Water

Water

From the Latin aqua , water is a substance whose molecules are composed of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms . It is an odorless liquid (odorless), tasteless (no taste) and colorless (without color), although it can also be in the solid state (when it is known as ice ) or in a gaseous state ( vapor ).

Water is the component that appears most abundantly in the earth 's surface (covers about 71% of the crust of the Earth ). It forms oceans, rivers and rains, besides being a constituent part of all living organisms. The circulation of water in ecosystems occurs through a cycle consisting of evaporation or transpiration, precipitation and displacement to the sea.

Water is the component that appears most abundantly in the earth 's surface (covers about 71% of the crust of the Earth ). It forms oceans, rivers and rains, besides being a constituent part of all living organisms. The circulation of water in ecosystems occurs through a cycle consisting of evaporation or transpiration, precipitation and displacement to the sea.

The mineral water , as its name suggests, contains minerals and other dissolved substances, so that a value is added therapeutic or taste is altered. This type of water is the one that is marketed packed around the world for human consumption.

Shortage

Water scarcity is a problem that occurs everywhere on the planet . Around 20% of the world population lives in areas where there is not enough water, and another 10% comes close to this situation. On the other hand, 25% must face the lack of resources from their country to transport water from aquifers and rivers.

For many, water scarcity has become one of the most urgent points to solve in the 21st century, partly because of the excessive consumption that took place during the previous hundred years, whose rate doubled the birth rate. Although it is not correct to say that the entire Earth suffers from lack of water, the number of areas lacking this vital resource grows in a worrying way.

As is well known, the action of our species is, in large part, responsible for this phenomenon: the amount of drinking water present in the entire world is sufficient to supply us all; however, given the irregularity with which it is distributed and the enormous waste on the part of a large percentage of the population, its management becomes unsustainable.

In general, hydrology uses the relationship between water and population to measure scarcity, which exists when the annual water supply to a region decreases by 1000 cubic meters per person; hydric stress is spoken , however, when the descent is 1700 cubic meters. The absolute shortage occurs when each individual has access to less than 500 cubic meters per year.

In other words, water scarcity occurs when the demand for that resource can not be met, either because of its quantity or its quality. It is important to remember that not only is it used for drinking, but the human being has given other uses, which also enter the equation.

For this reason, scarcity is a relative concept, a phenomenon that can arise from an excessive demand in an environment that could well supply the real needs, or from the lack of the minimum necessary for the life of its users.