More on ecology and water resource conservation

Water resources are deposits of open and subsurface waters which are or can be used in manufacture or life-sustaining activity. Over 95% of water reserves fall at the world ocean and only by two per cents are represented by subsurface waters and glaciers. At that, glaciers contain over 60% of fresh water resources.

Situation in Russia

Russia is one of the countries abundant in natural resources. But these resources including water storages are unevenly distributed: majority of our rivers is in the northern or eastern regions. South and south-western regions of Russia accommodates only 20% of water resources of the country while over 80% of the population, industry and agriculture is located here. Another problem is seasonal fluctuations. About 70% of river flow falls at the short period of the spring flood.

Water conservation actions (mainly related to fresh waters) have not been systemic for the last twenty years. As a result, there is no large river which did not suffer human activity in our country. Discharge of wastes and trade effluents into water bodies, uncontrolled use of river flows for irrigation and other needs negatively influence the state of water resources.

Majority of rivers running through developed areas are polluted with industrial, household and agricultural effluents. Water transport, air emissions of enterprises, mining operations, mass unstructured recreation (especially related with operation of small boats) also pollute rivers.

A great amount of the fresh water is distributed by canals to be delivered to the regions incurring persistent water deficit. As a result, regions which at one time were amply supplied with water suffer from dryness. However total water remains the same owing to the water cycle, the amount of water resources (i.e. of usable water) decreases year by year.

One of the spectacular examples of the uncontrolled utilization of water resources on the territory of the former USSR is the ecocatastrophe of the Lake Aral, which took place as a result of withdrawal of significant amounts of water with irrigation purposes. In past years, flows of large rivers decreased by tens of per cents while shallow rivers dried up.

All of this means demand for complex measures for conservation of water resources. Another aspect of this problem is related with the fact that changes in hydrosphere affect not only water but even terrestrial ecosystems.

Water Resource Conservation Measures

The most advanced treatment facilities provide sewage purification from organic impurities only by nine tenth. So, even after water treatment, it is necessary to water these drains 6-12 and more times. After all, natural self-purification capacity of water bodies and channels is very low and natural mechanisms often fail when water is polluted with hazardous materials from industrial effluents.

So, contamination prevention of water resources comprises:

prohibition of discharge of sewage waters into water bodies and channels;
creation of water protection areas;
aid to self-purification capacity of water bodies;
maintenance and improvement of conditions of formation of surface and subsurface flow at water-shed areas.

Measures on upgrading treatment plants is also important. In particular, we mean introduction of more effective sewage treatment methods: radioactive, electro-chemical, sorption, magnetic, etc. The main coordinating center in our country is the Ministry of natural resources and ecology of the Russian Federation.

Last years showed that the whole action plan on territorial redistribution of available water resources is necessary. Otherwise, more industrially and agriculturally developed regions of the country will incur a water deficit in the nearest future. Relative works have been carried long since. Just recall the legendary turn of the Siberian rivers which is thought today as an anecdote. Nevertheless, modern investigation shows that such way has no alternatives for our country.

The problem of utilization of waters with raised salinity (salty waters) requires early solution. It will guarantee life in deserts, on the coast of oceans and seas as well as safe huge agricultural lands perishing from soil salinization. But existing demineralization technologies are very expensive or inadequate for commercial application.