tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53394734845888453952024-02-06T20:23:04.469-08:00WATER AND IT BENIFITSbilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-43348952273792355292009-11-07T02:36:00.000-08:002009-11-15T20:57:28.198-08:00Natural Acidity of Rainwater<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFnZ6I_APh121rTaeWx50uD1a1pPnBBJzz7tr96QOXdpOeHk8YSuYICYOgPAX-p5EExATf43DqtMGsC77hQmery2gy1GE3NKP2toyvhGCJVGi7oHdOYKg1VfbJP7vHjVaeIWU57A8Zhyc/s1600/Water-Wallpapers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFnZ6I_APh121rTaeWx50uD1a1pPnBBJzz7tr96QOXdpOeHk8YSuYICYOgPAX-p5EExATf43DqtMGsC77hQmery2gy1GE3NKP2toyvhGCJVGi7oHdOYKg1VfbJP7vHjVaeIWU57A8Zhyc/s320/Water-Wallpapers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404561061842158178" border="0" /></a><br />Pure water has a pH of 7.0 (neutral); however, natural, unpolluted rainwater actually has a pH of about 5.6 (acidic).[Recall from Experiment 1 that pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration.] The acidity of rainwater comes from the natural presence of three substances (CO2, NO, and SO2) found in the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere). As is seen in Table I, carbon dioxide (CO2) is present in the greatest concentration and therefore contributes the most to the natural acidity of rainwater.<br />Gas<br />Natural Sources<br />Concentration<br />Carbon dioxideCO2<br />Decomposition<br />355 ppm<br />Nitric oxideNO<br />Electric discharge<br />0.01 ppm<br />Sulfur dioxideSO2<br />Volcanic gases<br />0-0.01 ppm<br />Table 1<br />Carbon dioxide, produced in the decomposition of organic material, is the primary source of acidity in unpolluted rainwater.<br />NOTE: Parts per million (ppm) is a common concentration measure used in environmental chemistry. The formula for ppm is given by:<br />Carbon dioxide reacts with water to form carbonic acid (Equation 1). Carbonic acid then dissociates to give the hydrogen ion (H+) and the hydrogen carbonate ion (HCO3-) (Equation 2). The ability of H2CO3 to deliver H+ is what classifies this molecule as an acid, thus lowering the pH of a solution.<br />(1)<br /><br />(2)<br />Nitric oxide (NO), which also contributes to the natural acidity of rainwater, is formed during lightning storms by the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen, two common atmospheric gases (Equation 3). In air, NO is oxidized to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (Equation 4), which in turn reacts with water to give nitric acid (HNO3) (Equation 5). This acid dissociates in water to yield hydrogen ions and nitrate ions (NO3-) in a reaction analagous to the dissociation of carbonic acid shown in Equation 2, again lowering the pH of the solution.<br />(3)<br /><br />(4)<br /><br />(5)<br />Acidity of Polluted Rainwater<br />Unfortunately, human industrial activity produces additional acid-forming compounds in far greater quantities than the natural sources of acidity described above. In some areas of the United States, the pH of rainwater can be 3.0 or lower, approximately 1000 times more acidic than normal rainwater. In 1982, the pH of a fog on the West Coast of the United States was measured at 1.8! When rainwater is too acidic, it can cause problems ranging from killing freshwater fish and damaging crops, to eroding buildings and monuments.<br />Questions on Acidity of Rainwater<br />1. List two or more ways that you could test the acidity of a sample of rainwater.<br />2. Write a balanced chemical equation for the dissociation of nitric acid in water. (HINT: Draw an analogy with Equation 2.)<br />3. The gaseous oxides found in the atmosphere, including CO2 and NO are nonmetal oxides. What would happen to the pH of rainwater if the atmosphere contained metal oxides instead? (HINT: Think back to Experiment 1.) Briefly, explain your answer.<br />Sources of Excess Acidity in Rainwater<br />What causes such a dramatic increase in the acidity of rain relative to pure water? The answer lies within the concentrations of nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide in polluted air. As shown in Table II and Figure 1, the concentrations of these oxides are much higher than in clean air.<br />Gas<br />Non-Natural Sources<br />Concentration<br />Nitric oxideNO<br />Internal Combustion<br />0.2 ppm<br />Sulfur dioxideSO2<br />Fossil-fuel Combustion<br />0.1 - 2.0 ppm<br />Table II<br />Humans cause many combustion processes that dramatically increase the concentrations of acid-producing oxides in the atmosphere. Although CO2 is present in a much higher concentration than NO and SO2, CO2 does not form acid to the same extent as the other two gases. Thus, a large increase in the concentration of NO and SO2 significantly affects the pH of rainwater, even though both gases are present at much lower concentration than CO2.<br />Figure 1<br />Comparison of the concentrations of NO and SO2 in clean and polluted air.<br />About one-fourth of the acidity of rain is accounted for by nitric acid (HNO3). In addition to the natural processes that form small amounts of nitric acid in rainwater, high-temperature air combustion, such as occurs in car engines and power plants, produces large amounts of NO gas. This gas then forms nitric acid via Equations 4 and 5. Thus, a process that occurs naturally at levels tolerable by the environment can harm the environment when human activity causes the process (e.g., formation of nitric acid) to occur to a much greater extent.<br />What about the other 75% of the acidity of rain? Most is accounted for by the presence of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in rainwater. Although sulfuric acid may be produced naturally in small quantities from biological decay and volcanic activity (Figure 1), it is produced almost entirely by human activity, especially the combustion of sulfur-containing fossil fuels in power plants. When these fossil fuels are burned, the sulfur contained in them reacts with oxygen from the air to form sulfur dioxide (SO2). Combustion of fossil fuels accounts for approximately 80% of the total atmospheric SO2 in the United States. The effects of burning fossil fuels can be dramatic: in contrast to the unpolluted atmospheric SO2 concentration of 0 to 0.01 ppm, polluted urban air can contain 0.1 to 2 ppm SO2, or up to 200 times more SO2! Sulfur dioxide, like the oxides of carbon and nitrogen, reacts with water to form sulfuric acid (Equation 6).<br />(6)<br />Sulfuric acid is a strong acid, so it readily dissociates in water, to give an H+ ion and an HSO4- ion (Equation 7). The HSO4- ion may further dissociate to give H+ and SO42- (Equation 8). Thus, the presence of H2SO4 causes the concentration of H+ ions to increase dramatically, and so the pH of the rainwater drops to harmful levels.<br />(7)<br /><br />(8)<br />Questions on Sources of Acidity in Rainwater<br />4. At sea level and 25oC, one mole of air fills a volume of 24.5 liters, and the density of air is 1.22x10-6 g/ml. Compute the mole fraction (i.e., moles of component /total moles) and molarity of SO2 when the atmospheric concentration of SO2 is 2.0 ppm (see note in Table I).<br />5. One strategy for limiting the amount of acid pollution in the atmosphere is scrubbing. In particular, calcium oxide (CaO) is injected into the combustion chamber of a power plant, where it reacts with the sulfur dioxide produced, to yield solid calcium sulfite.<br />a. Write a balanced chemical equation for this reaction. (HINT: Consult the table of common ions in the tutorial assignment for Experiment 1 to view the structure and formula for sulfite; also, use your knowledge of the periodic table to deduce the charge of the calcium ion. Using these facts, you can deduce the formula for calcium sulfite.)<br />b. Approximately one ton, or 9.0x102 kg, of calcium sulfite is generated each year for every person served by a power plant. How much sulfur dioxide (in moles) is prevented from entering the atmosphere when this much calcium sulfite is generated? Show your calculation.<br />c. The final stage in the scrubbing process is to treat the combustion gases with a slurry of solid CaO in water, in order to trap any remaining SO2 and convert it to calcium sulfite. A slurry is a thick suspension of an insoluble precipitate in water. Using the solubility guidelines provided in the lab manual for this experiment, predict whether this stage of the scrubbing process will produce a slurry (i.e., precipitate) or a solution (i.e., no precipitate) of calcium sulfite .<br />d. If MgO, rather than CaO, were used for scrubbing, would the product of the final stage be a slurry or a solution of magnesium sulfite? (Assume that a very large quantity of magnesium sulfite, relative to the amount of water, is produced.)<br />Environmental Effects of Acid Rain<br />Acid rain triggers a number of inorganic and biochemical reactions with deleterious environmental effects, making this a growing environmental problem worldwide.<br />Many lakes have become so acidic that fish cannot live in them anymore.<br />Degradation of many soil minerals produces metal ions that are then washed away in the runoff, causing several effects:<br />The release of toxic ions, such as Al3+, into the water supply.<br />The loss of important minerals, such as Ca2+, from the soil, killing trees and damaging crops.<br />Atmospheric pollutants are easily moved by wind currents, so acid-rain effects are felt far from where pollutants are generated.<br />Stone Buildings and Monuments in Acid Rain<br />Marble and limestone have long been preferred materials for constructing durable buildings and monuments. The Saint Louis Art Museum, the Parthenon in Greece, the Chicago Field Museum, and the United States Capitol building are all made of these materials. Marble and limestone both consist of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), and differ only in their crystalline structure. Limestone consists of smaller crystals and is more porous than marble; it is used more extensively in buildings. Marble, with its larger crystals and smaller pores, can attain a high polish and is thus preferred for monuments and statues. Although these are recognized as highly durable materials, buildings and outdoor monuments made of marble and limestone are now being gradually eroded away by acid rain.<br />How does this happen? A chemical reaction (Equation 9) between calcium carbonate and sulfuric acid (the primary acid component of acid rain) results in the dissolution of CaCO3 to give aqueous ions, which in turn are washed away in the water flow.<br />(9)<br />This process occurs at the surface of the buildings or monuments; thus acid rain can easily destroy the details on relief work (e.g., the faces on a statue), but generally does not affect the structural integrity of the building. The degree of damage is determined not only by the acidity of the rainwater, but also by the amount of water flow that a region of the surface receives. Regions exposed to direct downpour of acid rain are highly susceptible to erosion, but regions that are more sheltered from water flow (such as under eaves and overhangs of limestone buildings) are much better preserved. The marble columns of the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Trajan, in Rome, provide a striking example: large volumes of rainwater flow directly over certain parts of the columns, which have been badly eroded; other parts are protected by wind effects from this flow, and are in extremely good condition even after nearly 2000 years!<br />Even those parts of marble and limestone structures that are not themselves eroded can be damaged by this process (Equation 9). When the water dries, it leaves behind the ions that were dissolved in it. When a solution containing calcium and sulfate ions dries, the ions crystallize as CaSO4l 2H2O, which is gypsum. Gypsum is soluble in water, so it is washed away from areas that receive a heavy flow of rain. However, gypsum accumulates in the same sheltered areas that are protected from erosion, and attracts dust, carbon particles, dry-ash, and other dark pollutants. This results in blackening of the surfaces where gypsum accumulates.<br />An even more serious situation arises when water containing calcium and sulfate ions penetrates the stone's pores. When the water dries, the ions form salt crystals within the pore system. These crystals can disrupt the crystalline arrangement of the atoms in the stone, causing the fundamental structure of the stone to be disturbed. If the crystalline structure is disrupted sufficiently, the stone may actually crack. Thus, porosity is an important factor in determining a stone's durability.<br />Questions on Effects of Acid Rain<br />6. Based on the information described above about the calcium ion, and the formula of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), deduce the charge of the carbonate ion. Also, in the structure of the carbonate ion, are any of the oxygens bonded to one another, or all the oxygens bonded to the carbon atom? (HINT: Consult the structure of the common ions given in the tutorial for Experiment 1).<br />7. In water, H2SO4 can dissociate to yield two H+ ions and one SO42- ion. Write the net ionic equation for the reaction of calcium carbonate and sulfuric acid. (See the introduction to Experiment 2 in the lab manual for a discussion of net ionic equations.)<br />8. Which is a more durable building material, limestone or marble? Briefly, explain your reasoning.<br />Additional Links:<br />Click here to view the <a href="http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain/arfs.html">U.S. Geological Survey's excellent site on acid rain</a>.<br />The <a href="http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/student/aciddef.html">Environmental Protection Agency's site on acid rain</a> presents the basics of this problem in an accessible format.<br />The National Atmospheric Deposition Program features <a href="http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/isopleths">isopleth maps</a> showing the concentrations of many different pollutants throughout the country.<br />Another very interesting EPA site on acid rain explains the novel <a href="http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/allsys.html">"allowance trading system"</a> strategy for getting companies to control their sulfur dioxide emissions.<br />References:<br />Brown, Lemay, and Buster. Chemistry: the Central Science, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. p. 673-5.<br />Charola, A. "Acid Rain Effects on Stone Monuments," J. Chem. Ed. 64 (1987), p. 436-7.<br />Petrucci and Harwood. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. p. 614-5.<br />Walk, M. F. and P.J. Godfrey. "Effects of Acid Deposition on Surface Waters," J. New England Water Works Assn. Dec. 1990, p. 248-251.<br />Zumdahl, S.. Chem. Principles, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. p. 174-6.<br />Stryer, L. Biochemistry, 4th ed., W.H. Freeman and Co., New York, 1995, p. 332-339.<br />Acknowledgements:<br />The authors thank Dewey Holten (Washington University) for many helpful suggestions in the writing of this tutorial.<br />The development of this tutorial was supported by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, through the Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education program, Grant HHMI# 71192-502004 to Washington University.<br />Copyright 1998, Washington University, All Rights Reserved.<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/coursepages.html"></a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/index.html"></a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-50152162119968815132009-11-07T02:34:00.000-08:002009-11-07T02:35:26.352-08:00What is Water PollutionWater pollution is an undesirable change in the state of water, contaminated with harmful substances. It is the second most important <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/environmental-issues/">environmental issue</a> next to <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/air-pollution/">air pollution</a>. Any change in the physical, chemical and biological properties of water that has a harmful effect on living things is water pollution. <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/water-pollution/">Water pollution</a> affects all the major water bodies of the world such as lakes, rivers, oceans and groundwater. Polluted water is unfit for <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/drinking-water/">drinking</a> and for other consumption processes. It is also not suitable for agricultural and industrial use. The effects of water pollution are harmful to human beings, plants, animals, fish and birds. Polluted water also contains viruses, bacteria, intestinal parasites and other harmful microorganisms, which can cause waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. Due to water pollution, the entire ecosystem gets disturbed. Sources of water pollutionThe important sources of water pollution are domestic wastes, industrial effluents and agricultural wastes. Other sources include <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/oil-spills/">oil spills</a>, atmospheric deposition, marine dumping, radioactive waste,<a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/global-warming/">global warming</a> and eutrophication. Among these, domestic waste (domestic sewage) and industrial waste are the most important sources contributing to water pollution. Domestic Sewage: Domestic sewage is wastewater generated from the household activities. It contains organic and inorganic materials such as phosphates and nitrates. Organic materials are food and vegetable waste, whereas inorganic materials come from soaps and detergents. Usually people dump the household wastes in the nearby water source, which leads to water pollution. The amount of organic wastes that can be degraded by the water bodies is measured in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). BOD is the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose the organic waste present in the sewage. The higher the amount of BOD, the more water is polluted with organic waste. Many people are not aware of the fact that soaps and detergents enrich the water bodies with phosphates. These phosphates often lead to algal bloom and eutrophication, which is is most common in stagnant water bodies such as ponds and lakes. Algal bloom and eutrophication lead to the suffocation of fish and other organism in a water body.Industrial Effluents: Wastewater from the manufacturing and processing industries causes water pollution. The industrial effluents contain organic pollutants and other toxic chemicals. Some of the pollutants from industrial source include lead, mercury, asbestos, nitrates, phosphates, oils, etc. Wastewater from food and chemical processing industries contribute more to water pollution than the other industries such as distilleries, leather processing industries and thermal power plants. Also dye industries generate wastewater which changes the water quality especially water color. Since the water color is changed, there is alteration in the light penetration and hence it disturbs the aquatic plants and animals. Many of the big industries have come up with wastewater treatment plants. However, it is not the case with small-scale industries. It is very difficult to treat wastewater from the industries.Let’s take the example of Minamata disease in which more than 1,784 people died and many more suffered due to consumption of fish, bioaccumulated with methyl mercury. It was caused by release of methyl mercury from Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory. The disease continued to affect animals and humans for over 30 years, from 1932 to 1968. Agricultural Waste: Agricultural waste include manure, slurries and runoffs. Most of the agricultural farms use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The runoffs from these agricultural fields cause water pollution to the nearby water sources such as rivers, streams and lakes. The seepage of fertilizers and pesticides causes groundwater pollution, which is commonly known as leaching. Although the quantity of agricultural waste is low, the effects are highly significant. It causes nutrient and organic pollution to both water and soil. Nutrient pollution causes an increase in the nitrates and phosphates in the water bodies, which leads to eutrophication.Depending upon the origin, sources of water pollution are classified as point source and non-point source and ground-water pollution. Point source pollution discharges the harmful waste directly into water bodies, for example, disposal through <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wastewater-treatment/">wastewater treatment plants</a>. On the other hand, non-point source pollution delivers indirectly through other ways, for example, water pollution from <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/acid-rain/">acid rain</a>.Prevention of water pollutionAlthough 71% of earth’s surface is covered with water bodies, we don’t have enough water to drink. Many researches have been done on <a style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/water-purification-systems/">water purification systems</a> in order to have safe drinking water. However, there are about 1 billion people, who don’t have proper excess to drinking water. Therefore, water needs to be conserved and prevent from pollution in order to make it safe for drinking and other consumption process. Reducing the amount of water use can help conserve water as well as save money. Prevention of water pollution includes using eco-friendly household products such as non-phosphate or low-phosphate detergents and other toiletries, improving housekeeping, turning off the water tap when not needed, disposing the household wastes in proper sites far off from the water sources. Planting more trees can also prevent water pollution by reducing soil erosion and water runoff. Educating people about water pollution is an important way of preventing water pollution.<br />By <a class="cap" style="FONT: 12px Arial; TEXT-TRANSFORM: capitalize; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153)" href="http://www.buzzle.com/authors.asp?author=21405">Ningthoujam Sandhyarani</a>Published: 12/12/2008<br /><a class="gcByG" style="FONT: 12px Arial; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py?contact=abg_afc&url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-water-pollution.html&hl=en&client=ca-pub-9037304895410090&adU=TheWayToHappiness.org&adT=Live+With+The+Truth&adU=www.g-forcebv.com&adT=Oily+waste+treatment&adU=www.ErosionPollution.com&adT=Water+Treatment+Baffles&adU=www.biofilter.name&adT=Biofilter+gegen+Geruch&adU=www.pHAdjustment.com&adT=pH+Adjustment&adU=www.preseco.eu&adT=Licenced+by+Nature&adU=www.accepta.com/water-treatment&adT=Water+Treatment+Chemicals&adU=www.america.gov/carbon.html&adT=The+Carbon+Cycle&adU=www.canarina.eu&adT=Environmental+software&adU=www.gasco.net.au&adT=Gasco+Design+%26amp%3B+Fabricate&adU=www.piranhapump.com&adT=Solids+Handling+Pumps&adU=www.radiant.com.pk&adT=water+treatment+chemicals&adU=www.pro-enviro.co.za&adT=Oily+Water+separators&adU=www.IdeaConnection.com&adT=Environmental+Problem%3F&adU=www.pap.co.at&adT=Posch+%26amp%3B+Partner+GmbH&adU=www.gulmaymedical.com&adT=Xstrahl+Therapy+Systems&adU=www.aquaconsult.at&adT=Aerostrip+by+Aquaconsult&adU=IndustryWeek.com/GreenSpot&adT=Pollution+Prevention&adU=www.Arkema.com&adT=Scaleva+from+Arkema&gl=PK">Ads by Google</a><br /><a class="gcLnk" onmouseover="window.status='go to TheWayToHappiness.org';return true" style="FONT: bold 13px Arial; COLOR: rgb(0,51,153); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" onmouseout="window.status=''" href="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BJxoVRE31Sr3VOpSw6QPv4I3wCdPP_nz51oyPCsCNtwGAtRgQARgBIJ-OggIoEzgAUK2LiYr7_____wFgywSgAYe_nvUDsgEOd3d3LmJ1enpsZS5jb23IAQHaATtodHRwOi8vd3d3LmJ1enpsZS5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZXMvd2hhdC1pcy13YXRlci1wb2xsdXRpb24uaHRtbIACAcgC46_0CagDAegDUugDlAXoA7oD9QMAAACE&num=1&sig=AGiWqtyde5fPYcppk76zBzRK8viUHaZ7cw&client=ca-pub-9037304895410090&adurl=http://www.thewaytohappiness.org/%23/home/%3Fsource%3Dgaw">Live With The Truth</a><br />The Way To Happiness: Non-Religious Moral Code. 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COLOR: rgb(34,34,34); TEXT-DECORATION: none" onmouseout="window.status=''" href="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BtaNzRE31Sr3VOpSw6QPv4I3wCarZ5GWiwv_sCsCNtwHAmgwQCBgIIJ-OggIoEzgAUOzA-Kr8_____wFgywSyAQ53d3cuYnV6emxlLmNvbcgBAdoBO2h0dHA6Ly93d3cuYnV6emxlLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy93aGF0LWlzLXdhdGVyLXBvbGx1dGlvbi5odG1sgAIByAKA15sGqAMB6ANS6AOUBegDugP1AwAAAIQ&num=8&sig=AGiWqtzjtb6-RTe2yChhz0DIoNDGyPtUpA&client=ca-pub-9037304895410090&adurl=http://www.america.gov/carbon.html">www.america.gov/carbon.html</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-50985304753430122402009-11-07T02:33:00.001-08:002009-11-07T02:33:58.729-08:00Water pollution FAQ Frequently Asked Questions<a name="pol1">What is water pollution?</a><br />Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives (in) it. When humans drink polluted water it often has serious effects on their health. Water pollution can also make water unsuited for the desired use.<a name="pol2">What are the major water pollutants?</a><br />There are several classes of water pollutants. The first are disease-causing agents. These are bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms that enter sewage systems and untreated waste.<br />A second category of water pollutants is oxygen-demanding wastes; wastes that can be decomposed by oxygen-requiring bacteria. When large populations of decomposing bacteria are converting these wastes it can deplete oxygen levels in the water. This causes other organisms in the water, such as fish, to die.A third class of water pollutants is water-soluble inorganic pollutants, such as acids, salts and toxic metals. Large quantities of these compounds will make water unfit to drink and will cause the death of aquatic life.Another class of water pollutants are nutrients; they are water-soluble nitrates and phosphates that cause excessive growth of algae and other water plants, which deplete the water's oxygen supply. This kills fish and, when found in drinking water, can kill young children.Water can also be polluted by a number of organic compounds such as oil, plastics and pesticides, which are harmful to humans and all plants and animals in the water.A very dangerous category is suspended sediment, because it causes depletion in the water's light absorption and the particles spread dangerous compounds such as pesticides through the water.Finally, water-soluble radioactive compounds can cause cancer, birth defects and genetic damage and are thus very dangerous <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollutants-FAQ.htm">water pollutants</a>.More information on <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Water-Health-FAQ.htm">health effects of microrganisms</a><a name="pol3">Where does water pollution come from?</a><br />Water pollution is usually caused by human activities. Different human sources add to the pollution of water. There are two sorts of sources, point and nonpoint sources. Point sources discharge pollutants at specific locations through pipelines or sewers into the surface water. Nonpoint sources are sources that cannot be traced to a single site of discharge.Examples of point sources are: factories, sewage treatment plants, underground mines, oil wells, oil tankers and agriculture.Examples of nonpoint sources are: acid deposition from the air, traffic, pollutants that are spread through rivers and pollutants that enter the water through groundwater.Nonpoint pollution is hard to control because the perpetrators cannot be traced.<br /><a name="pol4">How do we detect water pollution?</a><br />Water pollution is detected in laboratories, where small samples of water are analysed for different contaminants. Living organisms such as fish can also be used for the detection of water pollution. Changes in their behaviour or growth show us, that the water they live in is polluted. Specific properties of these organisms can give information on the sort of pollution in their environment. Laboratories also use computer models to determine what dangers there can be in certain waters. They import the data they own on the water into the computer, and the computer then determines if the water has any impurities.<br /><a name="pol5">What is heat pollution, what causes it and what are the dangers?</a><br />In most manufacturing processes a lot of heat originates that must be released into the environment, because it is waste heat. The cheapest way to do this is to withdraw nearby surface water, pass it through the plant, and return the heated water to the body of surface water. The heat that is released in the water has negative effects on all life in the receiving surface water. This is the kind of pollution that is commonly known as heat pollution or thermal pollution.The warmer water decreases the solubility of oxygen in the water and it also causes water organisms to breathe faster. Many water organisms will then die from oxygen shortages, or they become more susceptible to diseases.<br />For more information about this, you can take a look at <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/aquatic/heat.htm">thermal pollution</a>.<br /><a name="pol6">What is eutrophication, what causes it and what are the dangers?</a><br />Eutrophication means natural nutrient enrichment of streams and lakes. The enrichment is often increased by human activities, such as agriculture (manure addition). Over time, lakes then become eutrophic due to an increase in nutrients.Eutrophication is mainly caused by an increase in <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/N-en.htm">nitrate</a> and <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/P-en.htm">phosphate</a> levels and has a negative influence on water life. This is because, due to the enrichment, water plants such as algae will grow extensively. As a result the water will absorb less light and certain aerobic bacteria will become more active. These bacteria deplete oxygen levels even further, so that only anaerobic bacteria can be active. This makes life in the water impossible for fish and other organisms.<br /><a name="pol7">What is acid rain and how does it develop?</a><br />Typical rainwater has a pH of about 5 to 6. This means that it is naturally a neutral, slightly acidic liquid. During precipitation rainwater dissolves gasses such as <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/hazardous-substances/carbon-dioxide.htm">carbon dioxide</a> and oxygen. The industry now emits great amounts of <a name="answer">acidifying gasses, such as sulphuric oxides and carbon monoxide</a>. These gasses also dissolve in rainwater. This causes a change in pH of the precipitation – the pH of rain will fall to a value of or below 4. When a substance has a pH of below 6.5, it is acid. The lower the pH, the more acid the substance is. That is why rain with a lower pH, due to dissolved industrial emissions, is called <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/acid-deposition.htm">acid rain</a>.<br /><a name="pol8">Why does water sometimes smell like rotten eggs?</a><br />When water is enriched with nutrients, eventually anaerobic bacteria, which do not need oxygen to practice their functions, will become highly active. These bacteria produce certain gasses during their activities. One of these gases is hydrogen sulphide. This compounds smells like rotten eggs. When water smells like rotten eggs we can conclude that there is<a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/H-en.htm">hydrogen</a> present, due to a shortage of oxygen in the specific water.<br /><a name="pol9">What causes white deposit on showers and bathroom walls?</a><br />Water contains many compounds. A few of these compounds are <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/Ca-en.htm">calcium</a> and carbonate. Carbonate works as a buffer in water and is thus a very important component.When calcium reacts with carbonate a solid substance is formed, that is called lime. This lime is what causes the white deposit on showers and bathroom walls and is commonly known as lime deposit. It can be removed by using a specially suited cleaning agent.<br />More specific information on <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollutants-FAQ.htm">water pollutants</a> or <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/aquatic/introduction.htm">freshwater pollution</a> is now available or take a look at <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/aquatic/types-pollution.htm">types of pollution for freshwater</a><br />For water terminology check out our <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Water-glossary.htm">Water Glossary</a> or go back to <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/Water-FAQ.htm">water FAQ overview</a><br />Feel free to contact us if you have any other questionsRead more: <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htm#ixzzG3rYJJJR7">http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htm#ixzzG3rYJJJR7</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-59784042269371120322009-11-07T02:31:00.000-08:002009-11-07T02:32:47.833-08:00Water Pollution and Air PollutionWater Pollution is another serious concern facing all of us. An estimated 14 billion pounds of garbage and sewage are being dumped into the various waterways of the world. Further, an additional 19 trillion gallons of waste are also being dumped in the water.<br />This staggering extent of water pollution is very serious because water can and does transport pollution from one location to another. There is growing industrialization all over the world and the world's population is also growing rapidly. There are now millions of people who live near rivers, along coastlines and various waterways. Obviously, these are the sources of heavy water pollution. In addition, industries also have been fairly irresponsible in their attitudes, till recently dumping all chemical wastes into nearby waters, with not many of them worrying about the consequences of doing so.<br />Water Pollution can cause problems at a basic level by killing all life that lives in water-based ecosystems. In fact, news stories of dead birds, fish, dolphins and even whales and turtles have become commonplace - all killed by deadly pollutants in the water that they inhabit. The more scary consequences of water pollution are how pollutants consumed by these animals can be carried onwards to humans who can suffer from various diseases like hepatitis.<br />The Air We Breathe<br />Air pollution refers to all the dangerous contaminants that are found in the air. Air pollution can be caused both naturally and by man but in the last few years of massive industrialization and development, human activity is what has caused the most damage. And leading this are the huge power plants and massive number of automobiles, all guzzling and burning away fossil fuel. It is estimated that these two cause about 90% of air pollution in the United States.<br />Air Pollution can have serious effects on our health. Especially infants, children and older people are more vulnerable to air borne diseases, which can be induced by the contaminants in the air.<br />Pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide have harmful effects on entire ecosystems, by killing plants and trees as also other wildlife.<br />Scott Wells writes for <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://allthingspondered.com/2092" target="_blank"></a><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://allthingspondered.com/2092" target="_blank">http://allthingspondered.com/2092</a> where you can learn more about going green. Scott also writes for <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://gingivitiskiller.com/" target="_blank"></a><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://gingivitiskiller.com/" target="_blank">http://gingivitiskiller.com</a> where you can learn how to stop gum disease - a problem that may affect billions of people on our planet.About the Author:<br /><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.gingivitiskiller.com/" target="_blank">http://www.Gingivitiskiller.com</a><br />Newest Articles in <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-179_0.html">Environmental</a><br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--211304-How-to-select-the-right-white-Christmas-lights.html">How to select the right white Christmas lights</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Wayne-Young-0.html">Wayne Young</a><br />Selecting a standard white Christmas light used to be simple--there was only one choice: white or clear. With the introduction of LED Christmas lights more choices became available and its become a bit complicated. Now consumers can choose between warm white, pure white, antique white,...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--208907-The-Rise-Of-Cash-For-Mobile-Phone-Recycling-Sites.html">The Rise Of Cash For Mobile Phone Recycling Sites</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Mike-0.html">Mike</a><br />If you have an old mobile phone, the chances are you will one day want to part with it. It may or may not have already crossed your mind what to do with it. Toss it in the back of an old dusty drawer and...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--208033-Many-inverters-have-a-builtin-lowbattery-indicator.html">Many inverters have a built-in low-battery indicator</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--guxiaoxiao-0.html">guxiaoxiao</a><br />To get into small gaps, take the tube from an empty can and heat it (outdoors) near one end with a cigarette lighter. Rotate it so it heats evenly. When it gets soft, stretch it to shrink the diameter and cut it off. "You can...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--207332-Is-Our-Sun-Sick.html">Is Our Sun Sick?</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Ernie-Fitzpatrick-0.html">Ernie Fitzpatrick</a><br />To tell you the truth I'd never thought about some object in the vast universe as being SICK? I mean, I know that the sun which gives us humanoids here on earth life is hot, has a temperature, but is our SUN SICK? And if...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--207279-Create-Your-Own-Electricity-At-Home.html">Create Your Own Electricity At Home</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Ricky-Lim-0.html">Ricky Lim</a><br />Are your electricity bills bothering you? Do you want to create your own electricity ? Well, then you will be glad to know that creation of electricity is very easy. Now it might not seem very easy to you but you can create your own...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--206355-New-Kiosks-at-SFO-Sells-Carbon-Offsets.html">New Kiosks at SFO Sells Carbon Offsets</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Ryan-Frank-0.html">Ryan Frank</a><br />The individual market for carbon offsets is growing and San Francisco airport (SFO) has just done their part to make carbon offsets more available to the common traveler with their new Climate Passport kiosks. First, what are carbon offsets? Carbon offsets are monetary units that...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Environmental-News-and-Society--204807-Rats-Could-You-Love-One.html">Rats - Could You Love One?</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Bryon-Zirker-0.html">Bryon Zirker</a><br />A friend of mine recently discovered he had rats in his house. I know some people love rats and even keep them as pets, personally I find them repulsive. Just the thought of having one in the house gives me the creeps. He lives on...<br />Other articles by Scott Wells<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Dental-Care-Health-and-Fitness--208525-Periodontists-What-Do-Periodontists-Do.html">Periodontists - What Do Periodontists Do?</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Scott-Wells-0.html">Scott Wells</a><br />Has your dentist recommended a periodontist, and have you wondered, periodontists - what do they do? A periodontist is a dentist. This dentist specializes in the field of periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. You can be sure that they are very qualified. As...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Dental-Care-Health-and-Fitness--208482-Gingivitis-and-What-You-Dont-Want-to-Happen-to-You-Or-Your-Family.html">Gingivitis and What You Don't Want to Happen to You Or Your Family</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Scott-Wells-0.html">Scott Wells</a><br />In general terms, gingivitis is an inflammation, caused by bacteria, which affects the gum tissue in our mouths. When bacteria forms on the teeth in the form of plaque, it grows in the gaps between the tooth and the gum. This bacterial build up does...<br /><a class="title" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(110,137,185); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/Dental-Care-Health-and-Fitness--208473-Bleeding-Gums-What-Does-it-Mean-to-You.html">Bleeding Gums? What Does it Mean to You?</a> - by <a class="author" style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(166,108,86); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/by--Scott-Wells-0.html">Scott Wells</a><br />Even very gentle brushing of the teeth which causes bleeding may be a sign that you are suffering from gingivitis . Bacteria that contributes to both plaque and tartar grows on the teeth and in-between the teeth and gums. An accumulation of both these is...bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-54184469750300438092009-11-07T02:29:00.000-08:002009-11-07T02:31:28.609-08:00Water Pollution and Air PollutionWater Pollution is another serious concern facing all of us. An estimated 14 billion pounds of garbage and sewage are being dumped into the various waterways of the world. Further, an additional 19 trillion gallons of waste are also being dumped in the water.<br />This staggering extent of water pollution is very serious because water can and does transport pollution from one location to another. There is growing industrialization all over the world and the world's population is also growing rapidly. There are now millions of people who live near rivers, along coastlines and various waterways. Obviously, these are the sources of heavy water pollution. In addition, industries also have been fairly irresponsible in their attitudes, till recently dumping all <a class="kLink" id="KonaLink0" style="BORDER-RIGHT: transparent 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px! important; BORDER-TOP: transparent 0px; DISPLAY: inline! important; PADDING-LEFT: 0px! important; RIGHT: 0px; LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px! important; MARGIN: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none! important; BORDER-LEFT: transparent 0px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: rgb(0,153,0)! important; BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: transparent 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana; POSITION: static; TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; FONT-VARIANT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#" target="undefined">chemical</a> wastes into nearby waters, with not many of them worrying about the consequences of doing so.<br />Water Pollution can cause problems at a basic level by killing all life that lives in water-based<a class="kLink" id="KonaLink1" style="BORDER-RIGHT: transparent 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px! important; BORDER-TOP: transparent 0px; DISPLAY: inline! important; PADDING-LEFT: 0px! important; RIGHT: 0px; LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px! important; MARGIN: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none! important; BORDER-LEFT: transparent 0px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: rgb(0,153,0)! important; BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: transparent 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana; POSITION: static; TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; FONT-VARIANT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#" target="undefined">ecosystems</a>. In fact, news stories of dead birds, fish, dolphins and even whales and turtles have become commonplace - all killed by deadly pollutants in the water that they inhabit. The more scary consequences of water pollution are how pollutants consumed by these animals can be carried onwards to humans who can suffer from various diseases like hepatitis.<br />The Air We Breathe<br /><a class="kLink" id="KonaLink2" style="BORDER-RIGHT: transparent 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px! important; BORDER-TOP: transparent 0px; DISPLAY: inline! important; PADDING-LEFT: 0px! important; RIGHT: 0px; LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px! important; MARGIN: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none! important; BORDER-LEFT: transparent 0px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: rgb(0,153,0)! important; BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: transparent 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana; POSITION: static; TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; FONT-VARIANT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#" target="undefined">Air pollution</a> refers to all the dangerous contaminants that are found in the air. Air pollution can be caused both naturally and by man but in the last few years of massive industrialization and development, human activity is what has caused the most damage. And leading this are the huge power plants and massive number of automobiles, all guzzling and burning away fossil fuel. It is estimated that these two cause about 90% of air pollution in the United States.<br />Air Pollution can have serious effects on our health. Especially infants, children and <a class="kLink" id="KonaLink3" style="BORDER-RIGHT: transparent 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px! important; BORDER-TOP: transparent 0px; DISPLAY: inline! important; PADDING-LEFT: 0px! important; RIGHT: 0px; LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px! important; MARGIN: 0px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none! important; BORDER-LEFT: transparent 0px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: rgb(0,153,0)! important; BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: transparent 0px; FONT-FAMILY: verdana; POSITION: static; TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; FONT-VARIANT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#" target="undefined">older people</a> are more vulnerable to air borne diseases, which can be induced by the contaminants in the air.<br />Pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide have harmful effects on entire ecosystems, by killing plants and trees as also other wildlife.<br />Scott Wells writes for <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(0,102,204); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://allthingspondered.com/2092" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://allthingspondered.com/2092</a> where you can learn more about going green. Scott also writes for<a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(0,102,204); PADDING-TOP: 0px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://gingivitiskiller.com/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://gingivitiskiller.com</a> where you can learn how to stop gum disease - a problem that may affect billions of people on our planet.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-16887963741418677472009-11-07T02:26:00.000-08:002009-11-07T02:29:40.355-08:00Water PollutionDescription<br />Water pollution is any contamination of water with chemicals or other foreign substances that are detrimental to human, plant, or animal health. These pollutants include fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural runoff; sewage and food processing waste; lead, mercury, and other heavy metals; chemical wastes from industrial discharges; and chemical contamination from hazardous waste sites. Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people drink contaminated water that could be harmful to their health.<a name="what"></a><br />What NIEHS is Doing on Water Pollution<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/2009/swineflu.cfm">Swine Flu Susceptibility Linked to Arsenic Exposure</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/2008/arsenic.cfm">Arsenic and Type 2 Diabetes</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/research/supported/sep/2002/pfiester.cfm">Does Pfiesteria Produce Toxins? New Research Suggests Not</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/research/supported/sep/2004/hab.cfm">Harmful Algal Blooms and Cystic Fibrosis: A Surprising Connection</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/releases/2009/well-water.cfm">Well Water Should Be Tested Annually to Reduce Health Risks to Children</a><a id="general" name="general"></a><br />General Information<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/bully-bacteria.pdf">Don’t Be Bullied by Bacteria! Join the Fight for Clean Water!</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (516KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.ehponline.org/topic/waterpol.html">Environmental Health Perspectives, Environews by Topic: Water Pollution</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/health-kids-water.pdf">Healthy Homes = Healthy Kids: Indoor Water (English)</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (270KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/health-kids-water-sp.pdf">Healthy Homes = Healthy Kids: Indoor Water (Spanish)</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (250KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/health-kids-water-ar.pdf">Healthy Homes = Healthy Kids: Indoor Water (Arabic)</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (640KB)<a name="educators"></a><br />For Educators<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/arsenic-suffering.pdf">EHP Student Edition Lesson: Arsenic: An Element of Suffering</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (122KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/caring-children.pdf">EHP Student Edition Lesson: Caring for Children Amidst Chaos</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (67KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/cleaner-air-water.pdf">EHP Student Edition Lesson: Cleaner Air and Water on the Fly</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (142KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/consider-source.pdf">EHP Student Edition Lesson: Consider the Source</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (1.5MB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/great-lakes.pdf">EHP Student Edition Lesson: Great Lakes - Make the Human Health Connection</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (971KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.blogger.com/health/docs/perchloratein-food.pdf">EHP Student Editions Lesson: Lettuce Explore Perchlorate in Food</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank"></a> (91KB)<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,102); 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Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC USA 27709</a><br />Last Reviewed: June 30, 2009bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-87528488012409300622009-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:56:09.870-08:00Projected Water Scarcity in 2025The IWMI Global Water Scarcity Study is a groundbreaking piece of research for the Institute and an important new planning tool for the worldwide water and development community.<br />The first phase was completed in 1998. It forecasts future water supply and demand in 118 countries worldwide.<br />The Study's second phase (completed in January 2000) makes use of the IWMI Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUM). This is a software based planning tool that helps countries shape their water and food security policies for the coming years. Several countries are currently using Podium data for policy planning, by including more detailed water and food production data. Podium was also used to generate many of the food and water security scenarios discussed at the World Water Forum in The Hague in March 2000.<br />To download Podium software from this web site of IWMI, enter the <a href="http://www.cgiar.org/iwmi/software/softmain.htm" target="blank">Software Area</a> on the main page.<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/map2025.htm">To see the map on large, click on.</a><br />This work overcomes the limitations of previous methodologies and builds on their strengths. It computes water withdrawals for 2025 based on estimates of future domestic, industrial, and irrigation demands in each country, using the United Nations 1994 `medium' growth population scenario. The study categorizes countries according to their predicted water scarcity based on two factors: the percent increase in water withdrawals over the 1990 to 2025 period; and the projected water withdrawals expressed as a percentage of annual water withdrawals.<br />By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. Most countries in the Middle East and North Africa can be classified as having absolute water scarcity today. By 2025, these countries will be joined by Pakistan, South Africa, and large parts of India and China. This means that they will not have sufficient water resources to maintain their current level of per capita food production from irrigated agriculture—even at high levels of irrigation efficiency—and also to meet reasonable water needs for domestic, industrial, and environmental purposes. To sustain their needs, water will have to be transferred out of agriculture into other sectors, making these countries or regions increasingly dependent on imported food.<br />The remainder of the 118 countries included in the study theoretically have sufficient water resources to meet their needs. But many of them will have to develop their water supplies by 25 percent or more. This will mean embarking on large and expensive water-development projects. For many countries, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, it will be difficult to mobilize the necessary financial and other resources to achieve this goal.<br />The second phase of the Water Scarcity study was completed in January 2000. This analysis and the data used in the first study were refined through the development of the IWMI Policy Dialogue Model (PODIUM).<br />This is an interactive software tool that helps countries forecast their situation in 2025 and develop alternative water scenarios. At the country data level, PODIUM gives countries a realistic vision of their food-water scenarios. All country data have been analyzed using PODIUM from a global perspective, and used to assess the world food security/water scarcity situation for 2025 as a part of the `Water for Food' segment of the World Water Vision, for March 2000 in The Hague.<br />The current global version of PODIUM presents water scenarios of 45 countries, which represent major regions of the world, counting over 80% of its population. IWMI's PODIUM predictions show that, by 2025, 33%, or some 2 billion people, will live in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. All of these absolute water-scarce countries, except South Africa, will have to import a substantial portion of their cereal consumption. Also by 2025, some 45% of the population of these countries—roughly 2.7 billion people _ will live in areas whose water resources must be developed by at least 25%. The analysis also shows that overall, these 45 countries will have a 2% surplus of cereal production in 2025, after their food needs have been met.<br />Globally, IWMI predicts that, to meet the 2025 water needs, the world must develop 22% more primary water supply. The irrigation sector—by far the largest water user today—will still account for 69% of the total primary water supply. To meet food needs, the primary water supply to irrigation must be increased by 17%. IWMI's conclusion is that, while the world must continue investing in water development projects to meet future food demands, investments in research to improve crop water productivity could be a cost-effective means to limit the requirement for new dams.<br /><a name="fran"></a>Les pénuries d'eau en 2025 ?<br />Le modèle informatique établi par l'IWMI pour évaluer l'offre et la demande en eau - connu à l'échelon international sous le nom d'IMWI Water Scarcity Study (étude de l'IWMI sur la pénurie d'eau) - est un travail de recherche inédit et constitue un instrument de planification novateur et important pour le secteur international de l'eau et du développement. Achevée à la fin de 1998, la première phase de ce modèle prévoit le devenir de l'offre et de la demande d'eau dans 118 pays.<br />Ce modèle, plus performant que les méthodes existantes, se fonde néanmoins sur les points forts de ces dernières. Il calcule les prélèvements d'eau en 2025 d'après l'estimation des demandes à venir (logement, industrie et irrigation) de chaque pays. Pour ce faire, il se base sur le scénario d'expansion démographique "moyenne" établi en 1994 par les Nations unies. Les pays sont classés en fonction de la pénurie d'eau estimée en intégrant deux facteurs : d'une part, le pourcentage d'accroissement des prélèvements d'eau entre 1990 et 2025 et d'autre part, la projection des prélèvements d'eau exprimés en pourcentage des prélèvements annuels.<br />D'ici 2025, 1,8 milliards d'êtres humains vivront dans des pays ou régions affectés par une pénurie totale d'eau, comme c'est actuellement le cas dans la majeure partie du Moyen-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord. En 2025, le Pakistan, l'Afrique du Sud et de vaste régions d'Inde et de Chine n'auront donc plus suffisamment de ressources hydriques que ce soit :<br />pour maintenir leur niveau actuel de production alimentaire par habitant via l'agriculture irriguée — même si l'irrigation est très intensive —<br />ou pour satisfaire des besoins raisonnables en eau à des fins domestiques, industrielles et environnementales.<br />Pour répondre à leurs besoins, l'eau devra être transférée de l'agriculture vers d'autres secteurs, ce qui rendra ces pays ou régions de plus en plus tributaires de leurs importations alimentaires.<br />En théorie, les ressources en eau des autres pays étudiés sont suffisantes pour satisfaire leurs besoins ; ceci dit, les besoins en eau d'une grande partie d'entre eux augmenteront d'au moins25 pour cent. Ces pays devront dès lors s'engager dans de vastes et coûteux projets de développement. Certains parmi eux, en particulier en Afrique subsaharienne, éprouveront des difficultés à mobiliser les ressources financières nécessaires à cet objectif.<br />Le second volet de l'étude relative à la pénurie d'eau fut achevé en janvier 2000. Cette analyse ainsi que les données de la première étude furent affinées par le biais du logiciel PODIUM de l'IWMI. Il s'agit d'un logiciel interactif aidant les pays à prévoir leur situation en 2025 et à créer des scénarios alternatifs. A l'échelon national, PODIUM offre aux pays une vision réaliste de leurs scénarios d'approvisionnement en eau et nourriture. Toutes les données ont été analysées par PODIUM dans une perspective globale et utilisées afin d'évaluer le rapport sécurité alimentaire / pénurie d'eau pour 2025 dans le cadre du segment "Water for Food" de World Water, prévu pour mars 2000 à La Haye. Pour charger PODIUM depuis le site web de l'IWMI, consultez la page relative aux <a href="http://www.cgiar.org/iwmi/french/softmainfr.htm" target="blank">Logiciels de l'IWMI</a>.<br />La version globale de PODIUM fournit les scénarios d'approvisionnement en eau de 45 pays qui représentent de grandes régions du monde où se concentre 80 pour cent de sa population. Les pronostics de PODIUM montrent que, d'ici 2025, 33 pour cent, soit 2 milliards, des hommes vivront dans des pays ou régions affectés par une pénurie totale d'eau. Tous ces pays, exception faite de l'Afrique du Sud, devront importer une grande part de leur consommation céréalière. D'ici 2025 également, quelque 45 pour cent de la population de ces pays — grosso modo 2,7 milliards de personnes — vivront dans des régions dont les besoins en eau vont croître d'au moins 25 pour cent. L'analyse montre également que globalement, ces 45 pays auront un excédent de 2 pour cent de production céréalière en 2025, lorsque leurs besoins alimentaires auront été satisfaits.<br />Globalement, l'IWMI prévoit que pour répondre aux besoins de 2025, le monde devra accroître l'approvisionnement primaire en eau de 22 pour cent. Le secteur de l'irrigation — de loin le plus grand consommateur d'eau à l'heure actuelle — continuera à représenter 69 pour cent de l'approvisionnement total primaire en eau. Pour satisfaire les besoins alimentaires, l'apport primaire en eau d'irrigation doit être augmenté de 17 pour cent.<br />Face ces chiffres, la conclusion de l'IWMI est la suivante : s'il est important de continuer à financer des projets pour le développement des ressources en eau afin de répondre aux demandes à venir, il est indipensable d'investir dans la recherche pour améliorer la productivité de l'eau utilisée pour l’irrigation.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-53467564060310971832009-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:55:13.422-08:00Great Lakes Article:UN warns of water shortage by 2025Looming crisis to affect two-thirds of world populationThe Toronto Star03/22/2002VIENNA (AP) More than 2.7 billion people will face severe shortages of fresh water by 2025 if the world keeps consuming water at today's rates, the United Nations warned today in a report marking World Water Day.<br />Worldwide, about five billion people will be living in areas where it will be difficult or impossible to meet all their needs for fresh water, creating "a looming crisis that overshadows nearly two-thirds of the Earth's population," the report said.<br />It was released in Vienna by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog organization leading the United Nations' effort to draw attention to the world's water crisis and urge the launching of a "blue revolution" to conserve supplies and develop new ones.<br />"The simple fact is that there is a limited amount of water on the planet, and we cannot afford to be negligent in its use," said the agency's director, Mohamed ElBaradei. "We can't keep treating it as if it will never run out."<br />Already, an estimated 1.1 billion people have no access to safe drinking water, 2.5 billion lack proper sanitation and more than five million people die from waterborne diseases each year - 10 times the number of casualties killed in wars around the globe, the report said.<br />Less than three per cent of the world's water is fresh, and most of it is trapped in polar ice or buried underground in springs too deep to reach, it said.<br />Freshwater lakes, rivers and reservoirs may seem numerous but provide just a drop in the bucket, the report said.<br />"Even where supplies are sufficient or plentiful, they are increasingly at risk from pollution and rising demand," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a statement, warning that ``fierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict."<br />The worst-affected areas are the deserts and semiarid regions of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where fresh drinking water is extremely scarce, in part because of the region's wildly variable climate and unfettered population growth, the World Meteorological Organization said.<br />Water ministers from 22 African countries have called for a regional and global alliance, backed by international funding, to tackle water and sanitation problems. Among the solutions, they say, are the development of desalination facilities that can turn salt water into drinking water.<br />Millions of women trudge long distances every day in search of water or send their children to look for it, meaning they miss opportunities to work, grow crops and attend school, the UN report said.<br />"Without adequate clean water, there can be no escape from poverty," said Klaus Toepfer, director of the UN Environment Program. "Water is the basis for good health and food production. Mankind is always at its mercy."<br />On the Net:<br />World Water Day, <a href="http://www.waterday2002.iaea.org/">http://www.waterday2002.iaea.org</a><br />CP 0611ES 22-03-02bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-43567555428153925532009-11-06T07:53:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:54:07.840-08:00Water Scarcity briefing<a style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)" href="http://www.blogger.com/imagecatalogue/imageview/20928/?RefererURL=/guides/water/scarcity"></a><br />Collecting water in Chennai © Peter ArmstrongWater scarcity describes an environment in which demands for water for domestic, agriculture, and industry purposes exceed its availability. Even if the donor community met all the funding demands of international NGOs for access to safe drinking water, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) could still fail through inadequate integration with the bigger water picture. “Integrated water resources management” is not limited to understanding the needs of the three user categories; it must extend geographically across separate but inter-related watersheds and rivers, across national boundaries and oceans. Under pressure from rising populations, intensive agriculture and industrialisation, water presents a global challenge of unfathomable difficulty. To borrow popular business jargon, freshwater is a "zero sum game". It is a finite resource over which competing interests are condemned to squabble. And in an unfair world, its beneficence is distributed by nature unevenly. The significance of water scarcity for the MDGs is that poor people tend to lose out in competition for scarce resources, typically through the pricing mechanism. 1.4 billion people already live in regions classed as water scarce and all projections suggest that this figure will rise sharply. Those who applaud the world's achievement of expanding food production exponentially over the last generation tend to forget the parallel demands placed on water resources which themselves are finite. <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)" href="http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=2309&PHPSESSID=b07c23c9779d44902a91fc0ae0d3db30" target="_blank">Meat consumption generates great demand for water</a> as does the new enthusiasm for biofuels – one litre of ethanol is produced from an amount of corn which is variously estimated to consume 1500-4000 litres of water. The concept of “virtual water” has been developed to rationalise this hidden consumption within everyday products and crops such as cotton, rice, coffee and sugar. Globalisation is moving this embedded or virtual water around the world, often from countries which can ill afford its loss. The omission of the cost of virtual water bears witness to another failure of modern market economics and, like carbon dioxide, there are moves to <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)" href="http://www.panda.org/index.cfm?uNewsID=143646" target="_blank">quantify this water footprint</a> for labelling purposes and input to sustainability targets. Water demand management is the opposite side of the water scarcity coin. Nowhere is the need for demand management more acute than<a style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)" href="http://web.idrc.ca/en/ev-45739-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html" target="_blank">the Middle East</a>. In addition to educational programmes for raising awareness of water conservation, wise and efficient <a style="COLOR: rgb(0,102,0)" href="http://www.islamonline.net/english/science/2004/07/article05.shtml" target="_blank">water use measures</a> embrace water pricing, pollution prevention, and recycled wastewater. The ultimate irony of water management in the 21st century is the increasing interest in restoration of traditional storage technologies, many of them dating from antiquity. A number of Indian states now insist that new buildings be fitted with rainwater harvesting equipment.<br />more background and useful links: <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 11px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); LINE-HEIGHT: 15px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Georgia, Times, serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(214,245,214); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/guides/water">OneWorld Water and Sanitation Guide</a><br />Help us to complete OneWorld Guides Many important development issues are missing from our range of Guides. OneWorld wants to fill these gaps as part of our efforts to improve understanding of the issues faced by developing countries. We receive no funding for the production of our educational resources. Every small contribution helps!bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-17624405159937546582009-11-06T07:51:00.002-08:002009-11-06T07:53:10.842-08:00World Water Day 2009Ashoka Honors the Work of Leading Social Entrepreneurs Addressing Water Issues Worldwide<br />To commemorate World Water Day 2009, Ashoka highlights clean drinking water and sanitation as some of the top global issues demanding systemic action. For the past 27 years, Ashoka has supported the world's leading social entrepreneurs and their innovative solutions to issues of water worldwide. In recognition of water’s value and central place in human lives, Ashoka takes this opportunity to raise awareness and honor those Fellows who are improving the health and welfare of citizens worldwide, as well as the health of our planet, through tackling critical issues surrounding water and sanitation.<br /><br />Michal Kravcik, Slovakia<br />An internationally respected hydrologist, Michal realized that the official Slovak water management policy—advocating for the development of large dams— was no longer working. Instead, Michal developed the Blue Alternative water management approach, which utilizes many small catchments to absorb and store water. The centerpiece of Michal's alternative policy is the revitalization in the use of existing landscape to store and absorb water, the creation of wetlands and ponds to slow runoff, and the establishment of supportive agricultural and forest-management practices. Michal is demonstrating that locally managed water resources will provide far more cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally safe solutions to Slovakia's water management problems than mega-projects such as large dams and diversions.<br /><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/2936">Profile ►</a><br /><br />V.S. Chary, IndiaV.S. Chary is improving the delivery of water and sanitation services in India, where an estimated 200 million people do not have access to adequate water supply. Disappointed by the Indian government’s knowledge gap surrounding the water industry, V.S. Chary targets his efforts towards municipal reform, breaking down misconceptions and resistance to technical improvements on water delivery. Through technical, engineering and management improvements and controls, V.S. Chary has developed a system to deliver water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at a fraction of the previous cost to the government. A critical aspect of V.S. Chary’s model addresses bureaucratic red tape and political inactivity by facilitating the active participation of senior officials and administrators.<br /><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/3855">Profile ►</a><br /><br />Choitresh Kumar Ganguly (“Bablu”), India<br />Anantapur district is one of the most arid districts in Southern India, receiving only 522mm of rainfall each year. Because of its annual likelihood of drought, only 15% of its cultivable land is irrigated – not enough for its 4 million people trying to get out of debt. Ganguly realized he could engage community members to simultaneously stimulate economic growth as well as revive the dry and degraded land. Through his Timbaktu Collective, Ganguly is using simple, natural water preservation techniques to improve productivity of land and improve livelihoods. An ecosystem that once faced desertification is now being restored thanks to Ganguly’s efforts.<br /><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/3558">Profile ►</a><br /><br />Marta Echavarria, ColombiaSenior Fellow<br />As the cleanliness and abundance of the world’s water is threatened by agriculture, urban development, and weak public regulations, Marta discovered a new solution for sustainable watershed management. She has established water markets which assign price tags to the environmental benefits of healthy watersheds, enabling all actors – farmers, environmentalists, water companies, electric companies, and governments – to better understand the value of water. Marta’s multi-tiered strategy forges “uncomfortable alliances” between public and private groups, establishes private funds for watershed management initiatives, and coordinates watershed conservation plans between upstream and downstream users. Piloted in Colombia, Marta’s model continues to spread and have success in communities throughout Latin America.<br /><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/3942">Profile ►</a><br /><br />Ako Amadi, NigeriaSenior Fellow<br />Ako's idea begins with the conviction that an adequate water supply is fundamental to any country's development. Ako is convinced that the acute water shortages which plague poor communities during Nigeria's dry season can be eliminated by harvesting water during the wet season for use during the dry period . Through an innovative water collection and storage tank system, Ako designs and implements sustainable and economical conservation initiatives to do just this. He is revolutionizing the rural water supply system by developing a cost-effective and simple rainwater harvesting system for use in poor rural and semi-urban communities.<a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/2332">Profile ►</a><br /><br />Oscar Rivas, Paraguay<br />Senior Fellow<br /><br />In Paraguay, huge dams have had disastrous consequences on the watershed communities that surround the dam. Oscar has reframed the debate over water conservation with the belief that a healthy watershed is determined not only by the quality of its water, but also by the health of its surrounding human and ecological communities. Oscar has created a participatory process for local management of environmental resources by disseminating management tools and pushing for citizen participation in larger decision-making about these resources. He has led successful large-scale citizen opposition to dam construction. Oscar’s organization, Sobrevivencia, has become a reference in Paraguay and throughout South America for its effective community approach to freshwater management.<a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/3840">Profile ►</a><br /><a class="forward-page forward_links" title="Forward this page to a friend" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: rgb(91,124,73); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/forward?path=node/3774">EMAIL THIS PAGE</a><br /><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/about">About Us</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/whatwedo">What We Do</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/24">Our Impact</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/getinvolved">Get Involved</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/press">Press Room</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/resources">Resources</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/contact">Contact Us</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/sitemap">Site Map</a><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/international">Ashoka International Websites</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/privacy">Privacy Policy</a> <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(38,67,95); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/tos">Terms of Service</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-76668865828773990622009-11-06T07:51:00.001-08:002009-11-06T07:51:36.058-08:00Pakistan's water crisis13 April 2009 Downloads - Publication<br />Pakistan is facing a fight that doesn't grab headlines these days.It's a fight over the future of the country's increasingly scarce supply of water. The World Bank is warning that the very viability of the nation is at stake. Laura Lynch reports from the Indus River delta.<br />Lynch: A few hours drive from Karachi, in southern Pakistan, the first sight of what used to be one of the world's great rivers is jarring… From a bridge above the Indus, Mohammed Tahir Quereshi points to a vista dominated not by water… but by sand.<br />Quereshi: “The sand dunes, they are extending right from the upper stream to the Arabian Sea.Lynch: “So the mighty Indus river is mighty no more?”Quereshi: “Absolutely, it's not a river, it's a small canal…”<br />Lynch: Quereshi is a coastal ecosytems director with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature… He says the river used to span five kilometres here - now it's barely 200 meters wide. And as the Indus has dried up, it has taken people's livelihoods with it.<br />On the sandy banks of the Indus near the village of Darwish, a man stacks firewood cut from nearby trees onto a donkey cart. Firewood has replaced fish and produce as the main harvest here now. On the sand, discarded fishing nets lie in piles. They are relics of a time Gul Mohammed wishes would return.<br />Mohammed: “About one in four people here are left, the rest have gone to find work in the city. There was a time when we had so much help we could fill up our Datsun truck full of fish. Today, the fishermen cut wood - they can't find fish.”<br />Lynch: Mohammed also used to grow bananas nearby.But the river has dropped so far, he can't use his irrigation pump. It's a familiar problem that's affected the lower reaches of once-great rivers around the world.<br />Gul Mohammed with defunct water pump<br />As Pakistan's population has grown, so has the demand for water. Huge volumes of water are drawn off upstream-mostly for agriculture, but also for Pakistan's booming cities. And people downstream are left with nothing.<br />In the tiny town of Kati Bundar, water drips from a tanker truck onto the street. Mohammed Ismail Mehman has lived here all his life.<br />Mehman: “All our lands are lying useless because of brackish water. Hundreds of thousands of acres of land is useless.”<br />Lynch: Mehman says people here used to use Indus river water to grow coconuts and grapes. Now they have to pay for their water, from the truck.<br />Managing a finite water supply in a country with a rapidly growing population has long been a challenge here. Agriculture accounts for a quarter of Pakistan's GDP. 70%of the population are involved in farming. And Pakistan remains a poor country. But Fazalullah Quereshi believes that the government could do more to protect the Indus.Quereshi spent 36 years as a top bureaucrat, urging politicians to tackle the growing problem. He's heard all sorts of excuses.<br />Quereshi: “And when they say there's no funds, I don't believe because I've handled budgets for twenty years. If there's a will, there's a way.”<br />Lynch: Pakistan has a vast irrigation system - one of the biggest in the world. But it loses huge amounts of water to evaporation and seepage. Quereshi and others say the government should get rid of such things as irrigation canals and replace them with much more efficient drip or sprinkler systems similar to what Israel uses. At the very least, Quereshi says the canals should be lined with concrete to prevent waterlogging. He believes such changes could bring big benefits to a land choked by poverty.<br />Quereshi: “Because if you manage water and land properly you can engage more people in that sector and you can grow more you can export more and that can generate more funds for the country for the people and more investments. So there's a whole cycle will run.”<br />Lynch: Pakistan's water minister declined requests to be interviewed. The government has plans to improve irrigation practices, build more dams and to do a better job of conserving water. But a recent World Bank report says the Pakistani government itself is concerned about its ability to carry out large-scale projects.<br />And others also despair of change coming anytime soon. Dr. Abdul Majeed of the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources says many of the country's powerful politicians have no incentive to push for a real overhaul of farming practices.<br />Majeed: “All these politicians are generally big landlords who own acres and hundreds of thousands of acres of land, and water is the major input in getting the agriculture from these lands. So they have their own interest and that creates problems.”<br />Lynch: And Dr. Majeed believes that in an already volatile country, the situation is potentially explosive.<br />Majeed: “You know, if you deprive one farmer of his livelihood it's a dangerous sign. How he's going to meet the requirements of his family… so this situation one can imagine it will not only become alarming. It will become dangerous as well, people fighting with each other, people fighting with the government.”<br />Lynch: There is another concern, though not one people talk about readily. The Indus has its headwaters far away in the Tibetan plateau - it then runs through Indian controlled Kashmir, before flowing through Pakistan on its way to the Arabian Sea.<br />India and Pakistan have signed a treaty that allocates shares of the Indus and other rivers. But Pakistan has sometimes complained that India is cheating - something India denies. Climate change could also seriously affect the flow of water into the Indus. Fazalullah Quereshi, the former water bureaucrat, worries that if the water shortage grows worse, it could lead to a wider conflict with India.<br />Quereshi: “It is one of the reason Pakistan wants Kashmir issue to be settled in a way so at least we can protect our lifeline.”<br />Lynch: In the Indus delta town of Kati Bundar, a fisherman gets ready to head out. Locals have lost the fish and shrimp they used to catch when the river disappeared. But the sea still holds crab - so that's the main catch now. There are more problems besetting the town. As the Indus has disappeared, so has the silt it used to carry to the delta… without it, the sea is licking away at the land and flooding is increasing. Mohammed Ismail Mehman has watched his town shrink from 15 thousand residents to only three thousand. Mehman talks of the hardship.<br />Mehman: “Fishing and farming is all people here have really ever known, now they can barely make a living.”<br />Lynch: For thousands of years, water has been a lifeline for people here and across Pakistan. But increasingly, the source of their livelihood is becoming the source of conflict. There are growing protests by fishermen and farmers. And last year's World Bank report warned that increased social discontent over water shortages could threaten the very viability of Pakistan as an independent nation.<br />For the World, I'm Laura Lynch on the Indus River delta in Pakistan.<a style="COLOR: rgb(1,122,77); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.theworld.org/node/25692">http://www.theworld.org/node/25692</a>photos: Laura Lynchbilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-79195316551042364102009-11-06T07:48:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:49:29.292-08:00Water crisisPAKISTAN's Water Commissioner has remarked that the Indo-Pakistan dispute about the Kishanganga project cannot be resolved through the Indus Water Commission. He has indeed hit the nail on the head, because for quite some time, talks between the respective water commissions had been going on but without any positive results. New Delhi had turned the commission into a debating club, turning a deaf ear to the concerns of the Pakistani side. Last year, India simply cut off waters flowing into Pakistan and stored them into the controversial Baglihar dam in Indian-held Kashmir. For such disputed issues Islamabad should go to the World Bank for arbitration. It is a great pity that while India has been systematically trying to deprive us of our legitimate share of water, we have remained entangled with one another over the issue of building Kalabagh dam because of purely shortsighted, parochial considerations. The project holds great promise not only in accelerating agricultural development, but also in relieving the crippling power shortage the country faces today. Since its feasibility report has been readied, there has been no point in delaying its construction.<br />This news was published in print paper. To access the complete paper of this day. <a style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 11px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; COLOR: rgb(0,102,204); PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: inherit; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px" href="http://www.nation.com.pk/archives/Jun-8-2009">click here</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-63341600220511359952009-11-05T06:24:00.001-08:002009-11-05T06:24:25.246-08:00Water SourcesWhat kinds of water are there?<br /> We are really talking about two sources of water when we talk about water supply. They are groundwater and surface water. We were lucky enough to visit three water companies that showed us how water supply works from both of these sources.<br />What is surface water?<br /> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/words.htm#qrs">Surface water</a> is the easiest water to understand because we see it every day. It is any water that travels or is stored on top of the ground. This would be the water that is in rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs, even the oceans--even though we can't drink salt water. Snow can become surface and groundwater. An example of this is when it snows a few times on a mountain. The snow might not melt in between snows. When it warms up in the spring, there could be too much water for the earth to absorb. This causes the melted snow water to run down the mountains as surface water until it reaches a body of water. Sometimes surface water sinks into the ground and becomes ground water. We visited a few water facilities and each one mentioned runoff. Runoff is the water that runs in gutters, off roofs, and out of mall parking lots when it rains. This is surface water, too. Runoff is a problem because it carries bad things like car oil, road salt, and trash into the water supply. Surface water is treated before it becomes drinking water. This is done because things like leaves, fish, animal droppings, and boat fuel can easily get into lakes, streams, and rivers. Some companies try to use groundwater more than surface water because it is cleaner.<br />What is ground water?<br /> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/words.htm#ghij">Ground water</a> is a little harder to understand than surface water because you can't actually see this water. Any water that is underground is groundwater. Half of the people in the United States use ground water for drinking water. In the water cycle, some of the precipitation sinks into the ground and goes into<a href="http://www.blogger.com/watersheds.htm">watersheds</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/aquifer.htm">aquifers</a> and springs. The amount of water that seeps into the ground depends on how steep the land is and what is under ground. For example: places that have lots of sand underground will allow more water to sink in than ones that have lots of rock. When the water seeps down, it will reach a layer of ground that already has water in it. That is the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/words.htm#qrs">saturated zone</a>. The highest point in the saturated zone is called the water table. The water table can raise and lower depending on seasons and rainfall. Groundwater flows through layers of sand, clay, rock, and gravel. This cleans the water. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/filter.htm">[Check out our sand and gravel filter experiment.] </a>Because groundwater stays underground, things that fall into surface water can't fall into it. This means that groundwater stays cleaner than water on the surface. It has its problems, too. When farmers use fertilizers and insecticides, rain will wash them into the soil where they get into aquifers [groundwater]. Gas stations have big, underground tanks where they keep the gas. If these leak, the gas sinks into the groundwater, too. Groundwater doesn't need as much treatment as surface water, but it usually gets some because of these problems.<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/moving.htm">Go to Water on the Move</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-79354713284030813392009-11-05T06:21:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:23:10.730-08:00http://www.americanwater.com/Images/savewater_05.jpgNever put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.<br />Verify that your home is leak-free, because many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.<br />Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.<br />Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear within 30 minutes. Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)<br />Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.<br />Take shorter showers. Replace you showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.<br />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.<br />Don't let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin.<br />Retrofit all wasteful household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors.<br />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.<br />When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.<br />Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time you want a cool glass of water.<br />Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your microwave.<br />Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50% to the volume of solids in a septic tank which can lead to malfunctions and maintenance problems.<br />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.<br />. Insulate your water pipes. You'll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.<br />Never install a water-to-air heat pump or air-conditioning system. Air-to-air models are just as efficient and do not waste water.<br />Install water softening systems only when necessary. Save water and salt by running the minimum amount of regenerations necessary to maintain water softness. Turn softeners off while on vacation.<br />Check your pump. If you have a well at your home, listen to see if the pump kicks on and off while the water is not in use. If it does, you have a leak.<br />When adjusting water temperatures, instead of turning water flow up, try turning it down. If the water is too hot or cold, turn the offender down rather than increasing water flow to balance the temperatures.<br />If the toilet flush handle frequently sticks in the flush position, letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-88272292088964407592009-11-05T06:20:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:21:15.116-08:00Uses of waterThere are four main uses of water from rivers and <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/reservoir.htm">reservoirs.</a><br />Drinking. Water is taken from rivers and reservoirs and pumped to a <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/watersupplyworks.htm">Water Supply Works</a>where it is treated and cleaned so that it is suitable for drinking. The water is then pumped into peoples homes by pipes and can be used for drinking.<br />Domestic. Water is used for cooking, washing clothes, in baths, for showers, for washing cars, in hose pipes, in dishwashers, for central heating and other activities in the home. The water is taken from taps and, when it has been used, goes down drains. The waste water finds its way to a <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/wastewatertreatmentworks.htm">Waste Water Treatment Works</a> where it is treated before being discharged back into the river.<br />Dishwasher<br />Car Washing<br />Industrial. Factories take water directly from rivers and reservoirs. The water is used for many different things such as cooling, driving machinery and to generate electricity in a<a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/hydroelectricpowerstation.htm">hydro-electric power station</a>. The used water is sent to the Waste Water Treatment Works.<br />A factory<br />A hydro-electric power station<br />Agriculture. Farmers take water directly from the river or reservoir to water their crops. Irrigation channels carry water from the river to the farmer's crops. Sometimes farmers use pumps or machinery to get this water from the river.<br /> Agricultural Land<br /><a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.waterinschools.com/">Water in schools</a> has educational resources for all age groups, relevant to the National Curriculum.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-68789634483594102742009-11-05T06:18:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:19:32.515-08:00Water And Health<a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm">The importance of water and health</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-get-enough.htm">Are you getting enough?</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/quality-water-replace.htm">Can beverages/drinks replace water?</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/quality-water-heavymeatal.htm">Health risks of heavy metals</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-when-drink.htm">When and who should drink more water?</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-pregnancy.htm">Water and pregnancy</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-children.htm">Water and children</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-senior.htm">Water and the elderly</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-info-nitrate-health.htm">Nitrate and our health</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/6-water-organic-food-water.htm">Organic food and water!</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-info-nitrate-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/quality-water-fluoride.htm">The fluoride debate</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-electromagnetic-pollutions.htm">Overall contamination of water, air and EMW</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/15-water-fights-obsesity.htm">Water habits while growing up can fight obesity</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/12-water-priscription-drugs.htm">Water intake with prescription drugs</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/34-water-vitamins.htm">Do we really need vitamins? water dosage</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/10-water-vigorous-exercise.htm">Water after vigorous exercise</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/1-water-beautiful-skin.htm">Water and beautiful skin</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/2-water-pets.htm">Benefits of pure clean water for our pets</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/3-water-plants.htm">Water quality and plants</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/36-water-top-ten-least-healthy-food.htm">Top ten unhealthiest food and detoxing w/water</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/36-water-tips-to-sober-up.htm">Water and tips to sober up</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/5-water-weak-immune-system.htm">Water for people w/ weak immune systems</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/4-water-infants-babies.htm">Pure water for infants/babies</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/25-water-organic-inorganic-minerals.htm">Difference between organic/inorganic minerals</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education/water-health.htm"></a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/water-education3/water-smart-economically.htm">Drinking water can really save money!</a><a style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,255); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#more">More Topics...</a><br /> 1. THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER AND HUMAN HEALTH<br />“I'm dying of thirst!"<br />Well. We just might. It sounds so simple. H20. Two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. But this element, better known as water, is the most essential, next to air, to our survival. Water truly is everywhere, still most take it for granted.<br />Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body, and without it, humans would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. Pretty scary statistic for a developed country, where water is readily available through the tap or bottle.<br />Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.<br />Water serves as a lubricant<br />Water forms the base for saliva<br />Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.<br />Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.<br />Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent.<br />Regulates metabolism<br />In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. And those are just a few examples! As you follow other links on our website, you can read more in depth about how water can aid in the prevention and cure of many types of diseases, ailments and disorders that affect the many systems of our bodies.<br />Since water is such an important component to our physiology, it would make sense that the quality of the water should be just as important as the quantity. Drinking water should always be clean and free of contaminants to ensure proper health and wellness.<br />According to recent news and reports, most tap and well water in the U.S. are not safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution. Toxic bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals routinely penetrate and pollute our natural water sources making people sick while exposing them to long term health consequences such as liver damage, cancer and other serious conditions. We have reached the point where all sources of our drinking water, including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers, contain some level of contamination. Even some brands of bottled water have been found to contain high levels of contaminants in addition to plastics chemical leaching from the bottle.<br />A good water filtration system installed in your home is the only way to proactively monitor and ensure the quality and safety of your drinking water. Reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove 90-99% of all contaminants from city and well water to deliver healthy drinking water for you and your family.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-38950730457332338862009-11-05T06:17:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:18:35.983-08:00Importance of WaterWater is our lifeline that bathes us and feeds us. In ancient cultures water represented the very essence of life. The Romans were the first to pipe water into their growing cities, especially with their aqueducts. They also realized that sewage water could cause damage to their people, and needed to be removed from large areas of people.<br />Water has played a role not only in the history of countries, but in religion, mythology, and art. Water in many religions cleanses the soul through holy water. For example, the water at Lourdes, France is thought by many religions to be sacred water with healing powers. In Egyptian mythology, the Nu was the beginning of everything and represented water. It brought life to their people, but in drought, produced chaos.<br />Water has always been perceived as a gift from the gods as it rained from the heavens.<br />The water or hydrologic cycle explains interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The water or hydrologic cycle is a major driving force on our planet. Water is in constant motion, evaporating into the atmosphere from oceans, lakes, rivers and streams. When the atmosphere can no longer support the moisture within the clouds, we experience rain, snow, hail, or sleet. Some water is locked in the form of ice at the polar caps and in glaciers. Water melts in the spring, producing runoff, that percolates through the Earth as groundwater (subsurface) or makes its way back to the sea (surface). The oceans contain most of the water, but it is salt water which is unusable by most organisms. Only pure H2O (water) can interact with organisms.<br />The movement of the oceans also has a direct effect on the atmosphere. The atmosphere is that envelope of gas that keeps organisms living on this planet. Oceans and atmosphere interact to give us weather.<br />Water provides the Earth with the capacity of supporting life. An organism doesn’t have to be told how important water is to their existence. An amphibian knows to lay their eggs in water or else there will be no new born. Even flies know to lay their eggs in fresh water.<br />The only organism that doesn’t understand the importance of water is humans, especially in industrialized countries. Children in those societies turn on the water in a sink and never think about the trouble someone has gone for that "miracle" to occur.<br />In the United States it is mandated by law that its citizens should be given clean and abundant water. Dams, reservoirs, filtering plants, and pipes all bring clean water when the facet is turned on. Sewage water is only mixed with recycled water supplies after the water goes through rigorous cleaning methods. Water borne diseases do not effect the U.S. population like in other countries that do not treat their water supply.Schistosomiasis worms, parasite in water.<br />Water borne diseases are any illnesses caused by drinking contaminated water. Diseases can include infection from bacteria (Salmonella), viruses, or by small parasites (Cryptosporida, Giardia, and Toxoplasma). These organisms and viruses cause diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, malaria, botulism, polio, dysentery, giardia, and hepatitis A. One of the first symptoms of these diseases is diarrhea, which cause about three million deaths throughout the world, mainly in India, Africa, and South America.<br />Sewage is sometimes discharged into rivers, where children downstream might be taking a bath or using the water to drink. The simplest treatment method is boiling. Just bring the water to a boil for at least one minute, then allow it to cool. But this is not always effective in heavily chemical polluted water supplies.Without water, organisms could not exist. Water is a resource that should not be taken for granted. It needs to be conserved, just as we save other valuable resources.<br />Water is one of the weirdest compounds known to humans. The difference between the boiling point and freezing point of water is one of the largest ranges of any compound. It is this span of temperature that mirrors the range of where life can exist, from bacteria to humans. Water also has a very high specific heat, which means that it can absorb or lose much heat before its temperature changes. This is important in maintaining body heat in mammals. It also takes a lot of energy before vaporization can occur. For this reason, water evaporates slowly from ponds and lakes, where many life forms are dependent on a stable, warm environment.<br />Water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state, so that ice floats instead of sinking. This property permits life to develop in polar and subpolar regions where ice floats and allows life to continue living below the surface. If ice were heavier than water, it would sink, and more ice would form on top of it. As a result, all life in the waters would be trapped in the ice in the many areas of the world where it gets cold enough to freeze water.<br />Water is a remarkable solvent, where most elements and compounds can dissolve in its powerful molecular structure. Gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, can also dissolve, making it readily available for photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic organisms to use.<br />Resistance of water to a disturbance.<br />Water also exhibits viscosity. One can observe the effects of viscosity alongside a stream or river with uniform banks. The water along the banks is nearly still, while the current in the center may be swift. This resistance between the layers is called viscosity. This property allows smaller fish to live near the shore, while larger fish are able to swim efficiently in strong currents. Viscosity is also responsible for the formation of eddies, creating turbulence that leads to good mixing of air in the water and more uniform distribution of microscopic organisms.<br />How water provides all these properties are complex, but only emphasizes the importance of water to every organism on Earth.<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="javascript:submitCJ8256851X674("></a><br />Recent blog posts<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/697">5 Reasons to Use Enviro Safe Refrigerant</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/696">Water Contaminate Chart</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/695">New Prius May Use Turbo Charger to Achieve 94 mpg</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/694">PVC Shower Curtains a Public Health Hazard?</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/693">Choosing and Energy Efficient Mortgage</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/692">Hypermilers Pushing the Boundaries of Fuel Efficiency</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/691">Recycling Laptop Batteries</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/690">Advertising Your Non-Profit</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/689">Choosing Green Web Hosting</a><br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/node/688">Searching for a Greener Mortgage</a><br /><a title="Read the latest blog entries." style="COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/blog">more</a><br /><a class="to-top" style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0% 50%; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://www.sawse.org/themes/aberdeen/images/link-arrow-up.gif); COLOR: rgb(156,195,42); TEXT-DECORATION: none; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5339473484588845395#top">Back to top</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-11002399103513424192009-11-05T05:22:00.000-08:002009-11-05T05:24:07.636-08:00The Common Sense Environmental FundWater/Marine<br />Water is the resource that covers almost three-quarters of the planet, and upon which all life depends. Throughout the history of the natural world, water sources have been the centers of life, providing habitat and sustenance for animals and plants alike.<br /><br /><br /><a name="Water Pollution">Water Pollution</a><br /><br />Water pollutants come from point and non-point sources. Their effects on aquatic systems largely depend on whether polluted waters are standing (lakes and ponds) or flowing (rivers). Standing systems are generally more susceptible<br />because of slow turnover. The major water pollutants are organic nutrients, inorganic nutrients, infectious agents, toxic organics, toxic inorganics, sediment and heat. Organic nutrients come from feedlots, municipal sewage treatment plants, and industry. They promote growth of natural populations of aquatic bacteria. Bacterial decomposition of organic materials results in declines in dissolved oxygen, with dire effects on other oxygen-requiring organisms.<br /><br />Two inorganic plant nutrients of major concern are nitrogen and phosphorus. They come primarily from septic tanks, barnyards, heavily fertilized crops, and sewage treatment plants, and cause excessive plant growth that clogs navigable waterways. Bacterial decay of plants in the fall result in a drop in dissolved oxygen, which may suffocate fish and other organisms.<br /><br />Water may contain pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoans, parasites (infectious agents). Untreated or improperly treated sewage, animal wastes, meat-packing wastes, and some wild species are the major sources. Waterborne infectious diseases present a special problem in developing nations with poorly developed sewage treatment facilities.<br />Toxic organic pollutants include a large number of chemicals, such as pesticides and PCBs, many of which are nonbiodegradable or slowly degraded, biologically magnified and carcinogenic.<br /><br />Toxic inorganic pollutants include a wide range of chemicals, such as metals and salts, from a wide array of sources. Mercury is a particularly troublesome pollutant because it is converted into methyl and dimethyl mercury in a aquatic ecosystem by aerobic bacteria. These forms are more toxic than inorganic mercury. Methyl mercury is biologically magnified in the food chain.<br /><br />Sediment, the leading water pollutant in the United States, is a by-product of erosion resulting from poorly managed timber cutting, agriculture, ranching, mining and construction.<br /><br />Sediment destroys spawning and feeding grounds for fish, reduces fish and shellfish populations, destroys pools used for resting, smothers eggs and fry, fills in lakes and streams, and decreases light penetration, thus endangering aquatic plants.<br />Thermal pollution refers to the heating or cooling of water, both of which drastically alter biota in a body of water. Large quantities of heat can kill heat-sensitive organisms and harm organisms dependent on the aquatic ecosystem.<br /><br /><a name="Groundwater Pollution">Groundwater Pollution</a><br /><br />The concentration of many pollutants in groundwater is often higher than that in the most contaminated surface water supplies. Many of the chemicals are tasteless and odorless at concentrations believed to pose a threat to human health. The major groundwater pollutants are chlorides, nitrates, heavy metals, and toxic organics.<br />Since groundwater usually moves slowly through an aquifer, it may take years for pollution to show up in areas adjacent to sources of contamination. Once an aquifer is contaminated the pollutants may remain for centuries.<br /><a name="Ocean Pollution">Ocean Pollution</a><br /><br />The oceans receive pollutants from many sources. Oil pollutions is one of the more serious problems. About half of the oil that contaminates the ocean comes from human sources: oil well blowouts, tanker spills, and inland disposal of oil. Oil harms many organisms, especially if a spill occurs near an estuarine zone.<br />It may take two to ten years for aquatic life to recover from a spill. Thanks to public outcry and stricter controls, the number of oil spills has decreased substantially, although the problem is far from solved.<br /><br />Plastic pollution has also become a major problem throughout the world. Plastic nets, plastic garbage, and plastic medical wastes are killing millions of marine mammals, turtles, and fish. Animals may become tangles in the plastic debris or may eat it and die. Because of public outcry, many governments have banned the dumping of plastics in oceans.<br /><br />The Common Sense Environmental Fund researches, analyses, assists and invests in organizations that are doing important work to protect our waters - rivers, oceans, and aquifers - from the destructive effects of damming, development and pollution. To save our planet for future generations we need your help. The Common Sense<br />Environmental Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. To make a donation please click <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/donate.htm">here</a>.<br />For more information call: 1-800-759-9170or email us at: <a class="link" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="mailto:EnviroFund@csshome.com?subject=Inquiry">EnviroFund@csshome.com</a><br /><br /><br /><a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/501c3.htm">Home Page</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/newsletter1.htm">Newsletter </a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/meet1.htm">Meet the CEO</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/donate.htm">Donate</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/biodiversity.htm">Biodiversity</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/forests.htm">Forests</a><br /> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/international.htm">International</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/sustainableagriculture.htm">Sustainable Agriculture</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/WaterMarine.htm">Water/Marine</a> <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/cssforum/">Wildlife Tal</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-37133421789089551862009-11-05T05:21:00.001-08:002009-11-05T05:21:51.105-08:00Water Pollution PreventionWater pollution prevention is a very large but necessary job that is going to take governmental and citizen cooperation.<br />Since water contamination comes from many different sources and has numerous effects, every aspect of water pollution needs to be addressed.<br />One of the main reasons why water pollution is still such a threat to our planet’s health is because the governments of the world either choose to ignore the pollution that business is responsible for or because they want to give businesses ten years to change their industry.<br />By allowing for slow industry changes, water pollution continues to be a growing problem. Water pollution prevention requires drastic and swift action rather than a slow and progressive change.<br />Many businesses find the much needed changes to be cost prohibitive and thus are given many years to become in compliance with new water pollution prevention regulations.<br />Some countries have refused to implement any regulations as poverty and joblessness seems to be a bigger problem that the extreme pollutants that are reaching the waters of the world.<br />These politics are only opening up more avenues for more pollution and will create a much more dire situation over the next ten years. While maintaining jobs and preventing job loss is important as well, jobs can be created through the clean up, education, and managing regulations side of the problem.<br />While individual citizens need to become aware and involved in the prevention of water pollution, the majority of the issue rests on large businesses. This is especially true of manufacturing businesses.<br />Dumping has been a very large pollution problem since the early stages of production factories. Dumping waste in the oceans is not a reasonable or effective method of getting rid of manufacturing waste. While national and international dumping regulations have required that dumping be carried off further offshore, the act alone is enough to contaminate out oceans.<br />It doesn’t matter whether these companies dump their waste (which is often hazardous waste) five miles offshore or fifty miles offshore, dumping waste into the water is a clear problem. All countries need to disallow the dumping of wastes in the oceans, enforce these new regulations, and impose stiff and harsh penalties for ignoring the new and existing regulations.<br />Public education is also necessary to find an everlasting <a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(33,86,121); PADDING-TOP: 0px" href="http://scipeeps.com/water-pollution-solutions-for-governments-and-us/">solution to water pollution</a>. The use of pesticides and chemicals around or near streams, rivers, lakes, and even small springs can have an effect on the ecology of the waterways. Whether these chemicals enter the groundwater or they are carried off to larger bodies of water, chemical contamination through the use of pollutants is destroying the water of the planet.<br />The emissions from cars have a profound impact of the waterways. A vehicle’s emissions are not just determined by the amount of driving one does. Large vehicles with gas guzzling mileage issues emit more hazardous and toxic pollutants into the air where they then filter down to the ground, and our waterways.<br /><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(33,86,121); PADDING-TOP: 0px" href="http://scipeeps.com/">Water pollution</a> prevention requires a heightened level of consciousness, including what type of vehicle and how far or often the vehicle is driven. Driving less is part of a quality water pollution prevention program as the vehicles on the road are responsible for at least 1/3 of the nitrogen pollution in the Earth’s water.<br />The Chesapeake Bay, which is directly connected to the Atlantic Ocean, has been hit especially hard by car induced nitrogen pollution. Choosing the type of car we drive with care, driving less, and implementing stricter emission regulations for cars on the road can help make water pollution prevention a viable and likely goal.<br />Related Posts:<br /><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(33,86,121); PADDING-TOP: 0px" href="http://scipeeps.com/water-pollution-solutions-for-governments-and-us/" rel="bookmark">Water Pollution Solutions - For Governments And Us</a><br /><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(33,86,121); PADDING-TOP: 0px" href="http://scipeeps.com/your-part-in-storm-water-pollution-prevention/" rel="bookmark">Your Part in Storm Water Pollution Prevention</a><br /><a style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: rgb(33,86,121); PADDING-TOP: 0px" href="http://scipeeps.com/water-pollution-treatment/" rel="bookmark">Water Pollution Treatment</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-14013514606124832462009-11-04T05:50:00.001-08:002009-11-04T05:50:35.274-08:00Running on Empty: Pakistan’s Water Crisis“Water shortages,” warns South Asia scholar Anatol Lieven, “present the <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2007/developmental_realism_4876">greatest future threat to the viability of Pakistan</a> as a state and a society.” This warning may be overstated, but Pakistan’s water situation is deeply troubling, as described in a new report from the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia Program, <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1462&fuseaction=topics.publications&group_id=549505">Running on Empty: Pakistan’s Water Crisis</a>. Water availability has plummeted from about 5,000 m3 per capita in the early 1950s to less than 1,500 m3 per capita today. As Simi Kamal reports in the first chapter of <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ASIA_090422_Running%20on%20Empty_web.pdf">Running on Empty</a>, Pakistan is expected to become “water-scarce” (below 1,000 m3 per capita) by 2035—though some experts project this could happen in 2020, if not earlier.In an unstable nation like Pakistan, water shortages can easily become security threats. In April 2009, alarm bells sounded when the <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan/idUSTRE54A20T20090512">Taliban pushed southeast of Swat</a> into the Buner district of the Northwest Frontier Province. Not only is Buner close to Islamabad, it lies just 60 kilometers from the prized <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/EarthObservatory/Tarbela_Dam,_Pakistan.htm">Tarbela Dam</a>, which provides Pakistan with billions of cubic meters of precious water for irrigation each year.Soaked, Salty, Dirty, and DryAccording to Kamal, Pakistan faces significant and widespread water challenges: • Inefficient irrigation.• Abysmal urban sanitation.• Catastrophic environmental degradation.• Lack of water laws to define water rights. • Lack of a sound policy on large dams.An arid country dependent on agriculture, Pakistan allocates <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://management.kochi-tech.ac.jp/PDF/ssms2009/sms09_172.pdf">more than 90 percent of its water resources to irrigation and other agricultural needs</a>. Unfortunately, intensive irrigation and poor drainage practices have waterlogged and salinized the soil. Women and Water in Rural PakistanRural women and small farmers are particularly affected by Pakistan’s water crisis. Women bear the primary responsibility for obtaining water, but have been traditionally been shut out of government water-planning and decision-making processes. However, government and media initiatives, described by Sarah Halvorson in Running on Empty’s chapter on water and gender, are increasingly highlighting the importance of women’s participation. Meanwhile, Adrien Couton reports that Islamabad’s water projects mainly benefit large and wealthy farmers—even though Pakistan has approximately four million farms smaller than two hectares. Pakistan’s Thirsty CitiesWith most of Pakistan’s water dedicated to agriculture, less than 10 percent is left for drinking water and sanitation. A quarter of Pakistanis lack access to safe drinking water—and many of them reside in the country’s teeming cities. Worse, the drinking water that does exist is quickly disappearing. Lahore, which relies on groundwater, faces water table declines of up to 65 feet, as described by Anita Chaudhry and Rabia M. Chaudhry in their chapter on the city.The scarcity of clean water in the cities—exacerbated by a lack of wastewater treatment—is a leading cause of deadly epidemics. At least <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Regional/Karachi/18-Oct-2008/Over-390m-gallons-water-go-waste-daily">30,000 Karachiites (of whom 20,000 are children) perish each year</a> from unsafe water.Pakistan Must Act Now To Solve the Water CrisisPakistan arguably has the technological and financial resources to provide clean water. So what’s the hold-up? In her chapter on public health, Samia Altaf argues that the problem is the absence of a strong political lobby to advocate for water—and that no one holds Islamabad accountable for fixing the problem.The report offers more recommendations for addressing Pakistan’s water crisis:• Invest in existing infrastructure and in modest, indigenous technology.• Strike appropriate balances between centralized and decentralized management.• Devote more attention to water allocation and distribution on local/individual levels.• Understand the links between agricultural and urban water pressures.• Embrace the role of the private sector.• Conserve by favoring water-saving technology; less water-intensive crops; and water-conserving urban building design.• Address structural obstacles like systemic inequality and gender discrimination. • Take immediate action. Tremendous population growth and rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas ensure that the crisis will deepen before it eases.The need for immediate action cannot be overstated. While Pakistan’s water crisis may not threaten its viability, it is undeniable that so long as the crisis rages on, essential components of the nation—such as the vital agricultural economy, the health of the population, and political and economic stability—lie very much in the balance.<a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1462&fuseaction=topics.profile&person_id=133531">Michael Kugelman</a> is the Wilson Center’s South Asia specialist. He is co-editor, with Robert M. Hathaway, of the recently published Wilson Center book <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ASIA_090422_Running%20on%20Empty_web.pdf">Running on Empty: Pakistan’s Water Crisis</a>, on which this post is based. Much of his work has focused on resource shortages in Pakistan and India.<br /><a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.blogger.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.news_welcome&themonth=9&theyear=2009&x_owner_info=1413,topics">Back to Main List</a> <a style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,0)" href="http://www.blogger.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.print&news_id=551512&stoplayout=true" target="_blank">Printer Friendly</a> <a class="stbutton stico_default" title="ShareThis via email, AIM, social bookmarking and networking sites, etc." style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 22px; BACKGROUND-ATTACHMENT: scroll; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://w.sharethis.com/images/share-icon-16x16.png?CXNID=1000014.0NXC); PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; COLOR: rgb(153,51,0); PADDING-TOP: 1px; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" href="javascript:void(0)" st_page="home">ShareThis</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-17402618644677172362009-11-04T05:47:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:49:40.429-08:00The water crisisWater shortfalls may be seasonal, temporary or cyclical, and as such can be overcome in due course when nature becomes more benevolent. Unfortunately, that is not the case in Pakistan where water resources have been under severe stress for a long time.<br />The downturn continues and the country is now on the brink of water scarcity — availability in 2005 stood at a mere 1,100 cubic metres per capita. Let’s put this into perspective. A country is classified as water-stressed when annual supply dips below 1,700 cubic metres per person, and is said to face water scarcity below the 1,000 cubic metres per person mark. The situation wasn’t always so dire in Pakistan: per capita water supply stood at a robust 5,000 cubic metres in 1951.<br />It has since plummeted by almost 80 per cent and, according to WWF Pakistan, could drop to as little as 700 cubic metres per capita by 2025.Demand has so dramatically outstripped supply for a number of reasons. These include an ever-burgeoning population, the absence of integrated water management, irrational use and lack of awareness of the need to conserve. Wasteful farming techniques, leakages in the irrigation network, climate change and the over-exploitation or pollution of natural aquifers and other water bodies also rank among the major culprits. At the same time, little attention has been paid to rain harvesting and the storage of seasonal flood waters.<br />It is said that future conflicts will be rooted in disputes over water. Take the case of Pakistan and India. Tensions related to water-sharing are nothing new in the subcontinent but they received fresh impetus with the construction of Baglihar Dam in Indian-held Kashmir. Last year Pakistan demanded compensation for reduced water supplies, which apparently hurt agricultural productivity in this country. But the potential for conflict runs deep and is not limited to states taking on other states.<br />Within nations, downstream users may accuse upper riparians of stealing their water and thus their rights and livelihoods. This has long been a simmering issue in Pakistan, one that has stoked the fires of nationalism and increased the trust deficit between provinces. Water-related issues can also pit village against village, clan against clan and farmer against farmer. From the international stage to rivalry between individuals, the potential for conflict exists at every level.<br />We are not only wasting but also contaminating our water, thereby reducing its usability. Untreated industrial and domestic effluent is being discharged into water bodies and pesticides from farms are finding their way into streams and groundwater. Water quality is as important as its quantity because it affects the health of the nation, the productivity of its workforce and the arability of its land. Our policymakers must rise from their slumber and grasp the linkages between the adequate availability of clean water and social and economic development.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-48665923466859882912009-11-04T05:46:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:47:44.911-08:00World water crisis and PakistanFrom 1997 to 2002 Pakistan faced a severe shortage of water due to a cycle of drought and reduced storage capacity of the two reservoirs. Pakistan is not alone in going through the experience of water shortage; there are many other countries in similar situation. This work enables me to discuss world water crisis and that of Pakistan. The world faces crisis of unprecedented level because of the failure of world leaders to take action on population growth, pollution and expected climate changes. According to a UNESCO report, "No region will be spared from the impact of this crisis which touches every facet of life, from the health of children to the ability of nations to secure food for their citizens". World-wide supplies of water are falling while the demand is growing at an unsustainable rate. This situation shows that over the next 20 years, the average supply of water world-wide per person is expected to drop by a third. Presently, many countries and territories of the world are already in a state of crises. The poorest country in terms of water availability is Kuwait, where 10 m3 is available per person each year followed by Gaza Strip (52 m3), the UAE (58 m3), etc. Mostly poorest countries in terms of water availability exist in the Middle East. The richest county in terms of water availability is French Guiana, where 812,121 m3 water is available per person per year, followed by Iceland (609,319 m3) Guyana (316,689 m3), Surinam (292,566 m3), Congo (275,679 m3), Canada (94,353 m3), New Zealand (86,554 m3),etc. According to a UN report, by the middle of this century, at worst seven billion people in 60 countries will be faced with water scarcity, at best two billion in 48 countries, depending on factors like population growth and policy making. Climate change will account for an estimated 20 per cent of this increase in global water scarcity. The report further disclosed that humid areas will probably see more rain, while it is expected to decrease and become more erratic in many drought-prone regions and even some tropical and sub-tropical regions. Water quality will worsen due to rising population level and water temperature. According to this report, the future of many parts of the world looks bleak. Per capita water supplies will reduce by a third, even though birth rates are slowing down, the world's population should still reach about 9.3 billion by 2050, compared to 6.1 billion in 2001. Why this world-wide water crisis and increased water pollution? This is due to about two million tonnes of waste being dumped every day into rivers, lakes and streams. One liter of waste water pollutes about eight liter of fresh water. According to the UN report, there is estimated 12,000 km3 of polluted water world-wide, which is more than the total amount contained in the world's ten largest river basins at any given moment. Therefore, if pollution keeps pace with population growth, the world will effectively lose 18,000 km3 of fresh water by 2050. This quantity of water is more than nine times the total amount countries currently use each year for irrigation, which is by far the largest consumer of this resource. Irrigation currently accounts for 70 per cent of all water withdrawals world-wide. The status of the four of the world's greatest rivers, the Ganges, Yellow river, Nile and Colorado almost routinely dry up before reaching the ocean and water that normally would roll through the earth and feed aquifers runs off pavements and roof tops into sewers, eventually ending up with usually carrying pesticides and toxics in the ocean. Obviously, Pakistan is also the part of the world and unfortunately an underdeveloped country, facing the same problems of water shortage as the world is facing including developed countries. Developed and underdeveloped countries excluding Pakistan, continuously implementing their short term and long term water development policies to overcome these crises. But unfortunately, during the last 50 years we had built only two big reservoirs. Existing population of Pakistan is around 140 million and it is expected to rise to 208 million by 2025. This growth in population will significantly increase the demand for food and fibre while both land and water resources are declining day by day. Pakistan's food import bill is rising on account of population and output is declining as a result of reduced availability of water. The situation of the Indus and other rivers and our dams and reservoirs is deteriorating and their total storage capacity would reduce by an equivalent to Mangla dam. What did we do during the last 50 years for development of water resources? We only created serious confrontation amongst the provinces on water distribution and sharing. It is General Pervez Musharraf who has directed to reconstitute the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to resolve intra-provincial dispute and relocated its office from Lahore to Islamabad to make it a truly national body. What have other countries done during the last 50 years to resolve water crisis? They have built dams and reservoirs to overcome this crisis. China,had only 23 large and medium-sized reservoirs in 1949. During the next 50 years, it had developed 85,000 water reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 479.7 billion cubic meters among which 2,953 are big and medium sized dams with storage capacity of 417 billion cubic meters.Similarly India has built many reservoirs. Comparable ratios of Pakistan and India in thi regard is as follows: Pakistan -India ratios<br />Irrigated area by canals and tube wells 1:3<br />Large dams 1:62<br />Storage capacity 1:11<br />Hydro power 1:4<br />Canal diversion 1:4<br />In this situation, we should appreciate the vision of General Pervez Musharraf, on water resources development that Pakistan should build 5 to 6 big dams of 5 to 6 maf during the next 50 years. I would even suggest that as many small reservoirs as possible should be built at union council levels. These small resevoirs can be built in arid zones where occasional cloud bursts would provide sufficient water to be stored.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-50656145628245561562009-11-04T05:45:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:46:30.658-08:00Water crisis in Pakistan agricultureJul 03 - 09, 2000<br />Water is an important component of life. Allah has created every moving (living) creature from water (Surah 24, An-Nur, Ayet 45). We need about 15 glasses of water daily and human body contains about 60% of water. Without food we can survive for nearly 80 days, but only a few days without water. Fresh water for human and agriculture use is only 0.008 % on the earth. A shortage of fresh water is probably going to be most serious resource problem the world will face after a few years from now. As with food, the problem of water is not one of the global shortage, but one of uneven distribution. Three-quarters of the fresh water on the planet is held in the polar icecaps and glaciers and so is unavailable for use. Where water is plentiful, people are frequently few, and vice versa. The most water- rich country in terms of the run-off from rain-fall to population is Iceland, with more than 500,000 cubic meters per person per year; the most water- poor is Egypt, with just 0.02 cubic meters. Water is absolutely essential for plant life. Plants use more water than any other substances they absorb. The function of soil moisture in plant growth is very important. Excessive quantity of water in soil inhibits plant growth and makes drainage essential. When soil moisture is not enough drought, condition prevails leading to ultimate death of plants.<br />Many parts of the world are confronted with water scarcity, for both irrigation and human needs. Some 70 per cent of the water, people use goes to irrigation. Since 1950, the amount of irrigated land has tripled, and one-third of the world's food is grown on it. Without that increase, the world might now be starving. The great controversies over distribution of river water and construction of reservoirs, dams, barrages and link canals are very common among the various countries of the world. Providing water for irrigation and for cities will require damming more rivers, flooding more valleys, carrying out more giant water engineering schemes. Such projects are often hugely expensive and not only in economic terms. Large dams frequently involve massive changes in the use of land. That means not only the displacement of people from their homes but the loss of farm land, disturbance to water tables, build-up of silt, and other environmental costs. Of course dams also produce water for irrigation and for generating hydroelectricity, controlling floods, producing fish and even providing recreational facilities but serious attempts to measure the benefits from dams suggest that the gains are often smaller than the costs.<br />The disputes over the distribution of river waters are very common in the human society . Water resources often cross national boundaries, making it very easy for one country to 'steal' the water that should be delivered to another. No-one can predict which of several points of tension will result in armed conflict, but it is easy to list some candidates. They include, Threats to dam the upper Blue and White Nile; The diversion of water from the Sea of Galilee into Israel's National Water Carriers the Gabcikovo dam on the Danube in Slovakia; the damming of the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates by Turkey and the Euphrates by Syria, distribution of water of river Ganges between Bangladesh and India, construction of dam on river Kavari between two southern provinces of India. The distribution of water's shares of Indus had been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan, but in 1959 an agreement was reached whereby the waters would be shared. These are the few examples of this scenario. All over the world, the lower riparians on rivers are usually complaining against the upper riparians for not giving their due share of water, but human nature prevails every where and results in disturbed situation. While there is no way of predicting whether these pressure points—or any of the other dozen situations around the world—will erupt into war, it is easy to see that control over water will come to be seen as a much more important strategic issue both between countries and within them.<br />The arid and semi-arid regions of the world have to depend on river water sources for their agriculture i.e. mainly on artificial canal irrigation system. The source of main water in Pakistan is canal irrigation system. The Indus valley, comprising the planes of Punjab and Sindh is mainly dependent on the water of river Indus and its tributaries, as the area is mostly arid on the basis of annual precipitation. The river Indus is the life line for Pakistan's agriculture. The nearly 450,000 sq.m. Himalayan watershed of Indus and its tributaries includes the world's biggest glaciers outside the polar regions. The Indus river rises from a lake named Manasarowar in southwestern Tibet at an altitude of 16,000 ft or 4,900 m and flows in a north westerly direction along the slopes of the Himalayas, travelling a distance of about 1500 miles) and crossing at north -west Jammu and Kashmir from the southwest. In west Kashmir it flows through a defile 13,000 ft deep. The river Indus is a great trans-Himalayan river of south Asia and one of the longest rivers of the world having a length of 18,00 miles( 2,900 km).The glaciers of Siachin (75 km), Baltro (62 km), Hispar (53), Biafo (50km), Shyok, Shingar, Hunza, Gilgit, Astor. These mighty glaciers and other streams with 30 tributaries constitutes a surface area of 1220 sq kms (471 sq miles ) carry snow melt waters to the Indus from the main Hamalayan range, the Karakoram range, the Nanga Parbat, the Kohistan ranges etc mostly in summer season . The river crosses the western Kashmir border and then turns south and southwest to enter Pakistan. In Pakistan, it emerges from the mountain highlands flows as a rapid stream between the Swat and Hunza regions and proceeds onwards through North- West Frontier region and crosses the salt range to enter semi-arid Punjab plains where it is joined by the Panjnad (near Mithankot). The Indus receives its most notable tributaries from the Punjab to the eastern sides, including Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlaj rivers. After receiving the waters of the Punjab rivers . Shifting to the south-west, the Indus becomes much wider and enters into the Sindh region near Kashmoor and then flows to a slow speed, depositing large quantities of silt along its course. Indus begins its deltaic stage (3,000 sq.m ) and breaks into distributaries that reach the Arabian sea at various points southeast of Karachi.<br />Water resources system is the life line for Pakistan. It is a source of life and energy. It is the most critical factor of production in Pakistan's agriculture. To increase agricultural production, land is not a limiting factor as there is more cultivable land available that can ever be properly irrigated. It is a universal solvent and cleanser. It has a very economic value, which is at a constant rise with population. Pakistan is arid to semi-arid country, located between the longitude 61° east to 76° east and between latitude 23° north to 37° north. Total area of Pakistan is 79.61 million hectares. Population of the country is about 150 million and nearly 75 percent it lives in the rural areas. Agriculture is the main stay of Pakistan's economy, contributing 35 percent to the gross domestic product and providing 60 percent of the labour force. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of the total export of the country originates from agriculture. Total annual cropped is about 19.72 million hectares. Out of which, 15.3 million hectares are irrigated areas, about 75 % (11.4 mha.) is irrigated through canals, l9 % (2.9 mha.) through tube wells 2 % (0.3 mha.) through wells and remaining 4 %(0.4 mha.) through tanks and other sources. Major crops grown are wheat, rice, cotton, maize and sugarcane which together make about 63 percent of the total cropped area. Production of three important crops. namely rice, cotton and sugarcane as well as 90 percent of wheat and most of maize is virtually confined to irrigated areas. The climate of the country is favourable for two crop's season under irrigated during the year.<br />In Pakistan, the total water supplies available to agriculture come from three sources rainfall, surface water from the River Indus and its tributaries, and the ground water, and also from sewage water and sea water. The mean annual rainfall varies from less than 100 mm in Sindh to more than 1000 mm in the foot-hills and northern mountains with an average of about 400 mm. About 60% of this rain comes during the monsoon season (July through September). Much of the summer rains are not available for crop production due to rapid run-off because of torrential showers. At other occasions, rain may be so light that the precipitation evaporates before the water can penetrate into the root zone. However, the contribution of rain to crops in the irrigated areas of Indus Basin is estimated at about 1650 thousand hectares meter. Thus 10 mm of rain water provides 100 cubic meter of water per hectare. Rainfall alone is inadequate to sustain more than a very low level of agricultural production in the semi-arid conditions which prevail over most of Pakistan. Ground water is the second major source for irrigation. The seepage through rainfall, rivers and vast canal network has created a large and readily manageable acquirer underlying the Indus basin. The total recharge to the groundwater system of the Indus Basin has been estimated at 56 MAF per annum. Presently, the ground water is being developed canal commands of Indus plain for the purpose of irrigation on the large scale and is of the order of 44 MAF per annum . There is a huge source of highly saline sea water along the 1,050 km coast of Pakistan along the Arabian sea, but it cannot be used either for drinking or irrigation unless desalinized. Some palm and coconut trees can be grown in coastal belt using saline water. With the extension of big cities and towns the quality of sewage water is increasing considerably. It is mostly used for the production of high value crops like vegetables, fodder, oil palm, coconut etc in the vicinity of cities and towns. However, there is a common belief that the vegetables raised from sewage water are not safe for consumption from hygienic point of view. Nevertheless, there is potential for treating the sewage water for recycling or using it for irrigation purposes as is being done in many other countries.<br />Irrigation system of Pakistan has been developed from the Indus waters more than hundred years ago and is now the largest integrated irrigation system in the world. The flow of Indus river system is the prime source of surface water resources of the country. It covers gross area of 16 million hectares of which 88 per cent is culturable. It has 48 principle canals, emerging out of 20 river diversion structures. Many of the canals are even large by world standard; 15 of them having capacities of over 280 cubic meter per second. The cumulative operating capacity of these canals is 7323 cubic meters per second and their annual conveyance capacity is 331 billion cubic meter. These canals traverse about 61,000 kilometers to command the 15.50 million hectares of culturable area through 90000 watercourses and filled channels numbering 1,07,000. Each watercourse serves about 160 hectares of land on the average. In addition, there are 23 barrages, 45 main canals, 12 huge inter river link canals transferring bulk water supplies from the western rivers to the eastern rivers.<br />Presently, Pakistan irrigation system encompasses two major dams such as (I) Mangla - The main technical features of this dam is as: World's third largest earth filled dam, built on river Jhelum; Height-380 ft. above river bed; Length 10300 ft. Gross water storage capicity-5.88 MAF, also used for Power generation; Live storage capacity -538 MAF; .Main spillway capacity -870,000 cusecs; Emergency spillway capacity 230,000 cusecs; Lake area- l00sq.miles, (II) Terbela- The main feature of this is as: The world largest earth and rock - filled dam on one of the world's most important river the Indus; Height- 485ft. above river bed; Length 9000 ft; gross storage capicity ,11.3 MAF; Live storage capacity- 9.4 MAF; service spillway capacity 6,50000 cusecs; Auxiliary spillway capicity- 840,000 cusecs; Lake area- 100 sq. miles. ,The Terbela dam is known as the best hydel power station in Pakistan having a capacity of generating 3,478 MW of electricity. The Chashma is the biggest reservoir which help in the irrigation of millions of hectares of agricultural lands.<br />In addition to the grand canal system, there are about 185,000 private tube wells with average capacity of 30 liters per second and about l5000 public tube wells of capacity of 60 to 120 liters per second. At present these tube wells pump about 41 billion cubic meters water and provide 30 per cent of the total irrigation water to exclusively more than two million hectares in addition to supplementing some canal fed areas. Water available at the farm gate after accounting farm losses and run-offs estimated that about 60% of water which comes to 35 MAF is lost during conveyance through canals, distributaries and water courses and also goes to Arabian sea at Karachi annually which is a huge national waste. This water must be harnessed if our posterity have to be saved from feminine like situation.<br />Total available water resources of the country from the rivers as well as fresh ground water come to 160 million acre feet (136 MAF from rivers i.e 94 MAF from Indus; 20 MAF from Jhelum and 26 MAF from Chenab ;and 24 MAF from fresh ground water sources). Out of this, 101.4 MAF reaches at the modules or the starting points of the watercourses, after deducting losses of the system, i. e seepage from the canal and distributaries, 35 MAF water was being wasted into the sea during flood season every year. Another available water 45 per cent is lost due to seepage from the water courses, which in absolute terms is 45.6 MAF, thus total water reaching at the farm gate remains about 56 MAF. About 15 percent additional water is lost due to improper irrigation applications, which in absolute terms is 8.4 MAF. The total requirement of the country in the year 2000 is estimated to be 78.7 MAF, which means that there is a shortage of 22.9 MAF at the farm gate for which there seems to be no supplementary source at present. Pakistan needed 170 million acre feet of additional water in future to meet irrigation and other requirements of the people. This was not possible unless new storage dams were built. India was planning to build Salal dam on the Chenab river and diverting the Indus river water from the Wooler lake in occupied Kashmir.<br />Conclusion<br />To overcome water shortage crisis, the solution lies in the proper water management at watershed, reservoirs, conveyance system i. e, at canals and distributaries level as well as watercourses and farm application levelling of open channels and use of pipes to transport water for reducing seepage losses. To prepare cemented water beds at the bottom of the base. Building of more dams in the country is also good solution to solve the problem of water shortage. Million of acre feet of valuable water which was flowing into the sea every year could be stored for irrigation at a time when it was needed the most. We should build the Kalabagh dam for the betterment of the country from acute water shortage in future. However, officials of each province should be consulted for the construction as well as for equal share and distribution of water. It is also suggested that if any province was prepared some water out of his own share to other provinces it should be accepted as a gesture of good will and not as a matter of right . The Kalabagh dam project should be supplemented with supportive irrigation projects in Balochistan, Sindh, Cholistan and the NWFP to take the benefits of additional water available from the Kalabagh reservoirs to take their respective areas. Experts say that it was the most researched and investigated project of the world approved by the world top irrigation and dam experts on which Rs.1 billion had been spent so far on investigation. Recently, parts of Balochistan, Cholistan and some parts of Sindh had experienced drought and famine like condition a few months back where a number of casualties had been taken place besides the loss of 40% of cattle. The politicians have to use their wisdom rather than emotion to come to a decision in the country's national interest and the people in the issue of building as many as reservoirs as possible in the minimum possible time, making real and actual policy involving the water crisis, collection of rainwater in depression. Water source development needs to be accorded due priority in the rain- fed areas where small or mini dams can be constructed in proximity to the commended area.<br />The crisis of water shortage for irrigation can only be over come and proper individual farmer for water management practices. Some of the points to be kept in mind are as: evaluation of available water resources, development and improvement of existing irrigation systems, judicious and efficient use of available irrigation water, control of evaporation from water surface in reservoirs and canals conjunctive use of surface and ground water, evaluation of water requirement of various crops, knowledge of modern techniques of crop and water management, active participation of farmers in water users association, better understanding between government and farmers community. The tail end farmers on a watercourse do not receive their due share. This is due to prevailing technological and socio- political conditions. This unreliability of water supply at the tail ends of canals and watercourses due to the situation and distribuatries and the presence of influential people at the head of canals seriously affects the morale and production of the tail end farmers. Reliability and equity of water distribution is imperative to provide opportunities to all farmers in a canal command area to increase crop production. Massive education in proper use of water along with modern techniques of land leveling can save substantial quantum of water. To obtain the best results, effective co-ordinations between the departments of irrigation and agriculture is the cardinal point for success. Let we Pakistani pray to Almighty Allah in a true sense for the betterment of Agriculture and for the rainfall to submerge our valuable dried lands for the cause of human remedy.bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-69187623722954301672009-11-04T05:44:00.001-08:002009-11-04T05:45:22.111-08:00WATER CRISIS IN PAKISTANThe most dreaded water scarcity event has at last hit Pakistan. This is nothing unexpected. The manner in which we have been used to handle our resources and national affairs, this catastrophic occurrence was bound to take us over. Nature’s endowment of water blessings upon Pakistan has always been envied by the world at large. At the time of independence 5000 cu/m of water was available for each Pakistani, which has now reduced to 1000 cu/m because of uncontrolled population growth.<br />Water is one resource that can not be generated it can only be preserved. Farsighted nations try to conserve each every drop of water available to them because they are aware of the fact that if this commodity is not prudently preserved and used, the human survival itself would be jeopardized and future wars would be fought for its possession and control. The only manner to conserve this resource known to man so far is to construct dams. Dams have been built for atleast 5000 years and, their functions have evolved with the developing needs of the society. Most likely, the earliest dams were built to store water for domestic and agriculture water supply. With the onset of industrial era, hydropower became a major reason to built dams. Presently dams are built to serve many other functions, such as, flood control, navigation, and recreation. According to an estimate the present volume of all storage reservoirs with gross capacity of 5 cu/km and above amounts to some 4900 cu/km. Out of this about 975 cu/km lie in North America while about 1770 cu/km are in Asia with majority in China. China has some 83000 reservoirs built for various purposes, of which 330 are major in size. While in Pakistan we have two major and about a dozen smaller reservoirs.<br />It has been said that all reservoirs are doomed to die. This is due to loss of their storage capacity because of sedimentation. Assuming a hundred year average life of reservoirs (Lake Mead, USA-350 years + Tarbela, Pakistan-40 years), the world is losing about 41 cu/km of storage capacity per year. Although we can not halt their termination yet, with our knowledge and effort we can delay this process and elongate their life. So far few methods are available for prolonging the storage and life of reservoirs. Among these the most frugal and resource preservation method is construction of series of dams on the river so as to trap the sediment inflows in the upstream reservoirs and store comparatively sediment free water in the lower reservoirs. It was estimated that Kalabagh reservoir life with Tarbela upstream and a conjunctive operation could be extended to 100+ years. The other operational methods include sediment sluicing alongwith water flows through the dam outlets and flushing of accumulated sediment through reservoir regulation methods; though these method involve trade off between stored water and reservoir capacity because stored water shall have to be passed through the dam unobstructed. Another method available is desiltation through dredging. This method is so expensive that construction of a new storage would cost about one twentieth of the cost of a similar reservoir.<br />Let us now recapitulate and make an assessment of ourselves to find out how and why we have suddenly become a water scarcity country from a water affluent country. Soon after the creation of Pakistan the country was faced with a number of serious problems including that of electricity and water shortage. The control of three out of five Punjab rivers had gone to India, which stopped the water supply to our canals feeding the eastern districts of theUnited Punjab and the Bhawalpur State.The unilateral action of the Indian Government ruined our cultivated land which was soon rendered dry and started becoming salinated. This affected the economy of the newly created country very badly and the danger of famine thus loomed over the nation. Pakistan therefore, had to mobilize her own resources. The search for alternate arrangements to sustain our mainly agrarian economy started. The construction of small dams on our rivers like Warsak on Kabul and Rohtas on Jhelum were taken up with the aid of Commonwealth countries. In addition, for gross utilization of the available water resources in the country, the Govt. of Pakistan set up an organization under the title “Dams Investigation Circle”(DIC) which was entrusted with the task of carrying out comprehensive survey for collecting the data and preparing the projects which may help in resolving the problems of water and energy shortage. By the end of May 1996, the DIC prepared a number of projects, which included Dams at Kalabagh on Indus River and Rohtas (later called Mangla) on Jhelum river.<br />Investigations for construction of a huge multipurpose dam on Indus River at Kalabagh were started in 1953 and its feasibility was submitted to the Govt. after getting approved by a group of expert foreign Consultants. The Govt. approved this in 1959, the year WAPDA came in to being. In 1960 a treaty between Pakistan and India was signed with World Bank mediation widely known as the “Indus Basin Treaty”. According to this treaty, control of waters of Ravi, Bias and Sutlej was given to India with the condition that the Indian Govt. will compensate for the loss of Pakistan and fully participate in the construction of the replacement works with the help of the World Bank and the other aid giving agencies. The replacement works included two large dams one on the Indus and the other on Jhelum, five barrages and eight link canals and a siphon for carrying the waters of Chenab River across the Sutlej River. The then Chief Martial Law Administrator and President Ayub Khan on behalf of the Pakistan Govt. and the Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jwaharlal Nehru on behalf of India signed the treaty; Eugene Blake signed the treaty on behalf of the World Bank. For the two large multipurpose dams on Indus and Jehlum Pakistan proposed sites at Kalabagh and Rohtas (later called Mangla). Kalabagh site choice for Pakistan was obvious since lot of investigation had been carried out at this site and a feasibility report duly prepared and approved by the GOP after check and scrutiny by the foreign experts and consultants.<br />In the meanwhile a group of shortsighted bureaucrats gathered around Ayub Khan and convinced him to switch over the construction site on Indus River from Kalabagh to Tarbela some 100 miles upstream. Unfortunately, Ayub Khan was neither a political leader nor had the wisdom to understand the implications of the counsel given to him. In fact it was some sort of intrigue weaved very carefully around Ayub Khan by some petty minded bureaucrats who had their own axe to grind rather than serve the national interest. On Ayub Khan’s insistence the design of dam at Tarbela site was prepared in great hurry, which was not based on detailed site investigations and thus had many inherent defects. The team of experts warned the GOP that this project would be a complete failure and the whole investment on this scheme will go down the drain. Incidentally no attention was paid to this warning. Ayub Khan soon came to know that the World Bank would not pay a single penny for this badly designed project of Tarbela Dam. Since, a large dam was part of the treaty, the GOP commenced work on Tarbela Dam out of the funds received for Kalabagh Dam and later approached other countries, who agreed to finance the project on terms and conditions favored to their interests. The reasons for switching over to Tarbela Dam were never made known to the public which ofcource was not in a position of raising any voice against the authority of the Martial Law Government. Kalabagh Dam was therefore thrown into the dustbin and all the resources were diverted towards Tarbela Dam. However, a lollypop was given to the nation stating that since it is intended to built a series of dams on the Indus river, soon after completion of Tarbela all machinery and trained man-power would be diverted towards construction of Kalabagh and later on completion of Kalabagh, these resources would be utilized for construction of dam(s)upstream of Tarbela at suitable sites.<br />Tarbela’s hurried and faulty design brought Pakistan near total catastrophe in 1974. It was only the Almighty that saved Pakistan from complete devastation. An accidental stuck-up of tunnel gates at Tarbela forced the operating authorities dump the full reservoir and when the reservoir was completely depleted it was found that large sink holes have developed on the immediate upstream of the dam. This is a phenomenon akin to silent heart attack, which results into sudden cardiac arrest without warning. With a newly full reservoir no one could visualize such a happening and one fine morning there would have been no dam resulting into the whole country being under 4-6 feet of water.<br />The story of Kalabagh does not end here. During Bhutto era need for another storage seriously cropped up and research and studies with the help of both local and foreign consultants were carried out to develop the Kalabagh feasibility studies into full fledge project design. This design was deliberated by top world experts on dam design, reservoir sedimentation and operation. Due care was given to various implications involved and engineering solutions based on sophisticated techniques were chalked out. During Zia regime the World Bank committed some U.S. $7.0 billion and kept this amount earmarked for about three years. Then suddenly an intrigue based on dirty politics sealed the fate of the Kalabagh Dam for all times to come. A powerful General who was Governor of NWFP in order to put pressure on Zia for reasons best known to them, in connivance with some Consultants started marking high flood level marks on the houses, graveyards, mosques and other permanent structures, and set a wave of alarm among the public of fear of their drowning. This disturbance among the people was played up so much that a strong resistance started developing among the inhabitants of NWFP against the Dam. Most unfortunately, these high flood level marks were neither based on facts nor had any basis. The dam designers in particular and the engineering community in general based on actual studies proved and showed that even in the worst scenario when both Tarbela and Kalabagh are full and an unprecedented historic flash flood occurs, the high flood level would not reach to a stage so as to cause any damage to the populace. With regard to the fear of waterlogging in the Nowshera valley adequate provision was made for tubewell installations as part of the Kalabagh project. But, the shot had been fired and before the NWFP people fears could be quelled, the Sindh Province came out with an entirely opposite objection to the Kalabagh Dam building i.e. drought and water scarcity. The controversy has reached to an extent that today almost every one in Pakistan has formed opinion either for or against the Kalabagh Dam.<br />If we look deep into the controversy we would clearly see the mistrust and distrust between the Provinces being an outcome of the suppression caused by autocratic rules and absence of democratic forces needed to freely vent and mitigate the negative forces.<br />Coming back to the water scarcity problem, we find that absence of additional storages have forced us to burden Tarbela most adversely by inflicting continued low level drawdowns which caused racing of large sediment deposits within the reservoir towards the Dam much before than expected. To retard the movement of sediment towards the Dam it was required to keep the minimum pool level higher so as to keep the delta away from the Dam and maintain the reservoir’s live storage as much as possible. For example, Tarbela minimum pool level initially was fixed at El. 1300 and later with the increase in sediment inflows was to be gradually raised to El. 1400 and if need arises even higher. But, successive dry years forced us to operate the reservoir at lower levels and as a result the toe of the delta has almost reached upto to mouth of the intakes. As such, this year we are forced to stop water releases from the reservoir at El. 1369 and, if we venture to lower it further all silt, sand and debris would pass through the power intakes and damage the turbines to an extent that the power house shall have to be closed for repairs involving heavy amount of foreign exchange.<br />The Kalabagh controversy started some 15 years back and during this period we did nothing but to concentrate on rhetoric for or against Kalabagh. Although it was known that consensus on construction of a new reservoir above or below Kalabagh will take some time and when it somehow gets finalized then preparation of its feasibility, design and then construction all would involve not less than 15 years. One preference for Kalabagh is that its designs are prepared and even the tender documents are ready.<br />It is a well-known fact that in the world most lucrative projects were conceived but resisted and washed out by envoirmentalists. That never was construed as end of the day. Planners always have alternate plans ready, which unfortunately we miserably lack. Prudence demanded that during the last 15 years we should have worked on sites other than Kalabagh and reached a level from where the actual construction commences. Not only that, we should have educated ourselves through research and study of Tarbela reservoir sedimentation processes and upgraded our knowledge of the complexity of reservoir sedimentation.<br />The engineering interest in reservoir sedimentation concerns three physical aspects; (i) overall volume of trapped sediment, (ii) distribution of deposit volume, and (iii) distribution of sediment particle size within the reservoir. The loss of storage capacity due to sediment deposits reduces the efficacy of a reservoir to regulate the flow and to provide a flood control. The distribution of volume of deposit determines the relative impact of trapped sediment on the usable storage, and the distribution of particle size effects the density of deposits as well as the potential damage caused by the ingress of sediment into the power inlets.<br />A number of approaches have been developed in the world to study these phenomenon. These include empirical methods; mathematical modeling and physical modeling but all these approaches have their limitations and need research and study to evaluate their effectiveness. Tarbela reservoir is one such place where ideal conditions exist to enhance our knowledge in area of sedimentation engineering.<br />WAPDA was established to develop the water and power resources of the country. It was structured as a multi-disciplinary organization with wide autonomy of working. It was at its Zenith when it most successfully and in record time completed world’s gigantic Indus Basin Project. Although, after the Indus Basin Project no new large construction project with the exception of SCARP was handled by WAPDA yet, it continued its effective and productive role of water development through research and studies. Between 1974 to1987 under its aegis world’s largest ever undertaken prototype research in the mechanics of alluvial channels using the canals and rivers of Pakistan was undertaken with the collaborative sponsorship and funding from the National Science Foundation of USA. The accomplishments under this research endeavor provided worldwide designers of the alluvial channels new approaches based on phenomenon hither to unknown and unobserved. Later, the WAPDA organization entrusted with this research project was elevated into an international sedimentation research institute in order to use its knowledge and expertise to research and study the complex processes of sedimentation, the biggest menace and threat to the water resources whether these are flowing or conserved.<br />Then a gradual apathy, unconcern and indifference on WAPDA’s part towards its basic objective of development of water and power resources tookover; most probably due to the attitude of its higher-ups who considered WAPDA’s role solely of a revenue collection agency. Unfortunately, those under the top brass were also insensitive towards the sophisticated expertise developed within the organization and therefore did not have the capability of properly guiding or counseling the decision-makers. The net result was that organizations that were built in decades were destroyed and reduced to shambles in months. The star international sedimentation research institute is now dumped into few katcha garages in a remote corner of the city. All its sophisticated equipment has either been reduced to junk or pilfered and all the expertise gained totally lost. This world renowned research institute is now headed by a Sr. Engr. who has been promoted from a mechanical overseer. Similarly, another organization, which was developed fromDams Investigation Circle (mentioned earlier), is under so much fear and harassment that its employees have practically lost all nerve. This organization is also being headed by a mechanical engineer who does not know even basics of dam engineering.<br />Various periodic inspections of Tarbela Dam by experts recommended different solutions to tackle the sedimentation problems of the reservoir. For testing and researching these solutions it was proposed that immediately a physical model studies laboratory be established at Tarbela site. This laboratory would not only undertake a comprehensive research and study to find solutions to Tarbela problems but also cater for future needs of other projects on the Indus River and its tributaries. In this regard collaborative efforts were made with a prestigious Chinese sedimentation research institute. But, with the departure of those who were instrumental in developing of this collaborative activity with the Chinese, every thing was thrown to airs. The Chinese are constructing a very large dam namely “Three Gorges Project”. This project is not only being researched in a physical-modeling laboratory at the site but at every major engineering university in the country. What a pity? We who claim to have world’s most integrated water resource and conveyance system do not have even one laboratory in the country capable of studying dams, reservoirs or sedimentation problems. On the other hand, as announced by the Chief Executive, we are planning to construct a number of reservoirs and, unfortunately, do not posses the basic infrastructure to study the complexities involved. The one laboratory at Nandipure under the Punjab Irrigation Department is not even sufficient to handle Punjab Irrigation’s own problems and the efficacy and efficiency of this laboratory portrays the same story of apathy.<br />WAPDA has now come up with its dream of “vision 2025”. With the present level of in-house knowledge and expertise can it even initiate such a utopic program? We talk of constructing projects like Bhasha Dam. Unfortunately, we think of Bhasha probably similar to a plaza. This project is going to be far more problematic than Tarbela (Refer Panel of Experts Report-1988). No local firm (s) is capable of undertaking its investigations without active collaboration of foreign experts/specialists. Had we continued the research and study efforts started way back within WAPDA, we by now would have achieved a level of knowledge whereby our dependency on foreign expertise had been minimal. But, we wasted all opportunities and chances. No we can do nothing but hold Namaz- e- Istasqa.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/main.htm">BACK</a>bilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5339473484588845395.post-55921565304882382982009-11-03T03:05:00.000-08:002009-11-03T03:07:53.078-08:00Finding out about water pollutionThe world's oceans and rivers have never been under more pressure from pollution. This handy list of information sources points you to books, articles, and websites that tell you what the problems are, how they're caused, and how we can attempt to solve them. There are thousands of web pages about pollution and this is not a complete list. But it'll give you a good start in finding out about most of the issues involved.<br />Have you read this Introduction to water pollution page? If not, you might like to start there.<br />Want to know about air pollution? Try our companion page on Finding out about air pollution.<br />Looking for pictures? We have a whole page of pollution photos.<br />Last updated: April 16, 2009. Contents: What you can find on this pageCool stuff for schools! Water pollution activities for kidsGovernment agencies and international organizations Institutions, campaign groups, NGOs, etc. Sewage and wastewater Beaches Endocrine disruption Toxic chemicals and pesticides Introduced (non-native) organisms Farming, fertilization, nutrient addition, harmful algal blooms Oil pollution and slicks Decommissioning of oil platforms and structures Radioactive waste Debris and dumping Atmospheric deposition (ocean pollution caused by air pollution) Indoor air pollution caused by water pollutionDrinking water qualityMeasuring water qualityLaws and conventions BooksSources of information ArticlesUS and world news articles from MSNBC newsbilal arifhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314244492236079123noreply@blogger.com0