ENS 277 - The Water Paradox

Course Units: 1.0

Fresh water is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. These characteristics make water one of the most intriguing materials. It is a necessity for life. A paradox involves features or qualities of contradictory nature. Water is notorious with such qualities. Water is one of the cheapest materials yet it is the most precious commodity known to humanity. Water could be the source of peace and development yet it could be a reason for war and conflict. Water could be a force for good to generate hydropower yet unchecked or unregulated this force could be in the form of destructive floods. Water could be a weapon to combat desertification yet too much thereof could cause erosion and failures. Floods come with loads of mud and silt that charge river deltas and keep them fertile yet weaker floods result in lesser deposits that could threaten river deltas with sea attacks. Water has always been a main reason for people to settle the land yet a shortage thereof could force people to migrate and leave their homeland. This course shows the role water played in the past, is presently playing, and will play in the future in defining communities and societies. CC: SET, GETS ISP: ENS, STS