Narrator: Exercise 2.3. Radio Item 3:
RADIO Announcer: Today's edition of 'PlanetWatch' brings you our latest world environmental report. This week, Troy
ITEM Hartwell takes a brief look at the most precious substance on Earth: water.
3 Troy: The surface of our planet is two-thirds water, of which 97% is seawater and therefore undrinkable; a further
2% is ice - unusable - that is, because it is locked up in the polar icecaps. This leaves a comparatively minute area
of 12,600 cubic kilometres of fresh water, scattered unevenly about the globe, for drinking, bathing and other
personal use. Of course, by far the largest percentage of available fresh water is used for farming - over 70% -
102APPENDIX 1 - TAPESCRIPTS
while industry consumes up to 25%.
The major problem is that our water is far too easily contaminated in a world which produces a staggering amount
of pesticides from agriculture as well as industrial waste from manufacturing plants - a large proportion of which
ends up in the rivers and streams that feed the reservoirs we rely on to supply us with fresh water. In addition,
in many poor and developing countries of the world, sewage is added untreated to flowing and non-flowing water
sources causing devastating outbreaks of disease and, sadly, more than 25,000 deaths per day. One startling
statistic, which shows the extent of water pollution in a major nation, is taken from a recent United Nations report
which estimates that over 78% of people in China drink from polluted water supplies.
Unfortunately, the enormous efforts that humankind has taken to provide plentiful fresh water for all - I refer to
the more than 35,000 large dam and hydro-electric turbine construction projects throughout the world - these might
well be ultimately responsible for falling water tables, the shrinking of natural lakes, and shrivelling rivers
everywhere. One consequence of artificially diverting massive amounts of water is the loss of trees, plants and
wildlife that depend on wet areas that are fast drying up. It is clear the 21st century's greatest challenge will be
to reverse these worrying trends towards a drier and, therefore, dirtier world. Troy Hartwell for 'Planet Watch'.
Announcer: School project kits on this week's topic are available by telephoning this number now: 0171-825-992.
I'll repeat that number ... 0171-825-992 |