Report paper. Investigating Water Related Issues – Assignment

Fresh Water Withdrawal
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Fresh Water Withdrawal
Water is a very scarce resources and one that has for some time been quite a sensitive issues. This is largely due to the dropping access levels for clean water. One of the main concern when it comes to water resources is withdrawal. This refers to the removal of water and diverting it either permanently or temporarily from the ground or the surface to a place of use. According to UNESCO under the United Nations, more than 75% of water that is withdrawn for industrial reasons is used for energy production. What is interesting is the fact that, since the 1950s to today the withdrawal of freshwater for electricity production has been on the rise. This is commensurate with the population growth. This is the case, where the increment on the withdrawals has been at an estimated 400%. However, despite the spike in the water withdrawal, there was a shift that started back in the 80s where the amount of water withdrawn reduced noticeably. This can be attributed to some water conservation measures that have been implemented over the years. However, as the population continually grows, this increases the amount of pressure that is placed on the fresh water available.[United Nations, "Water", Un.Org, Last modified 2018, /en/sections/issues-depth/water/.] [Howard Perlman, "Trends In Water Use In The U.S., 1950 To 2005, The USGS Water Science School", Water.Usgs.Gov, Last modified 2017, https://water.usgs.gov/edu/wateruse-trends.html.] [World Wildlife Fund, "Water Scarcity | Threats | WWF", World Wildlife Fund, Last modified 2018, /threats/water-scarcity.]
Freshwater is crucial for the use by the growing population. Despite the fact that, a large part of the earth surface is covered by water, not all of it is usable. Realistically, more than 97% of the water that is on the surface of the earth is largely unusable. This leaves only 3% of the water on the surface of the earth as fresh water. This is a subject that is quite interesting given that, for some, the lack there of or the availability of freshwater is a stark reality. For others, this is an abstract concept that, they do not believe in. In the real sense of the situation, the amount of fresh water that is on the earth today is the same amount that was during the dinosaur era. The water is constantly recycled and returned into the atmosphere. However, in consideration of the stark reality approach, the population size has been growing at an exponential rate, reducing the amount of fresh water available for the global consumption. This explains the reason for caution on the level of access to clean drinking water. This is further complicated by the fact that, only one percent of the clean water is accessible to use. On one side of the debate is, the use of the freshwater for the generation of electricity, for the development of industry, manufacturing and domestic use. Much of the energy generated goes into boosting the economy by providing the needed energy resources. Electric energy plays a vital role not just in the manufacturing sector but also at the domestic level, where it is used to power different appliances such as heaters to drive away cold in the winter. On the other hand is the fact...