Introduction
In the recent years, there has been a broad set of both national and international water issues raising concerns among leaders. This is due to the increased understanding of the connections between water and almost every other human activity on the surface of the earth. Water is essential in nearly all human activities, and without water, it is undoubtedly clear that human survival will be impossible. As the world’s population grows, the demand for water increasing thus exerting pressure on the water resources. Many human activities have also been unfriendly to the environment and especially the water resources which are increasingly experiencing high rates of pollution. At the same time, the world’s climate is rapidly changing thus exposing water resources under threat. A report by the World Economic Forum has shown that unless certain measures are taken to manage freshwater resources from the current risks, there will be a global water crisis in the next one decade, a situation which could adversely affect the world economy given that water plays a significant role in the economic development of the world ( Schwarzenbach , 2010). Water has a direct connection with many other economic aspects such as energy, climate, economic development as well as environmental health and human survival in general. Due to the threat of future water shortage and low-quality water that the world faces, many leaders have started pushing for policies that focus on the global water supply, water quality problems as well as risk factors that affect the freshwater resources.
Background Information
Today, everyone is increasingly getting concerned about the potential scarcity and threats to the water resources that have been on the rise amid high water demand and the consequences it has on human energy and food production. According to the Global Risk Perception Survey done by the World Economic Forum showed that the biggest problem that societies will face in the one decade is the water crisis ( Hoekstra & Mekonnen , 2012). In the recent past, the world’s percentage water usage has exceeded the twice that of the population growth. As a result, the water crisis is increasingly becoming a global challenge as more water is demanded households as well as industrial use and agriculture. In the face of the rising water demand, freshwater resources are increasingly being put under threat thus affecting the quality as well as the availability of freshwater for human use. Human activities are increasingly posing serious threats to freshwater resources which and risk diminishing and reduction in the quality of water. As the world becomes more industrialized and globalization taking control of the world, pollution to the water resources has become a major issue of concern both at the local and international levels. At the same time, the world is rapidly experiencing changes in the climatic conditions, global warming, and rise in the sea levels, all posing a threat to the future existence of the freshwater resources. Many rivers are increasingly going dry, water levels in the lakes and seas are declining amid rising temperatures and declining rains.
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Literature Review
Pollution of Freshwater Resources
According to the Water Pollution Control Federation, water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water in a way that could harm human beings or animals using that water ( Loucks& Van Beek , 2017). Due to the ever-growing industrialization and increased complex human activities, water resources such as rivers, lakes, and oceans are under great threat of pollution. A report by the United Nations defined ocean pollution as the direct or indirect introduction of substances or energy into the marine environment by man resulting in the deleterious effects as harm to the living resources, hazards to human health as well as impairment of human and marine activities.
When we think of water pollution, what definitely come to our mind is the pollution of big lakes, rivers, and oceans. It is obvious that these surface water sources experience the largest water pollution. However, other underground waters also experience some form of water pollution. Underground waters are useful in feeding the surface water sources with its water. A 1996 study in Lowa in the United States found that the greatest cause of underground water pollution is the weed killers which are used by the farmers ( Aldaya et al., 2012 ). Major human activities such as the release of industrial wastes into water bodies, oil spillage, and other activities are the major causes of surface water pollution. A study of water pollution in 2010 revealed that human activities contribute to a bigger percentage of the water pollution that is experienced globally. Industrial wastes release, oil spillage, and other wastes are not natural but rather human activities. While it may not be easy to identify by an observation that water is polluted, various indicators are always used to measure if water is polluted. The first method is the chemical indicators which involve the measurement of the amount of chemicals in the water resources. At the same time, polluted water has the inability to support marine life, thus this can also be used to measure the extent of water pollution. This is known as biological indicator. Scientific studies of the chemical indicators in the water sources in America have revealed that there has been a rapid increase in the amount of chemicals in the water bodies.
Some statistics have also shown the problems that water wastes that are discharged from factories and washed down can cause. Nearly more than half of the ocean pollution is caused by sewage and wastewater discharged from the factories. According to the report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the world emits between 5-10 billion tons of wastes annually, most of which is released to the water sources untreated ( Srebotnjak et al., 2012 ). In the United States, over 400,000 factories use clean water from the water sources and release the wastes back to the same source. Factories therefore, form the main pollutants emitters into freshwater sources. Other pollutions occur as a result of detergents and chemicals. Chemicals released into the water bodies have an adverse effect on the quality of water and thus risks the future need for fresh water.
Effects of Pollution on the Freshwater Resources
All human beings require water for their daily activities and survival. Freshwater is healthy and essential for life. However, when pollutants are emitted into the water bodies, it can have direct effects on the health of the people who use such water. Studies have shown that consumption of polluted water can cause serious health hazards to the individuals thus risking lives ( Owa , 2014). As more people become heavily reliant on the freshwater sources, more water pollution has also been reported. This causes a risk to human life and the overall health of human beings depending on water. Pollution is a major concern for all human because it harms the environment in which we live and depend on for most of our activities. Most industries also rely on the fresh water for their processing and manufacturing. Without fresh water, human lives, as well as economic activities, will be at risk. Water quality is essential for the health of any nation. Pollution affects the quality of water that is available for human consumption and hinders the availability of fresh water for human use.
Statistics about water pollution reveals very worrying trends about global water shortage and pollution. Statistics have shown that nearly half a billion people in the world live in places where they depend on polluted water for their survival ( Vörösmarty et al., 2012). Large ships and other transportation vessels have been identified as the main contributors to water pollution. While more than a half of the world is covered by water, statistics reveal that only 3% of the world water is fresh. It has also been approximated that close to 100,000 marine lives are destroyed annually by water pollution ( Vörösmarty et al., 2012). Areas with a high rate of water pollution are at more risks of getting certain diseases such as lung cancer and other threatening ailments. These statistics show a worrying trend and reveals that water pollution is indeed a global issue that requires an immediate solution.
Overview of changing Waterscape
The 21st century has been faced with growing risks of water shortages as well as contamination. The availability of fresh and sufficient water in the future has been thrown in doubt owing to the damages that are currently occurring to the freshwater resources. Even as the water sources are undergoing serious contamination and future availability threats, there is increasing demand for water globally, putting more pressure on the water sources which are already under threat. As the population is increasing, there is demand for more water in the industries as well as agriculture and domestic use. According to the United Nations (UN) report, an estimated global population of over 1.2 billion is experiencing scarcity of fresh water due to pollution and diminishing water in the sources ( Cook & Bakker, 2012 ). Already one-third of the world’s population is experiencing fresh water scarcity, where the rate of water consumption is ten times higher than the availability of freshwater supply. The problem of fresh water shortage due to contamination is most rampant in many countries including Africa, West Asia, and China. According to the United Nations, if the presently increasing water contamination continues amid the increasing demand for fresh water, nearly two-thirds of the world risk living without adequate access to fresh water in the next decade.
There is an increase in the number of both environmental and climatic change factors that are associated with human water consumption and freshwater availability. Water pollution and scarcity often result from the existence of unhealthy aquatic ecosystems which lead to the flow of polluted water into the freshwater sources. There exists a convincing evidence that changes in the climatic conditions will affect the availability of fresh water in the near future. Global warming and overall climatic change seem to pose a big threat to the availability of water because of the increased temperatures and reduced rainfalls ( Choudri &Baawain, 2014 ). Radiation and increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have also been identified to pose a great threat to the availability of fresh water. Too much carbon dioxide increasing the acidity levels of the water bodies thus making the waters polluted. Too much acidic levels in the water make such water unhealthy for human use and consumption. While water pollution and availability threats that result from climatic changes seem natural and beyond human control, scholars have shown that even the climatic change that is being experienced worldwide is a result of harmful human activities.
Discussion
From the many kinds of research literature gathered on the issue of freshwater resource and pollution, it is evident that water pollution is a critical global issue that needs to be addressed. The world is under serious risk of freshwater accessibility in the next decades due to the growing population putting water sources under pressure at a time when the freshwater sources themselves are under risks due to pollution. Since water is an essential element in both economic and human health, there is a need for policy measures that will ensure the threats posed to freshwater resources are minimized. Without fresh water, human survival will be impossible because water forms the basis of human life. Also, thousands of industries and factories worldwide depend on fresh water for their production as well as processing of their products. Without fresh waters, factories will undergo crisis which will, as a result, affect the global economy.
Statistics have shown very worrying trend about the freshwater crisis in the world. In the 21st century, it seems a rollback for any population to stay without access to fresh water. The world has made great achievement in terms of economic developments and the issue of water pollution and water management should not be allowed to take people back to the past centuries. However, there has been increased public awareness and concern on the issue of water pollution because it is something that affects everyone. Leaders and policymakers are increasingly getting drawn into the issue, and are making efforts to find the lasting solutions.
Even though some pollution can be as a result of nature, a bigger percentage of the water pollution resulting from human activities. Industries are the leading cause of water pollution and the key contributor to the declining amount of fresh water available. Most factories emit their wastes to the water bodies without treating these wastes and this causes pollution to the water sources. A more worrying trend is that the same factories that release harmful materials into water bodies are the same that rely on fresh water from the same source to do their production. Oil spillage into the water bodies is another major cause of water pollution. Many sea vessels and ships leave spillage of oil into these water bodies causing pollution. While all this happen, it is obvious that human beings have the knowledge and power to control pollution and preserve the water fresh for the future. Without appropriate measures that will involve everyone, the future availability of fresh water remains in doubt. As the population grows and the demand for water gets higher, water pollution risk causing a crisis in the next decades.
Recommendations
Various measures can be used to control water pollution and ensure sustainability of the freshwater sources for both current and future use. The first step that can be taken to minimize water pollution is the treatment of factory wastes before emitting them back to the water sources. Factories are the major cause of water pollutions due to the harmful wastes that they release to the water bodies. Studies have shown that factories produce between 5-10 billion tons of wastes, a bigger percentage of which is released to the water bodies. These factories should aim at maintaining the sustainability of the freshwater bodies in which they rely on for production. Harmful wastes should be treated and made harmless before they are taken back to the water sources. A more effective way can be to recycle these wastes to produce fresh water which they can reuse. This will be helpful in preserving overused water sources that are already under pressure due to high demand.
Strict laws and policies that describe how wastes are managed should also be implemented. Factories should be barred from releasing their wastes into water bodies unless they are treated. Serious consequences including huge fines and even imprisonment should be imposed on any factory or person found to release harmful materials into the water bodies. These laws will ensure people and factories remain responsible for their actions. Research has always shown that people who cause water pollution do not directly suffer from their actions and instead, other people who were never involved such as consumers of polluted water are the ones who suffer.
Another recommendation is that companies can implement best available technology to reduce water use as well as contamination while at the same time improving the quality. Such technologies can include reclaiming and reusing water from the process, sophisticated filtration systems as well as replacing water cooling towers with air cooling towers. Such processes will ensure factories reduce the amount of water they use while at the same time reducing water pollution.
Areas of Further Research
While there are many causes of water pollution that have been identified by many researchers, solutions to other causes still remain unknown. Ships and large water vessels have been identified as one of the causes of water pollution. However, not much research has been done in this area and there is very little information known especially on how to control water pollution caused by sea vessels. I therefore, recommend this area for further studies.
References
Hoekstra, A. Y., & Mekonnen, M. M. (2012). The water footprint of humanity. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences , 109 (9), 3232-3237.
Loucks, D. P., & Van Beek, E. (2017). Water resource systems planning and management: An introduction to methods, models, and applications . Springer.
Aldaya, M. M., Chapagain, A. K., Hoekstra, A. Y., & Mekonnen, M. M. (2012). The water footprint assessment manual: Setting the global standard . Routledge.
Srebotnjak, T., Carr, G., de Sherbinin, A., & Rickwood, C. (2012). A global Water Quality Index and hot-deck imputation of missing data. Ecological Indicators , 17 , 108-119.
Vörösmarty, C. J., McIntyre, P. B., Gessner, M. O., Dudgeon, D., Prusevich, A., Green, P., ... & Davies, P. M. (2010). Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature , 467 (7315), 555.
Cook, C., & Bakker, K. (2012). Water security: Debating an emerging paradigm. Global Environmental Change , 22 (1), 94-102.
Choudri, B. S., & Baawain, M. (2014). Effects of pollution on freshwater organisms. Water Environment Research , 86 (10), 1832-1868.
Owa, F. W. (2014). Water pollution: sources, effects, control and management. International Letters of Natural Sciences , 3 .
Schwarzenbach, R. P., Egli, T., Hofstetter, T. B., Von Gunten, U., & Wehrli, B. (2010). Global water pollution and human health. Annual Review of Environment and Resources , 35 , 109-136.
