Freshwater is connected with all aspects of our lives

Although rivers, lakes and wetlands covers less than one percent of Earths surface, their importance to us is immeasurable. Water is an essential element to all life on Earth. For example, from the point of view of human society, the socio-economic implications of easily accessible drinking water are becoming more and more important. Freshwater ecosystems support us many other ways too; large dams have been built to harness great rivers to generate electrical power. Rivers also provide water for irrigation and industry, processing wastes, producing timber and supplying food. Freshwater serves an important role in transporting goods via ships. They also serve for recreational interest meets cultural and aesthetic purposes.

Freshwater and socio-economic problems

Pollution and waste due to industrial exploitation and overpopulation are a serious threat to our freshwater resources. Unfortunately, people and industries are often concentrated near waterways, lakes and rivers, which makes it difficult to find solutions to controlling the problem of water pollution. Eutrophication, acidification and water contamination by heavy metals and other compounds are problems that need to be tackled in sustainable manner. Find here information about the causes and consequences of water pollution, and about the measures that have been taken to solve these problems. Many cultural and religious aspects of human life are also linked to freshwater. Historically, humans have congregated by freshwater and used it as medium for transport of goods, people and ideas. Therefore, many of our customs and cultural heritage is linked to freshwater.

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