Mitigation Strategies

Running head: MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS

Mitigation Strategies and Solutions

Susan Hillman

Axia College

Abstract

Water is necessary for survival; however, with the population on our planet increasing, usable water is becoming short in supply, what can we do to keep our planet from running out of usable water?

Even though water is a necessity for survival, one million people are deprived of clean water supplies and half of the world’s population is left without proper water purification systems. (United Nations Population Fund, 2003). As people, we just see what is in front of us, we do not see what is going on with the water supply outside of our little community; however, there are so many that have to struggle for water, even in this day and time. However, in all actuality, less than 1% of the earth’s water is fit to be used and it is only this small percentage that is renewable by rain or snow. It is projected that by 2025, if we keep using water like we are today, that 5 billion people out of the world’s 7.9 million will be living in an area where it is hard to get usable water. (United Nations Population Fund, 2003). Figure 1 will show the per capita use of water by different regions.

|[pic] |

|(United Nations Population Fund, 2003). 1 |

|Figure 1: The water usage of different parts of the world per capita in cubic meters |

Ninety-seven percent of the earths’ water is salt water and it is not consumable or fit to use for agriculture. Assuming, that the world’s freshwater supply is invariable, the typical amount of water obtainable per person in 1850 was about 43,000 cubic meters per year. By 1990, this number had dropped to 9,000 cubic meters per year, merely because of the increase in global population. (Gleick, 1995)....