Introduction to Water resource

Question 1

Where is found water?

Answer 1

Water is found everywhere on earth and is the only substance that can naturally occur as a liquid, solid or gas.

Question 2

How much does water cover on the surface of Earth?

Answer 2

It covers 71% of Earth surface

Question 3

How much water are in the Earth?

Answer 3

The total volume of water on earth is about 1.4 billion Km3

Question 4

Which percentage of the water on the Earth is salt water?

Answer 4

97.5% salt water and 2.5% freshwater

Question 5

Describe the Breakdown of freshwater

Answer 5

70% ice and permanent snow cover in mountainous regions, the Antarctic and Arctic regions 24 million km3. 29.7% stored underground in the form of groundwater This constitutes about 97% of all the freshwater that is potentially available for human use. 0.3% lakes and rivers, 105000 km3

Question 6

Where can I found found Water?

Answer 6

• Oceans: Cover over 70% of earth’s surface. Salty or saline. Composed of about 3.5% dissolved salt by weight (Na, Ca, Mg, Cl).
• **Glaciers, snow, sea ice: **Glaciers and snow cover about 30% of earth’s surface, cryosphere Arctic: ice floats as a thin layer of sea ice Antarctica: glacial system + sea ice beyond the coast line
• **Groundwater: **Water stored under the earth’s surface. Replenished when precipitation falls on land and seeps down through the soil and rock formations into an aquifer.
• **Rivers, streams: **Flowing water, essentially a water transport system. 4.8 million km only in the US. Vary in size, discharge, current speed, water quality, temperature
• **Lakes: **Inland body of water. 0.2% of earths fresh water. Canada has half of the world’s lakes
• **Wetlands: **Areas which are saturated by surface or ground water. Aka as swamps, marsh.

Question 7

Water Use

Answer 7

• Water use has been growing at more than the rate twice in the last century.
• The world’s population is growing by about 80 million people a year, implying increased freshwater demand.
• In 60% of European cities with more than 100,000 people, groundwater is being used at a faster rate than it can be replenished.
• 70 % is use for irrigation, 10% doemstic use and 20% industry

Question 8

High Income Vs. Low and Middle income countries

Answer 8

Industrial use of water increases with country income, going from 10% for low - and middle -income countries to 59% for high-income countries.

World: Domestic use 8%. Industrial use 22%. Agricultural use 70%

High income countries: domestic use 11%, industrial use 59% and agricultural use 30%

Low- and Middle income countries: domestic use 8%, industrial use 10% and agricultural 82%

Question 9

Water and Urbanization

Answer 9

• The world population is predicted to reach 8.3 billion in 2030. At the same time, urban population is projected to increase by 2.9 billion, to a total of 6.3 billion in 2050.
• Today, one in two people on the planet live in a city. 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries, and nearly 40% of the world’s urban expansion is growing slums.
• Slums are projected to grow by 27 million people per year. In Africa and Asia, the urban population will double between 2000 and 2030. 5 million people are joining the urban population in the developing world each month.
• 827.6 million people live in slums, often lacking adequate drinking water and sanitation services. One of four city residents worldwide, 194 million in total, lives without access to improved sanitation facilities.

Question 10

Drinking Water and Sanitation

Answer 10

• The UN suggests that each person needs 20‐50 litres of water a day to ensure their basic needs for drinking, cooking and cleaning.
• More than one in six people worldwide (894 million) don’t have access to improved water sources.
• Globally, diarrhoea is the leading cause of illness and death, and 88% of diarrhoeal deaths are due to a lack of access to sanitation facilities, together with inadequate availability of water for hygiene and unsafe drinking water.
• Today 2.5 billion people, including almost one billion children, live without even basic sanitation. Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of poor sanitation. That’s 1.5 million preventable deaths each year.
• In Sub‐Saharan Africa, treating diarrhoea consumes 12% of the health budget. On a typical day, more than half the hospital beds in are occupied by patients suffering from faecal‐related disease.

Question 11

Water, Agriculture and food Service

Answer 11

• The daily drinking water requirement per person is 2‐4 litres, but it takes 2000 to 5000 litres of water to produce one person’s daily food.
• It takes 1000‐3000 litres of water to produce just one kilo of rice and 13000 to 15000 litres to produce one kilo of grain‐fed beef.
• In 2007, the estimated number of undernourished people worldwide was 923 million.
• Over the period to 2050 the world’s water will have to support the agricultural systems that will feed and create livelihoods for an additional 2.7 billion people.
• Due to climate change, Himalayan snow and ice, which provide vast amounts of water for agriculture in Asia, are expected to decline by 20% by 2030.
• Irrigation increases yields of most crops by (100‐400)%, and irrigated agriculture currently contributes to 40% of the world’s food production.