Liquid

Not only is water essential for life on land and sea it is also a source of great interest and beauty in one or other of its natural forms.

Water of Life: Our bodies are approximately 60% and our brains 75% water. The surface of our planet is around 71% water.

Vapour

Water Cycle: Through evaporation and condensation the Water Cycle brings water from the seas/oceans back to the land in rain. The drainage from the land then brings the water back to the sea via the rivers. Water is a good solvent and for millions of years rivers have carried salt (& other materials) to the oceans making them salty.

We know that tons of pharmaceuticals and large quantities of illegal drugs consumed by the population, plus cleaning chemicals from every household etc. make their way annually to the rivers, lakes and eventually to the sea.

Solid

Impurities in the Water: Back in the 1960’s the slogan was “The solution to pollution is dilution”. In our naivety we thought that the oceans would be an infinite pit for all our waste. How wrong we were! Now we know that chemical pollution levels in the rivers/lakes and the surrounding sea are increasing.

Because pure water is so essential for life, and because we get our water supply from rivers and lakes, it is vital that our water sources are kept perfectly clean and pure.

Questions:

Is there a better way for disposing of human effluent than letting it into the rivers/seas/oceans?

How can we ensure that chemicals from human or animal waste do not end up in our drinking water?

What may be the long-term consequences of the tons of pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs, consumed by the population annually, making their way into our rivers? (and seas?)

Photographs courtesy of Elizabeth McNamee

Elizabeth McNamee
Western Province