BVSDE The Water

The Water

The water is one of the most widespread and abundant substances in Planet Earth. It is part integral the majority of the living beings, both animals and vegetables, and is present in quantity of minerals.

Correctly "the universal solvent" is called to the water and it is a rare case of substance that is present in our environment, in the three physical states: gas, liquid, and solid.

For these reasons and by many more, there exists countless documentation of whole types on the water. There is entire libraries devoted to the subject, that contain manuals, monographs, technical works, primers, etcetera.

This page does not intend to give a bibliographic list of so vast freight, not even to do a detail of all the properties that characterize this substance.

What below is presented are some generic data on the water, on their characteristics and their uses. These data are present in open and free form, without too much rigor. It is intended that they are useful for the curious reader or for the student who prepares a class, or just in order to include better that mystery that is the water and life that provides us.

Note: The data that here are presented have been taken from various sources and are not official data of PAHO nor of WHO.

And one of the most widespread and abundant substances in Planet Earth. It is part integral the majority of the living beings, both animals and vegetables, and is present in quantity of minerals.

Correctly "the universal solvent" is called to the water and it is a rare case of substance that is present in our environment, in the three physical states: gas, liquid, and solid.

This page does not intend to give a bibliographic list of so vast freight, not even to do a detail of all the properties that characterize this substance.

Note: The data that here are presented have been taken from various sources and are not official data of PAHO nor of WHO.

Availability of Water in the Land

In the earth there is 1,500 km3 of water.
97% is in the seas and oceans.
2% is in the glaciers and polar areas.
0,06% is in the rivers and lakes.
0.54% is in the groundwater.
Total of fresh water in the earth: 39 million km3.
0,12% of the water of the Earth is only suitable in order to be potabilizada.

Global Distribution of Fresh Water

Of the 39 million km3 of fresh water:
29 million km3 are in solid state in the polar helmets. Although they are remote, they constitute the major fresh water reserves in the world.
5 million km3 correspond to groundwater.
5 million km3 to surface water.

Care with the water

In what is the water used in the domestic area?

90 liters in a shower.
350 liters in a tub bath.
6 liters in brushing his/her teeth itself without closing the key during a minute.
140 liters in washing 10 kilograms of clothes, in two washings.
90 liters in washing the plates without closing the key during 15 minutes.
60 liters in washing the footpath without closing the key during 10 minutes.
150 liters in washing the auto without closing the key during 25 minutes.
6 liters in being washed the hands during a minute.
18 liters in shaving without closing the key during 3 minutes.

Annual Domestic Consumption in Liters by Person

Canadá	93.000 litros
Estados Unidos	110.000 litros
Japón	104.000 litros
Comunidad Europea	55.000 litros
Suiza	96.000 litros
Italia	78.000 litros
Grecia	40.000 litros
Argelia	35.000 litros
India	9.000 litros
Sudán	7.000 litros

AFTER THE OXYGEN, THE WATER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR LIFE

The water represents 70% of the bodyweight.

50% is found within the cells.
15% flows among them.
5% is in the blood.

LOSE 10% OF THE CORPORAL WATER = RISK SITUATION
TO LOSE 20% OF THE CORPORAL WATER = DEATH

Daily Water Intake

3% of the bodyweight

(A person of 80 kg requires 2,4 liters of water)

HOW MUCH DOES WATER LOSE OUR AGENCY DAILY? (For the same individual of 80 kg of weight)

>. 0,4 liters
. 1,2 liters
. 0,6 liters
. 0,2 liters

by
by
by
by

the breathing
the urine
the the transpiration
the evacuation

Water Demand for the Industry

. 3.500 liters for
. 250.000 liters for
. 220.000 to 380.000 liters for
. 500 liters for
. 1.800 liters for
. 550 liters for
. 250 liters for
. 1.400 liters for
. 400 liters for

1 t of cement
1 t of steel
1 t of paper
1 kg of barley
1 kg of sugar
1 kg of wool
1 kg of paper
1 kg of rubber synthetic
1 kg of steel

The crisis of the Water in the Third Millennium

The resulting problems from basic sanitation deficiencies (drinking water, sanitary removal and refuse) are visible in different nations of the world. It is enough to observe the following statistics of the poor countries and in development:

The poverty, combined with the low indices of basic sanitation, is responsible for the death of a child every 10 seconds. Today 10 million people/year (half with less than 18 years) die because of afflictions that would be prevented if the water were treated.

25% of the population of the developing countries does not have access to drinking water and much less to the sewerage system.

80% of the afflictions and 33% of the deaths are due to the drinking water crisis.

65% of the internments in the hospitals and 80% of the medical consultations are motivated by afflictions of hydric origin.

In the developing countries (areas urban) 82.5% they have access to systems of water and 63.1% to sewerage systems, but 70% of the poor ones do not have treated water and 80% live without connection to the sewerage systems.

In 1996 the world water demand was of 5,692 km3/year against a supply of 3,745 km3/year (utilization of the viable potential estimated in 14,000 km3/year).

Man disturbs the water cycle

While the world population quadrupled in a century, water consumption was multiplied by 9 and industrial consumption by 40. The amount of water in the *Earth is limited, nonrenewable, and, especially, poorly distributed in the time and in the space. Thus, man is convict to store, pump, recycle, or desalinate ever-growing quantities of water.

Uses/consumption annual

Evaporation of swamp water: 170 km3

The dams make it possible to regulate the flow of the rivers but the waters much evaporate more rapidly.
Irrigation: 2,680 km3

Seventy percent of the fresh water in the world is used to irrigate the cultures. Unfortunately, the two-thirds of she evaporate before it penetrates in the soil.
Cities: 300 km3

Men consume increasing water. This trend is threatened by the untreated water effluents. Even in the most advanced countries there only is recycled half of the waters that are poured.
Industry: 1.000 km3

The chemical industry and the energy production are the older water consumers.

Amount of surface water by hemispheres

South America	10.533 km³/year
North America	8.199 km³/year
África	4.573 km³/year
Asia	14.443 km³/year
Europa	3.217 km³/year
Oceanía/Australia	2.397 km³/year
Antártida	2.302 km³/year

Access to the water in the developing countries

Urban areas

A proportion of 82.5% of the inhabitants of the developing countries have access to the water.
A proportion of 63.1% of them have access to the sewerage system.

Poor

Among poor ones, 70% do not have treated water
A proportion of 80% lack connection to the sewerage system.

Indicator of hidric renewal

. Alert of hydric scarcity
. Chronic drought
. Absolute hydric scarcity

1.700 m³/inhabitant/year
1.000 m³/inhabitant/year
500 m³/inhabitant/year

Water consumption in the world

.In 1950
.In 1990
.Forl 2000

1.360 km³
4.130 km³
will pass the 5.000 km³

How an european and hindu use the water

Europe: 150 water liters per day

. Hme, garden, car
. WC
. Drink, kitchen, dish
. Personal cleanliness
. Cleaning

13%
32%
2%
16%
37%

India: 25 water liters per day

. Home, garden, car
. WC
. Drink, kitchen, dish
. Personal cleanliness
. Cleaning

17%
1%
1%
32%
34%

Average annual runoff

Availability potential of water per capita, in thousands of cubic kilometers by person and year.

. Europe
. North America
. Africa
. Asia
. South America
. Oceaia/Australia

8
18
8
6
36
80

Water resources, in thousands of annual cubic kilometers

. Europe: 22
. North America: 48
. Africa: 24
. Asia: 90
. South America: 78
. Oceania/Australia: 16

Water losses and consumption, by sectors

Water loss (percentages)

. Agriculture
. Industry
. Municipios

70,1
20,0
9,9

Water consumption (percentages)

. Agriculture
. Industry
. Municipios

93,4
3,8
2,7

Extension of the lands of irrigation throught the world

Surface irrigated in millions of hectares per year

1900 - 50
1940 - 60
1950 - 90
1960 - 130
1970 - 160
1980 - 190
1990 - 230
1995 - 240
2000 - 252

Diseases caused by the water

Causa	Disease	Número de enfermos en millones
Bacteria	Diarrhea Cholera Tiphoid	4000 0,04 0,70
Virus	Poliomyelitis Hepatitis A	8 2000
Parásitos	Amebiasis Dracunculosis Bilarciasis	400 100 200

Global situation of the water supply

In percentages of supplied population

Year	1980	1985	1990	2000	2010
hird word	40	48	52	61	68
China (in accordance with Murcep Beijing)	100	100	100	100	100
Industrial states	100	100	100	100	100
The entire world	64	67	71	75	80

Some data related to the human body

75% of half of the world population is chronically dehydrated.
In numerous developing countries the thirst mechanism is so weak that is often confused with hunger.
Still a light dehydration can diminish the metabolism in up to 3%.
A glass of water can reduce "hunger of midnight" of people who are following a diet in order to reduce weight.
The lack of water is the leading widespread cause of the fatigue that many people suffer during the day.
Preliminary research indicate that from 8 to 10 glasses of water per day they can significantly reduce the back pain and of articulations in up to 80% of people that suffers from these drawbacks.
A simple reduction of 2% in the volume of corporal water can carry inconveniences in the short-term memory, drawbacks with the resolution of mathematical problems and difficulty in the targeting of the attention on a screen of monitor or on a printed page.
Some studies (still unconfirmed) indicate that drinking 5 daily glasses of water reduces the risk of cancer of colon in 45%, the risk of cancer of bladder in 50% and assistance in the prevention of breast cancer.