Panama Canal is an
artificial bridge system used for vessel passage through regulating the level
of water. To maintain the canal operating for years, the project requires fresh
water to be supplied. Streams and rivers in this region provide the much need water
whose flow is regulated by availability of a secondary reservoir that in turn
has been secured by the tropical weather of the region that has ensured that
the region receives enough rain water.
Although Panama
Canal has continued to serve sailors and their vessels over the years, drastic
weather changes have taken toll of the canal. El Niño event for example left it
ugly marks on the canal. Since the end of the event level of water has dropped
due to high evaporation. Despite efforts done to restore water capacity in the
secondary reservoir the canal does not have enough water to adequately control
operations of the canal.
The canal is
mostly used during the dry seasons when the level of fresh water from rivers and
streams is low. Consequently, ships (vessels) using the canal are required to
reduce their cargo capacity to guarantee passage through the canal. This final
move has been prompted by desperate efforts to keep the canal operational even
after weather has hampered its effectiveness. The move has not been welcome by
either voyage companies or local authorities because it has increased the cost
of operation and decreased the reliability of the canal.
Poor management of
natural resources around the Panama Canal resulted in drastic alteration of the
natural ecosystem. Deforestation and destruction of natural vegetation exposed
watershed and the water table, evaporation is high and the region has become
drier. The government enacted legislations and measures to correct the previous
mistakes. Some of the drastic measures have included stopping hydroelectric
power production from the dams in 1999, expansion of researchers to increase
storage capacity among other steps being taken to rehabilitate the environment
and reestablish natural ground cover. However, to guarantee that the canal
returns to its natural purposes some of the additional human activities that
had emerged lately must be stopped to give room for rehabilitation processes.
This way the canal can be expected to return to normalcy in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment