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When we look at pictures of the
earth from space we see that most of it is covered by water. Oceans
cover 70% of the planet’s surface and hold 97.5% of all water on
earth. Another 2% of all water is locked up in snow and ice around the
North and South poles and more of the remaining water is deep
underground and cannot be reached. This leaves only 0.025% of all
water as fresh water in clouds, rivers, lakes and shallow underground
reservoirs.
When we consider that the human
body is over 60% water, our brains are over 70% water and our lungs are
approximately 90% water we get an idea of the importance of water in
sustaining life. Each of us need to drink 2.5 litres of water every
day and, without water, we would not survive for more than a few days.
Despite the many complaints about
the weather in Ireland we are fortunate to have a plentiful supply of
fresh water that falls as rain. People in many parts of the world
would love to have this renewable resource as they suffer from drought
and associated crop failure.
We have many uses for freshwater -
in agriculture, industry, power generation and amenity - and all of us
use a domestic water supply for drinking and cleaning. Regardless of
use, water is contaminated through use to a greater or lesser extent
and is discharged back into the environment with or without treatment.
If the treatment is inadequate such discharges may cause pollution.
The water resources of the country
belong to all of us so we must all play our part to ensure that these
resources are protected. Local Authorities and the Environmental
Protection Agency regulate wastewater discharges from industry on our
behalf and so we must examine our own use of water to see how we can
move towards sustainability.
The first and most important thing
that we can do is to conserve water by not wasting it. There is a
substantial cost in collecting water, treating it to drinking water
standards, distributing it to each house, taking away the used water
and treating it before final discharge to the environment. We should
use water wisely. This amounts to simple and mundane things such as
repairing dripping taps, not leaving the tap running when we brush our
teeth, installing a water butt to collect roof water, washing our cars
with a bucket of water rather than a hosepipe and taking a shower
instead of a bath.
The next thing to do is to be
careful about what we pour down the sink. We all use cleaning products
to clean our hair and our bodies as well as our clothes and dishes,pots
and pans. We should select environmentally safe cleaning products that
have a reduced impact on the environment and are just as effective as
others.
We should never pour dangerous
pollutants down the sink. Paints, solvents, waste oils, antifreeze,
pesticides or herbicides can cause severe damage to the environment –
they should be taken to the hazardous waste collection points operated
by your Local Authority.
If your house has a septic tank and
percolation treatment system then you should ensure that there is
adequate percolation for the amount of wastewater generated. You
should de-sludge the septic tank annually and be careful with the use
of bleach and other chemicals that may damage essential bacteria in the
treatment system. Many groundwater supplies around Ireland are
contaminated with Faecal Coliform bacteria – an indicator of human or
animal faeces with obvious health implications – and septic tanks are
one of the main sources of such pollution.
For all living things water is life - we should appreciate that and respect it accordingly.
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