Water resources
Introduction:
Water is life. Water resources are water that is used for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes. For all these activities fresh water is required. Out of the total water in the world,only 2.5% of the water is fresh water. Most of the fresh water is frozen in glaciers and Polar ice caps. Only a small fraction of the fresh water can be used by humans for their needs.Water shortage has become a problem all over the world. Access to safe, dependable and sustainable water supply and sanitation facilities is a basic need and a human right. Water resource problem has resulted due to a mixture of climatic change and poor resource management. Although the water crisis is most marked in developing countries, the developed world is also facing major environmental problems and human health consequences due to diminishing water resource. Economic prosperity does not automatically mean plenty of water. Lack of adequate water has affected not only the undeveloped but also the developed countries. A report in Geneva on World Water Week reveals that “some of the world's wealthiest cities - such as Houston or Sydney - are using more water than can be replenished”(BBC news, Geneva)
Detailed description of the problem of water resource:
We need water for our basic sustenance such as drinking without which we cannot live. We alsoneed water for a variety of needs such ascooking, washing and sanitation. Besides this,water is also required in irrigation.We are facing a water crisis in the world.There has been an increase in the demand for safe water due to rise of the world’s population and rising living standards and this has led to over utilization of the natural water resources. . ‘The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2003, approximately 1.1 billion people had no access to safe water and 2.4 billion had no basic sanitation’(AMREF).
Water problem is caused when there is not enough water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses.One of the major causes of water problem is the rising population. According to UN estimates by 2050 there will be an additional 3 billion people in the world. Thus, demand for water will increase further. Rapid Urbanization has led to the requirement of more water to individuals and to process the concentrations of wastewater generated in the urban areas. Water quality and the guarantee of making quality water available to all regardless of income or social status is one of the most pressing problems of the world. The problem of water resource is amplified by wasteful use of scarce water resources.Competition in water is growing. Groundwater is pumped up from aquifers to meet this demand. Due to this, many aquifers have dried up and the level of groundwater has fallen .Depletion of water resources is caused by water pollution and ageing water infrastructure. Water pollution consists of unfavorable affects on water which makes the water unusable. Water pollution causes major changes in water quality and the ecological condition in water. Pollution in water consists of a wide variety of chemicals, pathogens and altering the physical chemistry of water. . Exposure to oil pollutants can alter the ecology of aquatic habitats and the physiology of aquatic organisms.Water resources is also affected by salinization resulting from discharge of saline agricultural and miningdrainage water to river systems and the increased rate of natural discharge of saline groundwater to surface water resources in irrigated and non irrigated areas.Major rivers which were fresh before, have become saline and unusable for human and livestock consumption and other uses. Besides this, climatic change has resulted in shrinking of the glaciers and decreased rainfall,which are significant sources of water. For example, Europe is becoming drier due to shrinking of the Alpine Glaciers
Nonliving and living factors that contribute to or are affected:
Human beings are the chief contributors to the water resource problem in the world. Non living factors that cause water pollution can be due to industrial wastes such as heavy metals, resin pellets, organic toxins, oils, nutrients, discharges from power stations and silt bearing runoff from agriculture, deforestation and construction sites. Other non living factors that contribute to the problem are untreated sewage causing solid and organic wastes which usually goes to the rivers, without proper treatment.. This causes organic and water pollution which affects the quality of water. River pollution can potentially affect other human communities who rely on the river for various purposes.Climatic changes resulting in shrinking of glaciers has affected the amount of rainfall and thereby reducing the fresh water resources
Living factors that contribute to the problem are increase in plant growth and decay in waters.Increased water pollution causes Eutrophication, which involve the chemical nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus discharged by industrial wastes, to increase to an unacceptable level in the water. It also results in such excessive plant growth and decay that it results in depletion of oxygen in water and severe reductions in water quality . . This affects and fish and other animals and causes their depletion, which is an important source of food for many animals including humans.Human beings have further contributed to the problem by the extraction of ground water in some coastal areas , which has proceeded to the point where intrusion of saline seawater into aquifers has degraded the quality of the water resource.
Positive or negative human impacts: intend
Human impacts on water resources have both a positive and negative effect
Positive impact: Humans have realized the impact of lack of water resources and the consequent environmental damage caused by human activities. Therefore, in order to rectify the damage artificial wetlands, artificial lakes meant to create wildlife habitat have been built. Fish ladders around dams, and water releases from reservoirs timed to help fish spawn have also been built in some places..
Negative impact: A negative impact caused by humans is due to extraction of water for agricultural, domestic and industrial use which has left many of our rivers, streams and wetlands divested of water. This has affected the ecosystem and caused a decline in water quality. In some places discharge from saline water from agriculture into the river system has made the rivers saline and unusable for consumption. All these factors affect the water and damages the water resources and the ecosystem Uncontrolled drainage to lessen seasonal flooding of agricultural land and discharge from agricultural has also had a negative impact on wetlands.
Another negative impact is when the land use in catchments areas is changed. Due to this, the way the water flows and how often and how clean it is also changes.This affects water quality, biodiversity and the environment. In a natural environment, most of the rainwater soaks into the ground or is absorbed by the plants. In developed areas with concrete highways and roads 95% of water runs off into the waterways. This affects the groundwater level. Water pollution caused by humans is an important risk to fresh water and coastal ecosystems. Untreated sewage containing solid and organic wastes flowing into the water causes water pollution. Water pollution is also caused by industrial and agricultural discharge.Water pollution can cause water borne infectious disease and is a serious health risk.
Evaluation of current sustainability strategies and solutions:
In order to decrease the water resource problem of the world many countries have adopted sustainable strategies and solutions. Due to severe lack of rainfall in the Arab world, the Egyptians and Moroccans have decided to use non conventional water resources like seeding clouds for rain and desalination of sea water. The main drawback is the high energy requirement Therefore studies have been conducted to substitute renewable energy like the solar energy in place of fossil fuels for sustainability. .In some coastal areas like Gujarat in India, the extraction of ground water has proceeded to the point where intrusion of saline seawater into aquifers has degraded the quality of the water resources. Solution to human induced salinity is time consuming and expensive.Many countries have starting programs on rainwater harvesting. Efficient irrigation methods should be adopted to limit water wastage such as drip irrigation where water is delivered at the root zone of the plant and minimizes evaporation and runoff . Water wastage can also be minimized by using treated waste water, saline water and drainage water for irrigation.International non profit organizations like WaterAid help people gain access to safe drinking water and in helping the sanitation and hygiene education to some of the world's poorest people. Untreated sewage discharged into the water is a major sourceof water pollution.Various countries have initiated schemes to treat the sewage before being discharged.For exampleLos Angeles has four treatment plants to treat the sewage. However, it is difficult to monitor and prevent all the untreated sewage and industrial waste that is being washed into rivers and streams. Climatic change which diminishes rainfall is caused by pollutants like carbon dioxide and methane released by fossil fuels. Efforts are being made to find alternative renewable source of energy to reduce these emissions But they have proved to be very expensive.
Your plan to reach sustainability:
My plan for the intricate and difficult nature of problems and issues requires a comprehensive planning and management of water resources. I would like to focus efforts on finding non conventional sources of water such as reclaiming wastewater effluents, intercepting runoffs from rainwater and desalination. I would also like to renew my efforts on artificially induced rainfall by means of cloud seeding in places where there is very little rainfall.Efficient techniques of irrigation will also help in conserving water. As a report from the Israel Ministry states, “In agriculture, the wide scale adoption of low volume irrigation systems (e.g. drip, micro-sprinklers) and automation has increased the average efficiency to 90% as compared to 64% for furrow irrigation” The catchments areas should be identified and adequatesteps taken to prevent their destruction. Since water pollution affect water quality and quantity, domestic sewage and industrial waste is to be treated adequately and not discharged directly into the water. There should be renewed efforts to use renewable sources of energy like solar and wind energy in place of fossil fuels to prevent carbon dioxide emission and cause climatic change. My plan also involvesconducting basic research on water management, engaging the wider community in outreach and education on water issues.
Benefits and challenges of my plan:
The benefits of my plan involve conserving water. Harvesting of rainfall and preventing runoffs from rain, desalinization of water and artificially induced rainfall would increase the available amount of water. But,the challenges to these programs are its prohibitive cost. Due to this, many undeveloped countries will find these plans difficult to adopt. Efficient irrigation techniques would prevent wastage of water by evaporation. Since water pollution has become a serious environmental problem, plans to prevent this pollution by treatment of sewage and industrial waste will be helpful. However the maindrawback of preventing water pollution is the difficulty of monitoring the wastes discharged into the water. Compliance to legal provisions regarding treatment of industrial and sewage wastes needs strict monitoring and review. The technical feasibility and economic reasonableness of complying with those orders and evidence relating to conditions calculated to result from compliance with those orders would prove to be a challenge.
Required government, societal, and global support:
Sustainable water management requires collaboration between business, civil society and governments; none of these sectors can deliver it on their own. Adequate legal framework to control the discharges of industrial and other wastewater should be formulated. In order for the policies to be effective, commitment at all levels of the government is required. Facilitating dialogue on water governance between universities, communities, government, NGOs and the private sector plans is crucial for efficient use of water and managing the water resource problem of the world.
Conclusion:
The world has a fixed supply of water. With growing population, demand for this water will grow. Renewed efforts to learn how to produce more food with less water, by means of improvements in irrigation techniques, agricultural water management, crop types, and water monitoring should be done to distribute this water adequately.Awareness, education and training in water resource management, identification and reduction is a critical factor in achieving successful results
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Reference:
A sustainable solution of the global problem of water scarcity int he Arab world
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Israel’s Chronic Water problem, 10/8/2002., Israel Ministry of foreign affairs
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Safe water and basic sanitation, AMREF
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Theme3: Human impacts on development.,Water-learning and living
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