For developed countries, 45 % is used for agriculture, 45 % for industry, and 10 % for urban areas. The water usage is also affected by the ballooning global population. In 2016, the world is home to 7.4 billion people, a significant increase from the last century’ s 1.7 billion people. As the population continues to grow, the groundwater supply depletes and the potable water decreases. A graph by World Resources Institute illustrates the water consumption rate of countries, with red reaching a non-renewable rate.
The Sectors Consuming the Most Water Being the largest consumer of freshwater resources at 70 % global consumption, the agricultural sector is the most at risk in this crisis. Irrigation eats up most of agriculture’ s water which is a critical factor in farming. The industrial sector, which uses 22 % of the total water consumption, is growing to the point that this may soon take precedence over agriculture because of one reason: it is cheaper. A thousand ton of water used can produce 1 ton of wheat, valued at $ 200; in contrast, the same amount of water in the industrial sector can make $ 14,000 worth of goods. On the other hand, the residential sector consuming 8 % of the total water supply has an impending growth of water consumption in the future. The increased urban population now utilizes modern luxuries like flush toilets, showers and washing machines which establishes a potential large demand.
How Our Water Becomes Polluted One of the greatest challenges of our global water crisis is the pollution of our waters. A report from the United Nations Environmental Program( UNEP) states that 1.2 billion people are being affected by polluted water, and that dirty water contributes to 15 million child deaths every year. This problem persists along with modernization as both exist as a pair. As developing countries enter the industrial age, water pollution will still be anchored to our water problem. The agricultural sector having the greatest demand largely contribute as well especially in food production wherein excess amounts of nitrates, posing risk to plant and animal life, go along with runoff. The industrial sector, through the vast amounts of animal feces, is partly
Photo by New Indian Express
Photo by API
responsible of the constant water pollution. The Challenge for Engineers Water is an essential natural resource that humans now compromise. It is given that we only have so little valuable water at our disposal, with some factors beyond our control that affect its availability and supply. Having identified the sources of our global water crisis and disregarding the politics that comes with it, engineers can act on them and identify viable solutions that will help alleviate the problem.
The challenge for engineers is to make sure that the Earth won’ t dry up on water resources through developing techniques, innovations, and systems that will provide water for our sustainable living on a large scale. Not only that, it should be
done in the most economical ways possible. Engineers need to devise methods and processes in converting seawater and wastewater to potable and usable water – the magic lies in the technologies only engineers can provide.
SEPTEMBER 2016 Clean Water Technologies
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