Throughout history, the enduring issue of water scarcity has persisted due to human interaction with the environment. The effect of human advancements in society has largely contributed to the pollution of major water sources, leading to a scarcity of clean water. From industrialization to agricultural advancements, population growth, urban development, and inadequate sanitation systems, the pollution of water sources has had severe consequences on society. Despite efforts to create technology and systems to address this issue, water scarcity remains a significant challenge that will continue to affect future generations. evidecnce to support this from 3 documents

Question

Document 1
During the mid nineteenth century, defeating cholera [a waterborne illness] was of
paramount importance to those responsible for the metropolis. Between 1831 and 1866,
four separate epidemics took over forty thousand Londoners lives. Little was known
about the cause of the disease at the time, as it was generally considered to be linked to
London’s foul air or miasma. The miasmatists* held sway until the truth about the cause
of cholera, was conclusively proven by Robert Koch with his discovery of the cholera
bacillus. This further scientifi c proof reinforced the theory put forward by Dr. John
Snow that the disease was spread through ingesting soiled water, rather than inhaling
foul air. Although the cause of cholera was a subject of debate, it was agreed that the
polluted River Thames, where the people of London drew their drinking water from,
was to blame. It was clear that something had to be done to address this issue, however,
the disorganized state of local government within London prevented many schemes
[plans] from coming to fruition [completion]. Local government was based around
church parishes and the vested interests that held sway were rarely wise enough to see
beyond the narrow interests of their local parish to the wider interests of London as a city
itself. The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers Act 1848, pushed through by the health
reformer Edwin Chadwick, tried in a limited way to instigate a London wide system of
waste management. However it was never powerful or decisive enough to implement the
changes that were necessary for a London wide programme of reform.
By 1850, population growth and the inception of the water closet [indoor toilet],
popularized by the Great Exhibition in 1851, resulted in ineffective and overfl owing
household cesspools. Water closets were responsible for households producing nearly
one hundred additional gallons of waste per day on average. In 1848, in order to
eliminate this problem, the Metropolis Sewers Commission mandated cesspools and
house drains be connected to sewers, which emptied, unfi ltered, in to the River Thames.
This worsened the problem and affectively turned London’s main waterway in to an
open sewer. . . .
Source: Chad Hansen, “The Big Thames Clean Up,” Westminster City Archives online
* miasmatists: people who believed disease was spread through foul air
Global Hist. & Geo. II – June ’22 [28]
Document 2
. . . Nothing, however, has precipitated [caused] the water crisis more than three decades
of breakneck industrial growth. China’s economic boom has, in a ruthless symmetry,
fueled an equal and opposite environmental collapse. In its race to become the world’s
next superpower, China is not only draining its rivers and aquifers [underground water
sources] with abandon; it is also polluting what’s left so irreversibly that the World Bank
warns of “catastrophic consequences for future generations.”. . .
The Yellow River’s epic journey across northern China is a prism through which to see
the country’s unfolding water crisis. From the Tibetan nomads leaving their ancestral
lands near the river’s source to the “cancer villages” languishing [suffering] in silence
near the delta, the Mother River puts a human face on the costs of environmental
destruction. But it also shows how this emergency is shocking the government—and
a small cadre of environmental activists—into action. The fate of the Yellow River still
hangs in the balance. . . .
As an employee of Green Camel Bell, an environmental group in the western city of
Lanzhou, Jiang [Lin, mother of the founder] is following up on a tip that the [paper]
mill is dumping untreated chemical waste into a tributary of the Yellow River. There
are hundreds of such factories around Lanzhou, a former Silk Road trading post that
has morphed [changed] into a petrochemical hub. In 2006 three industrial spills here
made the Yellow River run red. Another turned it white. This one is tainting the tributary
a toxic shade of maroon. When Jiang gets back to the offi ce, the GPS data will be
emailed to Beijing and uploaded onto a Web-based “pollution map” for the whole world
to see. . . .
Source: Brook Larmer, “Bitter Waters: Can China save the Yellow–its Mother River?”
National Geographic Magazine online, May 2008
Document 3
Lyrics and Latrines
Feliciano dos Santos, lead singer of the band Massuko, is an infl uential environmentalist who
worked to provide clean water to the village of Niassa, Mozambique.
. . . In 2000, Santos founded a nonprofi t organization called Estamos, with the mission
of providing clean water throughout Niassa by installing water pumps plus low-cost,
sustainable sanitation facilities.
The project is succeeding. Villagers have installed thousands of “EcoSan” portable
bathrooms. These facilities are brick-lined to keep bacteria from infi ltrating the
groundwater supply. After six months of composting, the contents become fertilizer that
farmers can safely use in their fi elds. For the fi rst time, Niassa has a rudimentary [basic]
sanitation system.
In addition, Santos is using music to teach people better hygiene, or the practice of
keeping clean to prevent disease. One of Massukos’s greatest hits is called “Tissambe
Manja,” meaning “Wash Our Hands.” “Clean water is a basic human right, yet so many
people don’t have it,” says Santos. “I’m using my music to be the voice of people who
have no voice.”
Source: Andrew J. Milson, Global Issues: Health,
National Geographic Learning, Cengage Learning, 2014
Global Hist. & Geo. II – June ’22 [29] [OVER]
Document 4
Grabbing Water From Future Generations
Suresh Ponnusami sat back on his porch by the road south of the Indian textile town
of Tirupur. He was not rich, but for the owner of a two-acre farm in the backwoods of
a developing country he was doing rather well. He had a TV, a car, and a maid to bring
him drinks and ensure his traditional white Indian robes were freshly laundered every
morning.
The source of his wealth, he said, was a large water reservoir beside his house. And
as we chatted, a tanker drew up on the road. The driver dropped a large pipe from his
vehicle into the reservoir and began sucking up the contents.
Ponnusami explained: “I no longer grow crops, I farm water. The tankers come about
ten times a day. I don’t have to do anything except keep my reservoir full.” To do that,
he had drilled boreholes deep into the rocks beneath his fi elds, and inserted pumps that
brought water to the surface 24 hours a day. He sold every tanker load for about four
dollars. “It’s a good living, and it’s risk-free,” he said. “While the water lasts.”. . .
We are emptying these giant natural reservoirs far faster than the rains can refi ll
them. The water tables are falling, the wells have to be dug ever deeper, and the pumps
must be ever bigger. We are mining water now that should be the birthright of future
generations.
In India, the water is being taken for industry, for cities, and especially for agriculture.
Once a country of widespread famine, India has seen an agricultural revolution in the
past half century. India now produces enough food to feed all its people; the fact that
many Indians still go hungry today is an economic and political puzzle, because the
country exports rice.
But that may not last. Researchers estimate that a quarter of India’s food is irrigated
with underground water that nature is not replacing. The revolution is living on borrowed
water and borrowed time. Who will feed India when the water runs out?
Nobody knows how much water is buried beneath our feet. But we do know that the
reserves are being emptied. The crisis is global and growing, but remains largely out of
sight and out of mind. . . .
Source: Fred Pearce, “Grabbing Water From Future Generations,”
When the Rivers Run Dry, Beacon Press December, 2006

Answer 1

These documents provide evidence of how human interactions with the environment have contributed to water scarcity:

1. Document 1 discusses the polluted River Thames in London due to industrialization and inadequate waste management practices. The contamination of the river led to cholera outbreaks, highlighting how human advancements have polluted major water sources, contributing to water scarcity.

2. Document 2 explores China's water crisis, caused by rapid industrial growth and pollution of rivers and aquifers. The exploitation of water resources for economic development has led to severe environmental consequences, impacting future generations and highlighting the ongoing issue of water scarcity.

3. Document 3 highlights the efforts of environmentalists in Mozambique to address water scarcity through the installation of sustainable sanitation facilities and promoting better hygiene practices. This shows that despite advancements in technology, the issue of water scarcity persists due to human actions, emphasizing the need for sustainable solutions to ensure access to clean water for all.

Overall, these documents illustrate how human activities such as industrialization, population growth, and pollution have contributed to water scarcity, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues to ensure the availability of clean water for future generations.