Water Supply

Water is important. We need water it for drinking and other uses uses such as cooking and cleaning. 70% of the earth's surface is made up of water but much of the world's water supply is used in industries and in agriculture.

As the amount of fresh water available for human use is limited, the increase in the population will lead to water shortage. This problem is known as Water Constraint.

Reasons for water constraint:

1) Limited supply of fresh water

Out of all the water there is in the world, 3% of it is fresh water. However, 2% of the freshwater are frozen in the form of snow and ice. Therefore, only 1% of the water in the world is available for humans to drink. This fresh water which is stored in rivers, streams and lakes is called surface water. Some fresh water can also be found deep underground and is called groundwater.

Limited supply of fresh water has two causes.

-Uneven distribution of fresh water

Some countries have a greater supply of freshwater than the others. For example, Canada has 20% of the world's fresh water while India has 10%. However, India's population is 30 times bigger than Canada's hence, India suffers from water shortage.

-Water pollution

Even though some countries have a big percentage of fresh water, not all of it is safe for drinking or other uses. This is due to the water being polluted by human activities.

2) Rising demand for water

-Population growth

As the population of the world increases, so does the demand for fresh water.

-Growth of agriculture

Throughout the world, the need for food has increased so as to feed the growing population. Up to 3/4 of the world's fresh water supply is used for the watering of crops and the rearing of livestock.

-Growth of industries
In industries, water is used for cleaning and cooling machines, and as a raw material in making products such as food, chemicals and paper.

-Changes in lifestyle

As a country becomes more developed, people adopt to modern lifestyles and can afford to buy items which will provide them greater comfort and more convenience. For example, the use of dish-washers, washing machines and air-conditioners. Some people even build swimming pools in their houses.

Therefore, there is an increase in demand for water.

Responses to Rising Demand for Water

1) Increasing the price of water

This method will encourage people who do not want to pay more to use less water. Sometimes, by increasing the price of water, the risings costs of producing and distributing water would be lower. However, this might not be the best solution as people who can afford to pay higher prices would still use whatever amount they want while the poor would not be able to afford it and suffer.

2) Increasing the supply of water

There are 3 ways to increase the water supply.

-Increase catchment areas
A catchment area is where rain is collected. Water catchment areas are often found in Nature reserves as foress can retain a supply of fresh water. An increase in the catchment are will result in the increase of the amount of water collected thus, increasing the water supply (then water will be safe to consume after it is treated). Futhermore, the it helps to keep the cost for water treatment down as rainwater is much cleaner than used water and does not contain salt. Therefore, it is easier and less costly to purify the water. In addition rain is a natural event.

-International agreements

This is an sgreement between 2 or more countries regarding the supply and use of water resources over a secific period of time. When signing international agreements countries discuss and negotiate terms on the buying or sharing water resources. For example in the Bangladesh-India water treaty that was signed in 1996, the 2 countries agreed to share and manage the water supply from the Ganges River. (Many people in those two countries depend on the Ganges River for their fresh water supply). However the treaty is only valid for 30 years.

As international agreements only last for a period of time, it is not the best idea. People may start tobecome too dependant on the treaty and be at a loss when the treaty has become void.

- Use of technology

> Recycling water (water reclaimation)

By recycling water, used water can be converted into usuable water. Initially, used water is collected and from households and factories and channelled to water recycling or water reclaimation plants where the impurities will be removed. The end product is referred to as recycled water or reclaimed water.

These are the steps taken to reclaim/recycle the water:

Step 1- Microfiltration- Water is first passed through a process of microfiltration, where larger particles and bacteria are removed.

Step 2 -Reverse Osmosis- This is followed by the process of reverse osmosis where pressure is applied to the water to force it through a special membrane. This process removes very small particles such as bacteria and dissolved salt.

Step 3- UV disinfection & End product- The water is finally disinfected ising ulta-violet radiation.

>Desalination

This process involves the removal of salt from sea water.

There are various methods of desalination such as distallation and reverse osmosis.

Effectiveness of the use of technology:

The use of technology in recycling water can be very costly and requires large amount of energy, but it may improve the efficiency of water recycling or water reclamation and desalination and lower theirs costs in the future. However, people may not get used to the idea of drinking it as the minerals in the water are removed during the treatment process, giving it a different taste from water obtained from traditional sources.

3) Conserving water

This refers to the careful use of waterresources to ensure that the wastage is kept to the minimum. It helps to reduce the risk of fture water shortage by encouraging people and industries to use less water before it is too late.

It can also helps to delay the need to develop new facilities or upgrade existing facilities to increase water supply as these facilities are expansive and take up much space,which could be used for other purposes such as housing and industries. Practising water conservation helps industries and households save money through reduced water bills.

One way to encourage water conservation is by educating the public through campaigns. Encouragining the public to conserve water, however, is not an easy task as it involves getting them to change their lifestyles and most people choose to ignore it.

Water conservation requires cooperation from everyone.

Reflection:

I have noticed that people tend to waste water because they think it is okay to do so. Futhermore, they choose to ignore whatever they have been told or advised about water. Therefore, maybe we can start off with saving water yourself and slowly spread it on to others.

(You> Friends> Classmates>etc.) Perhaps if you do it this way, we can all conserve water.

~Nicole Mui~