The consequences of water scarcity and white water

Date:
16.09.2020

Day: 045

Country:
Norway

Location:
Skjolden

Daily kilometers:
201 km

Total kilometers:
3619 km

Soil condition:
Asphalt

Ferry
1

Bridge crossings:
1

Tunnel passages:
14

Sunrise:
06:53

Sunset:
20:17

Temperature day max:
15°

Night temperature min:
11°

Departure:
11:30

Arrival time:
19:30

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“Do you hear that too?” I ask. “What do you want me to hear?” “Nothing, there’s nothing to hear. The constant pattering on Terra is over.” “Oh, that’s what you mean.” “Isn’t the peace and quiet wonderful?” “Absolutely. It’s really nice to see the sun again,” says Tanja happily. “It’s crazy how constant rain can affect your mood. When I consider that, according to the weather records, it rains up to 270 days a year in the city of Bergen and we were only affected by the wet for ten days, apart from half a day, we were still lucky,” I mused. “Well, luck is something else. It’s been raining non-stop, so you’d have thought the world was coming to an end.” “That’s true, and considering that Bergen is one of the rainiest cities in the world, I wouldn’t want to live there under any circumstances.” “In that case, I’m a little envious of those who stayed at home.” “Why? Because they are experiencing a wonderful late summer with over 30 degrees of heat, while we here have been living in a submarine rather than an expedition vehicle?” I joke. “Yes, but despite everything, rain doesn’t bother me much. Our mother earth desperately needs the water.” “Yes, yes, that’s true. But unfortunately, the precious resource of water is distributed unfairly across our planet. Water is becoming increasingly scarce in many countries. You need it to grow crops, to produce a cell phone and to drink. Water is more valuable than any precious stone. Unfortunately, most people have not yet understood this. What’s more, the ever-growing world population needs more and more of it. I read that the United Nations estimates that there will be nine billion people by 2040. Can you imagine that?” I say, looking at the flooded shore of the lake right next to the Terra. “Yes, overpopulation is definitely the biggest problem facing humanity. I can well imagine that the wars of the future will be about water and no longer about oil and other raw materials,” Tanja agrees. “I’m quite sure of that too. If you consider that, based on current forecasts, around 33 countries around the world will be suffering from water shortages in 20 years’ time, one country or another will be forced to use force to gain access to the water they need to survive. I am thinking of Spain and Greece, which are among the driest countries in Europe. The Greeks are already supplying some of their islands with water by shipping it there. Even seawater desalination plants will not be enough to meet the needs of the population and industry in the long term.” “A terrible idea. It makes you look at the constant rain of the past few days with different eyes,” Tanja interjects. “Absolutely, especially when I think of the situation in the Middle East. According to forecasts, almost half of the 33 driest countries are located there.” “Yes, there are a lot of deserts. We’ve flown over these countries a few times in our traveling life. I can well remember the arid landscape where hardly anything seems to grow.” “Absolutely. I have no idea how the countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Israel will solve this challenge. They are already suffering from extreme weather conditions,” I reflect. “It’s crazy where your thoughts take you. Norway is almost drowning and we’re talking about the driest countries, future scenarios and what water means.” “It’s usually the case that people first have to be in a bad way before they appreciate what they have. But let’s let our thoughts wander a little around the world. To India, for example. Even back then, when we lived there for almost two years and traveled the country on our Royal Enfield Bullet (old British motorcycle), there were already conflicts over water. Recently, 300 million people were affected by the effects of a major drought. 300 million 3 ¾ times as many people as live in Germany. Even in Vietnam, the monsoon no longer brings enough water, so many rice farmers along the Mekong are struggling to survive.” “Really, I didn’t know that.” “Just think about how we crossed the Mekong Delta on our bikes. It was very dry there. I don’t think that was due to the season. There are too many people who all want to eat rice. And rice needs a lot of water. In China, people are encouraged to eat more potatoes, as potatoes require much less water than rice. However, the Chinese have another problem with their insane economic growth and that is the total pollution of their lakes and rivers. At some point, they will all have a car, with the consequence that they will be able to eat their smartphones at the end of the day, as nothing will grow in the country.” “Now you’re getting very theatrical.” “Oh, what theatrics. These are incontrovertible facts, and if we leave Asia and let our minds fly to Africa, it’s even worse. The population there is growing particularly fast and Algeria, Morocco and Libya are also among the 33 countries with the least water. In Ethiopia alone, there are repeated severe droughts. Ten million people in East Africa suffer from the consequences of a lack of rain. The global climate phenomenon El Niño is said to be responsible for South Africa being hit by a drought of the century.” “Phew, when I listen to you like that, it scares me.” “It scares me myself. But there’s no point in turning a blind eye. After all, we humans are all in the same boat. No matter what skin color. We are all responsible for the pollution of our planet. Especially the industrialized nations, which unscrupulously and ruthlessly exploit the poorer countries.” “But now it’s not about exploitation, it’s about the problem of overpopulation,” Tanja interjects. “It’s all connected and is certainly complex. In Peru, for example, more and more people are fleeing the countryside for the capital Lima, which is one of the driest cities in the world. They want to go there because there are better jobs than in the country. But what good is a better job if there’s no water in the city? In Australia, they keep millions of cattle in a country that consists largely of desert. As far as I know, seawater desalination plants are supposed to solve the problem. But no one has thought about what happens when salt is removed from the sea? This certainly has consequences for the creatures that live there. On the many islands of Oceania there is again a lot of rain, so much that the massive flooding contaminates the drinking water.

The phenomenon of water scarcity is a global challenge that needs to be solved. Even the Americans have realized how insecure access to water is.” “Maybe they’ll be the first to start fighting for water?” “Who knows, anything is possible.” “But now let’s stop talking about world politics and get back to the here and now. We’re in Norway and want to travel, experience and enjoy this wonderful country,” Tanja changes the subject. “You’re right. So when it rains again, let’s be happy about it with all our hearts,” I laugh.

As I walk around the Terra just before setting off to check that all the windows and flaps are closed, I am greeted by the Englishman who has been standing next to us for three days and lives in his van. “Hi Dave. Hope you haven’t grown webbed feet yet?” I joke, because Dave is out on the region’s whitewater rivers in his kayak every day despite the constant rain. “Ha, ha, ha, you have a sense of humor. No, I’m fine. The rain is a blessing for me and my sport.” “You can go white water rafting without rain, can’t you?” “That’s true, but the more rain, the fuller the rivers are. The Voss region here is one of the best whitewater locations in the world. This is partly due to the many fantastic rivers, but also to the abundance of rain. Not so long ago, the rivers in this region were considered an insider tip, but now it has developed into a whitewater paradise. Even though many paddlers come here, you are out there in the endless, breathtakingly beautiful wilderness. The only thing that is a little annoying are the millions of mosquitoes. But I can look past that.” “I used to go white water rafting too. But when a friend of mine died and I had to watch him drown miserably, I stopped. What are the boats like today? Don’t they break anymore?” “Yes, but they are much smaller and more maneuverable than they used to be. Nevertheless, I got caught yesterday and was dragged quite badly over the jagged rocks,” he says, taking off his shirt and showing me his back. “My God Dave, that looks terrible,” I say in horror, because the sight of him could make you think he’s been attacked by a grizzly bear. “It’s not that bad. It’ll heal again. I had to take three years off because of a bad shoulder injury. On the other hand, this is nothing.” “Dave, what kind of waterfalls do you ride down that make you look like that?” I ask, whereupon he pulls out his smartphone and shows me some video clips. “Unbelievable! This is out of this world. And we’re really going down there?” “Yes, you see that little boat on the waterfall? That’s me.” “And what if you don’t come up properly at the bottom?” “Then the back will look like mine.” “Absolutely life-threatening,” I snort. “It’s a great sport that’s addictive. You often feel a rush of adrenaline. But if you know what you’re doing, it’s half as bad,” he replies with a laugh. “Okay Dave. I’d love to talk to you more, but we want to get a few more miles under the tires today. The weather seems to be getting better and it’s still a long way to the North Cape. Have a good time in Norway and take care of yourself.” “Thank you, have a good trip and who knows, maybe we’ll meet again. It’s a small world.”