Seventy
percent of the surface is covered by water, almost all salty and therefore not
proper for human consumption. Only 2.5% of that is potable and most reserves
(about 80%) is concentrated in glaciers in the polar caps.
According
to the United Nations (UN), 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking
water and about 1.6 million people die worldwide every year due to health
problems resulting from the lack of this feature.
The
scarcity of the resource also endangers food production. According to the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 70% of surface water
and groundwater is used for agriculture. In 2003, the UN declared the
International Year of Freshwater to raise awareness about its importance and
the need to use it appropriately.
In the Northeast of Brazil, a project was developed to help communities to treat their waste (which was causing health problems to the people) and turning that into water for agriculture. The following youtube link shows the benefits of the project.
Simple solutions can make a difference to the lives of the population that is in need. Good quality food can be made from the irrigation process that was developed. The correct treatment of greywater can lead to a huge benefit to the health of the people and to the environment.
Scarcity of potable water has been one of the leading issues over the years. And with this increasing deficit of drinking water, treating wastewater might just be one of the solutions to supply water for the domestic purposes such as agricultural activities. Also, the simplicity of this system allows it to be easily implemented in any locality and less costs. The greywater system promises a better future for the semi-arid regions of Northeast Brazil. This will indirectly help in boosting the economy of this region as shown in video clip. The Government must take an initiative and provide for these bio water systems at reduced costs in every household especially in regions which such erratic climatic conditions.
ReplyDeleteBio-water filtering systems is a subject of enhanced and sustaniable living. Ulisses dos Santos found a solution to his struggle and made life better for him, his family, and his community, as well as making a profit. The "scarcity of resources" can make life difficult and complicated but to obtain knowledge of solutions, one may be able to benefit the community and gain environmental friendly practice.
ReplyDeleteWater scarcity always has been a challenging issue worldwide and it's going to get worse in future. Now, among all continents, Southern America, Southern Asia and Africa are suffering from serious water scarcity and there has been some water providence and efficiency programs established all around these regions such as the project that you mentioned. Besides, there is a project named "The Water Project" in Africa and some other regions suffering from this issue that has been quite helpful since initiation. If you are interested to know more about it, here is the link to the website:
ReplyDeletehttp://thewaterproject.org/?gclid=CLTWmNqB37YCFcJw4Aods0UAXA
Before my current major I was thinking of studying M.Sc. in Water Resources Management because I was sure this would be the main issue for developing countries in the near future. I was thinking the sanity problems with water and the scarcity problem are almost two different things. While in this clip we can see that the main reason for low-quality water is lack of water and wastewater management.
ReplyDelete