Ecology Essay Example: The Wealth of Water

For several decades, human has shown a high level of recklessness in handling water bodies by depositing various contaminants into the water sources hence putting both the living things and the environment at risk. Regarding Jenkinss (2015, p.26) research, dozens of natural and manmade chemicals have been found in drinking water which includes: chlorine, uranium, alum, and fluoride. Not only do chemicals pose a challenge to the environment but also global warming which is resulted by growing climatic changes, drought as result of chemical deposits into the atmosphere and the ecosystem, pollution of aquifers and draining of lakes and ponds (Yui & Yeh, 2013). The access to clean water solutions is walloped by most of the developing countries thus making them to hold still the record of increasing number of deaths resulting from pandemics like Cholera. This essay intends to analyze the problems related to drinking water that mostly affects developing countries, reasons why the availability of fresh water is a global issue, the argument against or supporting privatization of freshwater.

Yui and Yeh (2013) outlined that poor conservation is the primary cause of water people consuming polluted water. Additionally, poor damping, failure to follow government policy on the use of water also results in global fresh and clean water. After analyzing the Cochabambas public water policies, it was found out that privatization of water bodies is another cause of the consumption of dirty water thus claiming the lives of more than five million people every year (Shultz, 2008).

Groundwater contamination is resulted by unmanaged dense population in urban areas thus leading to dumping of wastes into freshwater bodies. Since it is known that damping occurs in densely populated areas, it is the responsibility of each to study the ways of managing the disposal processes. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of crude oil, as well as petroleum, allows it to move within the aquifers in the way the groundwater moves. Also, infiltration occurs in the suburbs where damping sites are situated near aquifers thus leading to aquifers contamination. Schwarzenbach, Egli, Hofstetter, von Gunten, and Wehrlis (2010) research outlined that, lack of enough funds in the developing economies leads to failure of cleanup processes hence resulting in advanced environmental pollution concerning the water systems. It also leads to the degradation of the environment as pollution of groundwater leads to the contamination of nutrients.

Regarding Yui and Yeh (2013), the sources of the water contamination can be both artificial and naturally occurring processes that are triggered by the geographical means. They do happen because of lack of naturally occurring organic matter that helps in the generation of the anaerobic process of the aquifers hence causing microbial dissolution of the iron oxides which in turn cause the release of the components of arsenic products. Cooper and Findlater (2013) outlined that in the United States, it is estimated that over ten million underground storage tanks underground are laid which sometimes face corrosion that leads to diffusion, leakage and active transport which leads to contamination of aquifers that are a source of clean water.

Privatization of water is a burning issue among the Cochabamba people especially those termed as the water warriors. The water warriors claim that foreign companies are taking over the water systems thus making the Cochabamba people to incur extra costs in acquiring freshwater. Another reasons for those who are against the privatization is that the government is earning a lot from people yet water is a fundamental necessity that should not be given to private companies as a source of revenue. The water warriors suggest that the government should use the taxes it takes from people to ensure that the society is obtaining purified water at their door. The reasons that make people to choose the option of privatization of water according to the IMFs belief is that many people are taking the free water given to the society by the government for granted thus the need to privatize the water will definitely solve water issues in developing countries like Benin, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

Privatization of freshwater is a workable solution to the availability of clean freshwater since many people will be responsible for their aquifers thus maintaining freshwater systems. There should also be a well-managed quick process of recycling water as a way of removing phosphates and several other life-threatening products.

References

Cooper, P. F., & Findlater, B. C. (Eds.). (2013). Constructed Wetlands in Water Pollution Control: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Use of Constructed Wetlands in Water Pollution Control, Held in Cambridge, UK, 2428. Elsevier.

Fleischer, N. L., Merialdi, M., van Donkelaar, A., Vadillo-Ortega, F., Martin, R. V., Betran, A. P., & Souza, J. P. (2014). Outdoor air pollution, preterm birth, and low birth weight: analysis of the world health organization global survey on maternal and perinatal health. Environmental health perspectives, 122(4), 425.

Jenkins, S. H. (Ed.). (2015). Advances in Water Pollution Research: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference Held in Prague 1969. Elsevier. Oxford University Press, 23-113.

Schwarzenbach, R. P., Egli, T., Hofstetter, T. B., von Gunten, U., & Wehrli, B. (2010). Global water pollution and human health. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 35, 109-136.

Yui, S., & Yeh, S. (2013). Land use change emissions from oil palm expansion in Para, Brazil depend on proper policy enforcement on deforested lands. Environmental Research Letters, 8(4), 044031.

Shultz, J. (2008). The Cochabamba water revolt and its aftermath. Dignity and defiance: stories from Bolivias challenge to globalization, 9-44.