Demonsrate the principle of war that most influenced the battle of Essay

Demonsrate the principle of war that most influenced the battle of paardeberg - Essay Example For instance, the British used the military principle of concentration of effort. Objective of effort is a military principle that requires that all military operations should be directed towards a clearly defined goal or attainable objective. In this case, the sole objective of the British army was to defeat the Boers and destroy their will or ability to continue fighting. To achieve their objective, the British were well equipped in terms of manpower and weaponry (Gilman 20). They had more that 3 times the size of opponents’ troops. Having a large army that far outnumbered the opponents was a good tactic to achieve the objective of completely wiping out Boer aggression. To reach the objective, the British army also had to secure some important points for safety and logistical reasons. The relief of Kimberly prior to the Paardeberg victory proved worthwhile to the British efforts in defeating the Boers (Miller and Vandome 41). Lord Roberts was the British commander who oversaw the relief of Kimberly and the capture of Bloemfontein, which was a Boer stronghold. Another plan that was in line with Britain’s objective to destroy the enemy was the plan to abandon the railway link to the coast (Gilman 34). Cronje, the Boer military leader had not thought that the British could actually leave the railway line that served as a link to the coast and out of South Africa if they were defeated. However, the British did abandon the railway ink and this enabled them to attack the Boers with very little resistance. Another factor that played to British’s advantage was the fact that the Boer army was greatly slowed down by the presence of children and women (Miller and Vandome 59). The British army under Roberts had a clear goal in mind and nothing, not even the civilians inside Boer camps could make them slow down on their advances. The British never wavered even once on

The feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh water to Research Paper

The feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh water to arid regions of the world - Research Paper Example To make matters worse, the little water received in these areas is usually not safe for domestic, agriculture and commercial use and there an urgent need to provide fresh water. To do so, policy makers explore various fresh water provision techniques as discussed in subsequent sections of this report. 2.0 Fresh water provision techniques In endeavors to provide fresh water to the arid regions of the world, different techniques are employed that include ground water drilling, desalinization and piping techniques. These techniques often vary from those employed in areas where precipitation is high. Therefore, climatic conditions in arid regions dictate to a large extent what technique(s) is most appropriate. Key issues in water provision and water resource management which dictate appropriate techniques will include availability of adequate supply, conservation measures, cost effectiveness, pricing and sustainability. 2.1 Ground Water Drilling Technique Ground water is normally obtaine d from aquifers through drilling and piping the water to the surface for various uses. This technique involves identification of areas in arid regions that have sufficient and quality underground water for agriculture, domestic and commercial use. The technique is more preferred to its low cost of establishment compared to other techniques like desalination. To ensure sustainable use of underground water, policy makers and regulatory authorities establishes water databases through registration of wells and their yields, documenting water composition, control of drilling in all phases and regular monitoring of water table and changes in salinity. However, the challenge with this technique is that over time demand for fresh water has increased both socially and economically requiring more wells to be dug. For example, over the last 3 decades, demand for water within the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states which are often classified as arid regions, was estimated to increase fro m 4,250Mm3/ year in 1980 to 35,395Mm3/ year by 2010 (Alsharhan et al 2001, 277). Therefore, this means that governments in arid regions have to drill more wells or explore alternative fresh water supply techniques. This water supply technique faces various challenges relating to quality and sustainability. One, underground water may contain dissolved solid substances whose value is above the established norm. Establishing these levels require sophisticated technology which is costly and often not at the disposal of most governments in arid regions. Where levels are higher than the benchmark standard, such wells have to be closed or alternative technologies to reduce the hazardous effects of these particles employed (California Environmental Protection Agency 1995, 5). For example, high fluoride levels are common in arid regions where fluoride levels have to be reduced to the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce effects of tooth decay and bone weakening. In addition, underground water