Water for Sustainable World

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Water resources are sources of water that are useful of potentially useful to humans. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational & environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require freshwater.

97% of water on the earth is salt water. Remaining 3% exists as fresh water of which slightly over two third is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. Unfrozen fresh water is mainly found as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground (surface water etc.) or as atmospheric water vapor.

Freshwater is a renewable resource, yet the world’s supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world purely because the world population continues to rise, so too does the water demand.

In this context it is important to use water in a wise way =  sustainable use


Sustainable use of water

The use of  water that  supports the ability of human society to endure and flourish into the indefinite future without undermining the integrity of the hydrological cycle or the ecological systems that depend on it. But to practice this concept there are lots of challenges.



Challenges to sustainable use of water

1. Water pollution

  • Water pollution linked to unregulated industrial and commercial activities.
  • Sewage discharge.
  • Agricultural activities (agrochemical use) as point or non-point sources.

2. Sedimentation

  • Increasing human-induced erosion due to land use changes and deforestation.
  • Affects dams and reservoirs, degrades water quality, and leads to high maintenance costs.

3. Alternation to aquatic ecosystems

Filling up and fragmentation of wetlands interrupt ecosystem services such as flood control and ground water recharge.

4. Unsustainable management of aquifers

Unsustainable abstraction of groundwater, salt water intrusion and contamination of groundwater resources can have deleterious impact.

5. Unsafe water and environmental sanitation conditions

6. Weak institutions and low level of supports

Limit agency and societal responses to the identified challenges.

7. Limited control and monitoring networks

Even though there are policies and regulations their efficient implementation poorly monitored.

8. Critical risk factors

Extreme hydrologic events linked to climate variability and change, particularly in terms of the more frequent, longer in duration, and more intense flood and extensive droughts.


Goals for planning –sustainable water use

1. A basic water requirement should be guaranteed to all humans to maintain human health.

2. A basic water requirement should be guaranteed to restore and maintain the healthy functioning of ecosystems.

3. Water quality should be maintained to meet certain minimum standards. These standards should vary depending on location and how the water is to be used.

4. Human actions should not be allowed to impair the long-term renewability of fresh water resources.

5. Data and information on water resources availability, use and quality should be collected to periodically and made accessible all stakeholders.

6. Institutional mechanisms should be developed to prevent and resolve conflicts over water.

7. Decision making and planning procedures in water sector should be democratic.


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