Quest for Water
From SystemsWiki
The following is a Fixes that Fail' structure associated with an initial problem perceived as farmers needing more water for agriculture development.
If the notation in Fig. 1 is unfamiliar please refer to the Causal Loop Diagram page.
As a short term resolution to the water gap it is decided to drill wells. In the short term the additional wells increase the current water supply, thus reducing the water gap. The long term effect is that as water is used it draws down the water table eventually decreasing the current water supply which results in the need to drill wells even deeper. And you can probably surmise the affect that will have.
Specific examples of this are the state of the Ogallala Aquifer in the Midwest and current conditions in China.
Many thanks to Kathleen Truman, Environmental Studies Program, University of Nevada Las Vegas, for submitting this example.
For effective strategies for this structure see the Fixes that Fail
References
- Diagram created in MapSys
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