Water Crisis by Water Drops From Heaven Australia:
30 Amazing Facts About Water Pollution
Water pollution is the second most imperative environmental concern along with air pollution. It occurs when pollutants (particles, chemicals or substances that make water contaminated) are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without enough treatment to get rid of harmful compounds.
Water is, perhaps, the most precious resource available on the planet. For a large amount of life to exist on Earth, access to fresh water is crucial. Despite the fact that water comprises more than 70 percent of the planet’s surface, only about 2.5 percent of this water can be qualified as “fresh.”
Water pollution has become a growing concern over the last decade as more and more waste is being disposed of in our oceans, rivers and lakes. Water pollution has adverse consequences for all life forms. The disposal of sewage and domestic garbage in rivers, lakes and oceans is harming aquatic life and causing water borne diseases.
Frequent oil spills in oceans kills thousands of birds and fishes every year.
Lack of proper treatment facilities and negligence of human beings have made water resources harmful for our use….
Here are 30 amazing facts about water pollution that might impress you:
Fact 1 : About two million tons of sewage is dumped into the world’s water bodies daily. Annually, 14 billion pounds of garbage containing mostly plastic is thrown into the world’s oceans, causing large-scale destruction of marine life.
Fact 2 : Aquatic animals have faced an estimated extinction rate five times more than that of terrestrial animals.
Fact 3 : At least 70% of lakes and rivers in China are polluted, and more than half are too polluted for human use. The Yangtze River, China’s largest and the world’s third-largest river, is inundated with approximately 25 billion tons of sewage and industrial refuge.
Fact 4 : Water pollution kills around 10,000 people around the world every day – that’s 3.6 million people every year…
Fact 5 : At least 320 million people in China do not have access to clean drinking water.
Fact 6 : 14 billion pounds of garbage mostly plastic, is dumped into the ocean every year.
Fact 7 : The Ganges river in India is one of the most polluted in the world. It contains sewage, trash, food, and animal remains.
Fact 8 : 1.3 million gallons of oil is spilled into the ocean every year;
Fact 9 : Only 12% of oil that is leaked into the ocean is the result of spills – the rest comes from land
Fact 10 : 80% of the water pollution is caused due to domestic sewage like throwing garbage on open ground and water bodies.
Fact 11 : Asia has a maximum numbers of polluted rivers than anywhere else in the world. Most of it contains bacteria created from human waste.
Fact 12 : About 700 million people worldwide drink contaminated water.
Fact 13 : Aquatic animals have faced an estimated extinction rate five times more than that of terrestrial animals.
Fact 14 : There are more micro-plastics in our oceans than stars in the Milky Way.
Fact 15 : 1% of the plastic we use in our daily lives – the equivalent to 700 billion plastic bottles – ends up in the Oceans.
Fact 16 : The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a continent made from plastic trash, is thought to be 386,000 square miles, an area bigger than Texas !
Fact 17 : 50% of all sea turtles, 44% of all seabirds, 22% of all cetaceans, and a long list of fish species have already eaten plastics…
Fact 18 : Plastics and water pollution kill more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year.
Fact 19 : About 10% of America’s beaches fail to meet the federal benchmark for what constitutes safe swimming water.
Fact 20 : In the United States there are thought to be over 20,000 known abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and these sites could contaminate the groundwater if there is a leak.
Fact 21 : Every year, more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war.
Fact 22 : Currently, about 40% of the world’s population is facing water scarcity and 1.7 billion are living in river basins where water usage exceeds renewal. Without immediate action, by 2025 half of the world’s population will be experiencing a water shortage, and by 2050 one in four people will be living in a country with an insufficient fresh water supply.
Fact 23 : There are 400 known ‘dead zones’, or areas deprived of oxygen and devoid of life (area between 1 and 70,000 km²) in the world Ocean: this number has doubled every decade since 1960.
Fact 24 : One in 20 adults bathing in water deemed officially “acceptable” (according to current microbial standards) will become ill after a single marine bathing exposure.
Fact 25 : Eating infected shellfish causes 50,000 to 100,000 deaths every year.
Fact 26 : An estimated 1000 children die every day in India due to polluted water.
Fact 27 : Each year 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm-water, and industrial waste are dumped into U.S. waters.
Fact 28 : Cruise ships are also a major source of water pollution. They produce over 200,000 gallons of sewage which is mostly released in the ocean. Apart from that, they are also causing at least 35,000 gallons of water contamination due to the oil spill.
Fact 29 : 20% of the groundwater in China is used as drinking water which is highly contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals which cause high levels of water pollution.
Fact 30 : In America 40% of rivers and 46% of the lakes are polluted and unsuitable for swimming, fishing or any other activity.
How Much Does It Cost to Transport Drinking Water?
Water is essential for maintaining the health and economic stability of communities worldwide. Although water covers 70% of Earth, safe drinking water is rare. Just 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is trapped in glaciers or other inaccessible locations.
We need to combat global water scarcity by reducing reliance on conventional water resources and minimizing the use of plastic bottles, which take three times as much water to make as they do to fill. Transporting water leaves a large carbon footprint and increases the cost for consumers.
How much does it cost to transport water and how much could you or your business save by switching to more sustainable methods of producing drinkable water?
How Is Water Transported?
Most homes and businesses in populated Western societies pay a monthly or quarterly fee to be supplied with water for sanitation and drinking. Water companies collect water from local reservoirs, rivers and lakes and transport it to treatment plants via underground pipes. At the plant, the water is filtered and chlorinated to make it safe to bathe in and drink. In some areas, fluoride may be added to improve dental health. The clean water is then pumped along pipes to homes and businesses.
Many families and business owners prefer to buy bottled water because they prefer the taste and are reassured by the rigorous filtration process it undergoes. Bottled water may also be used where there is no easy access to tap water — such as at large-scale outdoor events. According to figures released by the United Nations (UN), there are 400 million tonnes of plastic waste produced globally every year, 36% of which is single-use plastic such as water bottles. In some areas — like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and more specifically Dubai — the trend for buying bottled water is especially high.
Bottled water is often imported from other countries. Evian, for example, is owned by the French multinational Danone and comes from “the pristine peaks of the French Alps”. Over one-fifth of water sold in the UK comes from abroad. Distributing water from one country to another adds considerably to the cost of transportation.
How Much Does It Cost to Transport Water?
When calculating the cost of transporting tap water from the source to your home or business, there is a long list of outgoings to take into consideration. This includes — but is not limited to — pipe installation and maintenance, building treatment plants, staffing plants and caring for the water source (e.g. reservoirs, lakes and rivers).
Bottled water costs even more to transport. Before your bottle of Evian or Aqua Pura arrives at the office, it has to be packaged, loaded and transported — often between countries. This incurs fuel, staffing and production costs.
Monetary costs aside, transporting billions of single-use water bottles annually carries a significant cost to the health of our planet and the societies we live in. According to Peter Gleick — author of “Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with bottled water” and president of the US-based Pacific Institute — “The problems of waste, inequity, high economic costs and impacts on local water resources are intrinsic to the entire industry.”
How to Reduce the Cost of Water Transportation
Businesses and homeowners can take advantage of modern technologies to reduce the cost of water transportation, both in terms of their bank balance and the eco-footprint they leave behind.
Atmospheric water generators create clean, safe and tasty water at the point of consumption by harnessing the humidity in the air. There is always some water in the air, regardless of the climate you live or work in. AWG machines eliminate the need for plastic bottles as well as the large-scale transportation required to distribute bottled water. The water produced is six times more cost-effective than bottled water. If you’re conscious about sustainability, responsible when it comes to the environment and keen to cut the cost of providing clean water to your families or employees, our atmospheric water machines are the solution.
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