Key Notes On Human Uses Of Water

One of the major resources present on the earth is water. Life cannot exist without water. But why is water so essential? Water has a number of distinguishing properties that make it a very valued resource. Discussed below are some of the properties of water:

• Water is known to be an excellent solvent, capable of dissolving a wide range of compounds.
• It is usually available in all three states due to its boiling and freezing points (solid, liquid, and gaseous).
• Water has a very high specific heat. This allows water to gently absorb and release heat, allowing it to regulate the temperature of its surroundings.
• Water can allow light to reach life forms submerged in it because of its transparency. This is critical for plant life in the oceans, lakes, and rivers to survive.
• In nature, water is neither acidic nor basic. It is a neutral chemical with a pH of 7.

Water’s particular properties, combined with its abundance on the planet (water makes up roughly 71 percent of the Earth’s surface), make it a vital resource for animals, plants and humans.

Human Uses of Water

Agriculture is the most common application, followed by industries. The final, but not least, is municipal use. Water used by houses and businesses in communities is referred to as municipal use.

Agriculture

Irrigation refers to any method of giving additional water to plants. Irrigation consumes the majority of the water used in agriculture. Livestock consumes water as well, albeit at a much lower rate. Irrigation has the potential to squander a lot of water. The water is sprayed into the air and then this water falls to the ground. But the majority of the water never reaches the crops. Rather the water evaporates in the air or runs off the fields. Irrigation water may cause other problems. The water may dissolve agricultural chemicals like those of the pesticides. When the water gets completely absorbed by the ground, the dissolved chemicals are also absorbed along with water. They may further enter groundwater or run off into rivers or lakes. Salts in irrigation water get collected in the soil. The soil might get too salty for plants to grow.

Industry

Industry consumes over a quarter of the world’s water. Water is used in a variety of industries for a variety of purposes. Chemical reactions necessitate a large amount of water. Electricity is generated using water. Water is used extensively in industry to cool machines and power plants.

Household Use

Consider how people use water in their homes. They use it for bathing, cooking, doing laundry, washing dishes  and flushing toilets in addition to drinking it. The water that is utilised in homes is poured down the drain. It usually ends up in a sewer system after that. Water is treated and prepared for reuse in the sewage treatment plant.

Water can also be used outside by households. You can water your lawn or garden with a sprinkler or hose if your family has one. You most likely wash your car with water, usually large portion of the water used outside evaporates or goes into the gutter. The runoff water could end up in storm sewers that lead to a body of water like the ocean.

Environment

It is critical that some water be left for the ecosystem. Water is used for wildlife habitat in several places. Man-made lakes provide habitat for fish and waterfowl. Leaving water in ecosystems maintains a healthy environment for many plant and animal species.

Water Supply

The distribution of water by governmental utilities, commercial organisations, community activities, or individuals, usually through a system of pumps and pipes, is known as water supply. Public water supply systems are essential for civilizations to function correctly. These systems helps in providing drinking water to people all around the world. Continuity of supply, water quality, and water pressure are all aspects of service quality. In different countries and locations, institutional responsibility for water delivery is organised differently (urban versus rural). It usually deals with legislation and regulation, together with service delivery and standardisation. Water supply expenses are primarily made up of fixed costs (capital and labour expenditures) with only a tiny percentage of variable costs based on the volume of water consumed (mainly energy and chemicals).  

Peak Water

Peak water is referred to as a concept that explains the growing constraints on the availability, quality, and use of freshwater resources. Peter Gleick and Meena Palaniappan defined peak water in a peer-reviewed publication published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2010. They make a distinction between peak non-renewable, peak renewable, and peak ecological water to show that, despite the abundance of water on the earth, sustainably managed water is becoming limited. In numerous parts of the world, there are concerns about approaching peak water:

• Peak renewable water, when all renewable flows are used for human consumption
• Peak non-renewable water, which occurs when groundwater aquifers are over pumped (or poisoned) faster than nature can replenish them (this example is most like the peak oil debate)
• Peak ecological water is a condition in which ecological and environmental limits outweigh the economic benefits of water consumption.

By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world will be experiencing water stress, if current trends continue. In the end, peak water isn’t about running out of freshwater; it’s about approaching physical, economic, and environmental limits in meeting human water demands, followed by a drop in water supply and use.

International Water Management Institute

With headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and offices throughout Africa and Asia, the Worldwide Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a non-profit international water management research organisation within the CGIAR. The Institute’s research focuses on improving the management of water and land resources with the goal of ensuring food security and poverty reduction while protecting the environment. Water availability and access, including climate change adaptation; how water is used and how it might be used more productively; water quality and its relationship to health and the environment; and how societies control their water resources are among topics covered by the institute’s research. The Stockholm International Water Institute awarded IWMI the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize Laureate in 2012 for its ground-breaking research that has helped to improve agricultural water management, increase food security, protect environmental health, and alleviate poverty in developing countries.

IWMI is a member of CGIAR, a global research alliance that brings together organisations working on sustainable development research, and leads the CGIAR Water, Land, and Ecosystems Research Program. The CGIAR Research Programs on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS), Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Dryland Systems, and Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics all include IWMI as a partner.

Conclusion

Water is a clear, odorless, and tasteless liquid that is necessary for all living things. Water contains a number of unique qualities that are critical to life’s survival. It’s crucial as a solvent since it helps dissolve all of the body’s solutes and speeds up various metabolic processes. Water is used in a variety of ways in everyday life. It is released during respiration and plays an important function in photosynthesis.