Pollution and Scarcity The Future of Water Pollution and Scarcity

The Problem World population is growing exponentially Water scarcity and widespread water pollution Death by water-borne diseases increasing Lack of sanitation and increased risk of drought

World Population Growth 8.9 billion people by 2050 Two-thirds world population to live in water-stressed countries by 2025 Water resources to become even more strained

Pollution and Scarcity Water consumption on the rise as population grows Water pollution getting worse in some areas Over 4,000 km3 of water is consumed per year (14+% of it by the U.S.) 70% of water consumed by agriculture

Diseases Over 5 million people die every year from water-borne diseases

Lack of Sanitation and Drought Increase Waste going into World’s water supply Health risk increasing as a result Parts of world lack access to fresh and safe water Droughts increasing as a result of surge in water use

Lack of Sanitation and Drought Increase (Cont.)

Examples of the Problems

Population Affect Population is having a drastic affect on water and its scarcity. More water is needed all over the world as population has doubled in the last 40 years. As need for water has risen, more water is becoming contaminated.

Water Scarcity As result of population and wastage of water, water is becoming scarce. There are a lot of droughts happening around the world, causing rivers and lakes to dry up.

Possible Future A picture of what is happening and will happen in other places… Many places are already in these dire conditions (Africa). With many lands like these, food will be scarce.

Water Pollution Pollution is probably the main issue involving water. Every year 14 billions of sewage, sludge, and garbage are dumped into the oceans. 19 trillion gallons of waste also enter the water every year.

The Causes of Water Pollution

-runoffs from agriculture- Main Causes -Oil Pollution- -Littering- -Industrial waste- -runoffs from agriculture-

Distribution of pollution

Oil Pollution

Oil Pollution Oil spills make up about 12% of the oil that enters the ocean. The rest come from shipping travel, drains and dumping.

Oil Pollution When there’s an oil spill, the oil floats on top of the water, suffocating all the fish living near the top of the ocean. Oil spills are very difficult and expensive to clean up and can take up weeks to clean up, and it is impossible

Littering

Littering Recently, littering became a huge problem. Instead of the garbage being recycled or put in a landfill, it ends up floating in the water. The problem is that this trash can take centuries to degrade.

Some of the common items: Newspaper – Takes 6 weeks to degrade. Photodegradable packaging – 6 weeks Foam – Takes 50 years to degrade. Styrofoam – Takes 80 years to degrade. Aluminum – Takes 200 years to degrade. Plastic packaging – Takes 400 years to degrade. Glass – practically never.

Industrial Waste

Industrial Waste Many factories dump their chemical waste into nearby rivers and oceans.

The Chemicals Include: Asbestos -Asbestos fibers can cause illnesses such as asbestosis, intestinal cancer and liver cancer. Lead – Very harmful for humans and animals. Lead is non-biodegradable and lead pollution is very hard to clean up Mercury – Can lead to poisoning. It is also non-biodegradable and almost impossible clean up completely.

The Chemicals Include: Sulfur – sulfur is one of the most harmful chemicals for marine life. Different types of oil, which form a layer over the water, and prevents the access of sunlight and oxygen for all underwater living things

Agricultural Waste Pesticides and fertilizers are used to grow almost all crops in the US and other nations. when it rains, or the crops get watered, all of those chemicals go into the earth. Once they go underground, the end up in the groundwater, which eventually fall into rivers.

Agricultural Waste The most common types of chemicals contained in the fertilizers are phosphates and nitrates. The phosphates and nitrates dramatically increase the amount of life in the water. Because of such a vast increase, this leads to shortage of food and oxygen.

Solutions To Water Pollution And Scarcity

Sewage and industrial waste enters America through Mexican border.

Water Scarcity Options As the population and economy begin to grow even more rapidly, there is a need for better management options. Some of these options include: improving irrigation and farming practices, storing water for future use, getting rid of all water pollution , reusing water, and limit or conserve the amount of water each person is allowed to use.

Pollution of Rivers and Oceans are mainly caused by…

Water Pollution Solutions Although people think industries contribute to the most water pollution, most of it is sewage, agricultural, and about ten percent is from industrial factories. Many ways can help agricultural pollutants from being extracted into the water. These are the ways we can help reduce nonpoint pollution: Reduce the need for fertilizer by planting crops that absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere. Legumes such as soybeans contain specialized bacteria that "fix" atmospheric nitrogen, converting it into usable nitrates. These legumes can be planted alternately with normal crops.

Water Pollution Solutions Plant buffer zones between agricultural fields and nearby surface water. These zones prevent fertilizer from entering the water and causing eutrophication. Reduce harmful pesticide runoff by applying pesticides as sparingly as possible. Control runoff of animal wastes by locating grazing areas on flat land that is removed from surface water and flood zones. Reduce soil erosion and flooding through reforestation of watersheds

Water Pollution Solutions Point pollution can be defined as the major sources of pollution from mechanical, chemical, and natural methods. Point pollution can be controlled by: Requiring industries to remove all hazardous wastes from water sent to sewage treatment plants. Encourage industries to reduce toxic chemical use and waste through cleaner production. Encourage the use of less harmful household chemicals.

What is currently happening to our rivers and streams.

The U.N. role The U.N. has hosted several forums to try to find solutions to the current water crisis Recommends that people use 50 liters of water per day Has made publications of works concerning what should be done Has tried to make several initiatives to try to solve water crisis

Personal Solutions

What We Can Do We can take shorter showers. We can water our lawns less. Try not to waste any type of drink (Water, Juice, etc.). Keep hands cleaner, to not waste as much water. We use six times more water per person here in the U.S., than in Switzerland and nearly nine times more than Botswana!

Personal Solutions Avoid drinking more than what is necessary as defined by the U.N. Grow drought-resistant crops Demand reduction of water pollution Restore wetlands Use low-pressure sprinklers Drip irrigation Trapping rainfall, shower water, etc. in large containers