Based on what I have learned in this course I would define engineering as the process of building structures. Its obviously more complicated than that, so much goes into constructing a building or water system. Time, money, MATH and science. There is something to be said about old/ancient structures because a lot of them are still standing today. For instance: the Brooklyn Bridge, Hagia Sophia and the Aztec structures are all examples of incredibly built structures and for being built so long ago when modern technology was not around. I would also define engineering as a trial and error business. I cannot imagine, especially with the older structures, that they got it right on the first try. And it seems to me that a lot of collaboration goes on throughout the process with many disciplinary’s. Engineering, along with so many other fields is ever growing and expanding on skills and knowledge.
Natives and Water Rights
This was a difficult assignment in the sense that it is hard to decide what is fair for this tribe. I believe what would be fair is for them to get back all the land that was their’s to begin with. I don’t think that they had records and paper ownership of those lands back then, so it makes it difficult to know exactly what should be their’s.
The Tohono O’Odham are fighting for their rights as a tribe and standing their ground. In one of the articles it stated that they do not accept federal authority and openly reject the idea that the state of Arizona has any right to make decisions for their tribe. I feel they have a right to be angry and to push for what is rightfully theirs, but I’m sure this makes it more difficult from a state and federal standpoint to work with. In the prior appropriation doctrine it states that “water rights are given to whoever first puts water to beneficial use”. I believe based on this doctrine it would be Native Americans who lived and farmed the land first who deserve the water rights.
In the water rights agreement they were awarded 37,000 acres of water annually from the Central Arizona Project. That seems like a lot of water! I feel that this agreement is about compromise and trying to meet in the middle. I think the government wants to work with tribes and are trying to make it fair. I don’t know that the Native Americans will ever feel that we can fully restore what was taken from them originally. But I do believe that most tribes and government (whether its local or federal) are doing their best to work together.
Module 8.2-Water Woes
If I could travel back in time to advise Middle Eastern leaders about water resources, I would be very nervous to do so. I would need a lot more knowledge and training than I already have about water so that I would sound smart and have solid solutions. I was interested in the water crisis of Syria and Jordan. Syria is running out of water but the civil war refugees are fleeing to Jordan, a country that already has trouble providing water to their people. Jordan is now in more danger of running out of water due to the influx of demand. Based on the knowledge I have now about the issue I would advise them to be aware of potential water problems in the future. I would advise them to draft treaties and agreements on sharing water rights and conserving rivers and lakes. Jordan currently has many wells but experts are worried the water contained in them will only last a few years. I would recommend that they construct a solid water pipeline (one that does not leak). I would also recommend that they find ways to capture and use rainwater (during wet seasons) and recycle water.
What would I recommend they keep the same? I would say that Jordanians have been very good about conserving water because they have always struggled with their water resources. I would say keep doing that. I feel this is something we should all be doing to conserve water. Only use what you need, and don’t waste any.
What would I recommend they do differently? I understand how tense it may be when you have such strong religions battling for a sacred resource, however I feel religion and greed need to be put aside. The leaders of these countries need to step up and make hard decisions and maybe enlist people to help them come up with new ideas on how to conserve water. If changes aren’t made, who knows what may happen.
I’m not sure that the leaders would view my recommendations as worth implementing. If they value the opinions of their people, then I think they would. I worry that because I am not apart of their country they would be offended that I am coming in and pointing out insufficiencies.
The three pieces of information that I think I would need from the past are:
- History of droughts and rainfall patterns. This might be a good indicator of what may happen in the future.
- I know global warming is a current issue but it has been occurring over years. I would think data on how global warming may have been and how it currently is affecting these regions could be important information to have.
- Documents or plans on why they built water systems. Why did they choose this way? How was it beneficial to them at the time?
To start looking for these answers I would go to the library. The librarian would be very helpful in finding these resources and pointing me in the right direction. I could use the internet but it might take longer to find valuable information.