What are the reasons for the aggravation of the water problem of mankind? Fresh water shortage: problems and solutions.

The world water management experience accumulated to date gives grounds for an optimistic outlook on the future of water resources, but only with a revision of the methods of using the hydrosphere and careful protection of water bodies. Ways to solve the water problem are outlined as follows:

I. Technical: a) reduction of wastewater discharges and expansion of recycling water supply to plants in closed cycles; b) improvement of methods for treating waste water, c) use of part of the wastewater after its appropriate treatment for irrigation, d) saving water, separate water pipes for food and industrial water, e) reducing water cooling and switching to air, f) technical progress (for example , Japan has already invented a method of melting metal on nuclear energy without blast furnaces and open-hearth furnaces).

II. Hydrological and geographical. They consist in managing the moisture cycle and changing the water balance of the land. This path should be understood not as an absolute increase in the volume of water, but as a reproduction of the most valuable types of water resources - stable groundwater flow, groundwater reserves, an increase in soil moisture due to floods, glaciers, mineralized water, etc. These ways of solving the water problem include : a) regulation of river runoff, b) artificial replenishment or storage of groundwater due to flood runoff; storage in underground wells is better than the construction of reservoirs, since valuable floodplains are not flooded; waste water can also drain here, for it is purified in the earth; now in the USA the artificial replenishment of underground waters provides 2 billion liters of water per day; we use it in arid areas; c) regulation of slope runoff and snow retention.
In the CIS, 70 km 3 of water is consumed for slope runoff, and 30 km 3 for snow blown by the wind. More than 140 km 3 is spent on evaporation from the soil, half the volume of transpiration. Already now in the CIS in the zones of unstable moistening 20 km 3 of surface runoff is retained; in the near future, slope runoff will be halved, snow drift by 1/3, and unproductive evaporation by 15-20%. This will provide rain-fed agriculture with about 80 km 3 of water per year.

An optimistic assessment of water resources can be a reality only with careful use and protection of natural waters.

Atmospheric change and the problem of clean air. Natural air pollution increases with volcanic eruptions, large forest fires, and dust storms. For example, dust from the Sahara reaches Guinea in the south and France in the north. The atmosphere itself is cleaned from natural pollution. It is a different matter with the change in air by industrial enterprises, transport engines, and the unreasonable actions of people.

Water is the most important resource for sustaining life and the source of all life on Earth, but its uneven distribution on the continents has repeatedly caused crises and social disasters. The shortage of fresh drinking water in the world has been known to mankind since ancient times, and since the last decade of the twentieth century it has been constantly considered as one of the global problems of our time. At the same time, as the population of our planet grew, the scale of water consumption, and, accordingly, water scarcity increased significantly, which subsequently began to lead to deteriorating living conditions and slowed down the economic development of countries experiencing a shortage.

Today, the world's population is growing at a rapid pace, and the need for fresh drinking water is only increasing. According to the counter www.countrymeters.com, the population of the Earth on April 25, 2015 reached approximately 7 billion 289 million people, and the annual increase is approximately 83 million people. The data point to an annual increase in fresh water demand of 64 million cubic meters. It should be noted that during the period of time when the world's population has tripled, the use of fresh water has increased 17 times. Moreover, according to some forecasts, in 20 years it may triple even more.

Under the current conditions, it has been established that already every sixth person on the planet is experiencing a shortage of fresh drinking water. And the situation will only worsen as urbanization develops, population grows, industrial demands for water increase and global climate change accelerates, leading to desertification and reduced water supply. The lack of water may soon lead to the development and exacerbation of already existing global problems. And when the deficit crosses a certain threshold and humanity finally understands the full value of fresh resources, we can expect political instability, armed conflicts and a further increase in the number of problems in the development of the economies of the world.

General picture of water supply in the world

In short, it is very important to have a realistic understanding of the overall picture of fresh water availability in the world. The quantitative ratio of salt water to fresh water in its volume most clearly shows the complexity of the current situation. According to statistics, the world's oceans account for 96.5% of the water mass, and the volume of fresh water is much less - 3.5% of the total water reserves. Earlier it was noted that the distribution of fresh drinking water across the continents and countries of the world is extremely uneven. This fact initially put the countries of the world in different conditions, not only in terms of the provision of non-renewable resources, but also in terms of the quality of life and ability to survive. Taking into account this and its economic support, each country copes with the problem in its own way, but fresh water is a fundamentally important resource for human life, and therefore both poor sparsely populated countries and rich developed economies are equal to a certain extent before water shortages.

Consequences of a lack of fresh water

According to statistics, almost a fifth of the world's population lives in areas where there is an acute shortage of drinking water. In addition, one-quarter of the population lives in developing countries, which are deficient due to the lack of infrastructure needed to draw water from aquifers and rivers. The shortage of water for the same reasons is observed even in those areas in which heavy precipitation falls and there are large reserves of fresh water.

The availability of sufficient water to meet the needs of the household, agriculture, industry and the environment depends on how water is stored, distributed and used, as well as on the quality of the water available.

One of the main problems is the problem of fresh water pollution, which significantly reduces existing reserves. This is facilitated by pollution from industrial emissions and effluents, washout of fertilizers from fields, as well as the penetration of salt water in coastal areas into aquifers due to groundwater pumping.

Speaking about the consequences of a lack of fresh water, it is worth noting that they can be of various plans: from the deterioration of living conditions and the development of diseases, to dehydration and death. The lack of clean water forces people to drink water from unsafe sources, which is often simply dangerous to health. In addition, due to water scarcity, there is a negative practice of people storing water in their homes, which can significantly increase the risk of pollution and create favorable conditions for the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, one of the acute problems is the problem of hygiene. People cannot properly bathe, wash their clothes and keep their homes clean.

There are various ways to solve this problem and in this aspect for countries with large reserves, there are huge opportunities in terms of capitalizing on their position. However, at the moment, the entire value of fresh water has not yet led to the work of global economic mechanisms, and in general, countries with a deficit of fresh water are working most effectively in this direction. We consider it necessary to highlight the most interesting projects and their results.

So, for example, in Egypt the most grandiose of all national projects - "Toshka" or "New Valley" - is being implemented. Construction has been going on for 5 years and is scheduled to be completed by 2017. The work is very costly for the country's economy, but the prospects seem truly global. 10% of the water from the Nile will be redirected by the station under construction to the western regions of the country, and the area of habitable land in Egypt will increase by as much as 25%. Moreover, 2.8 million new jobs will be created and more than 16 million people will be relocated to the new projected cities. If successful, this ambitious project will enable Egypt to re-emerge as a developed power with a rapidly growing population.

There is another example of an actively developing water infrastructure in the absence of its own resources. Various ways of dealing with the water crisis among the countries of the Persian Gulf became possible since the middle of the 20th century thanks to the oil boom. Expensive desalination plants began to be built, and as a result, at the moment, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the most solid volumes of desalination not only in the region, but also in the world. According to Arab News, Saudi Arabia uses 1.5 million barrels of oil daily in its desalination plants, which provide 50-70% of the country's fresh water. In April 2014, the world's largest plant with a capacity of 1 million cubic meters was opened in Saudi Arabia. m of water and 2.6 thousand MW of electricity per day. In addition, all Gulf countries have developed purification systems for the disposal and reuse of polluted waters. On average, the percentage of wastewater collection varies from 15% to 70% depending on the region; Bahrain shows the highest rates (100%). As for the use of treated wastewater, Oman (100% of the collected water is reused) and the United Arab Emirates (89%) are in the lead.

In the next five years, the Gulf countries plan to invest about $100 billion in further providing their population with fresh water resources. Thus, Qatar announced the allocation of $900 million for the construction by 2017 of reservoirs to store a seven-day supply of water. Moreover, the GCC countries have agreed to build a $10.5 billion pipeline with a length of almost 2,000 km connecting the Gulf countries. The project also includes the construction of two desalination plants in Oman with a capacity of 500 million cubic meters. m of water, which will be supplied through the pipeline to the GCC areas that are in need of desalinated water. As we can see, the efforts directed to combat the problem in countries with a severe shortage of fresh water are enormous.

Among the leading countries, not much effort is currently being made in this area. As is often the case, as long as there is no problem, it seems that there is no need to pay attention to the factors that could lead to its formation. Thus, in the Russian Federation, while it ranks second in the world in terms of the amount of water resources, there is still a shortage of water in many regions due to its uneven distribution. We suggested several measures that would improve the internal situation of the leading countries and further economic enrichment.

First of all, it is necessary to ensure stable financial support for the water sector in the country. To do this, it is necessary to form an economic mechanism for water use at the national and interstate levels. Financing the water sector from various sources should cover its costs, taking into account the prospects for further development.

At the same time, targeted social protection of the population should be ensured. The wide involvement of private entrepreneurship in solving the problems of the water sector with appropriate incentives is of great importance. Progress in water financing will be facilitated by state support for producers of relevant material resources and owners of water supply and sanitation systems through subsidies, subventions, preferential loans, customs and tax benefits.

Also, attention should be paid to training staff in modern innovative technologies to increase the attractiveness of water and environmental projects for international donors and to take measures to ensure the availability of loans - all this will also contribute to progress.

In addition, it is necessary to strengthen external financial assistance to needy regions of the world, for which it is advisable to make an assessment of the financial needs of each country with a breakdown by sources of financing and directions (water supply, sanitation, irrigation, hydropower, mudflow protection, recreation, etc.). Much work will be required to develop innovative financial mechanisms. For example, both domestic and international donor programs can be developed that will invest in human development and assistance to those in need of fresh water, and which in the future will help to provide leading countries with confidence in the need to develop economic mechanisms in the field of fresh water supply. .

Expert forecasts

According to forecasts, the supply of fresh drinking water is far from limitless, and they are already coming to an end. According to studies, by 2025, more than half of the world's states will either experience a serious shortage of water or feel its lack, and by the middle of the 21st century, three-quarters of the world's population will not have enough fresh water. It is estimated that around 2030, 47% of the world's population will be at risk of water scarcity. At the same time, by 2050, the population of developing countries, which already lack water today, will increase significantly.

Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and Northern China are most likely to be the first to be left without water. According to forecasts, only in Africa by 2020, due to climate change, from 75 to 250 million people will be in this situation, and an acute shortage of water in desert and semi-desert regions will cause rapid migration of the population. It is expected that this will affect from 24 to 700 million people.

Fresh water shortages have also recently been felt by developed countries: not so long ago, severe droughts in the United States led to water shortages in large areas of the Southwest and in cities in northern Georgia.

As a result, based on the foregoing, we understand that it is necessary to make as much effort as possible to preserve sources of fresh water, as well as to find possible economically less costly ways to solve the problem of fresh water shortage in many countries of the world, both now and in the future. the future.

Leading Researcher, Department of Industrial and Regional Economics, RISS,

Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Speech on situational analysis "Global problems of water resources".

Approximately 54% of all available surface water runoff (usable, renewable fresh water) is currently used by the world's population. Taking into account the growth rate of the global economy, the growth rate of the world's population (an increase of 85 million people per year), and other factors, this figure is expected to increase to 70% by 2025.

According to the UN, in more than 18 countries there is a shortage of water (a level of 1000 or less cubic meters per 1 person / year), which makes it almost impossible to satisfy the needs of national economies and the communal needs of citizens. According to forecasts, the number of such states will grow to 33 by 2025.

At a critically low level of water availability are: the Middle East, North China, Mexico, the countries of North Africa, Southeast Asia and a number of post-Soviet states. According to the World Resource Institute, Kuwait is the hardest hit, with only 11 cubic meters per capita. meters of surface water, Egypt (43 cubic meters) and the United Arab Emirates (64 cubic meters). Moldova is in 8th place in the ranking (225 cubic meters), and Turkmenistan is in 9th place (232 cubic meters).

The Russian Federation has a unique water resource potential. The total fresh water resources of Russia are estimated at 10,803 cubic meters. km/year. Renewable water resources (the volume of annual river flow in Russia) is 4861 cubic meters. km, or 10% of the world's river flow (second place after Brazil). The main drawback of Russian water resources is their extremely uneven distribution across the country. In terms of local water resources, the Southern and Far Eastern federal districts of Russia, for example, differ by almost 30 times, and by about 100 times in terms of water supply for the population.

Rivers are the basis of Russia's water resources. More than 120 thousand large rivers (more than 10 km long) flow through its territory with a total length of over 2.3 million km. The number of small rivers is much larger (over 2.5 million). They form about half of the total volume of river runoff; up to 44% of the urban and almost 90% of the rural population of the country live in their basins.

Groundwater, which is used mainly for drinking purposes, has a potential exploitable resource in excess of 300 cubic meters. km/year. More than a third of potential resources are concentrated in the European part of the country. Groundwater deposits explored to date have a total operational reserves of approximately 30 cubic meters. km / year.

In the country as a whole, the total water withdrawal for household needs is relatively small - 3% of the average long-term river flow. However, in the Volga basin, for example, it accounts for 33% of the country's total water intake, and for a number of river basins, the figure exceeds the environmentally acceptable withdrawal volumes (Don - 64%, Terek - 68%, Kuban - 80% of the average annual flow). In the south of the European territory of Russia, almost all water resources are involved in economic activity. In the basins of the Ural, Tobol and Ishim rivers, water management tension has become a factor that, to a certain extent, hinders the development of the national economy.

Almost all rivers are subject to anthropogenic impact, the possibilities of extensive water intake for economic needs in many of them are generally exhausted. The water of many Russian rivers is polluted and unsuitable for drinking purposes. A serious problem is the deterioration of water quality in surface water bodies, which in most cases does not meet regulatory requirements and is assessed as unsatisfactory for almost all types of water use.

The degradation of small rivers is observed. There is their siltation, pollution, clogging, collapse of their banks. The uncontrolled withdrawal of water, the destruction and use of water protection belts and zones for economic purposes, the drainage of raised bogs led to the massive death of small rivers, thousands of which ceased to exist. Their total flow, especially in the European part of Russia, has decreased by more than 50%, resulting in the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, and makes these rivers unusable.

To date, according to experts, from 35% to 60% of drinking water in Russia and about 40% of surface and 17% of underground drinking water sources do not meet the standards. More than 6,000 sites of groundwater pollution have been identified on the territory of the country, the largest number of which is in the European part of Russia.

According to available calculations, every second inhabitant of the Russian Federation is forced to use water for drinking purposes that does not meet the established standards in a number of indicators. Almost a third of the country's population uses water sources without proper water treatment. At the same time, residents of a number of regions suffer from a lack of drinking water and the lack of proper sanitary and living conditions.

In particular, drinking water of poor quality in terms of sanitary-chemical and microbiological indicators is consumed by a part of the population in the Republics of Ingushetia, Kalmykia, Karelia, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, in the Primorsky Territory, in the Arkhangelsk, Kurgan, Saratov, Tomsk and Yaroslavl regions, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

The cause of the problem lies in the massive pollution of river and lake basins. At the same time, the main load on water bodies is created by industrial enterprises, objects of the fuel and energy complex, enterprises of the municipal economy and the agro-industrial sector. The annual volume of discharged effluents has practically not changed in recent years. In 2008, for example, it amounted to 17 cubic meters. km. However, it should be noted that against this background, there is a decrease in the volume of discharges of standard treated wastewater, which occurs due to overloading of treatment facilities, their poor performance, violations of technical regulations, shortages of reagents, breakthroughs and volley discharges of pollution.

In Russia, especially in its European part, unacceptably large water losses are observed. On the way from the water source to the consumer, for example, in 2008, with a total volume of water intake from natural sources equal to 80.3 cubic meters. km, losses amounted to 7.76 km. In industry, water losses reach more than 25% (due to leaks and accidents in networks, infiltration, imperfection of technological processes). In housing and communal services, from 20 to 40% is lost (due to leaks in residential and public buildings, corrosion and deterioration of water supply networks); in agriculture - up to 30% (overwatering in crop production, overestimated water supply rates for animal husbandry).

The technological and technical backwardness of the water sector is growing, in particular, in the study and control of water quality, the preparation of drinking water, the treatment and disposal of sludge generated during the purification of natural and waste water. The development of promising schemes for the use and protection of waters necessary for sustainable water supply has been discontinued.

Global warming and climate change, as experts say, will lead to an improvement in the water supply of the Russian population as a whole. An increase in this indicator can be expected in the European territory of the country, in the Volga region, in the Non-Chernozem center, in the Urals, in most of Siberia and the Far East. At the same time, in a number of densely populated regions of the Black Earth Center of Russia (Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol and Tambov regions), Southern (Kalmykia, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Rostov Region) and southwestern part of the Siberian (Altai Territory, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions) of the federal districts of the Russian Federation, which even in modern conditions have rather limited water resources, in the coming decades we should expect their further decrease by 10-20%. In these regions, there may be a serious shortage of water, which can become a factor hindering economic growth and improving the welfare of the population, and there will be a need for strict regulation and limitation of water consumption, as well as attracting additional sources of water supply.

In the Altai Territory, in the Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions, the decrease in water resources, apparently, will not lead to critically low values of water supply and to a high pressure on water resources. However, taking into account the fact that at the present time there are very serious problems here, in the future they may become especially acute, especially in dry periods. This is primarily due to the high variability of water resources over time and across the territory, as well as the trend towards an increase in the intensity of use of the flow of transboundary rivers in China and Kazakhstan. To solve these problems, it is necessary to consider the possibilities of flow regulation and the conclusion of international agreements on the joint use of the water resources of the Irtysh.

Taking into account the growing impact of climate and its changes on the sustainability of the development of the economy and social sphere of the country, it seems necessary when developing the state water policy to provide for the inclusion of tasks related to climate change in it.

In general, experts consider natural disasters, population growth, resource-intensive industrial and agricultural production, waste pollution of natural reservoirs, coastal areas, groundwater and groundwater to be the main reasons for the negative trends in the field of water resources and possible restrictions on their use. In this regard, one of the most important tasks is to protect the country's aquatic ecosystems and promote the rational use of water in agriculture, industry and everyday life.

This is of particular relevance, since with the large natural resources of surface and groundwater in Russia, the predominant part of which is located in the eastern and northern regions, economically developed European regions with a high level of integrated use of water resources have practically exhausted the possibility of their development without rationalizing water use, saving water and restoring the quality of the aquatic environment.

Two-thirds of our planet is covered by water. This is more than enough for all people, but water conservation is a global problem for mankind. The thing is that most of the water resources are undrinkable - it is a salty liquid, and humanity needs fresh water not only to drink, but also to grow crops and feed livestock.

Water depletion

Today water is a global problem of mankind. About half a million people in the modern world experience an acute shortage of it, and by 2025 experts predict a five-fold increase in their number. Provided that the tendency to increase water consumption continues, by the 50s of the 21st century, two thirds of the world's population will experience water shortages.

Fig 1. Map of the distribution of fresh water reserves.

If every person turns off the faucet when brushing his teeth, then in one morning he will save 20 liters of fresh water.

As in other cases, the main reason for the aggravation of the water problem of mankind is urbanization. In order to adapt the Earth to their needs, humanity violates and pollutes the ecosystem, which leads to a worsening of the situation. Population growth also affects the problem, and it is in regions with the most unfavorable situation. The greenhouse effect also contributes - expanses of water evaporate without a trace from the surface of the planet. Plus, each person spends water thoughtlessly in much larger volumes than he needs.

Rice. 2. Polluted reservoir with fresh water.

Solving the problem of water conservation

This problem has solutions. First and the simplest is the saving of the resource by every inhabitant of the Earth. This will give much more significant results than it seems at first glance, allowing not to develop new water deposits.

Second the way to save is the development of cleaning technologies, which will allow this important resource to be used repeatedly.

Sources of water pollution

There are many reasons for pollution, and not always the human factor is to blame. Natural disasters also harm clean water bodies and disrupt the ecological balance.

The most common sources of water pollution are:

Industrial, domestic waste water. Having not passed the system of purification from chemical harmful substances, they, getting into the reservoir, provoke an ecological catastrophe.

Tertiary cleaning. Water is treated with powders, special compounds, filtered in many stages, killing harmful organisms and destroying other substances. It is used for domestic needs of citizens, as well as in the food industry, in agriculture.

- radioactive contamination of water

The main sources that pollute the oceans include the following radioactive factors:

nuclear weapons testing;
dumping of radioactive waste;
major accidents (ships with nuclear reactors, Chernobyl);
burial at the bottom of the oceans, seas of radioactive waste.

Environmental problems and water pollution are directly related to radioactive waste contamination. For example, French and British nuclear plants have infected almost the entire North Atlantic. Our country has become the culprit of the pollution of the Arctic Ocean. Three nuclear underground reactors, as well as the production of Krasnoyarsk-26, clogged the largest river, the Yenisei. It is obvious that radioactive products got into the ocean.

Pollution of world waters with radionuclides

The problem of pollution of the waters of the oceans is acute. Let us briefly list the most dangerous radionuclides that fall into it: cesium-137; cerium-144; strontium-90; niobium-95; yttrium-91. All of them have a high bioaccumulative capacity, move along food chains and concentrate in marine organisms. This creates a danger for both humans and aquatic organisms.

The water areas of the Arctic seas are heavily polluted by various sources of radionuclides. People carelessly dump hazardous waste into the ocean, thereby turning it into a dead one. Man must have forgotten that the ocean is the main wealth of the earth. It has powerful biological and mineral resources. And if we want to survive, we must urgently take measures to save him.

Solutions

Rational consumption of water, protection from pollution are the main tasks of mankind. Ways to solve environmental problems of water pollution lead to the fact that, first of all, much attention should be paid to the discharge of hazardous substances into rivers. On an industrial scale, it is necessary to improve wastewater treatment technologies. In Russia, it is necessary to introduce a law that would increase the collection of fees for discharges. The proceeds should be directed to the development and construction of new environmental technologies. For the smallest emissions, the fee should be reduced, this will serve as a motivation for maintaining a healthy environmental situation.

An important role in solving environmental problems is played by the upbringing of the younger generation. From an early age, it is necessary to teach children to respect, love for nature. To inspire them that the Earth is our big house, for the order in which each person is responsible. Water must be protected, not poured thoughtlessly, try to prevent foreign objects and harmful substances from getting into the sewer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say that Russian environmental problems and water pollution concern, perhaps, everyone. The thoughtless waste of water resources, the littering of rivers with various garbage has led to the fact that there are very few clean, safe corners left in nature.Ecologists have become much more vigilant, multiple measures are being taken to restore order in the environment. If each of us thinks about the consequences of our barbaric, consumer attitude, the situation can be corrected. Only together will humanity be able to save water bodies, the World Ocean and, possibly, the lives of future generations.