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Introduction | Water: A Definition | Utilization | Water Pollution: Sources and Events | Water Pollution: Control and Management | Conclusion | References

[ Audio Introduction | Text ]

"We never know the worth of water 'til the well is dry."

-English Proverb-

Water Pollution

Introduction

Image Copyright © 2001
Charles Ophardt, PhD, Elmhurst College
Used with Permission

Our wide world faces all types of atmosphere problems, from water, soil, and air pollution to disposing of toxic and radioactive wastes. The environmental problems that people feel are most important nowadays. As the amount of pollution of the planet keeps growing, the more pressure is put on our natural resources. Everyday, current pollution appears, and the serious water pollution problems will be concerning our water situation throughout the country and world. Focusing on the water resources helps the best balance among efforts to control point source pollution and polluted runoff, and protects drinking water sources and sensitive natural resources. The purpose of this paper is to represent how water is vital in many aspects of our lives, explain what are the sources of water pollution on the water problem, and describe some results and controls correlated with it.

Water: A Definition

According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2001), the definition of water is:

"a substance composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and oxygen and existing in gaseous, liquid, and solid states. Water is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. It is vital to life, participating in virtually every process that occurs in plants and animals. Although the molecules of water are simple in structure (H2O), the physical and chemical properties of the compound are extraordinarily complicated. See also ice; steam; water resource; precipitation."
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Utilization

Our water uses have had an importance on the water situation of today in the world. Kreger (2001) said the following:
"Three-quarters of Earth is covered by water. The area in which all of Earth's water exists is called the hydrosphere. This sphere appears to make Earth unique among bodies in the solar system. The hydrosphere enables this planet to support life. Most living things depend on freshwater for survival. Only three percent of all Earth's water is freshwater. Sixty-seven percent of the world's freshwater is frozen in polar icecaps and glaciers. That makes it unavailable for use by most species. This leaves only thirty-three percent of the world' s freshwater--or approximately 1% of all the water on Earth--available to sustain life."

Water Pollution: Sources and Events

Studying sources of pollution can encourage us to understand the environment behind this situation. A U.S. government stated that:
"Despite tremendous progress, 40 percent of the nation's waterways assessed by states are still unsafe for fishing and swimming. Pollution from factories and sewage treatment plants, soil erosion, and wetland losses have been dramatically reduced. But runoff from city streets, rural areas, and other sources continues to degrade the environment and puts drinking water at risk." (Clean water action plan, 2001)
The critical issue facing many groundwater problems today is that the volume of water withdrawal exceeds long-term recharge, resulting in rapidly declining groundwater levels in many areas. Seckler, Molden, and Barker (1998) pointed out these problems:
"The problems of rising and falling water are among the most important issues in water policy. Declining groundwater levels in many metropolitan cities such as Mexico and Bangkok, and in many parts of Japan cause land subsidence. It is commonly thought that groundwater withdrawal should be decreased to the sustainable rate of natural recharge. In some cases, this is correct, but the problem is that this reduces production from this valuable resource." (Prathapar, 1998, as cited in www.cgiar.org/iwmi/pubs/Pub039/Images/KofS.htm, 2001). In addition, in China, groundwater levels are declining almost everywhere there is pump irrigation. Under much of the north China Plain, where nearly 40 percent of China's grain is harvested, water levels are dropping roughly 1.5 meters per year. As groundwater storages are depleted, theresulting cutbacks in irrigation could reduce India's harvest by 25 percent or more."
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Water Pollution: Control and Management

In addition to the water crisis, many measures are used to control and manage the problem. The growing population and new industries demand more water. There are only two things people can do: increase the supply of water and/or decrease the demand for water.
What measures would you use to handle water crisis? (Perlman, 2000)
The U.S. government stated that there are four national policies for reaching water pollution control goals and objectives including: The major problem today is how can we recover our ability to attend to these water problems in an efficient and sensible way, with a view to saving both time and money (Zaslavsky, 2000).

Conclusion

With water becoming scarce, use of such integrated planning for conserving water could lead to higher water productivity while maintaining environmental and ecological balance. As mentioned above, you can see now water problem affects our environment, and why water resources are significant and considerable in our lives.

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glossary

Glossary of water terms

References

Clean water action plan. (1988). [Online]. Available:
http://www.cleanwater.gov (2001, April 9).

Committee on watershed management. (1999). New strategies for America's watersheds.Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, p. 285.

Keller, A., Sakthivadivel, R., & Seckler, D. (2001). Water scarcity and the role of storage in development. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cgiar.org/iwmi/pubs/Pub039/pub039.htm (2001, April 18).

Kreger, C. (2001). Water quality. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/waterq3/WQhydro1.html (2001, April 4).

OAS (Organization of American States). (1997). Source book of alternative technologies for freshwater augmentation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington, D.C., USA: Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment, General Secretariat, Organization of American States (OAS). [Online]. Available:
http://www.oas.org/EN/PROG/srcecont.htm (2001, April 18).

Perlman, H. (2000). Water science for schools. [Online]. Available:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sos1.html (2001, April 4).

Prathapar, S. A. (1998). Summary of activities. IWMI Program Planning Meeting, November 30-December 3, 1998: Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cgiar.org/iwmi/pubs/Pub039/Images/KofS.htm (2001, April 18).

Seckler, D., Molden, D.,& Barker, R. (1998). Water scarcity in the twenty-first century. IWMI Water Brief 1. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cgiar.org/iwmi/pubs/Pub039/Images/KofS.htm (2001, April 18).

Thongaram, Taksawan (taksawan@hotmail.com). (2001, April 9). Water pollution information. E-mail to OW-General@epamail.epa.gov.

Zaslavsky, D. E. (2000). Definition of water problems or water as a metaphor. [Online]. Available:
http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/water/zaslavsky.html (2001, April 4).

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First created: April, 2001
Last updated: April 30, 2001
by Taksawan Thongaram
http://www.eslnetworld.com/class/taksawan/paper.html
taksawan@hotmail.com