A Study on Ecological Implications of Water Insecurity and Settlements

This essay discusses the ecological implications of water insecurity and human settlements, highlighting the importance of water for industrial development and human survival. It examines the environmental impacts of water scarcity, including effects on other species and the long-term implications for humanity, such as global warming and decreased water levels due to deforestation. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for water conservation through methods like rainwater harvesting, protection of water catchment areas, and responsible waste disposal to mitigate future water shortages and environmental degradation. Desklib offers this assignment as part of its collection of solved papers.

Running head: ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF WATER INSECURITY AND HUMAN
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ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF WATER INSECURITY AND HUMAN
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Introduction
The number of economic damages and fatalities that are caused by disasters related to water such
as draughts and floods, land subsidence and landslides, is increasing dramatically worldwide,
this is mainly because many people live in vulnerable for this areas. Urbanization, land-use
changes, energy issues and migration patterns are derived from economic development and
change in population, with variability and climate change probable to intensify the challenges
with more uncertainties. The biggest challenge faced by hydrological community is the inability
to ascertain the impacts of this global changes regarding water resources that can help to timely
and appropriately recommend and implement suitable measures in the continually changing
environment. This paper will discuss the ecological implications of water insecurity and human
settlements of global water consumption.
Importance of water to industrial development and human survival.
Water is crucial to industrial development as all industries cannot run with water, for instance,
manufacturing industries use water in the process of manufacturing, they use it for the
production itself, cleaning equipment and machinery, cleaning rooms and warehouses, cooling
the machines used in production and also constructing buildings. In the production process, they
use it for diluting chemical, washing raw material and fabrication, it is also a raw material in
industries producing food, chemicals, and papers. Water is also a cheaper means of transport for
raw materials and even the finished products to the industry and to the market (Pennington,
Nayak, Ring, Petticrew, Sowden & Whitehead, .2018).
Water is essential for human life as it is the chief source of food, plants cannot survive and that
means all other living organisms cannot survive because they depend on plants for food either

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directly or indirectly. Both human beings and animals depend on plants for food and they will all
die if plants don’t grow. Plants too depend on water for survival, this means that life revolves
around water. Other than food production, human beings need water for digestion, excretion,
keeping their bodies cool and hydrated.
Impacts on environment and other species
The beauty of the environments depend on water, vegetation flowers and trees need water for
their growth, vegetation and flowers make the environment look beautiful. Trees also provide
fresh breathing air that human beings and animals use to inhale by taking in the carbon dioxide
exhaled by the human being and releasing oxygen we also need water to maintain and keep our
environment clean, by washing houses, toilets, pavements and avoiding bad smells from dirty
and blocked sewage. If there is no water to clean the sewage lines, the environment would be
spoilt by bad smells and could bring about breakouts of critical disease such as typhoid and
cholera (Yang, (2018).).
All living organisms like insects and wild animals also depend on water for survival, and they
need water for food. Water animals also need water for a habitat and also for food, all these
animals are part of the environment, and they make the world a better and enjoyable place to be.
Water is an essential substance and should be preserved, by all means, human settlement can
lead to spoiling the water sources which leads to negative effects to the environment and the
human beings too (Grecksch, 2019).
Implications for human settlement
Human settlement has a significant impact on the environment which increases with the increase
of population. The increased community needs food, water, and land for house construction,

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sewerage system and electricity. These needs slowly degrade the environment through cutting
down of trees and clearing vegetation to get the land for development, through these habitats are
destroyed and some animals end up dying thus destroying the ecosystem. People also dispose of
garbage carelessly which many spoil the water and sometimes killing water animals, the litter
also spoils the air with a stinking smell and may also be a breeding place for mosquitoes and
other parasites that causes diseases (Erickson, Malenda, Berquist & Ayotte, 2019).
Long term implications for humanity
Burning too much fuel by human beings negatively affects the environment by spoiling the
atmosphere that slowly causes global warming thus permanent environmental changes. Due to
global warming human beings are affected by too much sun rays that may lead to skin cancer
and also reduced rainfall causing drought and famine which leads to lack of enough food
increasing the poverty levels. Trees are responsible for water catchment and once cut down to be
used as firewood or to get land for either cultivation or construction. The water levels go down
such that it is not enough for the population. Both global warming and a decrease in water levels
are long term adverse effects of human settlement (Xu, Liu, Liu, Dore, Tang & Chen, 2019).
Conclusion.
In summary, water is the most precious substance on earth, and no living organism can survive
without water. Human beings need water to carry out their daily activities and to remain healthy
and also to produce their food. Industrial development also needs water for smooth running of
the processes. The environment is made beautiful and clean by water and may be spoilt by
human settlement. Human settlement on semi-arid areas has a negative impact through
degradation of the environment which causes global warming and water shortages which are

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long term effects on human. Poor disposal of garbage may lead to the death of water animals and
fatal diseases. The human settlement also destroyed the habitats of wild animals and insects
through the clearing of vegetation and cutting down of trees for humans to get land for
cultivation and construction of houses (Liddicoat, Waycott, Glover, Lowe & Weinstein, 2018).
Water should be conserved by all possible means to avoid water shortages in future, water can be
conserved by harvesting and storing rain water in tanks and dams, protecting water catchment
areas such as mountains and forest, using water sparingly and avoiding damping waste psroducts
in rivers or near rivers.

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