Hour Two: Cholera Genome, Global Water Supply

It's not a complicated molecule. It contains just two hydrogens and one oxygen atom. But the issues that the presence -- or absence -- of fresh water can raise are anything but simple. As the world's population continues to grow, where are we going to find enough fresh water to provide for the irrigation, agriculture, drinking and sanitation needs of its inhabitants? How should water be distributed and conserved?

Many archaeologists say that civilization arose in the Fertile Crescent area of the Middle East (flanked by the Nile, the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers) because of the abundance of fresh water and rich soils for crop cultivation. Now, nearby parts of the Middle East find fresh water in extremely short supply. In the U.S., dams have made possible the development of such areas as Las Vegas -- but also have redistributed water away from people living further downstream.

Two boys collect drinking water from an irrigation ditch in New Mexico, 1941. (Irving Rusinow, NARA image)

Technology for drilling deeper and deeper wells has brought fresh water to places that clean water had not previously been available. However, it has also encouraged people to use that water more rapidly, to the point that some aquifers are being drained more rapidly than they are being replenished. Advancing technology has also turned the quest for water into a dangerous game in which people with the most money -- and the deepest well -- can take control of a water supply.

On this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk about the complicated questions that the basic need for fresh water can create, and about what solutions might exist.

Plus, we'll look at another recent advance in genetics research. Scientists recently reported in the journal Nature that they had sequenced the complete genome of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, the organism responsible for a severe diarrheal disease endemic to some parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 223,000 people were sickened with cholera last year. The researchers found that the bacterium contained two circular chromosomes, one larger than another. We'll talk about their findings, and what implications they might have for controlling cholera.

Water...and water-borne diseases, on this hour of Science Friday. Call in with your comments and questions at 1-800-989-8255.

Listen to this program in RealAudio!

Guests:
John Heidelberg
Assistant Investigator
The Institute for Genomic Research
Rockville, Maryland

Peter Gleick
President, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security
Author, "The World's Water 2000-2001: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources" (Island Press, 2000)
Oakland, California

Sandra Postel
Director, Global Water Policy Project
Author, "Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity" (W.W. Norton, 1997)
Amherst, Massachusetts

Minister Kader Asmal
Winner, 2000 Stockholm Water Prize
Chairman, The World Commission on Dams
Vlaeberg, Cape Town, South Africa

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity" by Sandra Postel. W. W. Norton, 1997. "The World's Water 2000-2001: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources" by Peter Gleick. Island Press, 2000. (find more SciFri books here)

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Related Links:
United Nations Environment Programme GEMS/WATER
NASA's Global Hydrology and Climate Center
EPA's Surf Your Watershed
USGS -- Water Resources of the United States
World Health Organization: Water, Sanitation and Health
Water Resources Center Archives Home Page
Global Water
The World's Water
SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute

DNA Blueprint of Deadly Cholera Bacterium Unveiled (NIAID News Release)
The Vibrio cholerae Genome Database
Determining the Genetic Blueprint of Disease-Causing Microorganisms

Produced By: Annette Heist
Web Producer: Charles Bergquist