Water Use and Conservation
Introduction
Water is a natural resource which is essential to human beings and all the living creatures on earth. It is in two categories which are the fresh water and the salty water, and it covers around 71% of the earth surface (Thompson, 2017). The large percentage of this water is found in the oceans and the rest in the air, in rivers, lakes, in icecaps, in the soil and even the aquifers (Loucks & Van Beek, 2017). Water determines the quality of life for those who assess it and thus, availability of high quality and enough quantity of water is essential.
The amount of fresh water on the earth is enough, but it is limited to some areas and also the quality it has. Freshwater is the one commonly used by the living organism and thus the balance of demand and supply is something delicate to the life of living things. It is therefore clear that the availability of the usable water significantly affect matters of development because it is a need, which cannot be omitted in daily life.
Furthermore, water must meet the demand of the individuals that need it, in order for usual daily activities to go on, and it is thus clear that an area with high demand and low supply of water cannot develop effectively. The supply of water in both the source and in other areas needs to be met clearly. Water management thus focuses on expanding the supply of enough fresh water to meet the needs of all the people who need them.
Water demand by the people made it necessary to build a number of large dams to make the water available at the time of need for the user. Currently, the finite water supply and the available infrastructure require that the demand for water should be managed effectively with the supply which is accessible and sustainable. Information on the use of water is useful in the evaluation of the impacts of growth in population and how effective are the alternative water management regulations and policies and even the conservation activities are.
The water use cycle
The water which is constantly consumed is also in constant motion which is also known as the hydrologic cycle. Water in the ocean, lakes, and rivers and even the earth surface evaporates as vapor into the atmosphere, those in plants undergo transpiration (Loucks & Van Beek, 2017). In the air, the water vapor then condenses and falls back into the earth surface as rainfall which then they move on the surface of the earth or as groundwater into the water bodies where the cycle repeats itself.
The water-use cycle is made up of the hydrological cycle together with the influence of human activity. The canals, dams, reservoirs, withdrawal pipes in the rivers and even the groundwater wells clearly show that human beings have a significant influence on the water cycle. The water moving from the source to the area of use such as homes, industries, farms, and other areas of application. The source of this water can be the surface water or ground water, and after use, the water may be re-used or disposed of keeping in mind that water for reuse must undergo treatment first.
Uses of water
The amount of water use has been increasing especially on the water withdrawals from the source, and this can be linked to the growth in the population of the world. Water can be used in various sectors in doing different activities. Water can be used commercially especially the fresh water on large restaurants, hotels, motels, and also in institutions to run its daily activities depending on the needs it has.
Water also can be used in homes to perform daily activities such as the bathing, cleaning of dishes and flushing of toilets. It can also be used in the preparation of food and drinking as well as watering of gardens (Rathnayaka et al., 2015). This is the daily activities of the human beings which they cannot live without; thus water is essential in this. Water can also be used in industries to cool engines and to facilitate all the processing, transportation, cleaning of the raw materials and equipment and dilution. Most of the industries re-use the same water depending on the use as long as it does not bring harm.
In addition, water can also be used for the purposes of irrigation, and this water is artificially pumped into the farm, pastures or even the horticultural crops. In dry areas water is mostly used for irrigation to help in promoting food security. Water for irrigation can also be used to protect from frost, for crop cooling, harvesting and even for chemical application (Giri & Qiu, 2016). Other uses can be irrigation of golf courses. Water for irrigation is the most practiced category of water use worldwide.
Water can also be used in livestock keeping, and it can be used in the fish farms, diaries and for stock animals. It also involves the fresh water, and it is used in the production of red meat and milk (Rathnayaka et al., 2015). Animals, just like human beings, require water in their system to aid in hydration of their bodies and other body activities.
Mining also requires water and thus water is used in these areas to extract naturally occurring minerals which are in solid, liquid and gases form. This includes coal and iron ore crude petroleum and gases. Use of water in the mining consists of the milling, quarrying and all the operations in the mining area. Most of the water used is salty water.
Water can also be used in the generation of the hydro-electricity; this is where water is used to rotate turbines which then results in the generation of power (Rathnayaka et al., 2015).it can also be used in the production of thermoelectric power. The heat may be from fossil fuels, geothermal or even nuclear fission.
Water conservation
Water conservation is the practice where individual, governments and even companies trying to reduce the amount of water they use, to minimize wastage. There is a need for water conservation although a large portion of the earth is covered by water. A small portion of the water that includes the earth is fresh water, and a small portion of this is only available for drinking. The population growth rate of the world is growing, and thus there is a need to conserve the small percentage of the water available for consumption (Dalin et al., 2015). This will involve the use of the water wisely and appropriately and keeping the sources pure and safe from destruction.
Benefits of water conservation
Water conservation helps in reducing the effects of drought and incidences of water shortage. With the increase in the population of the world, the water sources are still the same and thus conservation of this areas and reduction of water wastage will ensure that there is enough water to use in the daily activities where necessary (Perry, Steduto & Karajeh, 2017). Reduction of wasteful use of water thus makes water available.
Furthermore, it helps in the protection of people from political conflicts and also reduces the cost of supply. Inadequate supply of water results to severe consequences such as conflicts from other people this is because water is valuable and it is required in almost all the sectors that individuals involve themselves with. Thus everyone would want to have the water, leading to conflicts which might cause serious problems. It also results in food shortage which can lead to high cost of living (Dalin et al., 2015). Water conservation ensures that water is available and of good quality and thus will reduce incidences of health hazards and reduce political conflicts.
Water conservation also helps in the preservation of the environment, reduction of water usage reduces the number of activities done for the water to reach the homes and other areas where they are needed. The actions engaged result in environmental pollution, and thus conservation minimizes the energy required and reduce pollution together with conserving fuels.
Conservation of water also ensures that there is enough water in the areas where it is much needed like the hospitals and for firefighters services. Other critical areas are gas stations, restaurants, and gyms. This ensures that services provided in these areas are not affected and thus promoting continuity of services.
Conservation of water also ensures that there is enough water to be used for recreational services such as in the swimming pools and golf courses (Llop & Ponce-Alifonso, 2015). The fresh water is also in the watering of lawns and gardens as well as using in the washing of cars. Inadequate water supply due to poor conservation will make it unavailable for other needs that we require in our lives
Methods of water conservation
Harvesting of rainwater is one way of conserving water that can be practiced. The rainwater is collected and then stored for later use. This recharges the, and it also raises the water table and thus increases water supply. It is, therefore, necessary for buildings to have structures required to collect the rainwater (Qian & Eslamian, 2016). This will improve the amount of water available, prevention of soil erosion and also it is environmentally friendly.
Water used for irrigation accounts for the most significant percentage on use of water worldwide and thus it necessary to use methods which are efficient and minimize wastage (Dalin et al., 2015). Use of drip irrigation can be used since it decreases the loss of water by evaporation (Malano & van Hofwegen, 2018). Conservation is also possible when the efficiency of water utilization by the plants is also considered; this ensures water is delivered to the plant when it needs it.
Another method of water conservation is reusing, use of a system that promotes reuse of water are practiced in areas in which water can be reused such as golf course. In other areas, the water is treated and then diverted from their initial areas of disposal into irrigation (Moglia, Cook & Tapsuwan, 2018). The gray water system captures used water from the kitchen, tub, and even dishwashers but does not collect water from the toilet due to the threat to health. The water from this is used for irrigation.
Summary
The most considerable portion of the earth is covered by water with a high percentage being the salty water and the other being the fresh water. Most of the water consumed in the household and other areas are fresh water, and thus its conservation is necessary. Water is used in various sectors such as in agriculture, mining, homes and other institutions such as hotels and hospitals. All of the sectors have a different variety of uses. People cannot live without water, and this clearly shows that there will be little development in areas where the supply of water does not meet demand from the community.
Conservation of the water is necessary to ensure the availability of the water when it is required and of the right quality. Therefore, there is a need for conservation to reduce the effects that may result from drought and also minimize the incidences of shortages that may occur. Conservation will safe a large amount of water which might have been considered as waste water when they are used without really taking care or having any aim of conservation.
Conclusion
Water is an essential resource in the lives of both human beings and all the living creatures on earth. It must has a constant supply to foster development and improve the lives of people and thus people cannot live without water, water is life. It is therefore of significance to conserve the water to make the scarce and valuable commodity is available. Conservation makes enough water available to be used in other critical areas where they are needed more.
References
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Malano, H. M., & van Hofwegen, P. (2018). Management of irrigation and drainage systems. CRC Press.
Perry, C., Steduto, P., & Karajeh, F. (2017). DOES IMPROVED IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY SAVE WATER?.
Moglia, M., Cook, S., & Tapsuwan, S. (2018). Promoting Water Conservation: Where to from here?. Water, 10(11), 1510.
Rathnayaka, K., Malano, H., Maheepala, S., George, B., Nawarathna, B., Arora, M., & Roberts, P. (2015). Seasonal demand dynamics of residential water end-uses. Water, 7(1), 202-216.
Thompson, S. A. (2017). Hydrology for water management. CRC Press.
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