Top 10 countries in terms of fresh water resources. Fresh water reserves on Earth: approximate volumes, the problem of water scarcity, interesting facts. How much percent does it take on Earth

Until relatively recently, water, like air, was considered one of the free gifts of nature, only in areas of artificial irrigation it always had a high price. Recently, the attitude towards the water resources of the land has changed.

Over the past century, the consumption of fresh water in the world has doubled, and the planet's hydro resources do not meet such a rapid increase in human needs. According to the World Commission on Water, today each person needs 40 (20 to 50) liters of water every day for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

However, about a billion people in 28 countries around the world do not have access to so many vital resources. More than 40% of the world's population (about 2.5 billion people) lives in areas with moderate or severe water shortages.

It is assumed that by 2025 this number will increase to 5.5 billion and will make up two-thirds of the world's population.

The overwhelming part of fresh water is, as it were, conserved in the glaciers of Antarctica, Greenland, in the ice of the Arctic, in mountain glaciers and forms a kind of "emergency reserve" that is not yet available for use.

Different countries differ greatly in terms of fresh water supplies. Below is a ranking of the countries with the largest freshwater resources in the world. However, this ranking is based on absolute rates and does not match the per capita rates.

10. Myanmar

Resources - 1080 cubic meters km

Per capita- 23.3 thousand cubic meters m

Rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the country's monsoon climate. They originate in the mountains, but feed not on glaciers, but on precipitation.

More than 80% of the annual river supply is rain. In winter, the rivers become shallow, some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up.

There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the Indoji tectonic lake in the north of the country with an area of ​​210 sq. km.

Despite the relatively high absolute figures, people in some areas of Myanmar suffer from a lack of fresh water.

9. Venezuela

Resources - 1320 cubic meters km

Per capita- 60.3 thousand cubic meters m

Nearly half of Venezuela's 1,000-plus rivers run off the Andes and the Guiana Highlands into the Orinoco, Latin America's third-largest river. Its pool covers an area of ​​about 1 million square meters. km. The Orinoco drainage basin covers approximately four-fifths of Venezuela's territory.

8. India

Resources- 2085 cc km

Per capita - 2.2 thousand cubic meters m

India has a large amount of water resources: rivers, glaciers, seas and oceans. The most significant rivers are the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Narbada, Mahanadi, Kaveri. Many of them are important as sources of irrigation.

Eternal snows and glaciers in India occupy about 40 thousand square meters. km of territory.

However, given the huge population in India, the availability of fresh water per capita is quite low here.

7. Bangladesh

Resources - 2360 cubic meters km

Per capita- 19.6 thousand cubic meters m

Bangladesh is one of the countries with the highest population density in the world. This is largely due to the extraordinary fertility of the Ganges delta and the regular flooding caused by monsoon rains. However, overpopulation and poverty have become a real disaster for Bangladesh.

There are many rivers flowing in Bangladesh, and large rivers can flood for weeks. Bangladesh has 58 transboundary rivers, and the issues arising from the use of water resources are very acute in discussions with India.

However, despite the relatively high level of water availability, the country faces a problem: Bangladesh's water resources are often exposed to arsenic poisoning due to its high content in the soil. Up to 77 million people are exposed to arsenic poisoning through drinking contaminated water.

6. USA

Resources - 2480 cubic meters km

Per capita- 2.4 thousand cubic meters m

The United States occupies a vast territory with many rivers and lakes.

However, despite the fact that the United States has such fresh water resources, this does not save California from the worst drought in history.

In addition, given the country's high population, the per capita supply of fresh water is not that high.

5. Indonesia

Resources - 2530 cubic meters km

Per capita- 12.2 thousand cubic meters m

The special relief of the territories of Indonesia, combined with a favorable climate, at one time contributed to the formation of a dense river network in these lands.

On the territories of Indonesia, a fairly large amount of precipitation falls all year round, because of this, the rivers are always full-flowing and play an essential role in the irrigation system.

Almost all of them flow from the Maoke Mountains north to the Pacific Ocean.

4. China

Resources - 2800 cubic meters km

Per capita- 2.3 thousand cubic meters m

China possesses 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most populous country in the world, and its water distribution is extremely uneven.

The south of the country has struggled for thousands of years and is still struggling with floods, building and is building dams to save crops and people's lives.

The north of the country and the central regions are suffering from lack of water.

3. Canada

Resources - 2900 cubic meters km

Per capita- 98.5 thousand cubic meters m

Canada has 7% of the world's renewable fresh water resources and less than 1% of the world's population. Accordingly, per capita security in Canada is one of the highest in the world.

Most of the rivers in Canada belong to the basin of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, significantly fewer rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world with lakes. The Great Lakes (Upper, Huron, Erie, Ontario) are located on the border with the United States, connected by small rivers into a huge basin with an area of ​​more than 240 thousand square meters. km.

Less significant lakes lie on the territory of the Canadian Shield (Big Bear, Big Slave, Athabasca, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis), etc.

2. Russia

Resources- 4500 cubic meters km

Per capita - 30.5 thousand cubic meters m

In terms of reserves, Russia accounts for more than 20% of the world's fresh water resources (excluding glaciers and groundwater). In calculating the volume of fresh water per inhabitant of Russia, there are about 30 thousand cubic meters. m of river flow per year.

Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas belonging to three oceans, as well as the inland Caspian Sea. On the territory of Russia, there are over 2.5 million large and small rivers, more than 2 million lakes, hundreds of thousands of swamps and other water resources.

1. Brazil

Resources - 6950 cubic meters km

Per capita- 43.0 thousand cubic meters m

Brazil's water resources are represented by a huge number of rivers, the main of which is the Amazon (the greatest river in the world).

Almost a third of this large country is occupied by the Amazon River basin, which includes the Amazon itself and more than two hundred of its tributaries.

This gigantic system contains a fifth of all river waters in the world.

Rivers and their tributaries flow slowly, during rainy seasons they often overflow their banks and flood huge areas of rainforest.

The rivers of the Brazilian Highlands have significant hydropower potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, São Francisco.

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Being a native of Uzbekistan and having lived there for 41 years, apparently, I have a reverent attitude towards fresh water.

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Life on planet Earth originated from water, and it is water that continues to support this life. The human body is 80% water; it is actively used in food, light and heavy industries. Therefore, a sober assessment of the available reserves is extremely important. After all, water is the source of life and technological progress. The reserves of fresh water on Earth are not endless, so the ecologist is increasingly reminded of the need for rational use of natural resources.

Let's deal with ourselves first. Fresh water is one that contains no more than one tenth of a percent of salt. When calculating reserves, not only liquid from natural sources is taken into account, but also atmospheric gas and reserves in glaciers.

World reserves

More than 97% of all water reserves are in the oceans - it is salty and unsuitable for human use without special treatment. Slightly less than 3% is fresh water. Unfortunately, it is not all available:

• 2.15% is accounted for by glaciers, icebergs and mountain ice.
• About one thousandth of a percent is gas in the atmosphere.
• And only 0.65% of the total amount is available for consumption and is found in freshwater rivers and lakes.

At the moment, it is generally accepted that freshwater reservoirs are an inexhaustible source. This is really so, the world reserves cannot exhaust themselves even with irrational use - the amount of fresh water will be restored due to the planetary circulation of substances. More than half a million cubic meters of fresh water evaporate from the oceans every year. This liquid takes the form of clouds and then replenishes freshwater sources with precipitation.

The problem is that readily available supplies may run out. We are not talking about the fact that a person will drink all the water from rivers and lakes. The problem is the contamination of drinking water sources.

Planetary consumption and scarcity

Consumption is distributed as follows:

• About 70% is spent on maintaining the agricultural sector. This indicator varies greatly from region to region.
• The entire world industry spends about 22%.
• Individual household consumption accounts for 8%.

The available freshwater resources available cannot fully meet the needs of humanity for two reasons: uneven distribution and pollution.

A shortage of fresh water is observed in the following territories:

• Arabian Peninsula. Consumption exceeds available resources by more than five times. And this count is only for individual household consumption. Water on the Arabian Peninsula is extremely expensive - it has to be transported by tankers, pipelines pulled, and seawater desalination plants built.
• Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. The level of consumption is equal to the amount of available water resources. But with the development of the economy and industry, the risk is extremely high that the consumption of fresh water will increase, which means that fresh water resources will be depleted.
• Iran uses 70% of its renewable freshwater resources.
• All of North Africa is also under threat - 50% of fresh water resources are used.

At first glance, it might appear that the problems are specific to drylands. However, it is not. The largest deficit is observed in hot countries with a high population density. For the most part, these are developing countries, which means that further growth in consumption can be expected.

For example, the Asian region has the largest area of ​​freshwater reservoirs, and the continent Australia has the smallest. At the same time, a resident of Australia is provided with a resource more than 10 times better than a resident of the Asian region. This is due to differences in population density - 3 billion inhabitants in the Asian region versus 30 million in Australia.

Nature management

Depletion of fresh water supplies leads to a pronounced shortage in more than 80 countries around the world. The reduction in stocks affects the economic growth and social well-being of a number of states. The solution to the problem is the search for new sources, since reducing consumption will not be able to significantly change the state of affairs. The share of the annual depletion of fresh water reserves in the world is, according to various estimates, from 0.1% to 0.3%. That's a lot if you keep in mind that not all freshwater sources are available for instant use.

Calculations show that there are countries (mainly the Middle East and North Africa) in which reserves are slowly depleted, but water is not available due to pollution - more than 95% of fresh water is not potable, this volume requires careful and technologically complex purification.

It makes no sense to hope for a decrease in the needs of the population - consumption only grows every year. As of 2015, more than 2 billion people were more or less limited in consumption, food or household. According to the most optimistic forecasts, with the same consumption of fresh water reserves on Earth, there will be enough until 2025. After that, all countries with a population of more than 3 million people will find themselves in a zone of serious deficit. There are almost 50 such countries. This number shows that more than 25% of countries will find themselves in deficit conditions.

As for the situation in the Russian Federation, there is enough fresh water in Russia; the Russian region will be one of the last to face shortage problems. But this does not mean that the state should not take part in the international regulation of this problem.

Ecological problems

Fresh water resources on the planet are unevenly distributed - this leads to a pronounced shortage in specific regions, along with population density. It is clear that it is impossible to solve this problem. But you can cope with another - with the pollution of existing freshwater reservoirs. The main impurities-pollutants are salts of heavy metals, products of the oil refining industry, chemical reagents. The liquid contaminated with them requires additional expensive processing.

Water reserves on Earth are also being depleted due to human intervention in hydro-rotation. So, the construction of dams led to a drop in the water level in such rivers as the Mississippi, the Yellow River, the Volga, and the Dnieper. The construction of hydroelectric power plants provides cheap electricity, but damages freshwater sources.

The current strategy to deal with the deficit is desalination, which is becoming more widespread, especially in the eastern countries. And this is despite the high cost and energy consumption of the process. At the moment, the technology fully justifies itself, allowing to replenish natural reserves with artificial ones. But the technological capacity may not be sufficient for desalination if the depletion of fresh water supplies continues at the same rate.

Water plays an exceptional role in maintaining the vital functions of any organism. This substance can be presented in three states of aggregation: solid, liquid and gaseous. But it is the liquid that is the main internal environment of the human body and other organisms, because all biochemical reactions take place here, and it is in it that all cell structures are located.

What is the percentage of water on earth?

According to some estimates, about 71% of the total is water. It is represented by oceans, rivers, seas, lakes, swamps, icebergs. Vapors of atmospheric air are also counted separately.

Of this total, only 3% is fresh water. Most of all it is found in icebergs, as well as in rivers and lakes on the continents. So how many percent of the water on Earth is in the seas and oceans? These basins are the places of accumulation of saline H2O, which makes up 97% of the total volume.

If it became possible to collect all the water that is on the earth in one drop, the sea water would take up about 1,400 million km 3, and fresh water would be collected in a drop of 10 million km 3. As you can see, fresh water is 140 times less on Earth than salty water.

How many percent does it take on Earth?

Fresh water occupies about 3% of all liquid. Most of it is concentrated in icebergs, in upland snow and groundwater, and only a small amount falls on the rivers and lakes of the continents.

Actually, fresh water is divided into accessible and inaccessible. The first group consists of rivers, swamps and lakes, as well as layers of the earth's crust and vapor of atmospheric air. Man has learned to use all this for his own purposes.

How many percent of the fresh water on Earth is inaccessible? First of all, these are large reserves in the form of icebergs and mountain snow covers. They make up most of the fresh water. Also, deep crustal waters form a significant part of all fresh H2O. People have not yet learned how to use neither one nor the other source, but there is great benefit in this, because a person still cannot competently dispose of such an expensive resource as water.

in nature

The circulation of fluid plays an important role for living organisms, because water is a universal solvent. This makes it the primary indoor environment for animals and plants.

Water is concentrated not only in the human body and other creatures, but also in water bodies: seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps. The liquid cycle begins with precipitation such as rain or snow. Then water accumulates, and then evaporates under the influence of the environment. This is clearly noticeable during periods of drought and heat. The circulation of liquid in the atmosphere determines how many percent of water on earth is concentrated in solid, liquid and gaseous states.

The cycle is of great ecological importance, because the liquid circulates in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and earth's crust, and thereby self-purifies. In some water bodies, where the level of pollution is high enough, this process is of enormous importance for maintaining the vital activity of the organisms of the ecosystem, however, the restoration of the former "purity" takes a long period of time.

Origin of water

The riddle of how the first water appeared can not be solved for a long period of time. However, several hypotheses have appeared in the scientific community that offer options for the formation of a liquid.

One of these guesses dates back to the time when the Earth was still in its infancy. It is associated with the fall of "wet" meteorites, which could have brought water with them. It accumulated in the bowels of the Earth, which gave rise to the primary hydration shell. Nevertheless, scientists cannot answer the question of how many percent of the water on Earth was contained at that distant time.

Another theory is based on the terrestrial origin of water. The main impetus for the formation of this hypothesis was the finding of a relatively large concentration of heavy hydrogen deuterium in the seas and oceans. The chemical nature of deuterium is such that it could only be formed on Earth by increasing its atomic mass. Therefore, scientists believe that the liquid was formed on Earth and has no cosmic origin. However, researchers who support this hypothesis still cannot answer the question of how many percent of the water on Earth was 4.4 billion years ago.

Water is the most abundant substance on our planet: although in varying quantities, it is available everywhere, and plays a vital role for the environment and living organisms. Fresh water is of the utmost importance, without which human existence is impossible, and nothing can be substituted for it. People have always consumed fresh water and used it for a variety of purposes, including domestic, agricultural, industrial and recreational uses.

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Water reserves on Earth

Water exists in three states of aggregation: liquid, solid and gaseous. It forms the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and groundwaters located in the upper layer of the crust and the soil cover of the Earth. In a solid state, it exists in the form of snow and ice in the polar and mountainous regions. A certain amount of water is contained in the air in the form of water vapor. Huge volumes of water are found in various minerals in the earth's crust.

It is rather difficult to determine the exact amount of water reserves around the world, since water is dynamic and in constant motion, changing its state from liquid to solid and gaseous, and vice versa. As a rule, the total amount of water resources in the world is estimated as the sum of all waters of the hydrosphere. This is all free water that exists in all three states of aggregation in the atmosphere, on the surface of the Earth and in the earth's crust to a depth of 2000 meters.

Current estimates show that our planet contains a huge amount of water - about 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers (1.386 billion km³). However, 97.5% of this volume is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh. Most of the fresh water (68.7%) is in the form of ice and permanent snow cover in the Antarctic, Arctic, and mountainous regions. Further, 29.9% exists as groundwater, and only 0.26% of the total amount of fresh water on Earth is concentrated in lakes, reservoirs and river systems, where they are most readily available for our economic needs.

These indicators were calculated over a long period of time, but if shorter periods are taken into account (one year, several seasons or months), the amount of water in the hydrosphere may change. This is due to the exchange of water between the oceans, land and the atmosphere. This exchange is usually referred to as, or the global hydrological cycle.

Fresh water resources

Fresh water contains a minimum amount of salts (no more than 0.1%) and is suitable for human needs. However, not all resources are available to people, and even those that are available are not always suitable for use. Consider fresh water sources:

• Glaciers and snow covers occupy about 1/10 of the world's land mass and contain about 70% of fresh water reserves. Unfortunately, most of these resources are located far from settlements, therefore, it is difficult to access.
• Groundwater is by far the most widespread and accessible source of fresh water.
• Freshwater lakes are mainly located at high altitudes. Canada contains about 50% of the world's freshwater lakes. Many lakes, especially those in arid regions, become saline due to evaporation. The Caspian Sea, Dead Sea, and Great Salt Lake are some of the world's largest salt lakes.
• The rivers form a hydrological mosaic. There are 263 international river basins on Earth, which cover more than 45% of the land area of ​​our planet (with the exception of Antarctica).

Objects of water resources

The main objects of water resources are:

• oceans and seas;
• lakes, ponds and reservoirs;
• swamps;
• rivers, canals and streams;
• soil moisture;
• groundwater (soil, groundwater, interstratal, artesian, mineral);
• ice caps and glaciers;
• atmospheric precipitation (rain, snow, dew, hail, etc.).

Problems of using water resources

For many hundreds of years, the human impact on water resources was insignificant and was of an exclusively local nature. The excellent properties of water - its renewal due to the cycle and the ability to be purified - make fresh water relatively purified and possessing quantitative and qualitative characteristics that will remain unchanged for a long time.

However, these features of the water gave rise to the illusion of the immutability and inexhaustibility of these resources. Based on these prejudices, a tradition of careless use of critical water resources has emerged.

The situation has changed dramatically over the past decades. In many parts of the world, the results of long-term and inappropriate actions have been discovered in relation to such a valuable resource. This applies to both direct and indirect water use.

Around the world, for 25-30 years, there has been a massive anthropogenic change in the hydrological cycle of rivers and lakes, affecting water quality and their potential as a natural resource.

The volume of water resources, their spatial and temporal distribution, are determined not only by natural climate fluctuations, as before, but now also by the types of economic activities of people. Many parts of the world's water resources are becoming so depleted and heavily polluted that they are no longer able to meet the ever-increasing demand. It may
become a major impediment to economic development and population growth.

Water pollution

The main causes of water pollution are:

Wastewater

Domestic, industrial and agricultural wastewater pollutes many rivers and lakes.

Disposal of waste in the seas and oceans

Burying garbage in the seas and oceans can cause huge problems, as it negatively affects the living organisms that live in the waters.

Industry

Industry is a huge source of water pollution that produces substances that are harmful to people and the environment.

Radioactive substances

Radioactive pollution, in which there is a high concentration of radiation in the water, is the most dangerous pollution and can spread to ocean waters.

Oil spill

An oil spill poses threats not only to water resources, but also to human settlements located near a polluted source, as well as to all biological resources for whom water is a habitat or a vital necessity.

Leaks of oil and oil products from underground storage

Large quantities of oil and petroleum products are stored in tanks made of steel, which corrodes over time, which results in the leakage of harmful substances into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

Precipitation

Precipitation, such as acid precipitation, forms when air is polluted and changes the acidity of water.

Global warming

The rise in water temperature causes the death of many living organisms and destroys a large number of habitats.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication is a process of deterioration of the quality characteristics of water associated with excessive enrichment of nutrients.

Rational use and protection of water resources

Water resources provide for rational use and protection, ranging from individuals to enterprises and states. There are many ways in which we can reduce our impact on the aquatic environment. Here are some of them:

Saving water

Factors such as climate change, population growth and increasing aridity are putting additional pressure on our water resources. The best way to conserve water is to reduce consumption and avoid wastewater growth.

At the household level, there are many ways to save water, such as: shorter showers, installing water-saving appliances, washing machines with low water consumption. Another approach is to plant gardens that don't require a lot of water.

The seas and oceans are filled with water. It seems that there is quite a lot of water on Earth. But, in fact, the amount of water available for use is much less than all water on Earth.

The value of water

Water is the basis and source of life on Earth. It occupies most of the planet, which is not surprising. After all, life arose in water, and only then spread to land and air. Both humans and animals are mostly water. Fresh water is vital for man and all living things of the blue planet. And it makes up only 3% of all water reserves on Earth. The rest of the water, which is 97%, is salty and therefore not drinkable. Most of the entire fresh water supply is frozen in glaciers. This means that the amount of available fresh water is negligible compared to the total amount of water on the entire Earth. Therefore, it is so important to rationally use fresh water supplies.

The importance of sustainable use

With rational use, the normal water cycle is maintained, and it is self-filtered. At the same time, the quantity and quality of fresh water remains at an optimal level. And thus, all living beings on the planet are provided with the required amount of water. And with irrational use of water resources, the amount of usable water becomes less and less, there is a shortage of water. The water becomes too polluted and becomes unusable, and if it is purified, it is too slow.

Drying is also threatening fresh water. Lakes and rivers are drying up due to the general destruction of the ecosystem. Deforestation plays a significant role here. Forests must retain and purify water, and then gradually release it into natural reservoirs. Due to excessive deforestation and forest fires, the amount of forest land on the planet is decreasing day by day. And this negatively affects the quantity and quality of potable water. In turn, a decrease in the amount of clean water contributes to the depletion of flora and fauna. Increasingly, there is not enough water for people as well.

Water is the main element of the entire ecosystem of the Earth. The existence of life on Earth depends on the quantity and quality of fresh water. Widespread water pollution threatens the gradual disappearance of life on the planet. To improve the situation with a shortage of fresh water, it is necessary to take good care of both the water itself and nature in general. The fate of the planet is in the hands of people. And it depends only on a person whether fresh water will be preserved on Earth, whether life itself will be preserved. It depends on the present generation whether future generations will have a chance to live, or whether they will be doomed to death.