It has been slow to embrace new devices such as remote sensing and geographic information systems which could, for instance, detect and analyse links between water resources and the distribution and intensity of water-associated diseases. The rich cannot ignore the poor. Even if moral and human rights considerations play no part in their thinking, for purely selfish reasons, rich countries must assist the poor in obtaining a better life. High-speed travel, instant information through the wonders of satellite technology and the internet have brought every corner of the earth closer together. The ramifications of this more integrated world are both good and bad.
Infectious diseases know no borders.
Travellers vacationing in exotic places may be stricken with illnesses such as malaria, schistosomiasis and cholera. Since the wild polio-virus can travel from one country to another, the global campaign to eradicate this crippling disease will not succeed until polio has been eliminated in every country of the world. These are some of the grim realities of a more integrated world. But, pressures created by forces such as the multibillion dollar tourist industry for a safer and cleaner environment could, if effectively channeled, contribute also to development for the benefit of the poor. Dams Dams have many benefits.