Page 231 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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figure of 3,267 persons/km will be in existence by the close of the century. The
background, to the population problem is a steadily dropping artesian water level
which is predicted to approach zero near the turn of the century.
Clearly, modern Bahrain faces a set of crises that can only be
approached with new and innovative social and technological skills. As the history
and archeology show, Bahrain has been transformed from an essentially rural-based
trading center to a steadily growing urban society spreading outward from Manana
across what have traditionally been the most agriculturally productive and
well-watered portions of the island.

Conclusion

This study places Bahrain in a perspective of continuous social, cultural, and
environmental change through the use of geoarcheological research. Rather than
allowing the past to be split from the present, it has been more informative to view
them in tandem. Thus, problems of land abandonment so visible today and in the
nineteenth century can be seen to be recurring phenomena that are related to both
socioeconomic and environmental changes. In addition to the archeological value
of this work, researchers addressing the problems of modern land use and water
depletion are reminded that neither history nor past natural environments can be
handled in simplistic terms. Rather, each must be addressed in detail and
integrated to provide a better understanding of Bahrain's modern problems.
Through this approach it will eventually be possible to plan and design an
alternative strategy for maintaining a favorable life-style for the islands in this
period of stress. Perhaps more significant, the cultural and natural environmental
background provided here can act as a guide in choosing modern technological
solutions to Bahrainis problems which do not lose sight of the longstanding
traditions of the islands or the rapidity at which the present problems of population
growth and water decline have been imposed upon present society.