The natural process of purifying water has been overloaded for a long time and nature can’t keep up with naturally processing the excessive amounts of wastewater. Thus, to protect the ecosystem and humans from toxic and harmful elements found it wastewater, the water used has to be managed in a sustainable manner.
Of all the water on Earth, under 3% is fresh water and only 0.5% of all water is available for use (the rest is in the form of glaciers, ice and bogs). Yet, this 0,5% of total available water is the place for living for 10% of all known animals and up to 40% of all known fish species + it is essential for life as the source for drinking water, food production through irrigation and fishing and electricity production with dams.
Water is under major pressure as demand exceeds supply and poor quality restricts its use (due to water pollution and subsequent eutrophication). On the other hand, water demand globally is projected to increase by 45% by 2050. This is mostly due to agriculture, which accounts for 70% of global freshwater use and the global population is not getting any smaller. The future for fresh water does not look bright.
The good news is that fresh water is a renewable resource and could be renewed via lower demand or reuse of water already used and efforts to clean up polluted water, which is difficult, but possible.
Which sectors influence water availability and quality
The biggest threat for fresh water as well as the oceans is wastewater. Especially when it is dumped into rivers, lakes, land or the sea untreated or not treated safely. Who is dumping it?
Globally, 56 per cent of all wastewater flows generated by households in 2020 were collected and safely treated. Most of wastewater is collected into sewers (57%, of which 78% is treated safely), while approximately a quarter flows into septic tanks (24%, of which 48% is treated safely) and the remaining use some other type of sanitation (none of it is considered safe treatment).
It is more difficult to measure how much fresh water is treated in the industrial sector due to lack of data. The UN’s Progress on wastewater report released in 2021 found that only 30 per cent of all wastewater flows from industrial sources in 2015 received at least some treatment. It has to be said that the data used was limited.
Water demand and pollution levels do not necessarily correlate
Measuring pollution levels from wastewater on the world scale is very complicated as there is scarce data available and it is not being controlled in many parts of the world. Nonetheless, discharge from urban wastewater treatment, industrial effluents and farming, are the main sources for water pollution.
Ecological problems that arise from water mismanagement
The overall availability of fresh water is decreasing, and freshwater habitats disappear at an alarming rate. This is due to human activities that impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
What are we doing that impacts the ecosystem the most?
We need food. Runoff from agricultural areas also hurts water quality.
We need water. Water used by us affects the amount of water available for other beings. If water is not treated safely and is put back to the ecosystem, it will affect all living beings.
We want more space. Draining of wetlands for development depletes habitats.
We want stuff. Water used by the industry affects the amount of water available for other beings. Organic and inorganic elements from the industry also end up in aquatic ecosystems, even the majority of wastewater is treated.
Ecological problems that arise from water mismanagement
The overall availability of fresh water is decreasing, and freshwater habitats disappear at an alarming rate. This is due to human activities that impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
What are we doing that impacts the ecosystem the most?
We need food. Runoff from agricultural areas also hurts water quality.
We need water. Water used by us affects the amount of water available for other beings. If water is not treated safely and is put back to the ecosystem, it will affect all living beings.
We want more space. Draining of wetlands for development depletes habitats.
We want stuff. Water used by the industry affects the amount of water available for other beings. Organic and inorganic elements from the industry also end up in aquatic ecosystems, even the majority of wastewater is treated.
We need energy. We build dams for this, which alter habitat way of life as the way the river works naturally changes (migration is altered, river flows change and are unsuitable for many species). Also, low-moving or still reservoirs can heat up, resulting in abnormal temperature fluctuations which can affect sensitive species. This can lead to algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels.1
Let it rain. Water from rain and melted snow runs across the land towards lakes and rivers – this is called surface runoff. Surface runoff can pick up many things along the way. Runoff in cities and towns picks up litter and organic matter from the streets. It can also pick up things like salt, sand, gasoline and motor oil and carry them into storm drains. And all these materials end up in aquatic ecosystems.
We are mostly shown horrific videos of polluted rivers and lakes from Bangladesh, China, Nigeria etc, but it has to be emphasised that water overuse and pollution is a problem in the developed world as much as in the developing world.
Just to give an example from Europe. Since the 1970s when the EU started creating an effective and coherent water policy, things have become considerably better, however, the European Environmental Agency report shows that less that 50% of water bodies in Europe have a good ecological status. Groundwater was in a better condition with 74% of European groundwater areas found to be in good chemical status.
Inflowing water quality is as important as water quantity
Social problems that arise from water mismanagement
Globally, water scarcity is driving economic, social, political, and security concerns. People’s livelihoods, agriculture and industry are all dependent on water. Without water there cannot be any prosperity and disruptions in sustainable supplies and distribution of water and conflicts over water resources become major security issues.2
The UN reported that 785 million people do not have access to basic water services and 1.2 billion people do not have any access to toilets. Furthermore, approximately 3 billion people in the world have a major health risk due to water quality.
What is happening in the majority of the world in terms of water pollution is difficult to say as it is often not measured. UN researchers surveyed more than 75,000 bodies of water in 89 countries and found that more than 40 per cent were severely polluted. Clearly there is a correlation between these 2 numbers: 40% of the world’s fresh water being severely polluted and 3 billion people having health risks.
Which sectors influence water availability and quality
INDIVIDUALS
INDUSTRIES
POLICY MAKERS