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5. Summaries, April 9 - April 22 2012
Week 8 - 9
Each class summarizes the answers received from the Learning Circle partners. The summaries are posted in the Wiki.
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Summary wl1, Agrani School and College
Dear LC Friends,
We are very happy that you have responded to our question very nicely and in details. It is great to share our learning with you. Here is the summary of the answer we have received.
Our Question was: “Do you face flood/ tidal surge in your country ? Do you face scarcity of pure drinking water in your city/ country normally or during flood/ natural calamities? How is water purified in your country and supplied to people?”
Summary of the answers: Our friends from wl2 seem to be very lucky that they have never experience lack of pure/ fresh water in their country and there is no scarcity of fresh water all over the country. But they face flood in every spring.
Our friend of wl3 from Canada has different experience. They also experience flood like all others. They say,” The factors that cause flooding most often are heavy rain falls, the fast melting of a thick snow pack and ice jams (when warm temperature causes snow to melt rapidly).One example is the Red River Valley. This vally is l over flown by the river. One time, in 1997, there was a flood in Manitoba; it was over 3.5 Billion US dollars of damage. In Canada, they take intensive water purification process and pure water is supplied.
According to the answers provided all the countries experience flood in various degrees and it is caused by mostly heavy rain, snow and ice thawing, melting of snow etc. Flood causes a lot of destruction of people, wealth and natural and man-made resources. People face water crisis but the government tries to support. People have to endure a lot of problems.
Water is purified before drinking in all countries. Our friends from Canada wl3 have given a detailed description of water purification. Here goes the procedure,” The plumbing inside your home is an extension of the distribution system. We also get water from lakes. We use a metal screen which filters out big objects like sticks or other large objects. The water than goes into a settling tank where a chemical called alum is added when it is stirred into water it will create clumps of dirt. Next the water goes into a charcoal and sand tank which lets flock sink to the bottom. Only water on the top layer of water could only go through to another tank where chlorine or ozone is added to get rid of any bacteria. After the water going into storage tank from where people can use it is then used by people.”
Water crisis in rural are of Kenya seems to be acute. Our friends from wl8 say, “The rural areas suffer drought most of the year. As Kenya is yet developing, the water purifying methods are not the best. But the water is drinkable. But the people of rural areas usually do not get clean fresh drinking water. Or else they have to walk miles to reach wells where clean water is supplied. This has caused many deaths in the rural areas and villages.”
Summary wl2, Riga Secondary School No 47, Latvia
Hello!
First of all we should say that our class really appreciate taking part in this project. It was very interesting tofind, collect information,compile questions for the project. We were really glad to get know more about different countries' waters problems. As we usually don't have any significant problems with fresh drinking water, we were surprised that there are such in other countries. Especially we were surprised getting information about the amount of rivers in Bangladesh.
It was our first project.
At first we were afraid about it, but everything was OK.
We are thankful for taking part in the project.
With best wish,
WL2
Summary wl3, Terry Fox Public School, Canada
While participating in the Global Teenager Project, we learned about many things regarding water. All the way from the source of water to how it is purified in order for us to use it. Purifying water varies on the quality of the water itself. Fresh water from lakes is cleaner then salt water from oceans as salt water contains a lot of salt which can harm our bodies. Most of the time, people purify water with chemical treatment, filtering water (through clean cloths), sedimentation, boiling, distillation, slow sand filters and flocculation. Sources of water also vary due to the location of the country. Though, lakes, rivers, oceans and wells are the main sources. For example, in Ottawa, people get their water from the Ottawa River but it Egypt; they get their water from River Nile. Before the water is used to drink or for cleaning, it needs to be filtered as it can contain many runoff contaminants. These consist of arsenic, herbicides and pesticides, salt, chemical fertilizers, bacteria, acid from rainfall, domestic waste, minerals, illnesses from underwater life, etc. If these contaminants are not taken out properly, many diseases and illnesses can occur. Not only to humans, but plants and wildlife can also suffer if they are given contaminated water. For example, salt kills crops while causing humans harm as well. Herbicides and Pesticides can also lead into DDT which causes birds to lay eggs with thin egg shells. Canada doesn’t have a lack of clean water as we are very lucky to have the five great lakes but water conservation and sustainability is still very important to us. Today, many families around the world are reducing their water usage by installing low flow items such as low flow toilets, shower heads, sprinklers, garden hose heads and aerators. They also educate the public about the proper use of water so they can make sure they do their best to conserve water. For example a lot of kids leave the tap running while they brush their teeth while some take long showers. Being so privileged, they don’t realize how much water gets wasted when that water isn’t even provided to some people. If instead of wasting water, we provide it to those who don’t have it, what harm can it do us? Moreover, every drop of water counts because water is vital and we should do whatever we can to conserve it.
We thank all of you for your hard work in answering our questions.
Summary wl4, Gymnasium #2, Ukraine
Many thanks all to participants who has answered our question.
And pupils from future international school, Egypt and from Agrani School and College, Bangladesh have added to the story of an illustration.
Not in all countries celebrate Day of Water. And here Day of the Earth celebrate all.
Pupils from Agrani School and College, Bangladesh have told:
In Geography classes we have chapter on water and in English For Today we have few pages on water and water pollution. Our Geography teachers arrange a seminar on the World Day of Water. We have discussion on the topic. Our Principal becomes the chief guest. Sometimes we invite resource person from Dhaka University.
And here schoolboys from Riga Secondary School No 47, Latvia and Terry Fox Public School, Canada have told that at them separate Day of Water.
When they celebrate Day of the Earth pay attention and to problems of water and water resources.
Very in detail, from a photo, posters and the celebrating program
pupils from future international school, Egypt have told about a bottom of Water:
Description of the celebration:Will beCelebrationIn the form ofWorkshop with a group of readMiv school, in order to recognize the International Day for drinking water, and what is the right to safe water and proper sanitation.
FiguresCelebration:
First:Is requestedExpressive drawing boards for their perception of the children and their impression of drinking water and the work of the GalleryPanels in different parts of the school and other children could be invited to participate in the exhibition, During the days leading up to the ceremony to be the date of the exhibition Tuesday, March 20 as preparation for the day and the announcement of the ceremony.
Second:Is requestedResearch work on waterOf studentsAnd presented on Thursday, March 22, and on the track is presented certificates of appreciation for the children.
Third:Will be organizing a workshop with the kids during the day on March 22, in order toThe work of environmental monitoring on the status of drinking water and sanitation in the school, and out of a final report and recommendations to be presented to the official.
Pupils from Morning Star School Limited, Ghana have told, how many actions pass in Ghana:
Our country sends delegates who visit towns and villages which do not have access to clean and portable water, during such visits these delegates from the country’s water companies create bore holes and dig large trenches to form springs which give these formally deprived citizens an access to clean water. This development leads to the urbanization of these towns then later to the development of the country as a whole.
Pupils from other school STDC from Ghana have told about the actions:
In our country World Water Day was climaxed by a few activities, we have a school awarness programme about the use of water in all the levels, we bought water for free on that day because many water companies donated water to our school, we cleaned our reserve-wa and tanks in the school, we did a lot of water presentation in our school, at the country at large a fora led by the government was help, a lot of awareness were created and the problems of water today was much talked about and solutions put in place, it was not a very hectic day but we celebrated the day well, not to forget the many videos we watched in school about the important of water.
In Romania water conservation is very important because people trust their source.
This year in Canada, World Water Day was extended to a whole week. People all across the country got together to participate in water-saving activities and helped spread awareness about the value of water and how to preserve water.
Some things people in Canada did for World Water day include;
Taking action for the right to water
Fighting against water privatization
Calls for bottled water bans
There were lots of celebrations, even some plays and musical celebrations about water
Many campaigns and fundraisers to raise money for clean water and access to clean water
Marathons, various sports competitions were held to also raise money.
Thus, Day of Water and a water problem is very important for inhabitants of all countries.
Many thanks for your answers.
Summary wl5, future international school, Egypt
hi all
first we have to thank every body we gain more knowledge , more discussion , more activities , especially like what we organize about water world day . we got answers from most of the school we happy that we agree together about water in our body and space and we find a lot of information about ground water and about how much every person use water every day , that very important because some people they didnot use water regular time just when we are thirsty w don't have more awareness how s water is very important , becouse before we statred we don't now more info about water but we got more and we fill how is that important topic and also we make other kids in our school , get more info and activity about water
Summary wl6, Morning Star School Limited, Ghana
Hi colleagues,
Here is our summary of all that we gathered from our colleague partners for the past couple of weeks:
First of all, we would like to thank everyone; especially the organizers and participants, for making the students of Morning Star School have such a wonderful and pleasant experience for being able to interact with different people from different parts of the world.
In the course of this of this learning circle, we have learnt a great number of things. The issue of water sources, treatment and distribution varies from country to country. Some countries are endowed with this resource whilst others are handicapped.
Before we started the learning circle we did not know much about the water situation in other parts of the world, but during this few weeks of interaction with our colleagues we have now gathered a great deal of information when it comes to water resource treatment and distribution.
Some of the answers we got from our colleagues were really fascinating.
We have learnt that there is an unfair distribution water resource in the world and also the treatment processes varies. Some countries embark on complex scientific process like desalination to treat water for both domestic and industrial use because the water is just salty. We are calling on governments, international bodies, and non-governmental organizations to help arrest this deficit.
In a nutshell, water is life indeed, because without it, we cannot live on this planet. It is an experience that will be remembered for our lifetime, and an unforgettable one.
Regards,
Wl6
Summary wl7, STDC, Ghana
Hello friends, just us we enjoyed answering your questions, we here also had fun reading your answers. Our questions were very simply and straight forward and all of you did a good job answering them well to our satisfaction.
The following were our questions.
1. How important is water to you as a person and to your nation in general?
2. What are some of the uses of water by people in your country?
3. Have you ever experienced the shortage of water in parts of your country, how devastation was the situation?
We realized that water is very important to everyone and each person in their country is doing their best to conserve water and protect for its future use, just like our country some of you have challenges in preserving your water and the minerals in them, however we are sure that most of your governments are doing all they can to keep water clean and safe and potable for everyone in the world.
We thank you for answering our questions.
Summary wl8, Aga Khan Academy, Kenya
Thank you to all our friends for their information about our topic: Desalinisation. This is what we can summarise from your answers:
Desalinisation is process where salt water is turned into fresh water which can be used for the daily human activities. Salt water is heated and the water vapour is collected and then condensed in to water again. This is a process which makes the water salt free and the boiling also makes the water clean and safe to use. Although this is a very good process, it is very expensive as the resources are also very expensive and rarely used.
This is a process which is not used in many countries due to two reasons:
First that the there is enough fresh water in the lakes, rivers and other water bodies of every country which can last for many years. The second reason is that this process of desalinisation is a very expensive process and using it while there are enough fresh water resources in the country is a waste of money and materials used for the process. Due to this reason most of the countries use the desalinisation very rarely or do not use it at all. However some countries where fresh water is not sufficient like Egypt due to the desert use the desalinisation process. Usually the countries which use desalinisation are 1st or 2nd world countries as they have the money which they can spend on desalinising their water. The money can be earned in many different ways. Some of them are- making use of the available resources in the country like oil mines. Using the landscape to attract tourists and earn the money from tourism like in Kenya.
Recent inventions have made it possible to make use of the heat produced by the sun and desalinise the salt water. This is called solar desalinisation. This is a method which saves up on the money used for the fuel required to produce heat to boil. Although this is a good process it also has its own negative effects. First of all water just gets salt free and it still needs to be bacteria free which will be another process before the water can be supplied. Thus the expenses are almost the same. There is another process called osmosis. This is a very complex method to desalinise water. But the water also gets cleaned from germs and the water is drinkable. As this turns out to be extremely costly, it is just done small quantities. In osmosis, salt water goes through a partially permeable membrane and this membrane only allows the solvent which is bacteria and salt free water in this case to go through and the solute which is dirt and salt remains back. This way the water is salt free and it is also drinkable. These are the 3 major and easy desalinising ways. Fresh water is available in most of the countries till date but due to global warming and rapid destruction of nature, fresh water will disappear from the world. Thus desalinisation is going to be a very helpful process in future when there is going to be water shortage.
Summary wl9, Grupul Scolar Tehnic Nehoiu, Romania
Hello!
Thank you for answering our question ,,What methods of purifying water are there in your country?''
In many countries the most effective methods to purify water are : a removal of iron, mitigation and UV sterilization.
Sience and medicine are trying to discover new methods , maybe more efficient and faster.
A filter is an alternative to purify water ,too. It removes the lead from the water.
Some people use Chemical treatments . The most useful chemicals are chlorine and iodine.
We are glad that we discovered many things and wa hope that we will meet next year, too.
All the best , wl9
Summary wl10, Canterbury High School, Canada
wl1: By Tyrin and Joey
Floods can occur at any time of the year. Floods occur due to fast melting of ice or heavy rain fall. They often appear in regions that are near a big water bodies such as the great lakes, oceans, rivers, and ice bodies. Rivers are especially dangerous as they are the main cause for flooding. Flash floods are the most dangerous and cause the highest kill rates because the warning time is very limited. These are caused by dams breaking, hurricanes, tsunamis, or violent storms. Canada has faced many floods in the past and will continue to face floods due to the fact that we have the most rivers and lakes in the world. The most resent flood happened south of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba in 2011. The flood was caused by the Assiniboine River and required 100 military personnel to help control the flooding.
Storm surges occur along the cost line and rarely in large lakes. They happen quick without warning, this gives little time to evacuate the residences in the area. Storm surges appear when heavy wind, air pressure or abnormal rise in the water levels act on a large body of water (ocean ex.) often created by hurricanes. Storm surges consists of high waves and high water levels. Every year Canada is plumbed in the Atlantic side with these violent waves. These storms do not happen very often but when it dose occur it has a lot of destructive capabilities. The most resent storm surge happened in P.E.I. The storm knocked out some power lines and dislodged trees. In the after math, the storm caused large flooding with many homes destroyed and thousands of dollars in repairs. (Joey)
Most waster that you drink has been purified at a water treatment/purification plant. When the disposed water goes down the drain it then travels through waste water pipes or a sewer system to another treatment plant where it again gets treated before being released into nature's cycle. Another man-made water cycle, made so that the water you drink could be purified properly, is that when your disposed water collects into a reservoir or lake and is then piped into a water purification plant. There, the water is treated for our use and is then pumped through pipes to our houses. After the water is used and disposed of, the water travels through a sewer system and makes way to a sewer treatment plant. Yet again, it goes through another treatment process before it is released to nature and on the cycle goes. As these two treatment plants may sound similar, take note that they are very different. If you are wondering what do they do in the water treatment/purification plants? There are a number steps that must be taken in order to make the water drinkable. There must be a source of water nearby, such as a lake or reservoir. The water from these sources is carried through pipes into the treatment plant where follows these procedures:
The first step is called aeration, where the water is sprayed into the air to mix with the oxygen. The oxygen helps bacteria grow which then destroys some of the impurities.
The next step is called coagulation, where a mixture of aluminum and potassium is then added to the water, creating a sticky particle so that dirt and other particles cling.
The next step is called sedimentation, where the impurities settle to the bottom of a tank.
This water then heads to a filtration tank. Any impurities left in the water is filtered out by the use of gravel, sand and charcoal. In many places, chlorine is added to the water to rid it of any disease causing germs and the like, but the more popular chemical added is fluoride. After these procedures have taken place, the water is safe to drink and sent to large storage tanks where from there the water is carried through pipes to your households, industries, etc. This is the first half of the cycle, the second comes from what happens to the water after it is used. It is then sent to the sewer, where the name waste water comes from, taking on another chain of treatment.
After the disposal of waste water, it travels to a sewage treatment where it goes through the following steps:
The first is called Primary Treatment, where sand, along with other solids, are separated by the use of settling tanks and screens.
The secondary treatment, is the same method of aeration.
The last is a tertiary or advanced treatment, which is similar to the other where chemicals are added to the water in order to rid it of nutrients that instigate algae and the like.
After the waste water is treated, what is left behind, is muck that is either burned or used to fertilize soil. The name for treated waste water is also known as grey water. It is disinfected, tested and returned back to the rivers or natural habitat where the water cycle then begins yet again. (Tyrin)
Ottawa has never faced with flood problems because we are not near any big bodies of water. We also don't face any pure water scarcity mainly due to the fact that we are a water rich country so we shouldn't face any pure water scarcity problems. (Joey)
The two largest natural calamaties that Canada has expierienced were both rare and unexpected, a volcanic erruption and hurrican. Coincidentally, both happened in the same year of 1775. In northern British Columbia, the Tseax Cone volcano erupted, spitting out poisonous gas and molten lava, where in Newfoundland, a horrific hurricane struck. From these terrible natural calamaties, the country does face some trouble with their water quality and in distributing their drinkable water. Such as in Newfoundland, having a hurricane carry heavy debris and the like into the waters. Many water scarcity problems have been blamed on and related to the after affects of natural calamaties. (Tyrin)
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Canterbury High School said
at 2:17 am on Apr 10, 2012
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