Many countries have already reached their ultimate water use capacity. According to the calculations of UN experts, if nothing is done, then almost 5 billion people (about 67% of the world's population) will remain without satisfactorily purified water by 2030. The lack of water in desert and semi-desert regions will cause intensive migration of the population. Between 24 million and 700 million people are expected to leave their homes due to water shortages.

Among the key problems facing humanity in the 21st century, the scarcity of energy and drinking water stands out. It is curious that this problematic "tandem" is spontaneously realized and reflected even in natural language: only two fluids of planet Earth are endowed with the attributes of jewels and are metaphorically equated to the "sacred metal" - oil as "black" and water as "blue gold" (the latter is rare in Russian, but, for example, in English and Spanish - respectively, blue gold, oro azul- constantly).

I did not use the term "tandem" for the sake of a catchphrase, energy and water are really paired problems: energy production requires a lot of water resources. For example, France has 75% of its energy - nuclear origin, but in turn, 60% of the country's water resources are used to maintain reactors.

The energy problem is on everyone's lips: the crisis and the end of the oil era, the need for a new alternative clean energy are broadcast from almost every iron. But not every faucet in the bathroom can tell about the second problem, about water.

The twentieth century was a breakthrough in terms of hydro infrastructure. Just look at the rate of reservoir construction over the past 65 years: two reservoirs were put into operation every day during this period of time, and their total number on the planet increased from 5,000 in 1950 to 55,000 in 2014. Technologies for the extraction, delivery and storage of drinking water have improved. However, it cannot be ruled out that in the second half of this century, the problem of large-scale synthesis water. And so far we are only on the way to solving it.

"Drinking Poverty" or Don't Sing in the Shower

In recent decades, we have seen a trade frenzy around drinking water, many corporations, especially those related to agricultural production, encroach on fresh water sources, trying to privatize them, turn water into a commodity. This is especially true for the countries of Latin America, where, in the literal sense of the word, battles are unfolding between ordinary local residents and corporations for the right to access drinking water. In some countries, the right to access water sources is spelled out in the Basic Law. For example, in 2012, Mexico even underwent a constitutional reform, as a result of which the right to water was qualified as universal. All this is happening against the background of an objective global shortage of fresh water.

The world leader among the "hydraulic" - Brazil. Here flows the most water-bearing river in the world - the Amazon (pictured). The basin area of ​​this waterway with two hundred tributaries is almost equal to the area of ​​Australia. The Amazon basin contains a fifth of all river waters planets. Brazil is not deprived of groundwater reserves - on its territory there is a large part of the Guarani aquifer - the second largest in the world.
In general, the global top ten countries - owners of the most significant (renewable) water resources are as follows: 1. Brazil (8233 km³); 2. Russia (4508 km³); 3. USA (3069 km³); 4. Canada (2902 km³); 5. China (2840 km³); 6. Colombia (2132 km³); 7. Indonesia (2019 km³); 8. Peru (1913 km³); 9. India (1911 km³); 10. Venezuela (1320 km³). According to other estimates, the tenth place in the top is occupied by the Republic of the Congo - 1283 km³.

Let's take a look at the global water map. The arithmetic here is simple and not very comforting. The total volume of the planet's water resources is approximately 1.4 billion cubic kilometers. Of these, only 2.5%, that is, about 35 million km³, is fresh water. And this is still an optimistic estimate, some researchers reduce this indicator up to 1%, reasonably appealing to the fact that it is "floating", dynamic, depending on the climate and average temperature of the global year, the intensity of the "world rain", etc.

Almost 70% of this amount of fresh water is conserved in the glaciers and ice of Antarctica and the Arctic and de facto remains inaccessible. A third is underground (the so-called "paleovod" is a very interesting phenomenon, which we will consider below) and only 0.3% is in direct ground access (rivers, lakes, springs, etc.). It would be naive to believe that a person, as an organism, with his daily thirst, is the main consumer of fresh water. No, the bulk is "consumed" by agriculture (about 58%), followed immediately by the "thirst" for industry (34%), and only a little less than a tenth is spent on meeting our needs. These 8% flow in taps, "watered" in bottled packaging world trade, go to municipal and city needs, etc. At the same time, the level of water consumption is constantly growing: since 1950, the total volume of water consumption by mankind has tripled and reached 4300 km³ per year, and the available volume of water resources per capita of the global population has decreased over 50 years from 15 thousand cubic meters to five thousand. Thus, with a more or less constant absolute volume of the Earth's water component, there is an increase in the “noospheric” load.

How much water is consumed for a glass of tea? The question seems silly: a glass is consumed, isn't it? But the obvious answer is often wrong. The tea bush must be watered, the engines of the harvesting equipment and the transport transporting the product must be cooled, water is also used in the production of packaging. As a result, according to rough estimates, the indirect costs of water for the production of a glass of tea with a volume of 250 ml is 30 liters. And these are still flowers in comparison, for example, with a cup of coffee with a volume of 125 ml - it takes about 140 liters of water. But even this is a trifle in comparison with beef: the production of one kilogram of this beloved protein source is spent - attention - fifteen and a half thousand liters of water.

Some countries are striving to implement water saving policies in order to reduce water consumption. Sometimes it comes to curious cases. A few years ago, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was still alive, the Latin American media, and not only them, for several weeks "sucked" the news of how he once addressed in his weekly speech to the inhabitants of Caracas with a request to sing less while taking a shower. ... Although Venezuela is one of the ten countries with the largest reserves of fresh water, its capital, like many megacities, is experiencing a colossal shortage of fresh water. Sociologists have conducted a study and found that many Venezuelans have a habit of singing while washing, which increases water consumption. Chavez, considering such waste unacceptable, urged citizens to try to exclude this "cultural component" from the practice of everyday water procedures.

In the United Arab Emirates, where water scarcity is also constantly increasing and, literally, every drop counts, they also came up with an interesting way to save precious moisture. Two businessman-inventors set up a car wash company and named it WaterWise... Their innovation lies in the fact that on WaterWise cars are washed without water. Instead of the traditional liquid, tree sap extract is used in car washes. Many car owners refuse this method of washing, fearing that the bioenzyme with a washing effect contained in the extract can have a destructive effect on the metal body of the car. But the project has been operating for two years, and its creators are now working to expand the implementation of their technology, switching from cars to washing skyscrapers.

In the press, and not only, you can often come across a curious term - drinking poverty or hydro-poverty. We are used to associating poverty with hunger, but this is only part of the problem. Poverty is also thirst, or rather, its insatiability.

The UN has developed and actively uses the Drinking Poverty Index (as part of the Multidimensional Poverty Index or Multidimensional Deprivation Index; see http://www.un.org/ru/development/hdr/2010/hdr_2010_technotes.pdf). According to UNESCO, 1.2 billion people in the world live in areas with limited access to water, and more than 800 million are chronically thirsty. Arid regions suffer the most from water scarcity, in particular, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, North China, the western states of the United States, part of Mexico and Central America, etc. There are also global imbalances. For example, in industrialized countries, the individual consumption rate of fresh water varies from 100 to 176 gallons (a gallon is approximately 4 liters depending on the state), while in African countries it is only 2-3 gallons. Somewhere in Nairobi, a consumer pays ten times more per liter of water than, say, in New York. Poetically speaking, some drink their own tears, while others take baths with their drinking water... But this is the lyrics. The statistics are much tougher and more pragmatic. The absence or lack of drinking water in the world is causing the death of more people than wars and local armed conflicts. Every year, about two million people die of thirst ... According to Bloomberg estimates published in 2013, by the end of the first quarter of this century, two-thirds of humanity, and this is projected to be 5.3 billion people, will find themselves in a situation of water shortages. Are we already waiting for a war not for black, but for blue "gold"?

The circle of water problems attracts the attention of the world community. Since 1997, the so-called "World Water Forum" has been held regularly, with an interval of three years. Recently, in October 2015, the Our Ocean forum was held in the Chilean city of Valparaiso. Officials made speeches, made reports ... But, by and large, all these international conferences remain a voice crying in the wilderness ...

Alternative hydraulic sources: desired versus real

Now it is fashionable to talk a lot about alternative sources energy. And not only to say - alternative energy is actually developing quite actively. But can we talk about alternative water sources? This is a big and urgent question. In addition to water extraction, two areas are massively used in the world - desalination and reuse (purification of already used water). The first way is very energy intensive and quite expensive. For example, Saudi Arabia is water-self-sufficient by desalination. But how much black gold does she spend to get blue gold? The question is not rhetorical, but quite specific: every day the Saudis produce 5.5 million cubic meters of drinking water and spend 350 thousand barrels of oil on this luxury ... Let's say Saudi Arabia can afford it. But in the whole world, one and a half percent of drinking water is produced with the help of desalination. And even though production costs have halved over the past fifteen years with the same productivity gains, not all countries can afford this luxury.

Another source is reuse Wastewater... This technology was developed and began to be actively used by a number of countries since 1997. Previously, there were technologies for partial water purification, but the potential for purification to the level of drinking progress reached only by the turn of the century. Before that, the degree of purification was sufficient to meet the needs Agriculture and forestry. The world's most powerful hydrotreating plant was installed in 2008 in California, which regularly suffers from chronic drought. The plant's capacity is sufficient to produce 265 million liters of drinking water per day and provide it to half a million people. But the cost of such a project speaks, as they say, for itself. In terms of euros, its construction cost 384 million, and the annual maintenance is 21 million. Will even small countries bear such a financial burden? But this is already a rhetorical question. Israel is the world leader in water purification. Here 70% of dirty waters are purified, and in Tel Aviv, everything is 100%. But this water goes for municipal and agricultural needs, and not for household taps, although sanitary standards the water is drinkable. This problem has an important psychological aspect. So, not everyone is ready to drink previously used water. For example, in 2004, residents of the small Australian town of Toowoomba held a referendum and decided to refuse the use of purified water as drinking water ...

Public opinion research in the same California about drinking purified water, which turned out to be generally impartial, led the American bioethist Arthur Kaplan from the University of Pennsylvania to the discovery of one psychological phenomenon, namely the "fu-factor" (in English - "yuck factor", in Spanish - "factor puaj"). In his opinion, "fu-factor" refers to the phenomenon when the prevailing cultural and mental stereotypes and reflexes prevent the adoption and use of new scientific achievements and technologies. All studies showed that the water was safe to drink, but people refused to drink it due to the fact that it was processed. So cultural inertia got in the way of progress ...

Why is there a "fu-factor" ... A simple financial factor stands in the way of water filtration. Even seven years ago, the average cost of wastewater treatment was € 0.35 / m³. At present, the cost of the technology has been somewhat reduced, but still remains expensive. Although in absolute terms, the progress of filtration of dirty water is evident. If in 2005 the world's wastewater treatment capacity was about 20 million m³ per day, then ten years later they reached the volume of 55 million cubic meters per day.

Other alternative technologies are being developed, for example in Chile. Here, the resource of air humidity is used and the fog condensate is collected. Special water collectors are installed in the desert. They were given the poetic name "Moisture Catchers". Since 2013, for example, Ecuador has been using this technology. To the north of the capital, Quito, six such collectors have been installed, each panel measuring 12 square meters. This, of course, is an interesting method, but it is unlikely that it will help solve the problem on a global scale ... After all, each such installation is capable of "capturing" from 120 to 160 liters of water per day. For a small village it is quite suitable, but on the scale of a metropolis, as they say, a drop in the bucket.

Another Latin American country, Mexico, has invented "hard water" that can solve the problem of drought. An invention by National Polytechnic researcher Sergio Jesus Rico could revolutionize land reclamation. He invented a polymer, the granules of which, being buried in the ground, upon contact with water (rain) transform into a gel that retains liquid. The Mexican conceived the polymer could be used to feed plants in arid regions. When there is no water for a long time, the gel again turns into granules with the release of water. The transformation cycle can last up to 10 years. The product does not pollute the soil and, possibly, could become a source of moisture for thousands of hectares of crops in low-moisture places. In 2012, Rico was nominated for the World Water Prize by the International Water Institute in Stockholm. But this, of course, is more of an agricultural invention, and a solution to the problem of drinking water shortage will still have to be looked for.

Another interesting experience, akin to the Chilean and Ecuadorian experiments, is practiced in Australia: the scientist Max Whisson decided to create an apparatus that produces water ... from the air and even from the wind. When in 2007 the press got information about such a device, as soon as the journalists didn’t sophisticated in coming up with catchy headlines: “Now water made from air will pour into your soul”, “Water from nothing”, “Moisture from emptiness” and others. Wisson proceeded from the hypothesis that in the air "dissolved" great amount water "transported" by the wind. It is only necessary to come up with a special device, similar to the "wind turbines" widespread in the world for generating electricity. The versatility of this potential water source is remarkable. The Australian, relying on the fact that water, rising from the surface of the ocean, is unevenly distributed in the air at an altitude of 100 kilometers, decided that it would be possible to look for it both in the skies over the Sahara and over tropical zones, there is no fundamental difference. The principle of operation is similar to the collection of condensate under the air conditioner or in the sump of the refrigerator - air cooling. Wisson envisioned a windmill with aerodynamic blades and Aeolian turbines that would collect air and cool it on itself, and the water would be decanted into drainage basins installed below. The Australian's design concept was also innovative because it was a "clean" technology without the use of electricity. Wind energy would be enough for the device to function. Moreover, such a device could operate in a two-in-one mode, that is, in addition to producing water, it could be used as a traditional wind turbine-electric generator. But this is all in theory. What happened in practice? The first draft version of the Wind-Water mill was created in 1997. Its capacity was 70-120 liters per day. Wisson faced a wave of skepticism, but did not fold his arms. In 2010, he created a more powerful prototype capable of generating up to a thousand liters per day. But until now, this invention exists only in the format of a sample and has not been put into industrial production.

In the poorest regions of African countries, where residents are forced to transport, and often carry, literally, on themselves, heavy containers of water, an interesting invention has recently been gaining popularity - a huge can in the form of a wheel or a roller (trade marks Q Drum, Wello waterwheel). It holds up to 90 liters and is relatively easy to roll. But this, of course, is an invention that is called with tears in our eyes: it does not solve the problem of water shortage, it only slightly facilitates the delivery of water to where it is lacking.

Unfortunately, so far it can be stated that the search for innovative ways to save and extract water is not able to solve the problem of the growing global thirst of mankind. These are all measures of local application and, in general, of limited effect. It is difficult to say how these areas will develop. Therefore, it is logical to move on to what we have now.

How much is a bottle of "paleovoda"?

Have you ever wondered about the origin of its contents when buying a bottle of soda that easily sweats in the heat in the supermarket on a hot summer day? I do not exclude the possibility that if Rospotrebnadzor had introduced the corresponding norm, then the label would have written: "Paleovoda". What is "paleovoda"? These are non-renewable underground water sources that originated in the most ancient climatic conditions... When we say the phrase "minerals", the average person in the brain has images of rare metals, precious and not only stones, gas and oil. But perhaps the most useful mineral is plain drinking water. The term paleovod is the most exotic one available to denote this natural phenomenon. The terms "aquifers", "strata", "lenses", "ground waters", "veins", "aquifers" are often used. Due to the fact that the ices of the Earth's poles are not used as a source of fresh water and, in addition, have a difficult international legal status, the “paleovod” turns out to be the dominant open and accessible source of water on Earth.

Groundwater aquifers contain 96% of the available fresh water on our planet. The rest comes from land-based sources - rivers, lakes, etc. Thus, it is true that buying a bottle of soda in a store, you "risk" with a high probability of satisfying your thirst with a "paleovod". It covers 70% of the needs for the life-giving moisture of the European Union, and the dependence of many countries, especially in arid regions such as Spain, South Africa, Tunisia, India, on groundwater ranges from 80 to 90%. Currently, about three hundred such underground sources have been explored in the world, and their exploration continues to this day.

The richest region in terms of the number of underground water lenses is Europe, there are about one hundred and fifty of them, followed by two Americas (68 "horizons"), 38 of them have been found in Africa, and so far only twelve in Asia. There is also a political aspect to the problem of extraction of paleowaters: the overwhelming majority of underground basins are located on the territory of several countries at once, which is why there are continuous interstate disputes. There is even a hypothesis that one of the motives of the so-called "Arab Spring" was the redistribution of rights to extract "blue gold" from the Nubian sandstone, most of which is located in Libya and Egypt.

A special place among the underground reservoirs of paleovods is occupied by the four largest: the Great Artesian Basin in Australia, the Guarani aquifer in South America, the West Siberian artesian basin in Russia and the very African Nubian sandstone. Least of all is written in Russian about the Latin American aquifer lens, therefore below we will write a little more about it.

Aquifer Guarani

The Guarani aquifer belongs to the class of transboundary and is located on the territory of four South American states - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

There are practically no disputes over the exploitation of groundwater between these states, because all four countries are united in the South American Common Market (MERCOSUR), the legal documents of which quite effectively regulate the rights and responsibilities of each of the states, including in terms of water production (as opposed to the same Nubian sandstone, on a general policy for the use of which the countries of North Africa have not yet been able to agree). The name of the aquifer comes from a group of Guarani Indian peoples living on the territory of the aforementioned states, mainly in Paraguay. The volume of the Guarani aquifer is enormous - 45 thousand km³. It is estimated that this water will be enough to water humanity for two hundred years, even taking into account the demographic growth. The aquifer area is just as impressive - about 1,180 thousand km2, most of it is located in Brazil (840 thousand km . km²). This global blue gold mine is home to just over 30 million people: 25 million Brazilians, nearly three million Argentines, two million Paraguayans and just over five hundred thousand Uruguayans. The depth of Guarani ranges from 70 to 1140 meters (minimum and maximum recorded in Brazil). The South American lens formed, according to geologists, approximately 144 million years ago. The lion's share of consumption falls, naturally, in Brazil, where the inhabitants of about five hundred cities and rural settlements use the waters of the Guarani. There are about 130 wells and wells in Uruguay, and about two hundred in Paraguay. All of them are in state or municipal ownership, and any attempts to privatize them are met with hot opposition from the local population. As hot as Guarani water itself. When mined, its temperature can reach 65 degrees Celsius. This is, in general terms, a portrait of a paleovod in South America.

It all ends. But not for everyone at once

The total reserves of groundwater are about 60 million km³. This is about 2% of all water on Earth. A large part of them are in fresh aquifers. And if the Guarani aquifer alone can feed mankind with water for 200 years, it would seem that there is nothing to worry about. However, not everything is rosy. Firstly, water occurs at different depths, and as the surface horizons are depleted, its extraction will become more difficult and expensive. Secondly, mining itself has the effect of deteriorating the quality of underground aquifers. The water level in them is gradually decreasing. This will make it harder to get to over time, but this is not the worst: when the water level drops in the coastal underground lenses, the ocean seeps into them. salty water, making the paleovod undrinkable. Finally, albeit in a very distant future, even these reserves are objectively exhaustible. This means that sooner or later mankind will be forced to either switch to using polar ice, either to the desalination of ocean waters, or it will come face to face with the problem of drinking water synthesis. When this will happen is an open question. One thing is for sure: under the existing world political and economic system, the transformation of such a vital resource as water into an acutely scarce resource, the extraction or production of which will require considerable investments and advanced technologies - whenever this happens - will make the less developed countries even more dependent on more developed than it is observed today, and many of today's densely populated spaces - will turn into a lifeless desert.

Notes (edit)

1. In a similar way, in the early 1980s, the Soviet satirical magazine Krokodil made fun of how in Israel either environmental organizations or some of the officials once called on the spouses to take a shower together - with the aim, again, to save fresh water.

2. Currently in California they are planning to build an even more efficient wastewater treatment complex, see about this -.

If you look at our planet from space, then the Earth looks like a blue ball, completely covered with water. And the continents are like small islands in this endless ocean. This is understandable. Water occupies 70.8% of the entire surface of the planet, while land remains only 29.2%. The watery shell of our planet is called the hydrosphere. Its volume is 1.4 billion cubic meters.

Water appeared on our planet about 3.5 billion years ago in the form of vapors, which were formed as a result of degassing of the mantle. Currently, water is the most important element in the biosphere of the Earth, since it cannot be replaced by anything. Fortunately, water resources are considered inexhaustible, as scientists have come up with a way to desalinate salt water.

The main purpose of water as natural resource- maintaining the life of all living things - plants, animals and humans. She is the basis of all life on our planet, the main supplier of oxygen in the most important process on Earth - photosynthesis.

Water - the most important factor climate formation. By absorbing heat from the atmosphere and giving it back, water regulates climatic processes.

It is impossible not to note the role of water sources in the modification of our planet. From time immemorial, people have settled near reservoirs and water sources. Water is one of the main means of communication. There is an opinion of scientists that if our planet were completely dry land, then, for example, the discovery of America was postponed for several centuries. And we would hardly have known about Australia in the next 300 years.

Types of water resources of the Earth

The water resources of our planet are the reserves of all water. But water is one of the most widespread and most unique compounds on Earth, since it is present in three states at once: liquid, solid and gaseous. Therefore, the water resources of the Earth are:

... Surface waters (oceans, lakes, rivers, seas, swamps)

... The groundwater.

... Artificial reservoirs.

... Glaciers and snowfields (frozen water of glaciers in Antarctica, Arctic and high mountains).

... Water found in plants and animals.

... Vapors of the atmosphere.

The last 3 points refer to potential resources, because humanity has not yet learned how to use them.

Fresh water is the most valuable, it is used much more widely than sea, salty water. Of the total water reserve in the world, 97% of the water falls on the seas and oceans. 2% of fresh water is contained in glaciers, and only 1% is fresh water reserves in lakes and rivers.

Use of water resources

Water resources are the most important component of human life. People use water in industry and in everyday life.

According to statistics, most of all water resources are used in agriculture (about 66% of all fresh water reserves). About 25% is used by industry and only 9% goes to meet the needs in the utilities and household sectors.

For example, to grow 1 ton of cotton, you need about 10 thousand tons of water, for 1 ton of wheat - 1500 tons of water. For the production of 1 ton of steel - 250 tons of water, and the production of 1 ton of paper requires at least 236 thousand tons of water.

A person needs to drink at least 2.5 liters of water per day. However, on average for 1 person in large cities spend at least 360 liters per day. This includes the use of water in the sewerage system, plumbing, watering streets and extinguishing fires, washing vehicles and so on and so forth.

Another option for using water resources is water transport. More than 50 million tons of cargo are transported annually in the water area of ​​Russia alone.

Do not forget about fish farms. Breeding of marine and freshwater fish plays an important role in the economies of countries. Moreover, fish farming requires clean water, saturated with oxygen and not containing harmful impurities.

An example of the use of water resources is also recreation. Who among us does not like to relax by the sea, fry barbecue on the river bank or swim in the lake? In the world, 90% of recreational facilities are located near water bodies.

Protection of water resources

Today, there are only two ways to conserve water resources:

1. Preservation of the already existing reserves of fresh water.

2. Creation of better collectors.

The accumulation of water in reservoirs prevents its flow into the world ocean. And storing water, for example, in underground cavities, allows you to save water from evaporation. The construction of canals makes it possible to solve the issue of water delivery without seeping into the ground. New methods of irrigation of agricultural land are also being developed, which make it possible to use wastewater.

But each of these methods has an impact on the biosphere. Thus, the reservoir system prevents the formation of fertile muddy deposits. Channels discourage replenishment groundwater... And water filtration in canals and dams is the main risk factor for swamps, which leads to disruptions in the planet's ecosystem.

Today the most effective measure for the protection of water resources is considered a wastewater treatment method. Various ways allow you to remove up to 96% harmful substances out of the water. But often this is not enough, and the construction of more perfect treatment facilities is often economically unprofitable.

Water pollution problems

Population growth, development of production and agriculture - these factors led to a shortage of fresh water for mankind. The share of polluted water resources is growing every year.

Main sources of pollution:

... Industrial waste water;

... Waste water from communal routes;

... Plums from the fields (when the water is oversaturated with chemicals and fertilizers);

... Burial in water bodies of radioactive substances;

... Runoff from livestock complexes (there is a lot of biogenic organic matter in such water);

... Shipping.

Nature provides for the self-purification of reservoirs, which occurs due to the water cycle in nature, due to the vital activity of plankton, irradiation ultraviolet rays, sedimentation of insoluble particles. But all these processes can no longer cope with the mass of pollution that human activities deliver to the water resources of the planet.

Usually, when asked what percentage of water is on Earth, they answer that 70.8% of the surface of our planet is covered with water. And this is really so, if we take into account only the ratio of the total area of ​​the earth's surface (about 510 million square kilometers) and the area of ​​the World Ocean (360 million square kilometers).

However, the World Ocean is far from the entire hydrosphere of the Earth. 3.2% of the earth's surface is occupied by glaciers (16.3 million sq. Km), 0.45% - by lakes and rivers (2.3 million sq. Km), 0.6% - by swamps and highly swampy lands (3 million sq. km). If you add up, it turns out that only 75% or three quarters of the Earth's surface is under water.

However, in order to answer the question of how much water there is on Earth, it is not enough to determine the area of ​​water space of the globe (although people managed to finally do this only in the 20th century). To determine the total volume of the hydrosphere of our planet, it is necessary to know the depths of all reservoirs, the thickness of glaciers and the amount of groundwater.

Today it is believed that the volume of the earth's hydrosphere is approximately equal to 1,500 million cubic meters. Of these, 1370 million cubic meters. of water falls on the ocean, 28 million cubic meters. - on glaciers, about 100 million cubic meters. water is found underground, while the rest of the water volume is contained in lakes and rivers.

What is the percentage of fresh water on Earth

The amount of fresh water in the total volume of the earth's hydrosphere is small - only 32.1 million cubic kilometers. or 2% of the Earth's water reserves. However, even out of these two percent, 80% is in a frozen state, in the hard-to-reach glaciers of the highlands and poles of the globe.

Fresh water makes up no more than 2.5-3% of the total water supply of the Earth. Most of it is frozen in glaciers and snow cover of Antarctica and Greenland. Another part is numerous fresh water bodies: rivers and lakes. One third of fresh water reserves are concentrated in underground reservoirs, deeper and closer to the surface.

At the beginning of the new millennium, scientists started talking seriously about the shortage of drinking water in many countries of the world. Every inhabitant of the Earth should spend from 20 to water per day on food and personal hygiene. However, there are countries in which there is not enough drinking water even to support life. The inhabitants of Africa are experiencing an acute shortage of water.

Reason one: an increase in the world's population and the development of new territories

According to the UN, in 2011, the world's population has grown to 7 billion people. The number of people will reach 9.6 billion by 2050. The growth of the population is accompanied by the development of industry and agriculture.

Enterprises use fresh water for all production needs, while returning water that is often already unfit for drinking back to nature. It falls into rivers and lakes. The level of their pollution has recently become critical for the ecology of the planet.

Agricultural development in Asia, India and China has depleted the largest rivers in these regions. The development of new lands leads to the shallowing of water bodies and forces people to develop underground wells and deep-water horizons.

Reason two: irrational use of fresh water sources

Most natural freshwater sources are replenished naturally. Moisture gets into rivers and lakes with precipitation, some of which goes into underground reservoirs. Deep-sea horizons are irreplaceable reserves.

The barbaric use of pure fresh water by man deprives rivers and lakes of the future. Rains do not have time to fill shallow water bodies, and water is often wasted.

Some of the water used goes underground through leaks in city water supplies. When opening a faucet in the kitchen or in the shower, people rarely think about how much water is wasted. The habit of saving resources has not yet become relevant for most of the inhabitants of the Earth.

Extraction of water from deep wells can also be a big mistake, depriving future generations of the main reserves of fresh natural water, and irreparably disrupt the ecology of the planet.

Modern scientists see a way out in saving water resources, tightening control over waste processing and desalination of sea salt water. If humanity now thinks and takes action in time, our planet will forever remain an excellent source of moisture for all species of life existing on it.

Every time we turn on the water tap, a little miracle happens. There is more behind this familiar procedure than H2O (the combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom) in liquid state... Water is the circulatory system of the planet, a natural cycle on which human activity puts enormous pressure. “The amount of fresh water on Earth is now practically the same as in the time of Julius Caesar, who was at the head of the Roman Empire. But over the past 2 thousand years, the world's population has increased from 200 million to 7.2 billion people, and the world economy has grown even faster (since 1960, GDP has grown by an average of 3.5% per year). The combined need for food, energy, consumer goods and water for this huge human production has required greater control over water consumption, ”sums up Sandra Postel, head of the US Global Water Policy Project.

“There is very little water on the blue planet,” notes Elías Fereres, chair of the department at the University of Cordoba, who previously held a number of positions related to agriculture and the environment. Fereres says that, despite the fact that 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water, fresh water is only 1% of this amount, excluding the one that is in the form of ice in glaciers, as well as in the Arctic and Antarctica. And this 1% is not only the source of our life, but also the main engine of world progress. “The cost of water is so high that it is impossible to determine it. Water must be used to obtain maximum benefit without aggravating inequality in the economic, social and environmental spheres, ”says the head of the department.

Where does this inequality come from? “The increase in population and economic growth that took place in the 50s was largely due to advances in the field of water supply: reservoirs, canals, pumps. Since 1950, the number of reservoirs has grown from 5 thousand to 50 thousand. That is, on average, two a day for half a century. In the largest part of the world, water no longer flows in accordance with the laws of nature, but at the will of man, ”emphasizes Postel.

In the last century, these structures made it possible to meet the needs of agriculture (consuming 70% of fresh water), industry (20%) and the domestic sphere (10%) on most of the Earth. However, an increase in demand, primarily due to developing countries, breaks this delicate balance... "According to forecasts, in 2030 the world will experience a shortage of 40% of water in a constant climate," - says the latest UN report on water resources.

Its author, Richard Connor, regrets the lack of attention that government leaders have paid to water supply, believing that the supply of water is inexhaustible. “This issue needs to be given constant attention, and people are completely carefree. Energy is viewed as the primary economic and even geopolitical factor in ensuring the country's security. Therefore, much more attention is paid to it. The lack of attention to water issues will have to pay dearly, including a slowdown in the pace of development, ”warns the researcher.

The course of events confirmed the correctness of such scientists as Postel, predicted that "water for the XXI century will be the same as oil was for the XX century." If the so-called black gold so desirable that it even leads to military conflicts, this is due to the fact that its reserves are running out and not belong to everyone. The same will happen with fresh water as soon as demand exceeds its reproductive capacity. This phenomenon is called water stress.

Alexandre Taithe, director of the Strategic Research Foundation and expert on the interaction between water and energy, paints a daunting picture. “In the countries of the southern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean,” he warns, local authorities have decided to take the path of increasing water supplies. This policy, both in the case of desalination of seawater and the exploitation of groundwater and the transfer of large amounts of water, entails large energy costs. "

According to his calculations, by 2025 the need for electricity for water supply in these countries will be about 20% of its total consumption. Now this figure is 10%. Desalination, which is often touted as almost a universal way to solve the problem of water scarcity, is the one that consumes the most energy. Not all countries can afford it. Saudi Arabia, with the largest desalination capacity, produces 5.5 million cubic meters of water daily. To obtain this amount, energy is required, equivalent to 350 thousand barrels of oil per day.

In turn, generating electricity and extracting fossil fuels requires large amounts of water. In particular, according to Tait, 60% of river flow in France is used to cool thermal power plants and nuclear power plants. It should be noted that France ranks second in the world in generating electricity at nuclear power plants, and this water (in principle, not contaminated) flows back into the river basins and lakes with a little more high temperature, which contributes to the spread of algae and the reduction of the fish population. In the water cycle, everything is interconnected. Any change in the natural course of things has side effects.

Fracturing deep gas production deserves a special talk. Thanks to this technology, the United States has achieved economic recovery and changed the geopolitical balance, ceasing to depend on Arab oil. But each of these more than 500,000 active wells (many of which are located in water stress zones) requires 75 to 180 million liters of water mixed with 36 kilograms of chemicals, including carcinogenic ones, to drill each of these more than 500,000 active wells.

So we bring water - and own health- on the altar of the economy. Globally, the increase in demand is a serious concern: by 2050, the need for drinking water will increase by 55%, and for electricity - by 70%! And this despite the fact that not all of humanity uses both. About 800 million people live away from sources pure water and 1.3 billion have no electricity in their homes. According to Tait, the growing demand for energy for water production is "the greatest obstacle to the development of many countries and threatens their energy security."

To what extent can water scarcity cause military conflicts? Tite thinks this is irrational. In his opinion, states are more interested in cooperation - 250 international agreements have already been signed - although other experts predict that future wars will be fought over water resources. According to Connor, this future is already coming. The expert believes that the unprecedented drought that hit the territory of former Mesopotamia from 2006 to 2009, which caused a significant increase in the price of wheat and, as a result, for flour and bread, played a key role in the Syrian war. As a result of the drought, 1.5 million people have moved from rural areas to cities already in the grip of protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Connor traces the same causal relationship between the drought, followed by the major wildfires that broke out in Russia in 2010, and the Arab spring. “Russia is a major supplier of wheat to Arab countries, but the price of flour has doubled, which has caused discontent in the society,” he sums up. Without this tension, would the actions for democratization have received such support? Connor thinks not.

On the southern Mediterranean coast, hotbeds of tension are growing. The construction of a large dam in Ethiopia has led to aggravation of relations with Egypt, which opposes its construction, since, according to Cairo, this will negatively affect the flow of the Nile and exacerbate problems with water supply.

“In those few places where it is still possible to equip reservoirs, the consequences for the environment will be too negative. Other solutions need to be developed, ”says Fereres. In India and southeastern China, farmers have found an alternative solution when extracting water from underground. Through targeted action, progress has come to many areas, albeit not without consequences. Electric and diesel pump sales have grown significantly in recent years (China has an estimated 20 million and India 19 million), increasing energy consumption. In some areas, it reaches 35% to 45% of the total.

Tite attributes this to "massive power outages that left 670 million people in northeastern India without electricity in July 2012." This year, he points out, the monsoon rains were not so strong, and the authorities responded to requests to increase watering quotas to 6-8 hours a day. As a result, the outdated power grid could not stand it.

The researcher considers the consequences for the environment even more alarming: “There is a deceptive sense of excess water resources,” he says. "But now it is necessary to extract for water from ever deeper geological strata, which, like oil-bearing ones, are non-renewable." As indicated in a UN report, 20% of groundwater is overexploited. “We are now consuming water intended for the future,” Postel warns.

Global warming is added to population growth and increased water use in dynamically developing countries. “In times of major floods, it seems like water supplies are endless, but then long droughts return and water shortages become a matter of deep concern. This is especially true in the Mediterranean and is a consequence of climate change, ”writes Maite Guardiola, a geological engineer, water specialist with extensive experience in humanitarian projects.

In Brazil, which is home to the Amazon, the world's largest body of water, water shortages have pushed São Paulo's water supply rationing into practice, illustrating the problem of uncontrolled urban sprawl.

According to a UN report, “the increase in urban dwellers without water and sanitation is directly related to rapid growth marginal areas in developing countries. By 2020, their number will approach 900 million people, and it is they who are most exposed to extreme climatic events. "

It is necessary to act, but how? While scientists like Stephen Hawking advocate the development of other planets, arguing that in a hundred years the threat of extinction looms over the human race due to "the aging of the world, where there are more inhabitants and fewer resources", others are not so prone to drama, advocate the rationing of consumption. “There are sufficient reserves of water to meet the growing needs of the world's inhabitants, but this will require a change in the way water resources are managed,” the UN report says. In particular, a comprehensive legal framework will need to be developed to distribute this natural resource more evenly and in compliance with environmental regulations.

According to Connor and Ferres, the key to solving the problem lies in applying modern systems watering and growing plants most suitable for each location. They believe that to consider such innovative solutions like getting water out of the air or raising plants that need little watering will take 20 to 30 years of research. Maite Guardiola, for her part, focuses on the reuse of waste water. In her opinion, if they were used for irrigation, then in Spain, thanks to this, the amount of water used in agriculture could be reduced by 30%. "

Ferres also talks about the need to change the structure of food, to reduce the amount of protein in order to reduce the need for water. Strongly opposes bottled water: “Society is spending too much money on water purification. When I go to a restaurant, I ask for a pitcher of tap water to be poured. According to Guardiola, it is regrettable that Spain is one of the largest consumers of bottled water. Its price is from 500 to a thousand times higher than tap water, not to mention the kind that causes environment plastic bottles and transportation ".

Actor Matt Damon is trying to get public attention by pouring a bucket of water from the toilet on himself as he walks to the set: Western toilets are much cleaner than those used by most people in developing countries. ” Damon is one of the few celebrities who, through her NGO Water.org, are fighting water scarcity and the problems it poses.

A 12-year-old Sudanese girl spends 2 to 4 hours every day collecting and carrying in a jug on her head only five liters of fresh water, which is necessary for her existence. This is exactly a quarter of the amount (20 liters) that both the World Health Organization and Unicef ​​consider sufficient to meet basic needs. It is worth adding to this that her contemporary in Canada spends 300 to 400 liters of water daily for her needs.

“Water itself is not too expensive. It costs a lot more to clean it up and keep the plumbing running, which people don't even notice, ”says Connor. In Spain, the average water consumption is 142 liters per person per day. However, according to Guardiola, due to the poor condition of the water supply systems, 17.5% of its volume is lost when delivering water to users. In Germany this figure is 5%.

It is clear that not all of the above measures will be able to offset the increase in demand. A future without water, when people have to leave the Earth, as the animated sci-fi movie Wall.E tells about, is not far from Stephen Hawking's predictions. “We need to anticipate this and develop our plan B,” says the famous astrophysicist. Why not actually change the blue planet for a red one? Large reserves of water may be concentrated under the surface of Mars, according to research from the University of New Mexico.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign mass media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial board.