How do people use the water resources of our planet? Ways to overcome deficit

USE AND PROTECTION OF WATER BODIES.

Water resources represent a very important part of the natural resources used by humans, which also include land resources, mineral resources (including fuel and energy and other minerals), plant resources (for example, forest resources), animal resources, solar energy, wind energy, etc. -earthly heat, etc.

Water resources in a broad sense are all the natural waters of the Earth, represented by the waters of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, swamps, glaciers, aquifers, oceans and seas. Water resources in a narrower sense are natural waters that are currently used by humans and can be used in the foreseeable future (definition by S. L. Vendrov). A similar formulation is given in the Water Code of the Russian Federation: “water resources are the reserves of surface and groundwater located in water bodies that are used or can be used.” In this interpretation, water resources are not only a natural category, but also a socio-historical one.

The most valuable water resources are freshwater reserves (this is the narrowest concept of water resources). Freshwater resources consist of so-called static (or secular) water reserves and continuously renewable water resources, i.e. river flow.

Static (secular) freshwater reserves are represented by a portion of the water volumes of lakes, glaciers, and groundwater that are not subject to noticeable annual changes. These reserves are measured in volumetric units (m 3 or km 3).

Renewable water resources are those waters that are restored annually through the water cycle on the globe. This type of water resource is measured in runoff units (m 3 /s, m ​​3 /year, km 3 /year)

Renewable water resources are often assessed using a water balance equation. Thus, in general, for land, precipitation, continental runoff and evaporation amount to 119, 47 and 72 thousand km 3 of water per year, respectively. Thus, on average for the entire landmass, of the total volume of atmospheric precipitation, 61% is spent on evaporation, and 39% enters the World Ocean. Continental runoff constitutes the globe's renewable water resources. More often, however, only the part of continental runoff represented by river flow (41.7 km 3 of water per year, or 35% of atmospheric precipitation on the planet) is considered renewable water resources. River water flow is truly an annually renewable natural resource that can (to some limits, of course) be withdrawn for economic use. In contrast, static (centuries-old) water reserves in lakes, glaciers, and aquifers cannot be withdrawn for economic needs without causing damage to either the water body in question or the rivers associated with it. What are the main features of water resources that distinguish them from other natural resources?

First. Water as a substance has unique properties and, as a rule, cannot be replaced by anything. Many other natural resources can be substituted, and as civilization and the technological capabilities of human society developed, such substitution began to be used more and more widely.

In ancient times, only wood was most often used as a building material. In Rus', for example, not only huts were built from wood, but also temples, bridges and dams. Later, wood as a building material was replaced first by brick, and then by concrete, steel, glass, and plastic. Wood was also used as fuel. Then they began to replace it with coal, then with oil and gas. There is no doubt that in the future, as the reserves of these minerals are depleted, the main sources of energy resources will be nuclear, thermonuclear and solar energy, tidal and sea wave energy. Currently, attempts are being made to create artificial soil for growing plants, and to replace some food products with synthetic analogues.

With water the situation is much worse. Practically nothing can replace drinking water - both for humans and animals. Nothing can replace water when irrigating land, for feeding plants (after all, the capillaries of plants by nature are “designed” only for water), as a mass coolant, in many industries, etc.

Second. Water is an inexhaustible resource. Unlike the previous feature, this one turns out to be very favorable. In the process of using minerals, for example, when burning wood, coal, oil, gas, these substances, turning into heat and producing ash or gaseous waste, disappear. Water, when used, does not disappear, but only passes from one state to another (liquid water turns into water vapor) or moves in space - from one place to another. When heated and even when boiling, water does not decompose into hydrogen and oxygen. The only case of actual disappearance of water as a substance is the binding of water with carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) during photosynthesis and the formation of organic matter. However, the volumes of water used for the synthesis of organic matter are very small, as well as small losses of water leaving the Earth into outer space. It is also believed that these losses are fully compensated by the formation of water during degassing of the Earth's mantle (about 1 km 3 of water per year) and when water enters from space along with icy meteorites.

The term “irrevocable water consumption” used in the water industry should be understood as follows: for a specific section of a river (maybe even for the entire river basin), lake or reservoir, water intake for economic needs (irrigation, water supply, etc.) can indeed become irrevocable. The collected water is partially later evaporated from the surface of irrigated lands or during industrial production. However, according to the law of conservation of matter, the same volume of water should fall in the form of precipitation in other regions of the planet. For example, significant water intake in the basins of the Amudarya and Syr Darya rivers, which led to the depletion of the flow of these rivers and the shallowing of the Aral Sea, is inevitably accompanied by an increase in precipitation in the vast mountainous areas of Central Asia. Only the consequences of the first process - a decrease in the flow of the mentioned rivers - are clearly visible to everyone, but an increase in river flow over a vast territory is almost impossible to notice. Thus, “irretrievable” water losses apply only to a limited space; in general, for the continent, and especially the entire planet, there cannot be an irreversible waste of water. If water disappeared without a trace during use (like coal or oil when burned), then there could be no talk of any development of humanity on the globe.

Third. Fresh water is a renewable natural resource. This restoration of water resources is carried out in the process of a continuous water cycle on the globe.

The renewal of water resources in the process of the water cycle, both in time and space, occurs unevenly. This is determined both by changes in meteorological conditions (precipitation, evaporation) over time, for example, by seasons, and by spatial heterogeneity of climatic conditions, in particular latitudinal and altitudinal zonality, therefore water resources on the planet are subject to great spatiotemporal variability. This feature often creates a shortage of water resources in some areas of the globe (for example, in arid areas, in places with high economic water consumption), especially during low-water periods of the year. All this forces people to artificially redistribute water resources in time, regulating river flow, and in space, transferring water from one area to another.

Fourth. Water is a multi-purpose resource. Water resources are used to satisfy a wide variety of human economic needs. Often water from the same water body is used by different sectors of the economy.

Fifth. Water is mobile. This difference between water resources and other natural resources has a number of significant consequences.

Firstly, water can naturally move in space - along the earth's surface and in the soil, as well as in the atmosphere. In this case, water can change its state of aggregation, passing, for example, from liquid to gaseous (water vapor), and vice versa. The movement of water on Earth creates the water cycle in nature.

Secondly, water can be transported (via canals, pipelines) from one area to another.

Thirdly, water resources “do not recognize” administrative boundaries, including state boundaries. It could even create complex interstate problems. They can arise when using water resources of border rivers and rivers flowing through several states (with the so-called transboundary water transfer).

Fourthly, being mobile and participating in the global cycle, water transports sediment, dissolved substances, including pollutants, and heat. And although a complete cycle of sediment, salts and heat does not occur (unilateral transfer from land to the ocean predominates), the role of rivers in the transfer of matter and energy is very large.

A natural question arises: is the movement of pollutants along with water good or bad for nature? On the one hand, pollutants that enter the water, for example oil as a result of imperfect production technology, a rupture of an oil pipeline or a tanker accident, can be transported over long distances along with water (river, sea currents). This undoubtedly contributes to the spread of pollutants in space and pollution of adjacent waters and shores. But, on the other hand, flowing water removes harmful substances from the area of ​​pollution, purifying it, and contributes to the dispersion and decomposition of harmful impurities. In addition, flowing waters have the ability to “self-purify”.

Water resources of parts of the world.

Fresh water reserves of all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, are about 15 million. km 2. They are concentrated primarily in the upper layer of the earth's crust, in large lakes and glaciers. Water resources are distributed unevenly between continents. North America and Asia have the largest static (secular) freshwater resources, and to a lesser extent - South America and Africa. Europe and Australia and Oceania are the least rich in this type of resource.

Renewable water resources - river flow - are also unevenly distributed around the globe. The largest flow is in Asia (32% of the flow of all rivers on the planet) and South America (26%), the smallest is in Europe (7%) and Australia and Oceania (5%). The water availability of the territory per 1 km 2 is greatest in South America and lowest in Africa. The population is most provided with river water (per capita) in South America and on the islands of Oceania, in the least - the population of Europe and Asia (77% of the planet's population and only 37% of the world's reserves of annually renewable fresh water are concentrated here) (Table 12 )

Table 12. Water resources of parts of the world"

Water availability for both territory and population varies significantly within individual continents depending on climatic conditions and population distribution. For example, in Asia there are areas both well supplied with water (Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Southeast Asia) and those experiencing its shortage (Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Gobi Desert, etc.).

Of the countries in the world, Brazil is the most endowed with river water resources - 9230, Russia -4348, USA -2850, China -2600 km 3 of water per year.

According to estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in the 21st century. changes are expected in the distribution of water resources on the globe. Water resources will increase in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, in Southeast Asia, and decrease in Central Asia, southern Africa, and Australia. The main conclusion of the IPCC report (2001) is as follows: climate change will lead to the 21st century. to a significant reduction in available water resources in those areas of the planet where they are already lacking. The problem of fresh water shortage will worsen in many areas with scarce water resources. Demand for water will increase as countries grow in population and economically.

Water resources of Russia.

The Russian Federation ranks first among the countries of the world in terms of total freshwater reserves and is second only to Brazil in terms of renewable water resources - river flow.

Renewable water resources. The average long-term value of Russia's renewable water resources (i.e. river flow) is 4348 km 3 /year. From this value, a runoff with a volume of 4113 km 3 is formed annually on the territory of Russia; an additional 235 km 3 /year comes from outside the country (this is, for example, for the Irtysh, some tributaries of the Amur, Selenga and other rivers flowing from neighboring countries) (Table 13).

A number of scientists explain the increase in river flow and renewable water resources in Russia over the past 20 years by the intensification of atmospheric circulation, the mixing of the cyclone trajectory to the south and the increase in the frequency of cyclones of Atlantic origin with increased moisture content, an increase in the amount of precipitation (mainly winter), which ultimately , is a consequence of general climate warming.

The specific water supply in Russia currently averages 255 thousand m 3 /year on 1 km 2 of territory. There are about 30 thousand m 3 /year per resident of Russia (approximately the same as in 1980).

Despite the generally favorable state of Russia's renewable water resources, in a number of regions there are serious problems with water supply to the population and economy. These problems are related to the extremely uneven and inappropriate distribution of water resources.

Table 13.Water resources of Russian regions

The Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts are well supplied with water, the Ural and Northwestern federal districts are to a lesser extent, and the Volga, Central and Southern federal districts are the worst.

Static (secular) water resources of Russia. According to RosNIIVKh estimates (2000), they are represented by water reserves in fresh lakes (26.5 thousand km 3, of which Baikal accounts for 23 thousand km 3, or 87%); in glaciers (15.1 thousand km 3); swamps (3 thousand km 3); fresh groundwater (28 thousand km 3); underground ice (15.8 thousand km 3). The full and useful volume of large reservoirs in Russia, according to the State Hydrological Institute, in the 80s of the 20th century. was 810 and 364 km 3, respectively.

Thus, the total static (secular) fresh water reserves of Russia are about 90 thousand km 3.

Potential hydropower resources rivers are defined by their individual sections e i = a Q i, Where Q i– average water flow in the area, – river fall in the area, a– dimension factor. Potential energy resources for the entire river uh = ∑e i.

In the use of water, a distinction is made between water consumption and water use. Water consumption- withdrawal of water from natural water bodies with its further partial return after use. Unreturned part - irreversible water consumption.

Water use– use of water without withdrawal from water bodies.

Water balance- the relationship between various sources of water resources and types of water consumption for a particular territory, as well as for individual enterprises or economic complexes.

Water balance deficit– lack of water resources to ensure the development of the economy and household needs of the population, taking into account the provision of environmental well-being in general for the year or in certain periods of the year. Ways to overcome it are regulating flow, transferring water from other areas, saving water resources by changing economic technology (rational irrigation methods, introducing closed industrial water supply systems, etc.).

The most important factor ecological state water bodies - water quality in them. To assess it, hydrobiological, hydrochemical, sanitary and hygienic, and medical indicators are used.

The most common hydrobiological indicators include assessments of the proportion in the biological community of organisms that are resistant to water pollution (“indicator organisms,” for example, oligochaetes), as well as the species diversity of the biological community.

Assessment of water quality based on hydrochemical indicators is carried out by comparing the concentration of pollutants in a water body with their maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). Pollutants include substances that have a harmful effect on humans and aquatic organisms, or limit the ability to use water for household needs. Often, small amounts of the same substances are necessary for the normal development of aquatic organisms. For different types of use, their own maximum permissible concentrations are established.

The main sanitary indicator is the coli index, i.e. the number of E. coli in 1 cm 3 of water.

Medical indicators are based on statistical data on the health problems of the population using the water of a particular water body.

Sources of natural water pollution:

– wastewater from housing and communal services and industrial enterprises, livestock farms;

– washing away of pollutants from the territory of industrial zones and residential buildings, from agricultural fields, from the territory of livestock farms with melt and rainwater;

– shipping and timber rafting;

– recreational use of rivers and reservoirs;

– fish farming;

– emergency pollution caused by the breakdown of pipelines, dams of wastewater settling tanks, destruction of treatment facilities, etc.;

– household pollution – dumping garbage into the river, car washing, etc.

Measures to improve water quality:

• creation of new and improvement of existing water treatment facilities;
• transition to recycled industrial water supply;
• introduction of new less water-intensive technologies in industrial production;
• introduction of the most rational methods of irrigation;
• improvement of techniques for applying fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides; replacing existing drugs with ones less harmful to humans.

Message on the topic

Water resources of the Earth

students

Ι course group 251(b)

Sazonova Daria

Kazan 2006.

1. General characteristics of water resources

2. Water balance of the Earth

3. Hydrosphere as a natural system

4. Oceans

5. Water sushi

6. Water management

7. Sources of water pollution

8. Measures for the protection and economical use of water resources

9. International Decade: “Water for Life”.

1. General characteristics of water resources.

The watery shell of the globe - oceans, seas, rivers, lakes - is called the hydrosphere. It covers 70.8% of the earth's surface. The volume of the hydrosphere reaches 1370.3 million km3, which is 1/800 of the total volume of the planet. 96.5% of the hydrosphere is concentrated in the oceans and seas, 1.74% in polar and mountain glaciers and only 0.45% in fresh waters. rivers, swamps and lakes.

The aquatic environment includes surface and groundwater. Surface water is mainly concentrated in the ocean, containing 1 billion 338 million km3 - about 98% of all water on Earth. The ocean surface (water area) is 361 million km2. It is approximately 2.4 times larger than the land area of ​​the territory, occupying 149 million km2. The water in the ocean is salty, and most of it (more than 1 billion km3) maintains a constant salinity of about 3.5% and a temperature of approximately 3.7° C. Noticeable differences in salinity and temperature are observed almost exclusively in the surface layer of water, as well as in the marginal and especially in the Mediterranean seas. The content of dissolved oxygen in water decreases significantly at a depth of 50-60 meters.

Groundwater can be saline, brackish (less salinity) and fresh; existing geothermal waters have an elevated temperature (more than 30 ° WITH.). For the production activities of mankind and its household needs, fresh water is required, the amount of which is only 2.7% of the total volume of water on Earth, and a very small share of it (only 0.36%) is available in places that are easily accessible for extraction. Most of the fresh water is contained in snow and freshwater icebergs, found in areas mainly in the Antarctic Circle. The annual global river flow of fresh water is 37.3 thousand km3. In addition, a part of groundwater equal to 13 thousand km3 can be used. Unfortunately, most of the river flow in Russia, amounting to about 5000 km3, occurs in the infertile and sparsely populated northern territories. In the absence of fresh water, salty surface or underground water is used, desalinating it or hyperfiltrating it: passing it under a high pressure difference through polymer membranes with microscopic holes that trap salt molecules. Both of these processes are very energy-intensive, so an interesting proposal is to use freshwater icebergs (or parts thereof) as a source of fresh water, which for this purpose are towed through the water to shores that do not have fresh water, where they are organized to melt. According to preliminary calculations by the developers of this proposal, obtaining fresh water will be approximately half as energy intensive as desalination and hyperfiltration. An important circumstance inherent in the aquatic environment is that infectious diseases are mainly transmitted through it (approximately 80% of all diseases). However, some of them, for example, whooping cough, chickenpox, tuberculosis, are transmitted through the air. To combat the spread of diseases through water, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this decade the Decade of Drinking Water.

2. Water balance of the earth.

To imagine how much water is involved in the cycle, let us characterize the different parts of the hydrosphere. More than 94% of it is made up of the World Ocean. The other part (4%) is groundwater. It should be taken into account that most of them belong to deep brines, and fresh water makes up 1/15 of the share. The volume of ice of the polar glaciers is also significant: when converted to water, it reaches 24 million km, or 1.6% of the volume of the hydrosphere. Lake water is 100 times less - 230 thousand km, and river beds contain only 1200 m of water, or 0.0001% of the entire hydrosphere. However, despite the small volume of water, rivers play a very important role: they, like groundwater, satisfy a significant part of the needs of the population, industry and irrigated agriculture. There is quite a lot of water on Earth. The hydrosphere makes up about 1/4180 of the mass of our planet. However, the share of fresh water, excluding water trapped in polar glaciers, accounts for a little more than 2 million km, or only 0.15% of the total volume of the hydrosphere.

3. Hydrosphere as a natural system

The hydrosphere is the discontinuous water shell of the Earth, a collection of seas, oceans, continental waters (including groundwater) and ice sheets. Seas and oceans occupy about 71% of the earth's surface, containing about 96.5% of the total volume of the hydrosphere. The total area of ​​all inland water bodies is less than 3% of its area. Glaciers account for 1.6% of the water reserves in the hydrosphere, and their area is about 10% of the area of ​​the continents.

The most important property of the hydrosphere is the unity of all types of natural waters (the World Ocean, land waters, water vapor in the atmosphere, groundwater), which occurs in the process of the water cycle in nature. The driving forces of this global process are the thermal energy of the Sun arriving at the Earth's surface and the force of gravity, ensuring the movement and renewal of natural waters of all types.

Under the influence of solar heat, water in nature undergoes a continuous cycle. Water vapor, which is lighter than air, rises to the upper layer of the atmosphere, condenses into tiny droplets, forming clouds, from which water returns to the surface of the earth in the form of precipitation - rain, snow. The water that falls on the surface of the globe partially arrives

directly into natural reservoirs, partially collected in the upper layer

soils, forming surface and groundwater.

Evaporation from the surface of the World Ocean and from the surface of land is the initial link in the water cycle in nature, ensuring not only the renewal of its most valuable component - fresh land waters, but also their high quality. An indicator of the activity of water exchange of natural waters is the high rate of their renewal, although different natural waters are renewed (replaced) at different rates. The most mobile agent of the hydrosphere is river water, the renewal period of which is 10-14 days.

The predominant part of hydrosphere waters is concentrated in the World Ocean. The world ocean is the main closing link of the water cycle in nature. It releases most of the evaporated moisture into the atmosphere. Aquatic organisms inhabiting the surface layer of the World Ocean provide the return of a significant part of the planet’s free oxygen to the atmosphere.

The huge volume of the World Ocean indicates the inexhaustibility of the planet’s natural resources. In addition, the World Ocean is a collector of land river waters, annually receiving about 39 thousand m3 of water. The pollution of the World Ocean that has emerged in certain areas threatens to disrupt the natural process of moisture circulation in its most critical link - evaporation from the ocean surface.

4. World ocean.

The average depth of the World Ocean is 3700 m, the greatest is 11022 m (Mariana Trench). The volume of water in the World Ocean, as mentioned above, is cubic. km.

Almost all substances known on Earth are dissolved in sea water, but in different quantities. Most of them are difficult to detect due to their low content. The main part of the salts dissolved in sea water are chlorides (89%) and sulfates (almost 11%), significantly less carbonates (0.5%). Table salt ( NaCl) gives water a salty taste, magnesium salts (MqCl) - bitter. The total amount of all salts dissolved in water is called salinity. It is measured in thousandths - ppm (%o).

The average salinity of the World Ocean is about 35%.

The salinity of ocean water depends primarily on the ratio of precipitation and evaporation. River waters and water from melting ice reduce the salinity. In the open ocean, the distribution of salinity in the surface layers of water (up to 1500 m) is zonal. In the equatorial zone, where there is a lot of precipitation, it is low, in tropical latitudes it is high.

Inland seas differ noticeably in salinity. The salinity of water in the Baltic Sea is up to 11%o, in the Black Sea - up to 19%o, and in the Red Sea - up to 42%o. This is explained by the different ratio of inflow (precipitation, river runoff) and outflow (evaporation) of fresh water, i.e., climatic conditions. Ocean - heat regulator

The highest temperature at the surface of the water in the Pacific Ocean is 19.4 ° C; The Indian Ocean has 17.3°C; Atlantic - 16.5 °C. At these average temperatures, water in the Persian Gulf regularly reaches 35°C. As a rule, water temperature decreases with depth. Although there are exceptions due to the rise of deep warm waters. An example is the western part of the Arctic Ocean, where the Gulf Stream invades. At a depth of 2 km throughout the entire waters of the World Ocean, the temperature usually does not exceed 2-3 °C; in the Arctic Ocean it is even lower.

The world's oceans are a powerful heat accumulator and regulator of the Earth's thermal regime. If there were no ocean, the average temperature of the Earth's surface would be - 21 °C, that is, it would be 36 ° lower than what actually exists.

Currents of the World Ocean

Ocean waters are in constant motion under the influence of various forces: cosmic, atmospheric, tectonic, etc. The most pronounced are surface sea currents, mainly of wind origin. But 3 currents are very common, arising due to different mass densities. Currents in the World Ocean are divided according to their prevailing direction into zonal (going to the west and east) and meridional (carrying water to the north and south). Currents moving towards neighboring, more powerful currents are called countercurrents. Equatorial currents (along the equator) are specially distinguished. Currents that change their strength from season to season, depending on the direction of the coastal monsoons, are called monsoon currents.

The most powerful in the entire World Ocean is the Circumpolar, or Antarctic, circular current, caused by strong and stable westerly winds. It covers a zone 2500 km wide and kilometer deep, carrying about 200 million tons of water every second. For comparison, the world's largest river, the Amazon, carries only about 220 thousand tons of water per second.

In the Pacific Ocean, the strongest is the Southern Trade Wind Current, moving from east to west, at a speed of 80-100 miles per day. To the north of it there is a countercurrent, and even further north there is the Northern Trade Wind Current from east to west. Knowing the direction of the currents, local residents have long used them for their movements. Following them, T. Heyerdahl used this knowledge for his famous trip to the Kon-Tiki. There are analogues of trade wind (literally “favorable for movement”) currents and countercurrents in the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Of the meridional currents, the most famous are the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio, which transport 75 and 65 million tons of water per second, respectively.

Many areas of the World Ocean (the western shores of North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia) are characterized by upwelling, which can be caused by wind driven surface waters from the coast. Rising deep waters often contain large amounts of nutrients, and upwelling sites are associated with an area of ​​high biological productivity.

The role of the ocean in people's lives

It is difficult to overestimate the role of the World Ocean in the life of mankind. It largely determines the face of the planet as a whole, including its climate and the water cycle on Earth. The ocean contains vital waterways connecting continents and islands. Its biological resources are colossal. The World Ocean is home to more than 160 thousand species of animals and about 10 thousand species of algae. The annually reproduced number of commercial fish is estimated at 200 million tons, of which approximately 1/3 is caught. More than 90% of the world's catch comes from the coastal shelf, especially in the temperate and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The share of the Pacific Ocean in the world catch is about 60%, the Atlantic - about 35%.

The shelf of the World Ocean has huge reserves of oil and gas, large reserves of iron-manganese ores and other minerals. Humanity is just beginning to use the energy resources of the World Ocean, including tidal energy. The World Ocean accounts for 94% of the volume of the hydrosphere. The desalination of sea waters is associated with the solution to many water problems of the future.

Unfortunately, humanity does not always wisely use the natural resources of the World Ocean. In many areas its biological resources have been depleted. A significant part of the water area is polluted by waste from anthropogenic activities, primarily petroleum products.

Land waters include waters, rivers, lakes, swamps, glaciers. They contain 3.5% of the total waters of the hydrosphere. Of these, only 2.5% are fresh waters.

Groundwater is found in the rock strata of the upper part of the earth's crust in liquid, solid and vapor states. The bulk of them is formed due to the seepage of rain, melt and river water from the surface.

According to the conditions of occurrence, groundwater is divided into:

1) soil, located in the uppermost soil layer;

2) soil, lying on the first permanent waterproof layer from the surface;

3) interstratal, located between two impermeable layers;

The latter are often pressure and are then called artesian.

Groundwater feeds rivers and lakes.

Rivers are constant water streams flowing in the depressions they themselves develop - channels.

The most important characteristic of rivers is their nutrition. There are four sources of nutrition: snow, rain, glaciers and underground.

The regime of rivers largely depends on the feeding of rivers, i.e. changes in the amount of water flow according to the seasons of the year, fluctuations in level, changes in water temperature. The water regime of a river is characterized by water flow and runoff. Flow rate is the amount of water passing through the cross-section of the flow in one second. Water consumption over a long period of time - a month, a season, a year - is called runoff. The volume of water that rivers carry on average per year is called their water content. The most abundant river in the world is the Amazon, at its mouth the average annual water flow is 220,000 cubic meters. m./s. In second place is Congo (46,000 cubic meters per second), then the Yangtze. In our country, the most abundant river is the Yenisei (19,800 cubic meters per second). Rivers are characterized by a very uneven distribution of flow over time. Most Russian rivers carry 60-70% of their water volume during a relatively short period of spring floods. At this time, melt water flows over the frozen and well-moistened surface of the catchment areas with minimal losses due to filtration and evaporation.

It is during the flood period that rivers most often overflow their banks and flood the surrounding areas. In summer and winter, there is usually low water - low water, when rivers are fed by groundwater, the resources of which are also significantly replenished in the spring. In summer, most of the precipitation is spent on evaporation; only a small part of the precipitation reaches the groundwater level and, especially, reaches the rivers. In winter, precipitation accumulates in the form of snow. Only in autumn there are small floods on Russian rivers.

The rivers of the Far East and the Caucasus differ from the lowland rivers of Russia in their hydrological regime. The first ones flood in the fall - during the monsoon rains; On Caucasian rivers, maximum water flows are observed in the summer, when high-mountain glaciers and snowfields melt.

River flow varies from year to year. Low-water and high-water periods often occur when the river is characterized by low or, on the contrary, high water content. For example, in the 1970s, there was low water on the Volga, due to which the level of the endorheic Caspian Sea, for which the Volga is the main supplier of water, quickly fell. Since 1978, a phase of increased humidity began in the Volga basin, its runoff annually began to exceed the long-term average, and the level of the Caspian Sea began to rise, as a result of which coastal areas were flooded. Most of Russia's rivers are covered with ice every year. The duration of freeze-up in northern Russia is 7-8 months (from October to May). The opening of rivers from ice - ice drift - is one of the most impressive spectacles, often accompanied by flooding.

Rivers have played an outstanding role in the history of mankind; the formation and development of human society is associated with them. Since historical times, rivers have been used as routes of communication, for fishing and fish farming, timber rafting, field irrigation and water supply. People have long settled along the banks of rivers - this is confirmed by folklore, in which the Volga is called “mother”, and the Amur is called “father”. The river is the main source of hydropower and the most important transport route. Rivers are of great aesthetic and recreational importance as an integral element of the environment. The widespread involvement of rivers in economic circulation has led to the complete transformation of many of them. The flow of rivers such as the Volga, Dnieper, and Angara is largely regulated by reservoirs. Many of them, especially those occurring in the southern regions where the need for irrigation is great, are dismantled for irrigation needs. For this reason, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya practically no longer flow into the Aral Sea, and it is rapidly drying up.

One of the most negative results of anthropogenic impact on rivers is their massive pollution by sewage and other waste from economic activities. The threat of qualitative depletion of river water resources can be avoided if a set of water management measures is implemented, including not only traditional wastewater treatment, but also such drastic measures as changing production technology in order to significantly reduce water consumption and waste generation.

Lakes are natural bodies of water in depressions of land (basins), filled within the lake bowl (lake bed) with heterogeneous water masses and without a one-way slope. Lakes are characterized by the absence of a direct connection with the World Ocean. Lakes occupy about 2.1 million km2, or almost 1.4% of the land area. This is approximately 7 times the surface of the Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world.

A swamp is an area of ​​land with excessive stagnant soil moisture, overgrown with moisture-loving vegetation. Swamps are characterized by the accumulation of undecomposed plant debris and the formation of peat. Swamps are distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in lowland areas where permafrost soils are developed, and cover an area of ​​about 350 million hectares

Glaciers are moving natural accumulations of ice of atmospheric origin on the earth's surface; are formed in those areas where more solid atmospheric precipitation is deposited than melts and evaporates. Within the glaciers, areas of feeding and ablation are distinguished. Glaciers are divided into terrestrial, shelf and mountain ice sheets. The total area of ​​modern glaciers is approx. 16.3 million km2 (10.9% land area), total ice volume approx. 30 million km3.

6. Water resources management.

One of the directions for solving water problems is to attract currently underutilized water resources from desalinated waters of the World Ocean, groundwater and glacier waters for the purpose of water supply. Currently, the share of desalinated water in the total volume of water supply in the world is small - 0.05%, which is explained by the high cost and significant energy intensity of desalination processes. Even in the USA, where the number of desalination plants has increased 30 times since 1955, desalinated water accounts for only 7% of water consumption.

In Kazakhstan, in 1963, the first pilot industrial desalination plant came into operation in Aktau (Shevchenko). Due to the high cost, desalination is used only where surface or groundwater fresh water resources are completely absent or extremely difficult to access, and their transportation is more expensive compared to desalination.

increased mineralization directly on site. In the future, water desalination will be carried out in a single technical complex with the extraction of useful components from it: sodium chloride, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, boron, bromine, iodine, strontium, non-ferrous and rare metals, which will increase the economic efficiency of desalination plants.

An important reserve of water supply is groundwater. Fresh groundwater is of greatest value to society, accounting for 24% of the volume of the fresh part of the hydrosphere. Brackish and saline groundwater can also serve as a reserve for water supply when used in a mixture with fresh water or after its artificial desalination. Factors limiting underground water intake include:

1) the unevenness of their distribution over the territory of the earth;

2) difficulties in processing saline groundwater;

3) rapidly decreasing rates of natural regeneration with

increasing the depth of aquifers.

The utilization of water in the solid phase (ice, ice sheets) is assumed, firstly, by increasing the water yield of mountain glaciers, and secondly, by transporting ice from the polar regions. However, both of these methods are practically difficult to implement and the environmental consequences of their implementation have not yet been studied.

Thus, at the current stage of development, the possibilities of attracting additional volumes of water resources are limited. It should also be noted that the distribution of water resources across the globe is uneven. The highest supply of river and underground runoff resources occurs in the equatorial belt of South America and Africa. In Europe and Asia,

Where 70% of the world's population lives, only 39% of river waters are concentrated. The largest rivers in the world are the Amazon (annual flow 3780 km3), Congo (1200 km3), Mississippi (600 km3), Zamberi (599 km3), Yangtze (639 km3), Irrawaddy (410 km3), Mekong (379 km3), Brahmaputra ( 252 km3). In Western Europe, the average annual surface runoff is 400 km3, including about 200 km3 in the Danube, 79 km3 on the Rhine, 57 km3 on the Rhone. The largest lakes in the world are the Great American Lakes (total area - 245 thousand km3), Victoria (68 thousand km3), Tanganyika (34 thousand km3), Nyasa (30.8 thousand km3).

The Great American Lakes contain 23 thousand km3 of water, the same as Lake Baikal. To characterize the distribution of hydro resources, the volume of total river flow per unit of territory (1 km3) and population is calculated. Per 1 million inhabitants of the USSR there is 5.2 km3 of total sustainable flow (including that regulated by reservoirs) versus 4 km3 for the total

globe; 19 km3 of total river flow versus 13 km3; 4.1 sustainable underground flow versus 3.3 km3. The average water supply per 1 km2 is 212 thousand m3 in the CIS, and 278 thousand m3 on the globe. The main methods of water resource management are the creation of reservoirs and territorial transfer of flow.

7. Sources of water pollution.

The Earth's hydrosphere is of great importance in the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere. Oceans and seas have a softening, regulating effect on air temperature, accumulating heat in summer and releasing it to the atmosphere in winter. The circulation and mixing of warm and cold waters occurs in the ocean. The biomass of vegetation of the oceans and seas is many times

less than sushi, but the animal biomass is at least an order of magnitude greater. Oceans and seas absorb carbon dioxide. The hydrosphere is an important source of food for humans and other land inhabitants. The fish catch, which amounted to 3 million tons per year at the beginning of this century, currently reaches 80 million tons. This growth is associated with the progress of technology, the widespread use of special trawlers, seiners with hydroacoustic devices for detecting accumulations of fish, equipment for impact on her

light, electric current.

Fish pumps, nylon nets, trawling, freezing and canning of fish on board appeared. As a result of the increased catch, its composition deteriorated, the specific gravity of herring decreased,

Sardines, salmon, cod, flounder, halibut and increased proportions of tuna, mackerel, sea bass and bream. With significant investments, it is realistically possible to increase seafood catches to 100-130 million tons. These figures include, for example, krill, small crustaceans, the reserves of which are huge in the southern seas. Krill contains protein; these crustaceans can be used for food and other purposes. A large number of fish are being caught. Not for food, but for food

livestock or processed into fertilizers. Over a number of years, especially post-war, a significant part of the whales have been exterminated, and some of their species are on the verge of complete destruction. By international agreement, further whale catches are limited. The destruction of the inhabitants of the oceans and seas as a result of their unreasonable fishing raises the question of the advisability of the transition from extensive fishing to artificial fish farming. In this regard, we can recall the transition from hunting and collecting fruits and roots in the earlier stages of social development to the breeding of animals and plants.

8. Measures for the protection and economical use of water resources.

Serious measures are being taken to prevent the growing pollution of water bodies by wastewater. Wastewater is water discharged after use in human household and industrial activities. By their nature, pollution is divided into mineral, organic, bacteriological and biological. The criterion for the harmfulness of wastewater is the nature and degree of limitation of water use. The quality of natural waters in Kazakhstan is standardized in places of water use. The developed regulatory indicators - maximum permissible concentrations of harmful substances in the water of water bodies for various purposes - relate to the composition of water in reservoirs, and not to the composition of wastewater.

In accordance with the Regulations on state accounting of waters and their

In use (1975), the primary accounting of wastewater discharged into water bodies is carried out by water users themselves. This control is carried out unsatisfactorily by the majority of water users. This is evidenced by the fact that only 20% of discharged wastewater is controlled by hydraulic engineering

equipment, and the rest - by indirect methods. Currently, a transition to a system of maximum permissible emissions (MPE) standards is underway. MPC values ​​are determined for each specific emission source so that total emissions from all sources in the region do not exceed the MPC standard. The use of MPE standards will facilitate planning and control of environmental activities, increase

responsibility of the enterprise for compliance with environmental requirements will eliminate conflict situations. Of the total amount of wastewater, 69% is conditionally clean, 18% is polluted and 13% is purified according to standard standards. There are no strict criteria for dividing industrial wastewater into standard-treated, polluted and conditionally clean. Untreated wastewater requires repeated dilution with clean

water. The oil refining, pulp and paper and chemical industries are especially polluting. Standard purified water

The main market method of regulating environmental activities is payment for pollution. There are two types of fees per unit of emissions and fees for the use of public wastewater treatment plants. The level of payment in the first case is determined by the desired quality of the environment. The mechanism of such a board automatically ensures optimal resource allocation. The fee for the use of treatment facilities includes

a basic fee for the discharge of standard wastewater, an additional fee for excess discharge, a fee for water transportation and a fee for service by the water inspectorate. To assess river water pollution, a conditional pollution indicator is used. The size of the fee depends on the age of the treatment facilities, the ability of reservoirs to self-purify, and the composition of the wastewater. The board mechanism is most effective in conditions of pure competition, when each firm strives to minimize costs per unit

release. Under conditions of monopolies, firms may not set themselves such a goal, therefore, in monopolized industries, methods of direct administrative regulation gain advantages.

10. International Decade "Water for Life"

4,000 children die every day due to diseases caused by undrinkable water; 400 million children do not have even the bare minimum of safe water they need to live; As many as 2.6 billion people live without sanitation - all of which challenges the UN's fight for clean water.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has highlighted the fact that a lack of clean water is responsible for at least 1.6 million of the 11 million avoidable child deaths each year. Almost three children die every minute due to diseases caused by undrinkable water, such as diarrhea and typhoid fever. In sub-Saharan Africa, where one in five children die before their fifth birthday, 43% of children drink unsafe water, risking illness and death with every sip.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spoke about the situation in Zhegriyad - the “Valley of Death” in Somalia. It got its name because people die of thirst here every year, primarily drivers whose trucks or cars break down on the way to Djibouti.

This is just a small part of the challenge facing UNHCR, an organization that tries to help 17 million people in more than 116 countries. In Tindouf, Algeria, a project is currently underway to improve the water supply of the Smara camp in the middle of the Sahara Desert, where tens of thousands of refugees from Western Sahara live.

In another camp in eastern Chad, where more than 200,000 refugees are fleeing conflict in Sudan's Darfur, UNHCR continues to work to provide water to refugees by delivering water, drilling boreholes, digging wells and using high technology to find additional sources of water.

On March 22, 2005, the UN celebrated World Water Day, proclaiming Messrs. International Decade “Water for Life”. Data on the scale of the problem and the stories of individual people are what, in addition to the speeches of UN leaders, bring home just how difficult it will be for the world to meet one of the Millennium Development Goals: to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. clean drinking water and minimal sanitation conditions.

List of used literature:

1. Geography. A complete exam preparation course. Moscow. AST-press; 2004

2. , “Environmental protection”

3. B. Nebel “Environmental Science” Moscow. "Science" 2002

4. Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Moscow. "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1972

The article contains information about the planet's water resources. Statistical data on the water content on the planet is provided. Ways to prevent a global catastrophe are being clarified.

What are the Earth's water resources?

Water resources are the totality of the waters of the hydrosphere, including the World Ocean, as well as the surface and hidden waters of the continents.

Water is the most abundant substance on the planet. Water suitable for drinking is of the greatest importance - without it, human existence is not possible. The main features of the resource are that it has no analogues or alternatives. Humanity has always used water in various areas of its activities: domestic and agricultural industries, industry.

It is not easy to determine how many water reserves the Earth contains. This is explained by the fact that water is in constant motion and is capable of changing its state to:

• liquid;
• hard;
• gaseous.

The Earth's total water resources are defined as the free water that is present in all known states and atmosphere.

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Rice. 1. Glaciers of Antarctica.

The planet contains about 1.386 billion km. cube water. But a significant part of the total volume (97.5%) is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh. The main share of fresh water (68.7%) is found in the ice of Antarctica, the Arctic, and mountainous regions.

Inland waters and water resources in general were once considered renewable resources due to the water cycle and its ability to purify. These specific features of life-giving moisture have given rise to a widespread myth about the immutability and inexhaustibility of the resource.

However, now the situation has changed greatly. In most parts of the world, the consequences of prolonged and incorrect human impact on the most valuable resource have been identified. Over the past three decades, there has been a massive human-caused change in the water cycle, which has negatively impacted its quality and potential as a natural resource.

The volume of water resources, their geography and temporal distribution depend not only on natural climatic fluctuations.

Rice. 2. Human water pollution.

Due to the positive and negative impacts of humans on the planet, many parts of the world's water resources are simply becoming depleted and heavily polluted. This circumstance is now the main factor that significantly slows down economic development, and at the same time population growth. Therefore, the topic and issue regarding the irrational use of water resources is more relevant today than ever.

Water conservation

Water resources require rational use by every inhabitant of the Earth, enterprise and state.

Rice. 3. Cleaning the ocean surface from an oil spill.

To prevent irreversible consequences on the planet, it is necessary to involve all segments of the population in the problem and create a legislative framework that will promote concern for water resources on the part of both individuals and enterprises.

The release of garbage into the seas and oceans is now causing global problems, as it negatively affects living creatures that inhabit the depths of the sea. Average rating: 4.5. Total ratings received: 125.

Water is the most abundant substance on our planet: although in varying quantities, it is available everywhere, and plays a vital role for the environment and living organisms. Fresh water is of greatest importance, without which human existence is impossible, and nothing can replace it. Humans have always consumed fresh water and used it for a variety of purposes, including domestic, agricultural, industrial and recreational use.

Water reserves on Earth

Water exists in three states of aggregation: liquid, solid and gaseous. It forms oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and groundwater located in the upper layer of the Earth's crust and soil cover. In its solid state, it exists in the form of snow and ice in polar and mountainous regions. A certain amount of water is contained in the air in the form of water vapor. Huge volumes of water are found in various minerals in the earth's crust.

Determining the exact amount of water reserves around the world is quite difficult because water is dynamic and in constant motion, changing its state from liquid to solid to gaseous and vice versa. As a rule, the total amount of water resources in the world is estimated as the totality of all waters in the hydrosphere. This is all the free water that exists in all three states of aggregation in the atmosphere, on the Earth's surface and in the earth's crust to a depth of 2000 meters.

Current estimates have shown that our planet contains a huge amount of water - about 1386,000,000 cubic kilometers (1.386 billion km³). However, 97.5% of this volume is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh. Most of the fresh water (68.7%) is found in the form of ice and permanent snow cover in the Antarctic, Arctic, and mountainous regions. Further, 29.9% exists as groundwater, and only 0.26% of the Earth's total fresh water is concentrated in lakes, reservoirs and river systems where it is most easily available for our economic needs.

These indicators were calculated over a long period of time, but if shorter periods are taken into account (one year, several seasons or months), the amount of water in the hydrosphere may change. This is due to the exchange of water between the oceans, land and atmosphere. This exchange is usually called the global hydrological cycle.

Freshwater resources

Fresh water contains a minimal amount of salts (no more than 0.1%) and is suitable for human needs. However, not all resources are available to people, and even those that are are not always suitable for use. Consider sources of fresh water:

• Glaciers and snow covers cover about 1/10 of the world's land mass and contain about 70% of fresh water. Unfortunately, most of these resources are located far from populated areas and are therefore difficult to access.
• Groundwater is by far the most common and accessible source of fresh water.
• Freshwater lakes are mainly located at high altitudes. Canada contains about 50% of the world's freshwater lakes. Many lakes, especially those in dry areas, become salty due to evaporation. The Caspian Sea, Dead Sea, and Great Salt Lake are among the world's largest salt lakes.
• Rivers form a hydrological mosaic. There are 263 international river basins on Earth, which cover more than 45% of the planet's landmass (with the exception of Antarctica).

Water resources objects

The main objects of water resources are:

• oceans and seas;
• lakes, ponds and reservoirs;
• swamps;
• rivers, canals and streams;
• soil moisture;
• groundwater (soil, groundwater, interstratal, artesian, mineral);
• ice caps and glaciers;
• precipitation (rain, snow, dew, hail, etc.).

Problems of water use

For many hundreds of years, human impact on water resources was insignificant and of an exclusively local nature. The excellent properties of water - its renewal due to the cycle and the ability to be purified - make fresh water relatively purified and possessing quantitative and qualitative characteristics that will remain unchanged for a long time.

However, these features of water gave rise to the illusion of the immutability and inexhaustibility of these resources. Out of these prejudices arose a tradition of careless use of extremely important water resources.

The situation has changed greatly over the past decades. In many parts of the world, the results of long-term and mismanagement of such a valuable resource have been discovered. This applies to both direct and indirect water use.

Around the world, over the course of 25-30 years, there has been a massive anthropogenic change in the hydrological cycle of rivers and lakes, affecting water quality and their potential as a natural resource.

The volume of water resources, their spatial and temporal distribution, are determined not only by natural climate fluctuations, as before, but now also by the types of economic activities of people. Many parts of the world's water resources are becoming so depleted and heavily polluted that they can no longer meet ever-increasing demands. It may
become a major factor hindering economic development and population growth.

Water pollution

The main causes of water pollution are:

• Wastewater;

Domestic, industrial and agricultural wastewater pollutes many rivers and lakes.

• Disposal of waste in seas and oceans;

Burying garbage in the seas and oceans can cause huge problems, because it negatively affects living organisms that live in the waters.

• Industry;

Industry is a huge source of water pollution, producing substances harmful to people and the environment.

• Radioactive substances;

Radioactive contamination, in which there is a high concentration of radiation in the water, is the most dangerous pollution and can spread into ocean waters.

• Oil spill;

An oil spill poses a threat not only to water resources, but also to human settlements located near a contaminated source, as well as to all biological resources for whom water is a habitat or a vital necessity.

• Leaks of oil and petroleum products from underground storage facilities;

Large quantities of oil and petroleum products are stored in tanks made of steel, which corrode over time, causing harmful substances to leak into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

• Atmospheric precipitation;

Precipitation, such as acid precipitation, occurs when air is polluted and changes the acidity of water.

• Global warming;

Rising water temperatures cause the death of many living organisms and destroy a large number of habitats.

• Eutrophication.

Eutrophication is a process of reducing the quality characteristics of water associated with excessive enrichment with nutrients.

Rational use and protection of water resources

Water resources require rational use and protection, ranging from individuals to enterprises and states. There are many ways we can reduce our impact on the aquatic environment. Here are some of them:

Saving water

Factors such as climate change, population growth and increasing aridity are increasing pressure on our water resources. The best way to conserve water is to reduce consumption and avoid increased wastewater.

At the household level, there are many ways to save water, such as taking shorter showers, installing water-saving appliances, and washing machines with low water consumption. Another approach is to plant gardens that do not require much water.

Water is one of the irreplaceable sources of existence of any living creature on Earth. With the development of new technologies, the need for it is growing every day.

Water resources of the Earth: general characteristics

The world's water resources (hydrosphere) are the totality of all possible sources of water on planet Earth. It is no secret that any sphere of life requires water components. Statistics show that the volume of the hydrosphere is quite large - 1.3 billion km. However, this figure does not reflect the sufficiency of water in the world, since fresh drinking water plays a strategic role, and its amount ranges from 2 to 2.6%.

The world's water resources (fresh) include ice blocks in Antarctica and the Arctic, natural lakes and mountain rivers. However, it is unfortunately impossible to gain full access to these sources.

Problems of world water resources

At the moment, only a few countries in the world are sufficiently supplied with water, and according to statistical data, about 89 countries generally suffer from water deficiency. The role of water is difficult to overestimate, and its poor quality is the cause of 31% of diseases on Earth. The problems of the world's water resources should not be ignored by any state in the world, but should be resolved promptly and collectively.

Every year the need for water increases, this is directly related to population growth and economic development. Many states are now introducing new methods for obtaining water, purifying it, and enriching it with minerals. Unfortunately, water accumulates very slowly, and therefore belongs to the group of non-renewable resources.

World water use

Water resources on planet Earth are distributed extremely unevenly. If the equatorial regions (Brazil, Peru, Indonesia) and the northern temperate zones are provided with water above the norm, then all tropical regions (accounting for 63% of the total area of ​​the globe) experience an acute shortage of water.

Global water use is generally stable. The largest percentage of water comes from agriculture and heavy industry (metallurgy, oil refining, automotive, chemical and woodworking industries). Modern thermal power plants are no less competitive with these sources of use. Despite their cheapness, obtaining energy by this method not only significantly reduces the amount of target water, but also pollutes and makes water in nearby reservoirs unsuitable for consumption.

The World Water Council was founded in 1996 with the support of 50 countries and 300 international organizations. This is a universal international platform whose main goal is to solve global water problems. To attract the attention of the international community, the Council periodically holds the World Water Forum. Once every three years (May 22), members of this organization nominate competent specialists and professors who propose new methods for solving present and future problems, demonstrate existing indicators and other information about water resources.

The world's water resources come from a variety of sources: mountains, oceans, rivers, glaciers. The vast majority of them offer low quality water due to natural and anthropogenic factors:

• drainage of used (polluted) waters into rivers and seas;
• use of fresh water for domestic needs (washing cars in reservoirs);
• entry of petroleum products and chemicals into water bodies;
• imperfect water purification system;
• inaction of environmental protection authorities;
• lack of financial resources.

Only 4% of the world's water resources are polluted from natural sources. This is usually the release of aluminum from the earth's crust.

Contaminated water is a source of infectious diseases

Pure fresh water resources of the countries of the world currently exist in nature in practically inaccessible sources (glaciers, mountain lakes), and therefore people more often resort to purifying simple river water. However, if it is poorly processed, then the risk of getting an infectious disease is extremely high. Dirty water is a source of severe, intractable diseases, such as typhus, tuberculosis, cholera, dysentery, glanders, etc. During the 18th and 19th centuries, most terrible pandemics began with the consumption of dirty water.

The statistics on this issue are quite disappointing, since about half of humanity suffers from bad water. Residents of Africa and Central Asia not only do not have access to fresh water, but also do not have the ability to purify the available water.

World Water Day

World Water Day was introduced by the UN in 1993 and is celebrated annually on May 22. In honor of this day, the UN Secretary-General holds various forums, meetings, round tables, and meetings on global water problems. Also on May 22, UN statistics demonstrate new data on the increase or decrease in the level of water resources in various countries of the world (geography of world water resources).

Each year, a new topic is chosen that is of most concern to international consumers. These include questions about the amount of water in modern water basins, water diseases, water natural disasters, water resource shortages, fresh water sources, and water supply problems in cities.

Ways to overcome deficit

The characteristics of the world's water resources show that this resource is non-renewable, therefore most civilized countries of the world are trying to use water rationally in various ways. Ways to overcome water deficit include:

1. Installation of meters that will correctly and accurately calculate the amount of water used.

2. Creation of a strong information base, dissemination of information about water shortages in society through the media, journalism, etc.

3. Improvement of the sewer system.

4. Savings. Simple rules for saving water by the population can help significantly reduce its consumption for more useful purposes.

5. Creation of fresh water reservoirs.

6. Introduction of sanctions for violation of water legislation.

7. Desalination of salt water or detoxification of dirty water with chemicals. If previously aggressive chemicals were used to destroy microbes, now, as a rule, harmless compounds of iodine or chlorine are common.

Water resources play a significant role in the life of modern society. Its quality, quantity, physical condition, temperature and other characteristics directly affect the life activity of all living things on planet Earth. However, modern society has abandoned this valuable resource, and therefore the urgent issue is the creation of an effective mechanism for the purification and rational use of water.

Water resources consist of many sources, but they all make up the hydrosphere. Its unsatisfactory condition can lead to the extinction of people, animal populations, the disappearance of plants, and the spread of infectious diseases.

The problem of water in the world is urgent and requires prompt intervention. If the international community ignores such issues, then there is a threat of a complete shortage of water resources on the planet.