experience from his work with the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) to reinforce our knowledge about Watershed Management and the
intricacies of identifying agricultural point source and non-point source pollution. We discussed the
water wheels used to evaluate water quality standards and learned about the considerable process, time,
and resources that go into this work.
