Water, a confluence of resources and exhaustible
“If there’s anything magical on this planet, it’s in the water” (Loren Eiseley)
Life on Earth originated in water. All life on Earth is interconnected with and dependent on water and its cycle. Water is an essential component of biological cells and the medium for basic biochemical processes such as photosynthesis. Natural water sources are constantly in motion. Water takes on various states—solid, liquid, gas, etc.—and creates a cycle within the biosphere. Water evaporates, condenses, and rains down, thereby transporting, dissolving, and depositing many elements, including nutrients: minerals and certain substances necessary for the life of organisms on Earth. Water plays a role in the composition of the biosphere’s structure and helps regulate the climate, soil, and other biological factors. Water also helps meet the various needs of daily life: irrigating fields, supporting industrial production, generating and producing electricity, and creating many beautiful and magnificent natural landscapes to develop numerous tourism services all over the world. Water is an indispensable part of every human being’s life. It plays a vital role in human health and is a precious resource, essential for human life. Water makes up 74% of a newborn’s body weight, 55–60% of an adult male’s body, and 50% of an adult female’s body. Water is essential for the growth and maintenance of the body. This is because it is involved in all bodily functions, such as digestion and the absorption of food. Water has the ability to supply minerals and simultaneously transport essential nutrients to cells, between organs, and so on. Consequently, it supports all bodily functions. According to research by scientists worldwide, humans can survive up to 5 weeks without food, but no more than 5 days without drinking water. Even when the body loses more than 10% of its water, it is in a life-threatening condition, and when it loses 20–22%, death occurs.
Most water-dependent activities require fresh water: 97% of the water on Earth is saltwater and only 3% is fresh. Butut nearly two-thirds of this fresh water exists in the form of glaciers and ice caps at the poles. The unfrozen portion is found primarily as groundwater, and only a small percentage exists above ground and in the air. Freshwater is a renewable resource, but the global supply of clean freshwater is gradually declining. Water demand has outstripped supply in some parts of the world, while the global population continues to grow, driving up demand for water. Awareness of the importance of protecting water resources for the needs of ecosystems has only recently come to the forefront. During the 20th century, more than half of the world’s wetlands were lost, along with their valuable supporting environments. Biodiverse freshwater ecosystems are currently declining more rapidly than terrestrial and marine ecosystems. An assessment of water management in the agricultural sector was conducted in 2007 by the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka to determine whether the world had enough water to feed a growing population. It assesses the current availability of water for agriculture on a global scale and identifies areas experiencing water scarcity.
The results show that one-fifth of the world’s population—more than 1.2 billion people—lives in water-scarce areas where there is not enough water to meet all needs. More than 1.6 billion people live in economically water-scarce regions, where underinvestment or underutilization makes it impossible to meet water needs. Furthermore, one-third of the world’s population lacks access to clean water—that is, more than 2.3 billion people. The report shows that it is possible to produce the necessary food in the future, but that current food production levels and environmental trends will lead to crises in many parts of the world. To avoid a global water crisis, farmers will need to work to increase yields to meet growing food demand, while industry and cities find ways to use water more efficiently. As the population grows, competition for water is intensifying, leading to the depletion of many of the world’s major aquifers. Water is an extremely valuable resource, but it is not inexhaustible. Water is essential for all life and development. It serves both as an environment and as an input for agricultural and industrial production. Industrial development, social progress, and economic activity have led to a series of harmful effects on the environment. The aquatic environment is highly sensitive; contaminating just one body of water risks spreading pollution to many other bodies of water—lakes, rivers, and streams—in the surrounding area. A polluted aquatic environment not only kills fish, shrimp, and aquatic species, but also endangers humans because polluted water is the source of water for human daily life. This polluted water causes many strange diseases—skin diseases, respiratory diseases, and particularly cancers, etc.Therefore, protecting water resources is an urgent task. iIt not only meets immediate needs but also lays a solid foundation for the long-term future of natural resource and environmental protection, our own survival, and that of future generations.
Sr Quynh Tran