Effects of anthropogenic imprints on water sustainability and hydrological extreme events

Utilizable freshwater consisting mostly of surface and groundwater is a finite resource that has seen high rates of exploitation since early days of human civilization, in the preindustrial era most of the pressure on water reservoirs had been through agricultural, mining, and transportational imprints. In the era of postindustrial revolution, further improvements in agricultural technologies and other land use land cover changes, and the emergence of novel contaminants has led to the multiplication of stress on the water reservoirs. As such, with population growth as well as urbanization, the availability of safe and sanitized water for drinking as well as other anthropogenic activities has been severely affected. Therefore, currently, a lot of emphasis has been placed on ensuring the sustainability of usable water. At the same time, the uncertainties such as extreme hydrological events (extreme rains, floods, and droughts) whether due to natural reasons or anthropogenic forcings have exacerbated the impacts of anthropogenic activities on both the quantity and quality of water in previously unforeseen ways. The current chapter thus is a concise review of the overarching theme of water sustainability in the face of anthropogenic imprints and extreme hydrological events, with additional discussion on measures which could be taken to tackle the same. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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