It is hard to imagine that the planet earth could possibly be experiencing an epic crisis of water deficiency. Earth is made up of 75 percent water, why, if water is in so abundant, is it such a precious commodity? Some countries have begun to ration water, while others act as if there is an endless supply. The numbers are very deceiving simply because the water that is in such short supply is fresh water, which is crucial for all aspects of life. "About 97.5% of all water is the saltwater of the oceans and seas. The remaining 2.5 percent is freshwater-water with salt content of less than 0.1percent. This is the water on which most terrestrial biota, ecosystems, and humans depend. Of the 2.5 percent, though, two-thirds is bound up in the polar ice caps and glaciers. Thus, only 0.77 percent of all water is found in lakes, wetlands, rivers, groundwater, biota, soil, and the atmosphere. On a global level the largest amount of water is used for irrigation, nearly 70 percent, while industry uses 20 percent and actual human use is 10 percent.”(Wright& Boores, 2005) Healthy aquatic ecosystems are essential providers of food and several other important bi-products necessary for life. The world currently faces a water crisis, both of amount and purity, caused by a surge in world population, food production practices, living standards, and industrialization. Improvements in wastewater management have had a vital impact on the biological differences in aquatic ecosystems. The main objective of wastewater treatment is to have all waste products from humans and industry be returned safely to the environment. By definition, “wastewater is used water. It includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals. I... ... middle of paper ... ...or irrigating crops. Retrieved from Science Daily website: http://www.sciencedaily.com Lawson, J. (2013, October 21). Technology creates a cost savings at wastewater treatment plant. Kenosha News. Retrieved from kenoshanews.com Parmionova, C. (2010). Sick water:the central role in wastewater management. Water and Relief International. Perlman, H. (2014). USGS:science for a changing world. Retrieved from http://water.usgs.gov/edu Stages of Wastewater Treatment [Print Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.sheffy6marketing.com/ Wastewater Treatment Facility [Print Photo]. Retrieved from Image: http://www.ibwc.state.gov/Organization/Operations/Field_Offices (2008). The clean water people. World Environmental Federation, Retrieved from http://www.wef.org/ Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. (2005). Environmental science. (12th ed., p. 240). Pearson Education.
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Slaughterhouses produce high strength wastewater (EC, 2005), which contain high levels of biodegradable organic matter, as faecal, undigested food, blood, suspended material (Jian and Zhang, 1999). Slaughterhouse wastewater composition in terms of organic strength, inorganic elements, alkalinity, and pH is adequate for biological treatment (Massé and Masse, 2000). Design criteria for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment plants are widely published (Travers & Lovett, 1984; Li et al, 2008).
Introduction on Water It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet.
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Freshwater is quite scarce, but it is even scarcer than one might think: about seventy percent of all freshwater is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland and is unavailable to humans. Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture or lies in deep underground aquifers as groundwater. It is not economically feasible to extract this waster for use as drinking water. This leaves less than one percent of the world’s fresh water that is available to humans. It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today. The first step is worldwide awareness of the water crisis: governments and the citizens they govern worldwide need to know about this problem and be actively involved in solving this problem.
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Pharmaceutical waste seems to be one of the dominant elements that are prevalent in our waters, and other aspects of the environment. These aforementioned elements are largely becoming a concern in today’s society because its effects have proven to be harmful towards our environment, and all of its existing forms of life. Through various ways, whether controllable or uncontrollable, pharmaceutical waste slowly and increasingly multiplies its presence within the environment. Additionally, it eventually trickles down into our waterways and causes a large array of damages. Some of the most common ways that this waste gets into the water includes: disposal through the drainage systems, farming fertilization methods and the maintenance of treatment plants. These methods are self-explanatory through their brief discussions, but it helps decipher whether the disposal of these dangerous wastes are intentional or not.
Cunningham, William, and Mary Ann Cunningham. "Chapter 18: Water Pollution." Environmental Science. ; A Global Concern. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011. 396-421. Print.
Of this water approximately 97% is salt water, 2% frozen in glaciers, and only 1% is available for drinking water supply using traditional treatment methods” (Thornton). Therefore, properly treated or disinfected water can help to reduce the spread of water-borne diseases. Everybody around the world depends on water, so people need to be perceptive of the water challenges. A lot of clean, useful water is wasted by humans all the time, so people don’t care about saving water because they have easy access to it.
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
Domestic households and industrial and agricultural practices often produce wastewater that can cause rivers and lakes to become polluted. This is typically called sewage and wastewater pollution. Sewage is a term for wastewater that usually contains feces, urine, and laundry waste. With there being billions of people on earth, treating sewage is a big priority. Untreated sewage can contam...