Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and other life. Water fit for human consumption is called drinking water or potable water.
Rivers are drying up.
World Wildlife Fund is concerned. Many of biggest rivers on the earth such as: Ganges, Jangcy, Dunaj, Nil, Rio Grande, La Plata arouse alarm- during last dozens of years deteriorated quality of water (pollution) and really big amounts of water are dried up. If that thing happened- millions of peole would lose the pillar of their living, ecosystem would lose variety, sweet water and cultivation would be cut down, and in consequence there would be less food.
Causes:
La Plata, South America – infra-structure, sailing, dikes
Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, North America – too big usage of water
Ganges, India – too big usage of waterNile, Africa – climat changes
Yangtze, China – pollution
Dunabe, Europe- infra-structure, sailing
There is a global crisis in water and sanitation. Billions of people live in the kind of squalor and disease that was eradicated long ago in the rich world. Without sanitation and water there can be no sustainable development in health, education and livelihoods, locking people into a cycle of poverty and disease.
Currently, about 1 billion people around the world routinely drink unhealthy water About 1/3 of humans don't have access to basic sanitation. That problem affect mosty Africa and Asia. 1/6 doesn't have access to fresh potable water..
Oceans and seas are 97% of water supply on our planet. Sweet water is only 3% of that amount and people can't use majority of that 3% because it create ice caps. Lakes, ponds and rivers are only 0,03% water in the hole world. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration. 6–7 glasses of water (approximately 2 litres) daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration.
It is a crisis that is killing as many as 5000 children a day - the equivalent of 20 airliners filled with children lost everyday to an entirely preventable public health crisis.
WATCH!
About 25 millions of people per year die because of polluted water (too many dangerous for health substances and diseases which are transmitted by water). 3/4 of ilnesses in the Third World are caused by not having access to unpolluted water. Dirty water kills more people than AIDS, cancer or wars. Best known are: cholera, typhoid, itch, or Schistosomiasis (200 milliones of ill people- filtration or distillation or other methods chemical or heat treatment that kills bacteria could reduce the size of that ilness about 77%!) 5 million deaths a year are caused by polluted drinking water. The World Health Organization estimates that safe water could prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhea each year.
In the coming years, climate change is expected to put increased pressure on water resources. Where water and sanitation services are poorly managed, the effects of climate change are going to make matters much worse. Unless water resources are protected and shared equitably, poor and marginalised communities will suffer most.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Suggestions how to cut back on water waste around the house:
-Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a cool glass of water.
-Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you don't have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce heating costs for your household.
-Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded or properly set the water level for the size of load you are using.
-When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
-Take shower instead of bath
-Don't leave tap on while cleaning teeth. When you aren't actually using the water, give a quick flick of the wrist and turn off the tap. You can always turn it right back on again. ;) Do the same while you shave.
-Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain first and filling the tub only 1/3 full. Stopper tub before turning water. The initial burst of cold water can be warmed by adding hot water later.
WATCH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2EiP-00Q4U&feature=related
http://www.americanwater.com/49ways.htm
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/3921
http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02nov2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
http://www.americanwater.com/49ways.htm
http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/3921
http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02nov2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
Oh, i get so furious when my boyfreidn washes teeths and keep the tap turned on!
ReplyDeleteActually I think that our ( people living in Europe)problem is that we don't know what does it me to run out of water. For us it's just to turn on the tap and there's the clean, safe water coming out. Thant's why we use the way we do and we do not respect it.If one day we had real threat that we won't have watewr in taps and bottled water in shops, we would probably think and start to save what we have.
My homtown is situated in rainshadow and sometimes it doesn't rain for many days, so we have problems with water and watering the plants in the garden is forbidden.
It's true that the awareness of many people in European countries, especially those in cities, about the problem of water shortage is really low. And that should be changed! Personally, I try to limit the amount of water that is wasted unnecessarily and it gets on my nerves when for example my father uses unreasonable amounts of it for bath or washing dishes. The case is no arguments reach him and unfortunately it's the same with many other people. They just can't imagine the reality of such regions as Sudan where you just can't turn on the tap to get water.
ReplyDeleteIt's very sad that we waste water when someone else has to suffer lack of it. Water is basic need of human body and I can't imagine that it can be used up. One person can't change this conjuncture, but I think that if we will be awake to this problem, together we can achieve better future.
ReplyDeleteOf course saving water in household is a good thing - it helps to save money and stops local river pollution a little bit. But i don`t understand how using less water here would help anyone in Africa? I don`t belive that when i`m washing my teeth i`m polluting Nile or Ganges - i would expect that toxic waste will go to local river like Radomka.
ReplyDeleteAnyway i think that industry puts much more pollution to the rivers and wastes local water resources. Maybe search solution there?
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ReplyDeleteI belive that everyone's help is important in that issue. It's easy to say: it doesn't change anything if I will save the water or not. But it really can bring effects. All we need to do is check faucets and pipes for leaks sometimes, turn off the water after wet the toothbrush or when washing dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. It's not hard, but can help.
ReplyDelete