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<br />\670..n~nu...- ....~. ".. .
<br />ft~~1~~~@~~~~~~~~~~T~~~':
<br />
<br />" . .. .: ". . .:""... ;/tl;,. .:....,:,
<br />
<br />W . W t Sh t Ah' d d<ma~drorroodin~rea~\,addilion.li';:
<br />arnlng: a er or ages ea . rig'li~n will be n<c:jlOd 10 <ull'VOI< mar.
<br />
<br />ginal farm land ror~necessary crops. In-
<br />dUS1.ry is also us!ng ever increasing
<br />amounts of waler__to generate eleclric.
<br />ily. 10 cool nuclear ceatlors and man-
<br />ufa~lUrc chemicals"and metals. As.. re-
<br />sull. many lakes arid streams have bc(,1l
<br />SO badly polluled by agricullurc and in-
<br />dustry-as well as py the waSh:s fmlll i:1-
<br />crcasing numbers of humans-thai Ih~'y
<br />have become unusable \\'lthOUl C).,p..:n-
<br />sive (Tcalmcnl. Despile purific;Jlll'n
<br />measures. the need to take drinking \\~_
<br />leT from contamjnal,:1J sourl.'t:o; l:.b
<br />caused widcsnread disease. The WOIIJ
<br />Health Organlzalion cSlim3.I~S Ih~l J~
<br />much as 80'/;" of the world"s cases of d~-
<br />ease are uaceahle to unclean v.;lter.
<br />Dry Wells. Recenl dry spells ha\l'
<br />made the world even more L"OI\S~I~lll<; of
<br />just how Iimiled ~lob31 waler SlIpplit"s
<br />really are. In many arC:1S of the U~.
<br />West. for ex.ample. 1he curren! I.1I"1'U~hl
<br />(TIMe. MaTch 7) has accekralcJ ,hc dL"'
<br />plelion of underground aquifers JIJl::ld'r'
<br />slraincd hy the rapId growlh in I....'I'U.-
<br />laHon and agriculture. M<lllY well:> h;I\' ,I
<br />already run dry. fl1rclOg farmers \1I dlf!.
<br />deeper ::and more expensive olles in :In
<br />effort 10 reach the decllOing walcr I~\ds
<br />Some farmers in the Tex:\s Panh;lndh:.
<br />who have been draWing lheir \\,'Jlcr fl~llU
<br />[he deep and bounleous Og:!/Iab :aqui-
<br />fer. calculale lh31 th~lr .....ells .....ill fun dT\
<br />-drought or no droughl-S\ll.'l1 :lfll:1 Ih~
<br />year 2000,
<br />In other areas. though. there :lIe am.
<br />
<br />WOlt". walt'". ~~,yw"(""",
<br />Nor OU}" drop 10 drillk.
<br />
<br />These .....ords or Coleridge's Ancienl
<br />Mariner cCluM \\("11 h;l\L" sllmll1:1ri/Cd
<br />Ihe f!.1Cl0m) olllh""I.; of S\.'I\'llIISl~ :l1ll1
<br />G.'\ernmCI1I 'lUi....I;ll.. 1;1<;1 \\Cl't.. ;II Ihc
<br />Uni,rd N;1II,lIlS ".,'IiI....I".\I".l: .11l \\all'l al
<br />M;II ,10..'1 PI;II.I. ,\rf,'l1lill;1 \\ IlIk Ihl' a..-
<br />s(,llll'1k,1 "'1"'11" ,I!~ln',' Ih:11 lh.... gl.\h.11
<br />s\lrl'l~ \'f wul,I.... \\";11,,'1 i..;I.. tll';11 ;l"l"l'!.
<br />Ih~\ ,\;lIl1l',1 Ih.11 II 111:1' ...100111 I..... 111.1.1-
<br />l'o..ll;,lIl' h' ..I.I~" I Ill' ",-lId's t,,,,,\'illg
<br />IhllSI '1 h" .I.I~ I.. 1"'1 .11..1.1111, \\;Ifnnl
<br />~\l"l.lll Ik",,..I'" S;11I1, "':.lIlk. \\h....n ";1
<br />,I~"l-,'I \\;Ih', "III ,','..1 Ilh'll' Ih;111 :1 dh\P
<br />.,I"Ii'
<br />Onlinou1o In(r,,01o~, .\.. "1'.1\\',,'I;lfl
<br />1';,'IlI','" ," II", l'hl"'."Il.,'1l ,':11111 "1\ ,11;1-
<br />1Il.1l1\.llh ..110'" 111....1'1.111".111;1:0. .111 ;lhUIl-
<br />,1.111,,','.'1 \\.11,'1 I Ill' pI11hk'l1ll~ 111,11 \CI\,'
<br />bilk ,_I II 1:0. ,III".,,'II~ lI:.;l\1k h~ Ill;ln I ul.
<br />h');..", "'-111,' \\.'fl.l'~ 14 hlllh1l1 ....ubic
<br />~11,>nl\'I"I'; I~ 7 111111h1O l.lI"I.... mllesl of
<br />\\:1I1.'r IS ."."I.:an :1nl.1thus unfit fOI drin~.
<br />"'.!! .'r :lgl:-:ullure. Of Ihc ~.7' ( of lhe
<br />y,,~ler lhal'ls ifcsh more than lhree-
<br />~u:1Tlers is !CX'k~d eilher In glaCiers or
<br />P'-'131 ic~. Anl1lh~r large porl!on of th~
<br />rem:1indcr IS lrapred as so.called fossil
<br />\\,'ater In undcrgrClund aquifers. some of
<br />Ihem lhClusanJs of meters below the
<br />eanh's SUI iace. Indeed. d:lllthe world's
<br />(rcsh \\jHtl. only .36'':(. In riv~rs. lakes
<br />and s\\..amps. IS easily acceSSIble and
<br />
<br />availahle for human use. Says Gilherl
<br />F. While of Ihe Universily of Colorado:
<br />"The ltum and localization of (his us-
<br />ahle water can be altered by human ac..
<br />li,'iIY. and ilS qU3lity can be improved'
<br />fllr helle.. human use, But lhe Iota I al-
<br />\\;IVS n:m:,ins the s:lme:'
<br />. The I.1c 11I:a 01..1 110 this Iimilcd supply
<br />h:1!\ tI....l:lI lI1l"rc:tsinj!. at an ominous rale
<br />." 1111111.: ;llltll1lllrc pt:tlplc use walcr noC
<br />"II'" fnr ,Irinl<;ing and cooking bUI to
<br />11;llhl:, Ilu!\h loikts. wash cars and wa-
<br />Il'l 1:IWl\S While OJ human in the semi-
<br />al"ill 1:1I1,ls or Africa may use no more
<br />lh:m Ihlc(' hl~rs (.8 ~al.l of water a day.
<br />Ihl~l' in the developed countries arc
<br />Illl'IC profh~ale. Accordin 10 a
<br />prcscllIed :1t the U.N COn Lon.
<br />I tilT u~cs lIers c68 gal.) a day per
<br />....apila. Paris 500 liters 1130 f!.aU. Mos.
<br />Co\\ 600 lilers (160 gal.) and New York
<br />CilY 1.045 lilers 1270 g:lll Even if 10-
<br />di\'ldual consumplion IS reduced. lolal
<br />dem.and IS likely (Q conllOue T1SIOg: [Me
<br />"arid's pClpUlalion. now more: than 4 bil.
<br />lion. IS npecled 10 II1crcase 10 as much
<br />as 7 bilhon by (he year 2000
<br />Suii. the amClunl of water us~d di-
<br />rectlv for human consumollon docs n(ll
<br />compare With Ihe Quanllly rcoUlred fOL
<br />a TlCUflure. which aCCounts for a' I
<br />80\(1 0 a (e waler used 1'1 ~ k
<br />elween Ofi( and 4 ";" s
<br />00 Df( uCllon IS now dependent on ir.
<br />np:a\lon. As population grows and the
<br />
<br />_.. '.o;Jb,~~~... .~.. '''''\(~
<br />~K,~ ~ <{
<br />CO ~>~.~ VO
<br />.Y NO,:>r'~~, O~
<br />
<br />AME"C~. ::;:6.
<br />
<br />I
<br />I
<br />i
<br />j
<br />I
<br />1
<br />L_
<br />
<br />
<br />PACIfiC OCEAN
<br />
<br />.
<br />07J Arwal .lIperi~n(in9
<br />:'0 d,oughr Ihll y.ar
<br />
<br />No, mal m~an
<br />annual precIpItation
<br />G)HIl;;Jh
<br />~.
<br />. o::l;nthuo, "'0'"
<br />
<br />O Moderate
<br />70.trO,...hu
<br />
<br />0'0"
<br />J (j. ~J ,,,,tou
<br />
<br />
<br />ATLANTIC
<br />OCEAN
<br />
<br />-.- D'-'-'
<br />
<br />Qc
<br />
<br />PAC/FIC OceAN
<br />
<br />INDIAN OCEAN
<br />
<br />i
<br />
<br />,-,~...~~J
<br />
<br />WHERE THE WATER IS
<br />
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