China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Heavy Metal Contamination in Groundwater and Potential Remediation Technologies
Published in Vivek Kumar, Rhizomicrobiome Dynamics in Bioremediation, 2021
Yung Shen Lee, Peck Kah Yeow, Tony Hadibarata, Mohamed Soliman Elshikh
Other than surface water resources pollution, groundwater pollution is one of the main troubling issues as well. Organic and inorganic pollutants are common contaminants that can be found in groundwater. Groundwater is defined as freshwater underneath the ground surface sourced from rainfall, which seeps into the pores of soil or rocks linking to surface water resources such as rivers, streams and lakes. Groundwater plays an essential role in human daily life and ecosystem as it is clean, fresh and suitable for humans, flora and fauna. In our daily life, humans require water for drinking and household activities. Irrigation, industries, cultivation, restaurants were depended on the clean water resources to function properly. Evidently, approximately 40% of drinking water originates from groundwater and 97% of the rural population in the United States relies on the groundwater for their drinking water needs, where 30 to 40% of the groundwater is used for the cultivation of crops. As for the ecosystem, groundwater ensures the constant level of surface water is maintained by the base flow of lakes and rivers, which protect the habitat of aquatic biodiversity indirectly. Other serious cases such as oil spilling, surface leaching, surface runoff flow to recharge basin and saltwater intrusion are also of major concern (Owa 2013, Mays and Scheibe 2018).
Modular Systems for Energy Usage for Desalination and Wastewater Treatment
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Modular Systems for Energy Usage Management, 2020
Freshwater is a necessity in everyday life, and is vital for the survival of human beings. The ability to get freshwater in dry areas, or in times of shortage, comes from the process of desalination, where the salt in seawater is displaced and it becomes drinkable water [1–25]. Desalination is a water treatment process that separates salts from saline water to produce potable water or water that is low in total dissolved solids (TDS). Globally, the total installed capacity of desalination plants was 61 million m3/day in 2008 [20]. Seawater desalination accounts for 67% of production, followed by brackish water at 19%, river water at 8%, and wastewater at 6%. The most prolific users of desalinated water are in the Arab region, namely, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain [21].
Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability: The case of water management
Published in Kamilla Lein Kjølberg, Fern Wickson, Nano Meets Macro, 2019
Freshwater crisis, scarcity, or stress (Chenoweth 2008a; Savage et al. 2009; Theron et al. 2008) has been predicted and listed among such pressing global problems as energy and poverty. Water is life. Freshwater is a basic need that is critical to human health and survival, social welfare, and economic and industrial development. It is little wonder that access to clean and freshwater is a key priority of the sustainable development agenda. It is anchored in chapter 18 of the United Nations’ Agenda 21, which is the United Nations (UN) action for alleviating negative human impacts on the environment (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2004); in the Millennium Declaration of the UN General Assembly of 2000; and in the Johannesburg’s Declaration for a Sustainable Development of 2002 (Chenoweth 2008b). Thus, the need to manage the risks of the predicted water crisis cannot be overstated (Sustich et al. 2009).
Legacy and novel brominated flame-retardants in different fish types from inland freshwaters of South Africa: levels, distribution and implications for human health
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2022
Tlou B. Chokwe, Elmari Krȕger, Makhosazane N. Magubane, Ovokeroye A. Abafe, Simon M. Mporetji, Jonathan O. Okonkwo, Linda L. Sibali, Reveck Hariram
Freshwater systems, especially the rivers that are receptacles for most urban sewage, industrial and agricultural discharges as well as highly contaminated wastes from informal settlements are confronted with water pollution (Daso et al. 2011). Of serious concern is exposure to PBDEs and NBFRs to aquatic organisms. Recent studies has shown that the concentrations of NBFRs are surpassing PBDEs as the predominant flame retardants in the environment, especially sediments (Zhu et al. 2013; Wu et al. 2017; Chokwe et al. 2019). In our previous report, the concentration of PBDEs in Cyprinus carpio collected from sites that receives effluents from wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) were determined as the concentration of these pollutants were expected to be the highest (Chokwe et al. 2015a). Therefore, to better understand the extend of BFRs contaminations in fish, four types of common fish species (i.e. Labeo umbratus, Labeo capensis, Cyprinus carpio and Clarias gariepinus) were collected within the Vaal River, one of the largest river catchment in South Africa (Chokwe et al. 2015a), for the analysis of PBDEs and some selected NBFRs in the muscle tissue. Furthermore, concentrations (ng g−1 wet weight) were used to assess the potential risk of these contaminants to the human health of the South African populace via fish consumption.
Overview of water quality modeling
Published in Cogent Engineering, 2021
Water resources in the world are under pressure; particularly eutrophication is a major environmental problem. Eutrophication is caused by high loading of dissolved and particulate organic matter and inorganic nutrients (Goshu & Aynalem, 2017) due to lack of proper soil and water conservation practices in the watershed (Teshale et al., 2002; Yitaferu, 2007), inappropriate wastewater disposal, and the lack of wastewater treatment technologies. The continuous urbanization and industrialization with increased human activities have a negative impact on water quality and adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem. Human activities are one of the major factors of pollution in environments (EIC (Environmental International Consultant), 2009). Urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural practices have a substantial contribution to water pollution, and they discharge a huge quantity of organic and inorganic pollutants into the waterbodies. Most of the industries mainly in developing countries like Ethiopia discharge the wastewater into the environment without proper treatment. Mainly the cities have the highest pollution rate with inadequate waste management systems that have resulted in excessive pollution of receiving waterbodies. Sedimentation is also a big problem for the lakes, rivers, dams, and coastal areas. According to EEPA (Ethiopia Environmental Protection Agency (2003), some industries located in Addis Ababa have discharged 90 percent of their waste into the nearby waterbodies and open spaces without treatment. The discharges from agricultural inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), domestic and industrial wastes pollute freshwater systems and endanger the socio-economic and ecological values.
Evaluation of groundwater quality in district Karak Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Published in Water Science, 2019
Tehseen Javed, Tahir Sarwar, Ihsan Ullah, Shakeel Ahmad, Sadaf Rashid
Freshwater is an essential natural resource for human survival. Globally there are two principal storage sources of freshwaters which are glaciers and groundwater.Groundwater plays a vital role in the socio-economic, domestic, horticultural and agricultural production (Kanwal et al., 2015). Groundwater suitability for use depends upon its inherent quality, which depends on atmosphere reflection, weathering of soil and rocks, and anthropogenic activities. The development of industrialization, environment ignorance, application of agrochemicals, anthropogenic wastes and untreated sewage discharge results surface and groundwater decline (Krishan et al., 2016).