Water Shortage in New Zealand - Assignment Example

Water Shortage in New Zealand Final Project Abstract In this paper, the attempt has been made to lay down the methodology of the research conducted on water shortage in New Zealand. The methodology detailed in the paper is basically about the data collection , storage , record and analysis pertaining to water shortage and supply in territorial authorities of New Zealand. For this purpose, the elaboration had been done on the way the data is collected and the sources from where it was obtained. Apart from this, the survey related to the data collection is laid down in the methodology section. The water restriction, metering and charges levied on the territorial population have been a major subject in the methodology section. Also the limitation and challenges faced in the data collection and analysis has been detailed. Methodology a) Data Collection The aim of this section is to discuss the methodology used in the information collection and analysis with regard to water shortage in New Zealand project .This is done with reference to the water governance framework in New Zealand and its respective territorial authorities. Here, the need for water among the New Zealand population is taken as a key issue. For this purpose, it was necessary to look at how the territorial authorities of New Zealand manage water shortage conservation. As a part of the study of water shortage in New Zealand, there was a need to collect wider range of information in relevance to the subject. New Zealand was facing a greater problem of water shortage with each passing year. Geospatial information has revealed images of browned areas in New Zealand highlighting the extensive damage inflicted on the water resources and land (Eichelbaum, 2013). The information which needed to be procured was the one related to water restriction and shortage and this was in reference to territorial authorities in the country. The study was centered on metering of water supply, water usage, water restriction systems, plans for water conservation, percentage of water consumed in TAs and charges imposed on the same. For this reason, it was crucial to acquire information from websites which was of government authority of New Zealand. Primarily, for this purpose the analysis was done as to what will be the ideal source to collect the data. With adequate information the decision was made to gather information related to territorial authorities and their respective regions .In this study, a qualitative research method was used to gain valuable insight as to the management of water in the country. Now, the main issue was the water restrictions imposed in the country by the New Zealand Government .The information which was crucial was the water shortage and water supply in the country and how much of water restriction is present in the country at the current moment. The information collection with regard to this study is a significant task and for this there were certain associated problems .The problems like pace of data collection, the procedure of data collection and volume of data was a main concern in the research. Since the main issue was water shortage, it was important to collect information regarding the strategies of the water authorities of New Zealand Water supply in the country was connected with other important issues like water metering, water metering plans, water charges based on volume and water consumption. So it was decided to collect information regarding the water supplied to the people in the country and how much restriction they were facing when it came to water supply. For data collection, a literature review and internet based research was conducted to obtain back ground information regarding water management. The internet as a source was particularly important in information collection as it gave the opportunity to collect a vast amount of data regarding water restriction and supply in the country .The population information about each TA was derived. This gave an idea of the demography about each TA and the approximation of the water of each TA. The next information that was taken was the total water supplied to the TA’s against its population. The total water supplied in each TA included water supplies at the household level and in the industries. Here the climate change of the country was also a factor when it comes to water conservation and water management. The total water supply that was supplied by the TAs to its residents was divided into percentage supplied to the residents for household work such as drinking, cooking, cleaning etc and to the different industries. The need for each TA was very much different from one another mostly because of the demographic differences. Information about the total water supplied to the agricultural sector was also given in some websites. Comparing the population and total water supplied of each TA gave estimation about the respective TA’s water supply and establish differences among the TAs on basis of water supply and usage. b) Data Storage The data storage was as important as data collection and this step was carried out in a calculative manner. Once you're able to get a handle on how much data you're dealing with and the how, when and where of accessing that data, then you'll have a better idea about your storage needs (Alexander 2015).The data which was acquired from the data bases and Government authorized internet sites needed to be stored so that analysis can be done appropriately. The ideal storage space for the information collected was the excel work sheet. Primarily the territorial authorities were stored in the excel sheet and there were 76 councils which needed to be added. The excel worksheet was basically used because it had a high workability quotient. In excel, it was easy to store and view data and also the information could be analyzed within lesser time span. Since there was vast information to be stored including the 76 councils of New Zealand and their water supply management, excel was the best option for data storage. The TAs were given serial numbers and were listed in the excel sheet. Later the water restrictions imposed on the territorial population were added in the adjacent column. Next to that the information regarding the water metering, water supplied and water restricted were listed and for this answers were closed ended one. (Yes /No). The closed ended questions could have been chosen because there could have been ease in assessing the survey and answering in yes or no saves time and energy of the researcher. Closed-ended questions come in many forms, but are defined by their need to have explicit options for a respondent to select from (Penwarden, 2013). Here the TA website was used to extract information and the credibility of this site makes it more viable for the study. Water conservation being an important concern, each TA had its own conservation methods and strategies. Information about the water conservation advice that the TAs gave to the general residents were studied. Some of these are rules that the residents needed to comply with. A comparison was made in understanding which TA gives more advice on water conservation measures. b) Recording and Analysis of Data In this study, it is extremely important to record and analyze the data which have been carefully extracted. If the data were recorded properly then there was less effort needed to analyze the same. The data invariably is recorded directly in the excel work sheet and this has been done in a proper order. Moreover, the data were saved and reviewed as and when required. The ease of recording answers that were collected from the respondent was also an added benefit when it came to excel spreadsheet. Now another aspect is the analysis of the data which was collected and recorded. Analysis means the whole data is studied deeply to understand its key points and subjectivity. For this analysis purpose the whole data was studied and assessment was made based on the data provided by the government sources. The water shortage was analyzed taking in to consideration the data supplied by the credible sources. Since the response of the population was close ended there was slight problem as to the final conclusion. The analysis was a time consuming task and attention was given to every comment of the population. When it was the issue of water restriction it was difficult to understand the view of the population. Many of the information were unclear about many issues like water metering and water conservation plant. Hence the conclusion and analysis of the data were slightly blank but remained an assumption. The data regarding water metering was difficult to interpret as its statistical quality was skeptical. It was observed that the data regarding water metering was inconclusive and they were signs of discrepancy. Then it became a difficult attempt, because as a researcher the information obtained was incomplete. There was information which made assessment more severe as the data was repetitive at some points. Therefore, the future action was to explain the participants slightly more on the subject and get potential feedback. Water metering is an important measure adopted to discourage people from wasting water. Information about installment of water meters will be compared to see if all the TAs considers metering essential. Water charging will be thoroughly analyzed to understand the rules for levying charges in each TA. Work Cited Eichelbaum, K. (2013) New Zealand's Water Crisis – Taken With a Pinch of Salt. Retrieved fromhttp://eureka.org.nz/uploaded/file/downloads//Eichelbaum_Katherine_New%20 Zealand's%20Water%20Crisis%20-%20Taken%20With%20A%20Pinch%20Of%20Salt.pdf on 20/5/2015. New Zealand Business Council For sustainable Development. (2008). A BEST USE SOLUTION FOR NEWZEALAND’S WATER PROBLEMS. Retrieved from http://www.sbc.org.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/56547/A-Best-Use-Solution-for-NZs-Water-Problems.pdf on 20/5/2015. Penwarden,R. 2013. Comparing Closed-Ended and Open-Ended Questions. [ONLINE] Available at: http://fluidsurveys.com/university/comparing-closed-ended-and-open-ended-questions/. [Accessed 26 May 15]. Alexander,P. 2015. Choosing the Best Data Storage Solution . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/172226. [Accessed 26 May 15]. Read More