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.

Industrial Use – as raw material; washing and cooling
Agricultural Use – irrigation (70% of water used worldwide)
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 1.2 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.

• 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.
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• Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region.

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.

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.

Sources of water pollution

Pollution is classified as point source pollution and non-point source pollution. 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

• Conservation (including the use of technological devices)
• Recycling
• Rainwater harvesting
• Efficient sewage treatment
• Proper solid waste disposal
• Soil conservation
• Reduce population growth

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WATER POLLUTION AND ITS EFFECTS

Pollutant Effects Comment

Oxygen demanding wastes (sewage, Increase in biological oxygen If adequate oxygen is available, these
decaying plants, animal manures, demand of water which may substances can be degraded by
wastes from food processing plants, cause aquatic organisms to microorganisms usually present in
oil refineries, and leather, paper, and suffocate if they are not able water. If oxygen becomes depleted,
textile plants) to migrate to another location. decomposition is limited 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 who Most bacteria are well controlled in
drink the water e.g. cholera, public drinking water, but certain
botulism, dysentery, hepatitis viruses, especially those that cause
A, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, still cause human disease.
fasciolopsiasis More effective means of removing
viruses during purification are needed.

Inorganic chemicals and minerals Increase the salinity and Such chemicals should be removed
acidity of water and render it during waste treatment.
toxic

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

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 Pollutant Effects Comment
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 quaternary
primarily algae. Algae may water treatment where nutrient-
cover the surface of water containing waters are led into a reed
bodies blocking out sunlight pond which will absorb the nitrates and
from benthic plants such as phosphates. This is usually a costly
seagrasses and may lead to exercise to maintain and is not often
low oxygen content in the 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 be
and destruction of used to reduce the amount of
hydroelectric equipment near sediment reaching water bodies.
dams; reduces light reaching This includes reforestation and
plants in water and oxygen
sustainable agriculture practices.
content of water; makes water
bodies shallower as they are
now dumped up with
sediment; changes in benthic
ecosystem.

Heavy Metals Can cause cancer, disrupts Heavy metals such as mercury, which
immune and endocrine are toxic to humans, should be
system. prevented from entering water
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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 Pollutant Effects Comment
Thermal Pollution (heated water) Reduces oxygen solubility in Usually released from industries that
water; alters habitats and use water to cool machines. The heated
kinds of organisms present; water is then released into the water
encourages growth of some body.
aquatic life, but can decrease
growth of desired organisms
such as fish.

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
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Updated By: Adonna Jardine-Comrie, August 2017