Re: Paper#1a
The importance of water
Introduction
Water is one of the most important substances that ensure the survival of plants and animals on earth. Water occupies most of the earth’s surface, approximately 70% (Spoolman 140). However, most of the water on the earth’s surface is normally salty and only a little percentage of freshwater is suitable for human consumption. Salty water is normally found in the oceans and seas. Figure 1, below provides an image of the Mediterranean Sea.
Figure 1: Mediterranean Sea (Google Images)
Rivers are mostly comprised of freshwater. For example the Seine River in Paris, (see fig.2).
Figure 2: Seine River (Google Images)
Past civilizations have been developed based on the usage of water (Chellaney 8). In Egypt, earlier civilizations utilized the Nile River to develop irrigation systems for agricultural purposes. Furthermore, the ancient Egyptians used their knowledge to develop canals and dams that were used to supply and conserve water during the drought periods.
Water Scarcity
Water resources are continuously becoming a scarce resource in the world. This has been attributed to the increase in human populations and presence of ever-increasing irrigations systems and water intensive industries. Furthermore, increasing levels of world pollution has also caused an additional stress on freshwater resources. As such, humans have been forced to look for alternative ways to make salt water fit for human use. These have included desalination and wastewater reuse.
Desalination
The increasing water shortages in the world have necessitated the need to implement desalination to make water fit for human consumption. According to El-Dessouky and Ettouney (5), desalination is significant as the water shortages are expected to increase by the year 2025. In the Gulf States, desalination has proved to be the most practicable solution for water shortages (El-Dessouky and Ettouney 5).
Figure 3: Overview of Seawater Desalination
Desalination is the removal of the salt impurities from seawater. Water passes through a filtration process to remove most of the particles. Approximately 40% of the water is made fit for human use while the rest is discharge back to the sea.
An example of desalination plant is located in Wonthaggi, Australia. The plant has been developed to cater for water needs of the increasing population and address the climate changes and drought from recent years. The Victorian government began the construction of the Victoria’s desalination plant on October 6, 2009, and it was completed before December 2011. The completion contributed to reducing the communities’ over-dependence on rainwater. Additionally, it created employment opportunities by providing around 4750 full-time equivalent jobs during the constructions, and the government spent $ 1 billion during the constructions (see fig.3)
Figure 5: Victoria desalination plant
Conclusion
In conclusion, desalination is the most technical and intelligent way to provide water for communities, which reside close to the seas and oceans. Capital costs and energy requirements for development of desalination plants are high. Additionally, it requires technical expertise in operation and maintenance. Conservation of water is critical to ensure the survival of the human race and the preservation of biodiversity. If the water crisis of the world is not controlled it may result to the collapse of civilizations, which may ultimately cause wars.
Work Cited
Chellaney, Brahma. Water: Asia's New Battleground. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2011. Print.
El-Dessouky, Hisham T, and Hisham M. Ettouney. Fundamentals of Salt Water Desalination. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2002. Internet resource.
Miniquynh. (2011, December 13). Networks (14th Ed.). [Online]. Available:
http://victoriasdesalinationplant.blogspot.com
Miller, G T, and Scott Spoolman. Environmental Science. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
S. T. Coleridge. (2012, May 10). Networks (1st Ed.). [Online]. Available: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9142.aspx
