Water is an invaluable solvent that encompasses Earth and its seven continents. All global communities need this nutrient; however, efficient access at safe, quality levels have become increasingly difficult. This condition leads to restricted (or depletion) of this crucial resource. Humankind is dispersed across a series of different continents; therefore, access to water will vary depending on the conditions of each geography. The quality of water sources will vary depending on the environmental conditions; coastal and riverbed regions generally use different forms of purification from their counterparts because the contaminants (pollutants) in areas of scarcity are more hazardous due to operational issues with personal hygiene, wastewater runoff, and cross-contamination from other animal and plant organisms. This research begins by defining water conservation and quality preservation concepts. Next, it examines the ancient civilization technology used by global communities for water conservation. Later, it chronicles the various conditions by which water (supply) access and quality have been compromised within each global community. This is followed by an identification of the contemporary tools and techniques used to protect water quality, giving special attention to a common denominator amongst many communities—the use of animal and plant bioindicators. Next it offers perspectives on how climate change, innovation, and local governance structures support efforts to protect water. It concludes with a discussion of the World Health Organization’s efforts as they navigate the challenge of access to clean water for everyone.
References
[1]
Ahalya, N., Ramachandra, T. V., & Kanamadi, R. D. (2003). Bio Absorption of Heavy Metals. Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment, 7, 71-79.
[2]
Alfred Wegener Institute, & Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (2020). Rising Water Temperatures Threaten the Reproduction of Many Fish Species. https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press/single-view/steigende-wassertemperaturen-bedrohen-vermehrung-vieler-fischarten.html
[3]
Ali, D., Almarzoug, M. H. A., Al Ali, H., Samdani, M. S., Hussain, S. A., & Alarifi, S. (2020). Fish as Bio Indicators to Determine the Effects of Pollution in River by Using the Micronucleus and Alkaline Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis Assay. Journal of King Saud University—Science, 32, 2880-2885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2020.07.012
Aracic, S., Manna, S., Petrovski, S., Wiltshire, J. L., Mann, G., & Franks, A. E. (2015). Innovative Biological Approaches for Monitoring and Improving Water Quality. Frontiers in Microbiology, 6, Article No. 826. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00826
[6]
Chahardehi, A., Arsad, H., & Lim, V. (2020). Zebrafish as a Successful Animal Model for Screening Toxicity of Medicinal Plants. Plants, 9, Article No. 1345. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101345
[7]
Chen, X., Li, D., Mo, D., Cui, Z., Li, X., Lian, H. et al. (2023). Three-Dimensional Printed Biomimetic Robotic Fish for Dynamic Monitoring of Water Quality in Aquaculture. Micromachines, 14, Article No. 1578. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14081578
[8]
Chovanec, A., Hofer, R., & Schiemer, F. (2003). Chapter 18. Fish as Bioindicators. In Trace Metals and Other Contaminants in the Environment (pp. 639-676). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0927-5215(03)80148-0
[9]
Cutler, D., & Miller, G. (2005). The Role of Public Health Improvements in Health Advances: The Twentieth-Century United States. Demography, 42, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2005.0002
[10]
Ejaz, U., Khan, S. M., Jehangir, S., Ahmad, Z., Abdullah, A., Iqbal, M. et al. (2024). Monitoring the Industrial Waste Polluted Stream-Integrated Analytics and Machine Learning for Water Quality Index Assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 450, Article ID: 141877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141877
[11]
Government of Western Australia (n.d.). Typhoid Fever: A Raging Epidemic. https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wa-goldfields/dangerous-life/typhoid-fever-raging-epidemic
[12]
Jacque, H., Mozafari, B., Dereli, R. K., & Cotterill, S. (2024). Implications of Water Conservation Measures on Urban Water Cycle: A Review. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 50, 571-586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.08.026
[13]
Jamieson, S. S. R., Ross, N., Paxman, G. J. G., Clubb, F. J., Young, D. A., Yan, S. et al. (2023). An Ancient River Landscape Preserved beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Nature Communications, 14, Article No. 6507. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42152-2
[14]
Jun, R., Salhab, M., & Jafino, B. (2022). Flood Exposure and Poverty in 188 Countries. Nature Communications, 13, Article No. 3527. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30727-4
[15]
Kaptijn, E. (2018). Learning from Ancient Water Management: Archeology’s Role in Modern-Day Climate Change Adaptations. WIREs Water, 5, e1256. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1256
[16]
Khojasteh, D., Haghani, M., Nicholls, R. J., Moftakhari, H., Sadat-Noori, M., Mach, K. J. et al. (2023). The Evolving Landscape of Sea-Level Rise Science from 1990 to 2021. Communications Earth & Environment, 4, Article No. 257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00920-4
[17]
Kolkwitz, R., & Marsson, M. (1902). Grundsätze für die biologische Beurteilung des Wassers nach seiner Flora und Fauna. Mitteilungen der KöniglichenPrüfanstalt für Wasserversorgung und Abwasserbeseitigung, 1, 33-72.
[18]
Lack, T. (1999). Water and Health in Europe: An Overview. British Medical Journal, 318, 1678-1682.
[19]
Lauder, G., & Drucker, E. (2004). Morphology and Experimental Hydrodynamics of Fish Fin Control Surfaces. https://sites.harvard.edu/glauder/files/2022/03/Lauder.Drucker.2004.pdf
[20]
Li, H., Hao, H., Yang, X., Xiang, L., Zhao, F., Jiang, H. et al. (2012). Purification of Refinery Wastewater by Different Perennial Grasses Growing in a Floating Bed. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 35, 93-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2012.631670
[21]
Lien, E., Valsvik, G., Nordstrand, J. V., Martinez, V., Rogne, V., Hafsås, O. et al. (2022). The SeaRAS AquaSense™ System: Real-Time Monitoring of H2S at Sub μg/L Levels in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article ID: 894414. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.894414
[22]
Lu, H., Ayers, E., Patel, P., & Mattoo, T. K. (2023). Body Water Percentage from Childhood to Old Age. Kidney Research and Clinical Practice, 42, 340-348. https://doi.org/10.23876/j.krcp.22.062
[23]
Lu, Z., Lai, X., Gan, M., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Fifty Years Marshland Changes in a Large Floodplain Lake: Natural Driving or Human Impact? Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 56, Article ID: 101966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101966
[24]
Moriarty, D. J. W. (1976). Quantitative Studies on Bacteria and Algae in the Food of the Mullet Mugil Cephalus L. and the Prawn Metapenaeusbennettae (Racek & Dall). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 22, 131-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0981(76)90090-3
[25]
National Geographic (n.d.). Why Deforestation Matters-and What We Can Do to Stop It. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/deforestation
[26]
National Resource Council (1977). Historical Note—Drinking Water and Health—NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234165/?report=printable
[27]
Ngor, P. B., Uy, S., Sor, R., Chan, B., Holway, J., Null, S. E. et al. (2023). Predicting Fish Species Richness and Abundance in the Lower Mekong Basin. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, Article ID: 1131142. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1131142
[28]
Nierzwicki-Bauer, S. A., Boylen, C. W., Eichler, L. W., Harrison, J. P., Sutherland, J. W., Shaw, W. et al. (2010). Acidification in the Adirondacks: Defining the Biota in Trophic Levels of 30 Chemically Diverse Acid-Impacted Lakes. Environmental Science & Technology, 44, 5721-5727. https://doi.org/10.1021/es1005626
[29]
Paul, G. V., Huang, Y., Wu, Y., Ho, T., Hsiao, H., & Hsu, T. (2022). Aluminum (Al) Causes a Delayed Suppression of Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) Capacity in Zebrafish (danio Rerio) Embryos via Disturbance of DNA Lesion Detection. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 242, 113902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113902
[30]
Sivaranjani, S., & Rakshit, A. (2016). Indigenous Materials for Improvement of Water Quality. Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 15, 171-176.
[31]
Sommerset, I., Bang Jensen, B., Bornø, G., Haukaas, A., & Brun, E. (2020). The Health Situation in Norwegian Aquaculture 2020. Norwegian Veterinary Institute.
[32]
Stanford University (2023). Global Carbon Emissions from Fossil Fuels Reached Record High in 2023. https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/global-carbon-emissions-fossil-fuels-reached-record-high-2023
[33]
Sun, L., Wang, B., Yang, P., Wang, X., Li, D., & Wang, J. (2022). Water Quality Parameter Analysis Model Based on Fish Behavior. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 203, Article ID: 107500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2022.107500
[34]
Tan, X. (2011). Autonomous Robotic Fish as Mobile Sensor Platforms: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Marine Technology Society Journal, 45, 31-40. https://doi.org/10.4031/mtsj.45.4.2
[35]
Vanderslott, S., Phillips, M. T., Pitzer, V. E., & Kirchhelle, C. (2019). Water and Filth: Reevaluating the First Era of Sanitary Typhoid Intervention (1840-1940). Clinical Infectious Diseases, 69, S377-S384. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz610
[36]
Winn, R. N. (2001). Transgenic Fish as Models in Environmental Toxicology. ILAR Journal, 42, 322-329. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.42.4.322
[37]
World Health Organization Regional Office of Africa (WHO Africa) (n.d.). Water. https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/water
[38]
World Health Organization Viet Nam (WHO Viet Nam) (n.d.). Acute Watery Diarrhea and Cholera in Viet Nam. https://www.who.int/vietnam/health-topics/cholera
[39]
World Health Organization WHO (2015). Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/connecting-global-priorities-biodiversity-and-human-health
[40]
Xu, Y., Li, H., Tan, L., Li, Q., Liu, W., Zhang, C. et al. (2022). What Role Does Organic Fertilizer Actually Play in the Fate of Antibiotic Resistome and Pathogenic Bacteria in Planting Soil? Journal of Environmental Management, 317, Article ID: 115382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115382
