EARTHS WATER RESOURCES EARTHS WATER RESOURCES EARTHS WATER

EARTH’S WATER RESOURCES

EARTH’S WATER RESOURCES

EARTH’S WATER RESOURCES

EARTH’S WATER RESOURCES

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA • One of fastest growing major cities in the United States (entire developed world) • Las Vegas - located in center of Vegas Valley (desert region) • Surrounded by Sierra Nevada and Spring Mountains • Hot, windy & dry (38°C) • Mountains act as barrier from moisture from Pacific • Dry (114 mm of precipitation in a year 216 clear days)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA • Vegas has enough natural water (artesian spring) for 350, 000 people • Population is 1. 95 million • 88% of Las Vegas water comes from Lake Mead (at 43% capacity) • Las Vegas will need to pump in water from other sources by 2010 -11 water crisis US • Lake Mead may be completed dry in 20 years Las Vegas grass

WORLD WATER RESOURCES • Earth has 1376 million km 3 • 97. 4% in Oceans (1340. 74 km 3) • 2. 6% fresh water (36. 26 km 3) • water

FRESH WATER RESOURCES • 1. 8% glaciers & permanent snow cover (24. 87 km 3) • 0. 8% in ground water and permafrost (10. 85 km 3) • 0. 007% lakes, rivers & bogs (1. 10 km 3) • 0. 00072% H 2 O in atmosphere (0. 01 km 3)

FRESH WATER RESOURCES • Under ideal circumstances there is enough fresh water on the earth to support 20 billion • Except 1) most F. W. exists in inaccessible forms (polar glaciers & permafrost and vapour 2) Large reserves not available where demand for water is greatest (e. g. Canada - 60% of rivers drain north away from 90% of population

FRESH WATER RESOURCES 3) Water pollution - 100 s of millions of people forced to rely on unsafe water • 2. 8 billion (40% of world) live with some shortage of fresh water • 1. 2 billion - severe water shortage • 1. 6 billion live in economic water shortage • global

• • India Pakistan war India/China Conflict The Nile

FRESH WATER RESOURCES • Some improvements since 1990 but still 1 billion people have no access to safe drinking water (1. 6 billion have gained access)

Fresh Water Resources • Water use has more than 2 x the rate of pop for past century • Water scarcity occurs when 75% of river flows are withdrawn • 2. 5 billion people living without proper sanitation (1 billion in Asia and 1/2 billion Sub. Saharan Africa

Fresh Water Resources • Water use has more than 2 x the rate of pop for past century • Water scarcity occurs when 75% of river flows are withdrawn • 2. 5 billion people living without proper sanitation (1 billion in Asia and 1/2 billion Sub-Saharan Africa)

Fresh Water Resources • 70% of pop without proper sanitation live in rural areas • In sub-Sahara Africa (21 countries) - 16% of poor and 79% of rich have access to sanitation

Fresh Water Resources • 70% of pop without proper sanitation live in rural areas • In sub-Sahara Africa (21 countries) - 16% of poor and 79% of rich have access to sanitation

Millennium Development Goals Part of MDG’s to end poverty by 2015 • Goal #7 - Environmental Sustainability • Target #3 - Halve the proportion of world population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

Millennium Development Goals • Diarrhea - 4 billion cases per year - 1. 5 million deaths (most children under age of 5) - 88% of cases due to unsafe water, poor sanitation • Trachoma - 5 million people visually impaired - infection rate could by 27% with improve water • MDG 7

Millennium Development Goals • Schistosomiasis - 200 million infected - could be by 77% improved water and sanitation • Intestinal worms - infect 1/3 of world pop - undernutrition caused by infections can lead to cognitive impairment, anemia or massive dysentery

Top Ten Sources of Fresh Water Percentage of World Total Brazil - 14. 9% Russia - 8. 1% Canada - 6% United States - 5. 6% Indonesia - 5. 1% China - 5. 1% Colombia - 3. 9% Peru - 3. 5% India - 3. 5% DRC - 2. 3%

• Nile