A Water is a

Essential Source

Water is Most Important Source

Water resources are becoming increasingly important
because of current and potential future impacts of
climate change.
Increasing population growth and economic
development . As a result of these dynamic changes,
many countries around the world face serious problems
with their water supplies.
Climate change is driven by variations in precipitation
and temperature, which can impact stream flow, run-off
and groundwater, all leading to alteration of the
hydrological cycle.

What Is Water Quality?

Water is essential to human life andthe health of the
environment. As a valuable natural resource.
has two dimensions that are closely linked:
quantity and quality. Water quality is commonly
defined by its physical, chemical, biological and
aesthetic (appearance and smell) characteristics.
Water quality in a body of water influences the way in
which communities use the water for activities such as
drinking, swimming or commercial purposes. More
specifically, the water may be used by the community
for:
supplying drinking water
recreation (swimming, boating)
irrigating crops and watering stock
industrial processes
navigation and shipping
production of edible fish, shellfish and crustaceans
protection of aquatic ecosystems

Why is Water Quality Important?

Our water resources are of major environmental, social
and economic value to NSW( North South Wales is
Australian state) , and if water quality becomes degraded
this resource will lose its value.
Water quality is important not only to protect public
health: water provides ecosystem habitats, is used for
farming, fishing and mining, and contributes to
recreation and tourism.
If water quality is not maintained, it is not just the
environment that will suffer- the commercial and
recreational value of our water resources will also
diminish.

What Affects The Quality of Our Water?

Water quality is closely linked to the surrounding

environment and land use. Other than in its vapor form,
water is never pure and is affected by community uses
such as agriculture, urban and industrial use, and
recreation.
The modification of natural stream flows by dams and
weirs can also affect water quality.

The weather, too, can have a major impact on water

quality, particularly in a dry country like Australia
which is periodically affected by droughts.

Groundwater is a major source of water in

NSW( northsouth west an Australian state).

with reserves estimated to be 200 times more than

the water in dams. Groundwater is an integral part
of our water supply.

Although data on groundwater quality is limited, it

is clear that, like other bodies of water,
groundwater close to urban or industrial
development is vulnerable to contamination

How Does Water Quality Affect Aquatic

Ecosystems?
An ecosystem is a community of organisms - plants,
animals, fungi and bacteria- interacting with one another
andthe environment in which they live. Protecting
aquatic ecosystems is in many ways as important as
maintaining water quality, for the following reasons.
Aquatic ecosystems are an integral part of our
environment. They need to be maintained if the
environment is to continue to support people. World
conservation strategies stress the importance of
maintaining healthy ecosystems and genetic diversity.
Aquatic ecosystems play an important role in
maintaining water quality and are a valuable indicator
of water quality and the suitability of the water for
other uses.

Aquatic ecosystems are valuable resources.

Aquatic life is a major source of protein for
humans. In most countries, including Australia,
commercial and sport fishing is economically
important.

Water Stewardship
Freshwateris fundamental to all life. Northwest
Territories (NWT) waters are essential forecosystems,
and for the people living in those ecosystems.
the rivers, lakes, streams, creeks,ponds, deltas, and
wetlandsand even water under the groundare an
important part of our lives, and traditional Aboriginal
culture.

We all have the responsibility to make sure our use

of the land and water does not harm the water and
aquatic ecosystems on which people, plants and
animals depend. We call this responsibility water
stewardship.

Through water stewardship

and partnerships, we can all
work together to make sure
the waters of the World remain
clean, abundant and
productive for all time.

Livestock a major threat to environment

Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector

generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in
CO2 equivalent 18 percent than transport. It is also a
major source of land and water degradation.
With increased prosperity, people are consuming
more meat and dairy products every year. Global meat
production is projected to more than double from 229
million tonnes in 1999/2001 to 465 million tones in
2050, while milk output is set to climb from 580 to
1043 million tones.

Long shadow
The global livestock sector is growing faster than any
other agricultural sub-sector. It provides livelihoods to
about 1.3billion people and contributes about 40
percent to global agricultural output. For many poor
farmers in developing countries livestock are also a
source of renewable energy for draft and an essential
source of organic fertilizer for their crops.
But such rapid growth exacts a steep environmental
price, according to the FAO report,Livestocks Long
Shadow Environmental Issues and Options.The
environmental costs per unit of livestock production
must be cut by one half, just to avoid the level of
damage worsening beyond its present level.

it warns.
When emissions from land use and land use change
are included, the livestock sector accounts for 9
percent of CO2 deriving from human-related
activities, but produces a much larger share of even
more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65
percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has
296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of
CO2. Most of this comes from manure.
And it accounts for respectively 37 percent of all
human-induced methane (23 times as warming as
CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive
system of ruminants, and 64 percent of ammonia,
which contributes significantly to acid rain.

Global Hydrology and Water Resources

The need to develop more sustainable practices for the
management and efficient use of water resources, as
well as the need to protect the environmental
ecosystems.

where these resources are located, has led to

fundamental shifts in awareness and public concern
over the past decade.
However, despite increased awareness of the
issues at stake, economic criteria and politically
charged reasoning are still driving water resource
development decisions at most local, regional,
national and international levels.

The driving forces and pressures on our

water resources
The combination of both naturally occurring conditions
and humanitys actions creates pressure on our water
resources.Climate changeand natural variability in the
distribution and occurrence of water are the natural
driving forces that complicate thesustainable
development of our water resources. Some of the main
driving forces affecting water resources include:
population growth, particularly in water-short
regions
major demographic changes as people move from
rural to urban environments
higher demands for food security and socioeconomic well-being
increased competition between users and usages
pollution from industrial, municipal and agricultural
sources.

Climate Impacts on Water Resources

Water resources are important to both society and

ecosystems.
We depend on a reliable, clean supply of drinking
water to sustain our health. We also need water for
agriculture, energy production, navigation,
recreation, and manufacturing.
Many of these uses put pressure on water
resources, stresses that are likely to be
exacerbated by climate change. In many areas,
climate change is likely to increase water
demand while shrinkingwater supplies.

Water Pollution
The companion of modernization has always been
pollution.In developing countries that are just entering
the industrial age, water pollution presents a serious
problem.

.The UNEP ( United Nation Environmental Program)

also reports that 1.2 billion people are being affected
by polluted water, and that dirty water contributes to
15 million child deaths every year.In recent years,
scientists have become aware of the problems
involved with the contamination of
groundwater.Aquifers move very slowly, so once
they are polluted it takes decades or centuries for
them to cleanse themselves.
Food production contributes significantly to water
contamination.When nitrogen fertilizer is applied
to a field, the water runoff will contain excess
amounts of nitrates.Nitrates have been shown to
have a very harmful effect on plant and animal
life,can cause miscarriages.

Land and water

At the same time herds cause wide-scale land

degradation, with about 20 percent of pastures
considered as degraded through overgrazing,
compaction and erosion.
This figure is even higher in the dry lands where
inappropriate policies and inadequate livestock
management contribute to advancing desertification.
The livestock business is among the most
damaging sectors to the earths increasingly scarce
water resources, contributing among other things
to water pollution, euthropication and the
degeneration of coral reefs.

Remedies
The report, which was produced with the support
of the multi-institutional Livestock, Environment
and Development (LEAD) Initiative, proposes
explicitly to consider these environmental costs
and suggests a number of ways of remedying the
situation, including:
Land degradation controlling access and
removing obstacles to mobility on common
pastures. Use of soil conservation methods and
silvopastoralism, together with controlled
livestock exclusion from sensitive areas;
payment schemes for environmental services in
livestock-based land use to help reduce and
reverse land degradation.

Atmosphere and climate increasing the efficiency

of livestock production and feed crop agriculture.
Improving animals diets to reduce enteric
fermentation and consequent methane emissions,
and setting up biogas plant initiatives to recycle
manure.
Water improving the efficiency of irrigation
systems. Introducing full-cost pricing for water
together with taxes to discourage large-scale
livestock concentration close to cities.

Thank you