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Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificially from other sources, such as from reclaimed water or desalinated water (). 97% of the water on Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh ...
Most water in Earth's atmosphere and crust comes from saline seawater, while fresh water accounts for nearly 1% of the total. The vast bulk of the water on Earth is saline or salt water, with an average salinity of 35‰ (or 3.5%, roughly equivalent to 34 grams of salts in 1 kg of seawater), though this varies slightly according to the amount of runoff received from surrounding land.
Sources where drinking water is commonly obtained include springs, hyporheic zones and aquifers (groundwater), from rainwater harvesting, surface water (from rivers, streams, glaciers), or desalinated seawater. For these water sources to be consumed safely, they must receive adequate water treatment and meet drinking water quality standards. [5]
Puri became the first city in India to get a piped 24 hour continuous drinking water quality water supply. [17] Trivandrum is the largest Indian city and the only million agglomeration that enjoys uninterrupted hygienic water supply. [5] [better source needed] Chennai has two desalination plants: the Nemmeli and Minjur. [18]
The Safe Drinking Water Act, which was passed by Congress in 1974, regulates the country’s drinking water supply, focusing on waters that are or could be used for drinking. This act requires ...
Out of all the water on Earth, saline water in oceans, seas and saline groundwater make up about 97% of it. Only 2.5–2.75% is fresh water, including 1.75–2% frozen in glaciers, ice and snow, 0.5–0.75% as fresh groundwater and soil moisture, and less than 0.01% of it as surface water in lakes, swamps and rivers.
Another is spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation. [32] Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. [33] Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a ...
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is scrambling to assess how a tight new limit on forever chemicals in drinking water will affect utilities and the public.