ABSTRACT
During the last century, rapid urbanization and population growth have resulted in many environmental problems. Among those, the most serious are water shortage and pollution. People around the world are beginning to realize the interactions between human beings and the environment. Human activities are aecting the natural water ecological cycle in many ways, such as the reduction of forested areas, the shrinkage of grassland for grazing, and the spread of urban growth resulting in increased rainwater lost to runo. Overexploitation of groundwater resources have decreased groundwater levels and caused problems of seawater intrusion; toxic industrial discharge and the extensive use of chemical fertilizers have polluted much of the water supply. Many regions in the world are facing the great challenge of water shortage and pollution, and the situation is getting worse. e United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) identied that water shortage and global warming are the two most worrying problems for the new millennium and the World Water Council believes that by 2020 the world will need 17% more water than is currently available [42].
