Mega-dams and massive government-run irrigation projects are
not the key to meeting world’s water needs, a growing number of experts now
say. For developing nations, the answer may lie in small-scale measures such as
inexpensive water pumps and other readily available equipment.
How will the world find the water to feed a growing
population in an era of droughts and water shortages? The answer, a growing
number of water experts are saying, is to forget big government-run irrigations
projects with their mega-dams, giant canals, and often corrupt and indolent
management. Farmers across the poor world, they say, are solving their water
problems far more effectively with cheap Chinese-made pumps and other low-tech
and off-the-shelf equipment. Researchers are concluding that small is both
beautiful and productive.