PROBLEMS RELATED TO FRESHWATER RESOURCESAlthough the absolute quantities of freshwater on Earth have remained approximately the same, the uneven distribution of water and human settlement continues to create growing problems of freshwater availability and accessibility. |
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19. The World's Freshwater Supplies:
Annual Renewable Supplies per Capita per River Basin This graphic compares freshwater supplies per capita, per river basin in 1995 with a projection of freshwater supplies for the same areas in 2025. |
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20. An Urban Dilemma: Groundwater Pollution
by Canal Seepage in Hat Yai, Southern Thailand In areas where surface water is not readily available (located far away from areas of need), groundwater is the primary water source. This graphic explains how groundwater in the city of Hat Yai, Thailand, has been polluted by chloride and potassium from the city's canals. |
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21a. Freshwater Stress and Scarcity
in Africa by 2025 According to Population Action International, based upon the UN Medium Population Projections of 1998, more than 2.8 billion people in 48 countries will face water stress or scarcity conditions by 2025. This graphic illustrates projected water stress and water scarcity for African nations in 2025. |
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21b. Freshwater Stress |
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22. Turning the Tides: Regulation of
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Water has been associated with conflicts between several neighbouring countries. This graphic shows how water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is used in Iraq, and that neighbouring Syria and Turkey influence the flow of this water. |
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23. River Fragmentation and Flow Regulation This graphic shows the number of new dams that were under construction in 1998. It also indicates the areas which are most affected by river channel fragmentation and flow regulation, conditions which result partially from dam construction. |
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24. The Shrinking of the Aral Sea:
Socio-Economic Impacts Over the past 30 years, the Aral Sea in the former Soviet Union has shrunk to less than half of its original size. This graphic shows how the shrinking of the Aral Sea has changed industries such as fishing and agriculture. |
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25. Will the Aral Sea Disappear Forever?
The Last 40 Years and Alternative Future Scenarios The demise of the Aral Sea was caused primarily by the diversion of the inflowing Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya rivers to provide irrigation water for local croplands. This graphic shows the disappearance of the Aral Sea from 1957 to 2000 and three possible scenarios showing the relationship between future demand and future available runoff. |
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26. From Wetlands to Dry Lands: the
Destruction of the Mesopotamian Marshlands The Mesopotamian Marshlands in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins were devastated by damming and river channelisation during the late 1980s. This graphic illustrates the decline in the area's marshlands by comparing the location of its marshlands and lakes in 1973 and in 2000. |
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27. A Chronology of Change: Natural
and Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Lake Chad Straddling the borders of Chad, Niger and Cameroon in West Africa, Lake Chad has been a source of freshwater for irrigation projects in all these countries. This graphic traces the shrinkage of Lake Chad and changes in vegetation from 1967 to 2001. |
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28. Changes in Freshwater Species
Populations The Freshwater Species Population Index measures the average change over time in the populations of some 194 species of freshwater birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Between 1970 and 1999, the Freshwater Species Population Index fell by nearly 50%, which constitutes a very rapid decline in population indices. |
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29. Fish Diversity in Freshwater Systems Although freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, lakes and wetlands occupy less than 2% of the Earth's total land surface, they provide a wide range of habitats for a significant proportion of the world's plant and animal species. This graphic explains which areas of the world have high and low populations of fish species and endemic fish. |
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30. The State of the World's Fisheries
Inland and Marine Capture Fishery Trends The harvest of freshwater fish is likely to increase either through capture fisheries or aquaculture (otherwise known as 'fish farming'). This graphic shows inland capture fisheries trends for 1984 to 1997, and illustrates the ratio between the 1998 catch and the maximum recorded catch. |
