9781422274569

Freshwater Resources

T he earth is popularly known as the “blue planet” since 75 percent of it is covered with water. Out of this, about 97 percent is salty and the remaining is usable freshwater. About 68.7 percent of freshwater is locked in ice sheets and glaciers found in Antarctica, Greenland, the Arctic, and the Himalayas. The remaining is unevenly distributed across the world.

SurfaceWater Lakes, rivers, and freshwater wetlands together form the surface water that accounts for 0.9 percent of the total freshwater. Humans draw water from these sources for drinking, agricultural, and other purposes. These are renewable sources that replenish themselves through rainfall and snowfall. However, overextraction of water, pollution, and changes in climate patterns due to global warming are severely disturbing their replenishment and decreasing their quantity.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Problems and Progress

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