The Uneven Distribution of Fresh Water

313 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Global water scarcity

The Uneven Distribution of Fresh Water

Uneven distribution of fresh water causes an Impact on the lives of people; it causes the destruction of nature, and depletion of a valuable resource. There are also political problems connected to the distribution of fresh water

Uneven distribution of fresh water directly affects the distribution of the global population. People can live in one of two areas; there is either an abundance of water or not enough. Many problems can arise from overpopulation on large water bodies. Pollution can occur through dumping and wastes. The Niagara River for example, which is right on the border and is being polluted from both sides, making control of the problem harder. Pollution of this kind also affects natural ecosystems and marine life; it kills off and endangers local species. And where there isn't enough water there are other problems to contend with. Allocation, desalinization, and transportation of fresh water can be costly as well. The water they do have in arid regions can be quite filthy and infected with disease. Water deficient areas can only grow a limited amount of crops with out irrigation and are therefore forced to depend on import food

Problems during transportation or relocation of water can occur. Water can be lost through evaporation while rerouting waterways. This too Involves human intervention, which presents many more problems. Man made waterways, dams, pumps, these things require energy, creates wastes, and ruin the natural environment. They interrupt marine ecosystems as well as marsh areas and swamps. Huge river projects displace people, cultures and livelihoods and put species in danger. For example in Iraq, the days of reed built houses and long wooden boats are over.

The uneven distribution of fresh water also causes political problems and wars. The ownership of rivers such as the Nile; can become a problem among borderlines with Egypt Sudan and Ethiopia having possible rights to the river. There can be disastrous effects to this issue.

Show More
Related

  • Why Diverting Water From the Great Lakes Region is a Bad Idea

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Water is the foundational basis of life on Earth. Ecosystems, society and humans are completely dependent on it, and as the world population continues to grow, there will be more mouths to feed, and those people will need water to continue their daily lives. However, shortages and poor management leads to the destruction of natural habitats and human suffering. Desertification of land in China is ever-increasing, turning green, lush land into desert. However, this is due mainly in part, because of human activity, and global warming (Wang, Yang, Dong, & Zhang, 2009). The United States could experience a crisis similarly to China’s, but for now they have averted such a catastrophe, because of heavy regulation of water. Though there are water shortages in many parts of the world, it is unwise to export water from the Great Lakes to those regions. Two major reasons why diverting the Great Lakes is a terrible idea, one: it allows for waters wars to start on the basis of who is allowed to access it and for commodification purposes. Two, diverting water on such large scales could have cataclysmic effects on the local residents as well as the environment.

    Read More

  • How Is Geography Important To Ancient Civilizations

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rivers are a natural water source for civilizations, which water is essential for a civilization to sustain.

    Read More

  • Ben Knight's Damnation

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yet, there is no such thing as “clean hydro power,” with the exception of very small-scale hydropower dams at the individual or neighborhood level. Hydro powered dams can cause major fluctuations in downstream flows, and even dewater the stream channel, leading to direct death of fish and other species. The main effects of a dam on a river is that it disrupts flows, lowers water quality, blocks the movement of rivers vital nutrients and sediment, destroys fish and wildlife habitat, and eliminates recreational opportunities. Reservoirs slow and broaden rivers, making them warmer, reducing water quality, and harboring destructive nonnative species that scatter throughout the watershed and prey on and compete with native wildlife. The environmental, economic, and social impacts of a dam and reservoir may run the entire length of the river from the highest mountain peaks that feed the headwaters to the river’s outlet at the ocean according to

    Read More

  • Booming Agriculture: Mesopotamia, Gold Rush, and Potato Plant

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    Though the river had many benefits it also had, it’s disadvantages such as flooding and water shortages related to droughts (Soomo, 2013). Mesopotamians had to be inventive and so created levy’s, canals and irrigations systems to help them adapt to the river’s challenges. They learned how to live with these environmental factors and came up with inventive strategies to overcome obstacles.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Water Quality

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Living in a world that is roughly 70% water, and all living creatures found on this planet depend on this resource whether directly or indirectly, making water quality an important topic and vital to sustain our world of cycles. “Determination of status of water quality of a river or any other water sources is highly indeterminate. It is necessary to have a competent model to predict the status of water quality and to advice for type of water treatment for meeting different demands.” (Bai V, 2009) With most of our water on this planet made of salt water and our constant damage towards the remaining water that can be consumed by humans is diminishing with improper distribution on a global scale. If our greed comes before companionship, and our quality of life is more important than pollution, then our future generations to come will be born into a world of chaos, and a scarce of a basic human necessity.

    Read More

  • Water Shortages in the US

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the United States EPA, only one percent of all water on Earth is deemed suitable for human consumption. In a world with a continually-growing population in need of an ample water supply, the world's sources of fresh water are showing increased signs of overuse as they are emptied faster than they can be naturally refilled. In fact, over the past half-decade the demand for water has more than tripled as the watersheds across the globe have been devastated (EPA).

    Read More

  • Water Pollution in America

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    When you think of problems in the world today, water pollution isn’t one that would normally come up. In fact it is one of the worst problems in the world today. Water pollution, by definition, is the contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by any substances harmful to living things. All living things contain water and most need water to survive, so water pollution is a big problem. If severe, the pollution can kill off birds, fish, and any animals that use the water source. In some cases even killing an entire species.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Water In Michigan

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    We have built dams to prevent floods, store water and create electricity. An example of a damn in Michigan is the Sturgis Dam in Sturgis City. This is an image from the Upper Peninsula Power Company’s website that shows how a dam is used to create energy. These dams are called hydroelectric dams. The dam back up the water and when it is released, its power turns the turbine which then turns a generator to create electricity (“Hydroelectric Power,” (n.d.)). However, humans have also altered the waterways in a negative way through pollution. Because we have so many different uses for water, we end up polluted the water through the toxins that are released. If we do not do something and continue to pollute our waterways, there would be a very negative effect on every life form. Many industries, companies, as well as ordinary citizens in Michigan and all around the world are doing their best to cut down their environmental

    Read More

  • Water Issues in South Asia

    13430 Words  | 27 Pages

    This, however, does not mean that India is solely responsible for certain deadlocks, even though its share of responsibility may be larger than other countries which have their own physical limitations and political apprehensions. As elsewhere in the world, and more particularly in the subcontinent where population explosion continues and environmental degradation worsens, water resources, like energy, are going to be much lower than the increasing demand, even if they are harnessed to the most optimum. Given the depleting resources of water, the issues of human security, and water security as its most crucial part, are going to assume astronomical proportions. The issues of water distribution and management are bringing not only countries of the region, but also states and regions within provinces into conflict since they are not being settled amicably within a grand framework of riparian statutes respecting upstream and downstream rights. What is, however, quite appreciable is that the countries of the subcontinent have made certain remarkable efforts to resolve their differences over water distribution through bilateral agreements.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Clean Water Essay

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clean and safe drinking water resources are becoming scarce as the population grows. The world is facing many problems, but the most important thing needed to survive, is water. Water is getting low in many countries, therefore residents are suffering the misfortune of not having the reliable source of clean water. Today many countries are having water shortages meaning rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater are not enough to rely on for supplying water demands. For example, California is facing a drastic water shortage, the natural water resources are not enough to fulfill their water demands.

    Read More

  • Dams

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people have already dammed a small stream using sticks and mud by the time they become adults. Humans have used dams since early civilization, because four-thousand years ago they became aware that floods and droughts affected their well-being and so they began to build dams to protect themselves from these effects.1 The basic principles of dams still apply today as they did before; a dam must prevent water from being passed. Since then, people have been continuing to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. The hindering effects of dams on humans and their environment heavily outweigh the beneficial ones.

    Read More

  • The Global Water Crisis

    2639 Words  | 6 Pages

    Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises:

    Read More

  • The Water Crisis and Solutions

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Freshwater is quite scarce, but it is even scarcer than one might think: about seventy percent of all freshwater is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland and is unavailable to humans. Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture or lies in deep underground aquifers as groundwater. It is not economically feasible to extract this waster for use as drinking water. This leaves less than one percent of the world’s fresh water that is available to humans. It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today. The first step is worldwide awareness of the water crisis: governments and the citizens they govern worldwide need to know about this problem and be actively involved in solving this problem.

    Read More

  • The Problem of Water Scarcity

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.

    Read More

  • The Responsible Use of Water

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people around the world need water. Around 780 million people are unable to get clean water (One Billion Affected). People who do have access to clean water in their homes, have to pay a fee. The people who struggle to live obviously do not have enough money to buy water. People who are unable to have clean water have a good chance of dying either from disease or from dehydration. At least 3.4 million people die a year from water problems such as sanitation (One Billion Affected).

    Read More

More about The Uneven Distribution of Fresh Water

Open Document