WHAT DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT WATER?

We do are familiar with water. Almost there is no part of the world we water is not heard, use or maximise of. But how much do we really know about water?
In this post, I will be taking us to a journey of understanding somethings we might not know about water.

Stay Tuned....

Source- Pixabay

Source of water

Water is essential for the life of all plants and animals. Water as sea water covers about three-quarters of the Earths surface. We also find water in rivers and lakes. About 29% of the available water is found below the ground in water-holding rocks called aquifers. This water can be extracted in wells and sometimes comes to the surface in springs. Water is also found in the atmosphere as water vapour and in glaciers and icecaps.

Because so many substances dissolve in water, it is difficult to keep a pure sample of water. Clean drinking water is essential to humans and other animals. In 2004, about 3.5 billion people (54% of the world's population) had access to clean piped water. About 1.3 billion people had access to a safe water supply by means of standpipes, wells, etc. About 1 billion people do not have access to a safe water
supply. The problem is particularly acute in Africa. The water storage in Africa is low compared to other parts of the world - less than 50 m per person compared to 6000 m* in the USA. Much of the rain that falls is wasted.

Physical properties of water

Water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H20. It has unique properties. Comparison of the prorperties of compounds related to water suggest that, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, water should be a gas. It is fortunate that it is a liquid because life on Earth depends upon water being a liquid.

The atoms of water molecules are held together by hydrogen bonds. This is the reason behind two of water's unique properties: cohesion and adhesion.
Cohesion refers to the fact that water sticks to itself very easily. Adhesion means that water also sticks very well to other things, which is why it spreads out in a thin film on surfaces like glass. When water comes into contact with these surfaces, the adhesive forces are stronger than the cohesive forces. Instead of sticking together in a ball, it spreads out.

Water also has a strong surface tension. One example of this is the way that water beads up on waxy surfaces such as leaves or waxed cars. Surface tension makes these water drops round so they cover the smallest possible surface area.

Water's hydrogen bonds are also why its solid form water can float in its liquid form. lce is less dense than water because water molecules form crystalline structure at freezing point temperatures (zero degrees Celsine .The thermal properties of water are also linked to it hydrogen bonds. Water has a very high specific heat capacity, which is the amount of heat required to raise its temperature by one degree Celsius. Water also has high heat of vaporisation, which means that it can take a lot of heat without its temperature rising much. Pure water, at atmospheric pressure, boils at 100 °C. This plays a huge part in the climate, because it means that oceans take a long time to warm up.

Water is often known as the universal solvent, which means that many substances dissolve in it.

Hardness of water

Because water is such a good solvent, the water we use for drinking and household purposes will contain different dissolved minerals that will affect its properties.
Water may contain certain compounds because it has passed through rocks rich in calcium and magnesium compounds, and will not lather well with soap. It will also produce a lot of scum. It is called hard water. Water that does not contain these minerals is called soft water it lathers well with soap and does not form scum.

Water pollution

Do you have a river or a lake near where you live? Often things get put into the water that affect the environment. For example: plastic, paper, etc. spoiling the view and polluting the water. Much of the pollution in water can be seen but you can't see substances that are either dissolved in the water or have settled to the bottom of the water. What problems can refuse being thrown away have for us
and for animals and plants that ive in the water? Environmental pollution is the addition of substances that are not normally in the environment and that affect organisms in the environment. These substances can be called pollutants. They produce water pollution-

Causes of water pollution

Common causes of water pollution include: sewage, industrial waste, heavy metals, e.g. lead and mercury, detergents, fertilisers that run off fields, insecticides that do not break down, soil particles from forestry activities, oil spillage

Water pollution in Nigeria occurs in both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, drinking water from natural sources such as rivers and streams is often poluted by organic substances from upstream users who use water for agricultural and other activities. The most common form of stream pollution assOCiated with forestry activities is increased concentrations of soil particles
washed into the stream by land disturbance. The large particles sink to the bottom and increase the solid deposited on the riverbed while, depending on the
stream velocity, Smaller particles remain in suspension.

In the River Niger, for example, studies have shown that the suspended matter can obstruct the penetration of light and limit their photosynthesis to less than
1 m depth. Suspended sediments in watercourses have become a serious
authorities because they lead to increased water treatiment costs. Many factories in Nigeria are located on river banks and use the rivers as open sewers for their effluents.

The major industries responsible for water pollution in Nigeria include petroleum, mining (for gold, tin and coal), wood and pulp, pharmaceuticals, textiles, plastics, iron and steel, brewing, distillery fermentation, paint and food. Of all these, the petroleum industry presents the greatest threat to water quality. From time to time accidental oil spillages occur and these endanger local sources of water supply and freshwater resources, especially in the rural areas.

In areas problems often arise when waste water wage get into water which is used as a water source.

water can be purified by distillation, but this is expensive to do on a large scale.

It is possible buy tablets that can be used for water purification. These are expensive and often contain compounds of chlorine or iodine that kill bacteria without the water having to be boiled. When water is treated for use in the public water supply
The following stages are important:
sedimentation- filtration - chlorination

Control of water pollution

One way to control water pollution is to not dispose of refuse carelessly. Ideally there should be a system to collect and treat waste water so that it can be returned to rivers in a state that would mean it is fit to be used again.

A sewage system will:
filter out solid debris, break down harmful materials with micro-organisms.
We can help by conserving the water we use. We can do the following to get the best use of water:

Repair all damaged water pipes
Take care not to leave taps running or even dripping
Use only the minimum amount of water when bathing
Use water only for what is necessary
Only flush toilets when necessary

Uses of water

Humans, plants, and animals are made up of mostly water. Water is needed for many body processes in living things. All living things die if they don't have water. Water is also used in other ways. It is estimated that 70% of worldwide water use is for irrigation of crops. About 22% of water worldwide is used in industry
Major industrial users include hydroelectric dams, coal-fired power plants (which use steam for turning
turbines), mining and oil refineries that use water in chemical processes and manufacturing plants which Is water as a solvent. About 8% of worldwide water is for household purposes such as drinking water, Bathing, cooking and cleaning

References

. https://www.britannica.com/science/water/Physical-properties

. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8a.html

. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hardness-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know

. https://www.britannica.com/science/water-pollution