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springs, lakes, rivers and streams–
fresh water suitable for man's use.
Under the crust of all of earth's
continents are additional vast net–
works and bodies of water called
aquifers-slowly flowing like un–
derground rivers. This too is fresh
water.
lt
comes from surface water
that soaks down through the soil
and rock formations, finally emp–
tying into the seas.
Only fairly recently has it been
realized how extensive this system
is. Sorne of the underground water
extends as much as three miles be–
low the surface. In the top half–
mile of the earth's crust alone there
is estimated that there is more than
30 times the amount of fresh water
than what is contained in all the
lakes, rivers, streams and inland
seas on the surface put together.
All this fresh water may sound
like a lot of water. But what may
not be realized is that about 97
percent of all water on earth is
salty, ocean water. Of the three
percent that is left, slightly more
than two percent is locked up as ice
in polar regions. That leaves less
than one percent fresh water on
land and under it.
Still, the amount of fresh water
constantly available could support
severa! times this world's popula–
\ÍOn.
It
could. But it is not even
supplying the present-day needs of
the human race as a whole. Why?
Population Distributlon
Since the beginning, human soci–
eties have tended to locate and de-
16
velop near river basins, lakes and
other fresh water sources. During
the course of time populations have
increased out of proportion to
available water. Political borders
have sectioned off water supplies.
Even weather patterns change.
Population as a whole today is not
distributed in the same way that
fresh water is.
For example, 11 million people
massed in more than 130 cities in
the desert and semidesert regions
of Southern California depend
heavily on water brought in from
hundreds of miles distance · by
pipelines and aqueducts. The popu–
lation has grown far too large for
the local water supply.
In crowded Hong Kong the situ–
ation is more complicated because
international borders are involved.
Here are not only too many people
for available water, but the main
supply originales in and is con–
trolled by a neighboring nation, the
People's Republic of China.
Worldwide, three fourths of the
rural population and one fifth of
the city dwellers do not have access
to an adequate supply of water.
Millions of women spend a good
share of each day walking lO miles
or more from their bornes just to
obtain enough water for drinking
and cooking.
The World Health Organization
designated the 1980s as lnterna–
tional Drinking Water Supply and
Sanitation Decade.
It
hopes to
bring about "safe drinking water
and adequate sanitation by 1990
. . . for two billion people in the
developing countries." This at the
estimated cost of sorne $30 billion
a year.
By contrast to these areas, the
mighty Amazon, largest river in
the world, winds its way through
sparsely inhabited tropical rain
forests, dumping its incredible vol–
ume of virtually untapped water
into the ocean. The great Congo
(Zaire) River, second largest on
earth, flows through jungles and
empties over cataracts into the At–
lantic.
Other major rivers such as the
Mackenzie (Canada), the Yukon
(Aiaska) and the Ob and Yenisei
(Soviet" Union) run off into the
frigid Arctic Ocean virtually un–
used. Lake Baikal, the largest and
deepest single body of fresh water
on earth, sits in relatively sparsely
populated Asiatic Russia.
In those societies that have had
an adequate supply of fresh water,
the
t~ndency
has been not to appre–
ciate it. Turn the tap on. Out
comes the water. There .has been
water for bathing, washing the car,
watering the lawn , operating indus–
try, supporting agriculture and ful–
filling thousands of other functions
from filling water beds to carrying
away sewage.
Outside of air for breathing,
probably nothing has been more
taken for granted by those wbo
have it than water.
Not so "Fresh" After All
Today enormous quantities of in–
dustrial wastes are poured into
lakes, rivers and streams, creating
chemical soups. Thousands of in–
jection wells have been dug where·
toxic wastes have been pumped di–
rectly into the ground, thereupon
polluting aquifers.
It
has been esti–
mated in scientific studies that up
to half of the water in the ground
is already contaminated either with
disease-producing bacteria or in–
dustrial waste.
Others say the problem is not
yet catastrophic. But if
yours
is the
water that is contaminated, it
is
a
catastrophe for you!
In too many areas a person sim–
ply cannot obtain drinking water
that can be guaranteed to be pure.
It
certainly isn' t available from bis
tap. Nor can water from rain and
snow be r'elied upon as pure. And
who can sort through the advertis–
ing claims for all the brands of
bottled water, water filters and dis–
tillers now on the market?
For dirty water, industry (and
agriculture) should not get all the
blame, as is too often the case in
problems of acid rain. Pollution is
also caused by such varied non-"in–
dustrial" sources as the excessive
use of household detergents and
drain cleaners, the accumulation of
filth from city streets, leaks from
underground petroleum tanks, lead
and cadmium dissolved from water
pipes. Just think for a moment of
all the things water is used daily to
clean and dilute.
One factor responsible for the
significant disappearance of pure
The PLAIN TRUTH