The Basis Of Civilization Water Science

There is no more fundamental resource than water. The basis of all life, water is fast becoming a key issue in today’s world, as well as a source of conflict. This fascinating book, which sets out many of the ingenious methods by which ancient societies gathered, transported and stored water, is a timely publication as overextraction and profligacy threaten the existence of aquifers and watercourses that have supplied our needs for millennia. It provides an overview of the water technologies developed by a number of ancient civilizations, from those of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley to later societies such as the Mycenaeans, Minoans, Persians, and the ancient Egyptians. Of course, no book on ancient water technologies would be complete without discussing the engineering feats of the Romans and Greeks, yet as well as covering these key civilizations, it also examines how ancient American societies from the Hohokams to the Mayans and Incas husbanded their water supplies. This unusually wide-ranging text could offer today’s parched world some solutions to the impending crisis in our water supply. "This book provides valuable insights into the water technologies developed in ancient civilizations which are the underpinning of modern achievements in water engineering and management practices. It is the best proof that "the past is the key for the future." Andreas N. Angelakis, Hellenic Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Association, Greece "This book makes a fundamental contribution to what will become the most important challenge of our civilization facing the global crisis: the problem of water. Ancient Water Technologies provides a complete panorama of how ancient societies confronted themselves with the management of water. The role of this volume is to provide, for the first time on this issue, an extensive historical and scientific reconstruction and an indication of how traditional knowledge may be employed to ensure a sustainable future for all." Pietro Laureano, UNESCO expert for ecosystems at risk, Director of IPOGEA-Institute of Traditional Knowledge, Italy

Using the latest mapping techniques, J.A.A. Jones, Chair of the IGU Commission for Water Sustainability, examines water availability, the impact of climate change and the problems created for water management worldwide as well as possible solutions. Water Sustainability: A Global Perspective is one of the first textbook to meld the physical and human aspects affecting the world's water resources. Part One outlines the challenges and investigates the human factors: population growth; urbanization and pollution; the commercialization of water, including globalization and privatization; and the impacts of war, terrorism and the credit crunch. Part Two examines the physical aspects: the restless water cycle, the impact of past and future climate change and the problems change and unreliability create for water management. Part Three discusses current and future solutions including improved efficiency and water treatment systems, desalination, weather modification and rainwater harvesting, and improved legal and administrative frameworks. Jones concludes by asking how far technical and financial innovations can overcome the limitations of climatic resources and examining the human and environmental costs involved in such developments. This book is the ideal text for any student of water sustainability whether approaching the subject from the point of view of international relations, geography or environmental management.

Foundations of Ethnobotany: 21st Century focusses on the role played by cultivated plants in changing the face of modern civilization It is important to assess the distribution of cultivated plants in time and space to understand how Ethnobotany can play a role in contributing to the progress and needs of human race in 21st century. The plants contributed by the societies Neolithic to The Bronze Age; Ancient Near East; Bronze Age Europe; Pre-Columbian Americas; Iron Age; Middle Eastern civilizations; South Asian civilizations; East Asia civilizations; Eurasian civilizations; Africa; Medieval to Early Modern; Mughal India; Asia; china, Japan, Southeast Asia; Mesomerican civilizations; Andean civilizations; African civilizations; Modern; Intermediate world; Greater Middle East; Eastern world; East Asia; South Asia and Southeast Asia are discussed.

21st Century Homestead: Sustainable Agriculture III contains the third part of everything you need to stay up to date on sustainable agricultural practices.

This book focuses on the nature and properties of soils of Hindu Kush-Himalayas and their management for agricultural land use. It discusses all aspects of climatic variations and potential of resources in the Himalayan region including examples from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Tibet), India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Chapters cover the geology of the parent material of native soils, soils microbes, flora and fauna. Soil classification has been given in detail to better understand the nature of soils for judicious management strategies. The authors present land use practices and suggestions for changes in land use to benefit from the full potential of the soils in this region. Their ultimate aim is to find ways of feeding the ever-increasing population and raising the standard of life for the people living in the Himalayan mountain region.

Water Communication aims at setting a first general outlook at what communication on water means, who communicates and on what topics. Through different examples and based on different research and contributions, this book presents an original first overview of “water communication”. It sets its academic value as one distinct scientific domain and provides tips and practical tools to professionals. The book contributes to avoid mixing messages, targets and discourses when setting communication related to water issues. The book facilitates coordination within the water sector and its organizations as water is a wide field of applications where inadequate words and language understanding between its stakeholders is one of the main obstacles today. Water Communication provides and describes: a general outlook and retrospective of the history of the water sector in terms of communication the landscape of organizations communicating on water and classification of topics the differences between communication, information, mediation, raising awareness examples of communication campaigns on water Water Communication is a vital resource for communication managers, utility managers, policy makers involved in water management and students in water sciences and environment. Colour figures from the book are available to view on the WaterWiki at: http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/WaterCommunicationAnalysisofStrategiesandCampaignsfromtheWaterSector Editor: Celine Herve-Bazin, Celsa - Sorbonne University, Paris, France

This book introduces the idea that ethics are an intrinsic dimension of any water policy, program, or practice, and that understanding what ethics are being acted out in water policies is fundamental to an understanding of water resource management. Thus in controversies or conflicts over water resource allocation and use, an examination of ethics can help clarify the positions of conflicting parties as preparation for constructive negotiations. The author shows the benefits of exposing tacit values and motivations and subjecting these to explicit public scrutiny where the values themselves can be debated. The aim of such a process is to create the proverbial 'level playing field', where values favoring environmental sustainability are considered in relation to values favoring short-term exploitation for quick economic stimulus (the current problem) or quick protection from water disasters (through infrastructure which science suggests is not sustainable). The book shows how new technologies, such as drip irrigation, or governance structures, such as river basin organizations are neither "good" nor "bad" in their own right, but can serve a range of interests which are guided by ethics. A new ethic of coexistence and synergies with nature is possible, but ultimately depends not on science, law, or finances but on the values we choose to adopt. The book includes a wide range of case studies from countries including Australia, India, Philippines, South Africa and USA. These cover various contexts including water for agriculture, urban, domestic and industrial use, the rights of indigenous people and river, watershed and ecosystem management.