GEF

Unit 5  |  Toward Sustainable Water Systems 135 In other areas of the world, communities are reviving tradi- tional and sustainable water delivery and storage systems. In Afghanistan and other countries in South Asia and the Middle East, residents are reconstructing water systems called Qanats that collect mountain groundwater and transport it to farm fields and town centers through underground, rock-lined chan- nels. Not requiring any external power for pumping or filtration, Qanats are an example of elegant water technology that has been in use for hundreds of years. Qanats are becoming more highly valued as modern water infrastructure is compromised by war, high energy prices, or depletion of water sources. Ancient water delivery systems like Quanats are used in modern times as sustainable, effective solutions to water access. Other approaches to community water conservation are also making impressive strides. Some communities and schools are taking on water pollution by becoming stewards of local rivers and other water bodies. The EPA relies in part on trained vol- unteers in order to keep tabs on the health of water resources. Typically, volunteers monitor important parameters of water quality, including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen , aquatic organisms, nutrient levels, and turbidity . QANAT A gently sloping under- ground channel or tunnel constructed to lead water from the interior of a hill to a village below. DISSOLVED OXYGEN Microscopic bubbles of gas- eous oxygen mixed in water and available to aquatic organisms for respiration. TURBIDITY The level of suspended solids in a water body.