Ge10 Topic 3

GE10 : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
TOPIC 3:
WATER
RYAN LESTER MIRO VILLAHERMOSA

• What is water?
• Water resources
• Water pollution.
GEOLOGIST/INSTRUCTOR
• Water protection and
conservation.
…a transparent, odorless,
tasteless liquid, a compound of
hydrogen and oxygen, H2O,
freezing at 0°C and boiling at or
100°C, that in a more or less
impure state constitutes rain,
What is Water? oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.
It contains hydrogen (H) and
oxygen (O)that forms the
compound H2O.
Freshwater accounts for only 2.5-3.0% of the
Earth’s water, and most of it is frozen in glaciers
and ice caps. The remaining unfrozen
freshwater is mainly found as groundwater, with
only a small fraction present above ground or
in the air.
WATER CYCLE
Water Resources
• Saltwater Resources
• Groundwater Resources
• Surface Water Resources
• Precipitation
Water Resources
• Saltwater Resources
saltwater is abundant in the surface of the planet. However, saltwater is
currently not particularly useful when it comes to potable water supplies.
• Groundwater Resources
Groundwater is the most plentiful of all freshwater resources. As water percolates into
the ground through layers of soil, clay, and rock, some of it adheres to the topmost
layers to provide water to plants.
• Surface Water Resources
Surface water is the water that exists in streams and lakes. This water is primarily used
for potable water supply, recreation, irrigation, industry, livestock, transportation and
hydroelectric energy.
• Precipitation
rain, snow, dew etc. – plays the key role in renewing water resources and in defining
local climatic conditions and biodiversity. Depending on the local conditions,
precipitation may feed rivers and lakes, replenish groundwater, or return to the air by
evaporation.
Water Pollution
Water pollution is the release of substances
into bodies of water that makes water
unsafe for human use and disrupts aquatic
ecosystems.
Water pollution can be caused by a
plethora of different contaminants, including
toxic waste, petroleum, and disease-causing
microorganisms.
Causes of Water Pollution:
NATURAL HUMAN-INDUCED
• Volcanoes (Volcanic Eruption) • Sewage
• Algae Blooms • Pesticides And Fertilizers From
• Animal Wastes Farms
• Siltation (Storms and Floods) • Waste Water And Chemicals

From Factories
• Oil-spills
• Silt From Construction Sites
• Trash From People Littering
7
Water pollution can have disastrous
effects on the environment:
• Pollution in the water can reach a point where there isn't enough oxygen in the
water for the fish to breathe. The fish can actually suffocate!
• Sometimes pollution affects the entire food chain. Small fishes absorb
pollutants, such as chemicals, into their bodies. Then bigger fishes eat the
smaller fishes and get the pollutants too. Birds or other animals may eat the
bigger fishes and be harmed by the pollutants. One example of this was the
use of the insecticide (bug killer) DDT. When birds of prey ate fishes that were
infected with it, they would lay eggs with thin shells. The population of birds of
prey began to drop until DDT was banished.
• Sewage can also cause major problems in rivers. Bacteria in the water will use
oxygen to break down the sewage. If there is too much sewage, the bacteria
could use up so much oxygen that there won't be enough left for the fish.
• Water pollution from major events like acid rain or oil spills can completely
destroy marine habitats. 8
Boracay
Island
An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid

increase or accumulation of algae in
freshwater or marine water systems.
... Algal blooms are the result of a
nutrient, like nitrogen or phosphorus,
entering the aquatic system and causing
excessive growth of algae.
BORACAY ISLAND TODAY
2006 GUIMARAS
OIL SPILL
An oil spill, leakage of petroleum onto the

surface of a large body of water.
On August 11, 2006, the oil tanker M/T Solar 1, hired by
Petron Corporation, sank off the coast of Guimaras, an
island province in the Philippines, spilling more than 2.1
million liters (about 555,000 gallons) of bunker fuel.
11
Guimaras 2006 Oil Spill
9/3/20XX Presentation Title 12

ILOILO
OIL SPILL
-July 03, 2020
-Around 48,000 liters of oil
-estimate an area of
around 1,200 square
meters are affected.
-Affected Iloilo and
Guimaras Islands
-Caused by an explosion
at the power barge
owned by AC Energy.
Presentation Title
Water
Water resources face a lot of
Protection and serious threats, all caused
Conservation. primarily by human activity.
14
How can human actions seriously affect water resources?
• If inadequately managed, activities like farming, forest-clearing, road-building, and

mining can lead to too much soil and suspended particles ending up in rivers
(sedimentation). This damages aquatic ecosystems, impairs water quality and
hinders inland shipping.
• Pollution can harm water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Major pollutants
include for instance organic matter and disease causing organisms from waste
water discharges, fertilizers and pesticides running off from agricultural lands.
• Acid rain resulting from air pollution, and heavy metals released by mining and
industrial activities.
• The effects of extracting too much water, both from surface waters and
groundwater, have been dramatic. A striking example is the drastic reduction in
size of the Aral Sea and Lake Chad. Little is being done to address the causes,
which include poor water management practices and deforestation.
15
How could water resources be developed sustainably?
Using water resources sustainably is challenging because of the many factors involved, including
changes in climate, the natural variability of the resource, as well as pressures due to human activity.
• When managing water resources, more attention should be paid to increasing
existing natural resources and reducing demand and losses.
• To augment water supply, traditional techniques – such as rainwater collection –
are now being supplemented by newer technologies like desalination and water
reuse.
• Political support is needed to improve information collection that can in turn
enable better decision making about the management and use of water.
• Prevention: No discharge of waste, pollutants or untreated water from domestic,

industrial or agricultural use; optimised water use and practices in agriculture in
order to stop nutrients from entering aquatic systems (e.g. establishing buffer zones).
• Treatment: treatment of polluted water prior to discharge; stormwater
management: ensuring that run-off cannot transport pollutants into water bodies.
• Restore ecosystems: Enable or support natural rehabilitation processes.
In the PHILIPPINES…
REPUBLIC ACT 9275: THE PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER ACT
The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 aims to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution from land-
based sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture and community/household activities).
The Act prohibits the following:

-Discharging or depositing any water pollutant to the water body.
-Discharging, injecting or allowing to enter into the soil, anything that would pollute
groundwater
-Operating facilities that discharge regulated water pollutants without the valid required
permits
-Disposal of potentially infectious medical waste into sea by vessels
-Unauthorized transport or dumping into waters or sewage sludge or solid waste
Transport, dumping or discharge of prohibited chemicals, substances or pollutants listed
under Toxic Chemicals, Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act (Republic Act No.
6969)
-Discharging regulated water pollutants without the valid required discharge permit
pursuant to this Act
17
References:
• https://sswm.info/arctic-wash/module-4-
technology/further-resources-water-
sources/water-source-protection
• http://www.wepa-
db.net/policies/law/philippines/pd9275.
htm
• https://doh.gov.ph/faqs/What-are-
covered-by-the-Clean-Air-Act
• https://www3.epa.gov/region1/airqualit
y/reducepollution.html

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GE10 : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

RYAN LESTER MIRO VILLAHERMOSA

• Siltation (Storms and Floods) • Waste Water And Chemicals

An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid

An oil spill, leakage of petroleum onto the

9/3/20XX Presentation Title 12

• If inadequately managed, activities like farming, forest-clearing, road-building, and

• Prevention: No discharge of waste, pollutants or untreated water from domestic,

The Act prohibits the following:

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