UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND SPORT

Module: Environmental Studies Lecture #9

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER

Water can exist in three forms – solid, liquid and vapour. It mainly exists as liquid in parts of the Earth
where the temperature lies between 0oC and 100oC.

Water has several unique properties which makes it one of earth’s indispensable resources. Liquid water
is a universal solvent - it carries dissolved nutrients into tissues of organisms and flushes waste products
out. It also plays an important role in diluting pollutants. It has a high heat capacity which means that it
can absorb a great deal of heat without significant temperature change. This high heat capacity allows it
to have a moderating effect on climate. This also makes evaporation of water an effective cooling process.
Water expands when it freezes, facilitating the breakup of rocks leading to soil formation. Water also has
a high wetting ability. In addition, solid water (ice) has a lower density than liquid water and will float.
This allows aquatic life to exist in lakes and streams during winter.

Organisms are made up mostly of water (H2O). Trees are approximately 60% water while animals are
approximately 50-65% water and approximately 60% of a human’s body weight is water (WWAP, 2012).

Use of Water
Humans require water for survival and convenience.

Domestic Use – cooking, drinking, cleaning, bathing, washing etc. (global usage is 12%-UN water 2021)
Industrial Use – as raw material; washing and cooling (global usage is 16%- UN Water 2021)
Agricultural Use – irrigation (72% of water used worldwide- UN Water 2021)
Transport – rivers/oceans used as a source of conveying heavy and bulky goods over long distances.
Recreation/Tourism – lakes and coastlines are tourist attractions; water sports are becoming increasingly
popular.

Where is Water Stored

97% of the earth’s water is salty (saline). This water is stored in ocean, seas and bays. The other 3% is
fresh water which is mainly stored in:
 Ice caps, glaciers and permanent snow
 Groundwater aquifers
 Surface water bodies (e.g. rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands)
 Soil moisture (small amounts)

There are very small amounts of water in the atmosphere (atmospheric water) and in living organisms
(biological water)

Surface water is fresh water found on the Earth’s surface in streams and rivers etc. Groundwater is
precipitation that infiltrates the ground and percolates downward through pores, fractures, crevices and
other voids in the soil until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated, with water. The
area that is filled with water is called the saturated zone and the top of this zone is called the water table.

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The underground porous layers of rock where groundwater is stored are called aquifers. Any area of land
through which water passes into an aquifer is called a recharge area. Groundwater moves through the
recharge area through an aquifer and out to a discharge area such as wells, springs, streams or oceans.

In Jamaica, 84% of the available fresh water comes from groundwater, which is extracted by pumping
wells (approx. 500 in Jamaica).

WATERSHEDS
Watersheds are also called drainage basins or catchment areas. They are areas of land that drain water
into bodies of surface water.

Functions of Watersheds
 Forested watersheds act as giant sponges increasing infiltration
 They release water slowly, moderating flooding and maintaining stream flows in dry periods
 They control soil erosion thereby improving water quality
 They are habitats for many species
 They regulate rainfall on a small scale (via transpiration)

Watershed Destruction
This comes about due to:
 Unsuitable hillside agricultural practices
 Deforestation
 Illegal settlement on hillsides
 Illegal forest fires
 Illegal quarrying

Effects of watershed destruction include:

 Decreased tree cover
 Increased soil erosion
 Decreased recharging of groundwater
 Increased siltation of waterways
 Increased flooding and loss of habitats

Water Scarcity
Water scarcity affects every continent on planet earth. Information from the United Nations’ International
Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005 – 2015 website
(http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml) indicates that:
 Approximately 1.42 billion people (1/5 of the world’s population) live in areas that experience a
physical scarcity of water. Another 500 million people will be added to this number at some point in
the future. (UNICEF, 2021)

 By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-
thirds of the world's population could be living under water stressed conditions.

 With the existing climate change scenario, almost half the world's population will be living in areas of
high water stress by 2030, including between 75 million and 250 million people in Africa. In addition,
water scarcity in some arid and semi-arid places will displace between 24 million and 700 million
people.

 Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region.
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Water supply can be increased by desalinisation, towing icebergs and cloud seeding.

Water is scarce in some areas not because it is physically unavailable but because its quality has been
degraded as a result of pollution.

Water Pollution
There are 8 categories of pollutants: sediment, oxygen demanding waste, pathogens (disease-causing
agents), inorganic plant nutrients, synthetic organic compounds, inorganic chemicals, water soluble heavy
metals and thermal pollution.

WATER POLLUTANTS AND THEIR EFFECT

Pollutant Effects Comment

Oxygen demanding wastes Increase in biological If adequate oxygen is available,

(sewage, decaying plants, animal oxygen demand of water these substances can be degraded
manures, wastes from food which may cause aquatic by microorganisms usually present
processing plants, breweries, oil organisms to suffocate if in water. If oxygen becomes
refineries, and leather, paper they are not able to migrate depleted, decomposition is limited
mills, and textile plants) to another location. to what can be done by anaerobic
decomposers. Water plants may be
killed, and animals may be killed or
forced to migrate.

Pathogenic organisms Cause disease in humans Most bacteria are well controlled in
who drink the water e.g. public drinking water, but certain
cholera, botulism, viruses, especially those that cause
dysentery, hepatitis A, hepatitis, still cause human disease.
gastroenteritis, More effective means of removing
fasciolopsiasis viruses during purification are
needed.

Inorganic chemicals and minerals- Increase the salinity and Such chemicals can kill aquatic life
usually waste from mining and acidity of water and render and render water unsuitable for
industrial activities such as red it toxic consumption or recreation. These
mud from bauxite processing. chemicals should be removed
during waste treatment.

Synthetic organic chemicals Can cause birth defects, Because these substances are not
(herbicides, pesticides, cancer, neurological biodegradable, chemical or physical
detergents, plastics, wastes from damage, and other illness means must be used to remove
industrial processes, cosmetics, them during waste treatment.
pharmaceutical substances etc.) Many such substances become
magnified (increased in
concentration) as they are passed
along food chains.

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Plant nutrients Causes excessive and Removal of excess phosphates and
sometimes uncontrolled nitrates from water during waste
growth of aquatic plants, treatment may be done in
primarily algae. Algae may quaternary water treatment where
cover the surface of water nutrient-containing waters are led
bodies blocking out sunlight into a reed pond which will absorb
from benthic plants such as the nitrates and phosphates. This is
seagrasses and may lead to usually a costly exercise to maintain
low oxygen content in the and is not often done.
water due to the action of
decomposers breaking
down the additional algae
which requires a lot of
oxygen. Decomposing algae
also imparts undesirable
odours and tastes to
drinking water.

Sediments from land erosion Causes silting of waterways Soil conservation practices can
and destruction of be used to reduce the amount of
hydroelectric equipment sediment reaching water bodies.
near dams; reduces light This includes reforestation and
reaching plants in water
sustainable agriculture
and oxygen content of
practices.
water; makes water bodies
shallower as they are now
dumped up with sediment;
changes in benthic
ecosystem.

Heavy Metals- usually from Can cause cancer, disrupts Heavy metals such as mercury,
industrial waste and urbanisation immune and endocrine which are toxic to humans, should
(batteries and electronic devices systems. be prevented from entering water
that are improperly disposed). supplies. Mercury is passed on to
humans by fish consumption being
bioaccumulated and biomagnified
up the food chain. Mercury
poisoning may result in kidney
damage, alters DNA and damages
the nervous, digestive and
reproductive systems. It may also
cause insomnia. Because such
wastes are difficult to remove from
water, preventing them from
reaching water is exceedingly
important.

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 Thermal Pollution (heated water) Reduces oxygen solubility in Usually released from industries
water; alters habitats and that use water to cool machines.
kinds of organisms present; The heated water is then released
encourages growth of some into the water body.
aquatic life, but can
decrease growth of desired
organisms such as fish.

Eutrophication
Water bodies having low levels of nutrients are said to be un-enriched or oligotrophic. These have clear
water and support small populations of aquatic organisms. Eutrophication is the enrichment (over
nourishment) of aquatic ecosystems by nutrients. These water-bodies are cloudy because of the presence
of vast numbers of algae and other organisms supported by the nutrients. Eutrophication can naturally
occur over long periods of time and is accelerated by human activities.
Eutrophication or nutrient enrichment promotes the overgrowth of algae. When the nutrients become
depleted and the algae dies it is decomposed by bacteria. During the process of decomposition oxygen is
used resulting in reduced dissolved oxygen levels to sustain aquatic life. The effect of this oxygen depletion
is made worse at night when there is no photosynthesis and therefore no oxygen production.

Sources of water pollution

Pollution is classified as point source pollution and non-point source pollution based on how the
pollutants enter the aquatic environment. Point source pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged
into the environment through pipes, sewers or ditches from specific sites e.g. factories or sewage
treatment plants.

Non-point source pollution is caused by land pollutants that enter bodies of water over large areas rather
than a single point e.g. agricultural run-off, mining wastes, construction sediments and soil erosion.

Three major sources of human-induced pollution are:

Agriculture – major source. Use of pesticides can be toxic while fertilizer run-off, animal wastes and plant
residues cause eutrophication. Soil erosion causes sediment pollution.

Municipalities (domestic activities) – Sewage is the major pollutant, also run-off from storm sewers,
streets etc., and traffic emissions.

Industries –different industries produce different types of pollutants e.g. food processing industries
produce oxygen demanding waste.

Sustainable Water Use

This involves strategies to reduce wasting water or maximising the water available.
 Conservation - including the use of technology to reduce wasting water such as drip irrigation.
 Recycling – involves cleaning and re-using waste water.
 Rainwater harvesting – collecting rain water for use reduces the strain placed on surface or ground
water resources.
 Efficient sewage treatment – a form of recycling sewage for industrial and sometimes domestic usage.
 Proper solid waste disposal – preventing and reducing the disposal of solid waste in waterways.
 Soil conservation – reduced soil erosion helps to improve water quality.
 Reduce population growth – less people reduces the need for more water.
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TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
1. Briefly outline the functions of water that make it essential to life.

2. Define the term “watershed” and discuss the importance of these areas.

3. a) Discuss the status of Jamaica’s watersheds and explain the causes and effects of watershed
destruction.

b) Discuss solutions to the problems associated with watershed destruction.

4. Describe how human-induced watershed destruction impacts the volume of water available for
human use.

5. Name three storage areas for water on earth.

6. What is:
a) an aquifer?
b) the water table?

7. Differentiate between point source and non-point sources of water pollution giving examples in your
response.

8. Describe the effect of the following water pollutants on the environment and/or human health:
(i) Organic chemicals
(ii) Inorganic chemicals and materials
(iii) Inorganic plant nutrients
(iv) Oxygen demanding waste
(v) Sediment from soil erosion
(vi) Pathogenic organisms
(vii) Thermal pollution
(viii) Heavy metals

9. Desalting seawater is an alternate source of fresh water. What are two drawbacks to widespread use
of this technique?

Originally Compiled By: Raymond Martin

First Revision Done By: Nikki Bramwell, Raymond Martin and Damian Nesbeth

Second Revision Done By: Adonna Jardine-Comrie, May 2012

Third Revision Done By: Christine O’Sullivan, December 2014
Updated By: Damian Nesbeth, August 2021