Dependable, potable water as a renewable resource is one of the global environmental obstacles that has grown more acute as a result of population increase and changes in global climate patterns. While water treatment technologies are employed throughout the world to ensure that municipal water delivery is free of pathogens that cause diseases, the majority of the world still does not enjoy the high standards of municipal water quantity and quality enjoyed by industrialized societies and some developing nations, including Costa Rica.
Even where water quality is ensured by chlorination or other forms of bacterial and viral disinfection, the sheer demand in many parts of the world that do not have abundant water resources, including many parts of California, for example, frequently outstrips supply, and crisis management contributes to the unsustainable development of vulnerable sources and to enforce water-rationing measures as needed.
Even in tropical rain forests, the development of an environmentally responsible domestic water supply is not as simple as it would appear. This is particularly true if additional water use possibilities include hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, and pool water supply.
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