TOPIC EIGHT: WATER
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• Understand the occurrence of water as a natural resource, its physical and chemical
properties and importance in everyday life.
• Appreciate how water is recycled by natural processes.
• Understand the process of water and sewage treatment.
Competency: You should be able to investigate evaporation and condensation as natural
processes essential to replenishing supplies of fresh water in the water cycle.
WATER AS A RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE
Water is a renewable natural resource replenished through the water cycle. It covers 71% of
Earth's surface, existing in liquid (rivers, lakes, oceans), solid (ice, glaciers), and gas (water
vapor) forms.
WATER CYCLE AND NATURAL REPLENISHMENT
The water cycle ensures a continuous
supply of fresh water through
evaporation, condensation,
precipitation, infiltration, and runoff.
This process maintains the
availability of water across different
ecosystems and supports agriculture,
industries, and domestic use.
IMPORTANTANCE OF WATER IN DAILY LIFE
In the following activity you will discuss in groups the benefits of water in daily life
ACTIVITY 8.1 Finding major uses of water in everyday life
Explain five uses of water in everyday life
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COMPOSITION OF WATER
What is the nature of water? Water is an
oxide of hydrogen. It is made up of two
atoms of hydrogen and one atom of
oxygen.
CHEMICAL TEST FOR WATER
There are many liquids that are not water. If we have a colourless liquid, how can we find out
if it contains water? Normally we use two chemical substances in the laboratory: Anhydrous
copper (II) sulphate and Cobalt chloride paper
ACTIVITY 8.2: Chemical test for water
Apparatus and materials
Anhydrous copper (II) sulphate and Cobalt chloride paper, Distilled water
Procedure
1. Place a few crystals of anhydrous copper sulphate on the watch glass.
2. Add drops of water to the anhydrous copper sulphate.
3. Record your observations in table below
4. Wash off the copper (II) sulphate and dry the watch glass.
5. Place a piece of cobalt paper on a watch and add drops of water to it
6. Record your observations in the table below
OBSERVATIONS
Anhydrous copper (II) Cobalt chloride paper
sulphate
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PROPERTIES OF WATER
Water has unique physical and chemical properties. Chemical properties refers to the various
reactions of water with different substances such as metals. Some of the physical properties of
water include.
• Water melts at 0°C (32°F).
• Water boils at 100°C (212°F) at standard atmospheric pressure.
• Water has a density of approximately 1 g/cm³ at 4°C. Ice, being less dense than
liquid water, floats.
• Water can exist in three states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam).
• Water has a relatively low viscosity, allowing it to flow easily.
• Water is known as the "universal solvent" due to its ability to dissolve many
substances.
• ure water is odorless and tasteless.
• Water is colorless in small quantities, but can appear blue in larger volumes due
to the absorption of light.
ACTIVITY 8.3: Finding the density of water
Apparatus and materials Results and discussions
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Clean water in a beaker (about 20 cm ), Measuring
cylinder (25 cm3 to 50 cm3 capacity), Weighing scale
Procedure
1. Weigh a dry, empty measuring cylinder.
2. Pour 20 cm3 of clean water in the cylinder and find
the mass of the cylinder with the water.
3. Find the mass of water.
Discussion questions
1. What is the mass of the water in the cylinder?
2. What is the volume of water in the cylinder?
3. From the mass and volume of the water, estimate the
density of the water.
ACTIVITY 8.3: Finding the boiling point of water
Apparatus and materials
• Cork fitted with Thermometer, Ice, Water, Source of heat, Retort stand, Large Beaker
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Procedure
1. Arrange the apparatus as shown in below
2. Heat the boiling tube gently, till the
temperature becomes constant and the water
remains boiling. The constant temperature is
the boiling point of water.
Discussion questions
1. How do you know you have reached the
boiling point?
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2. According to your experiment, what is
the boiling point of water?
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Note: Th chemical properties of water will be discussed in some topics ahead such as
reactivity series
HUMAN ACTIVITIES THAT AFFECT WATER RESOURCES, AND HOW TO
AVOID THEM
Human activity Impact of human activity on water Mitigated (How it sis avoided)
resource
Improper disposal of garbage Clogs drains and waterways, Mitigated by proper waste
causing flooding. Floodwaters can management, regular drainage
carry pollutants from waste and maintenance, and responsible
debris, leading to contaminated disposal of waste can prevent
drinking water sources and clogs. Community awareness,
increased risk of waterborne strict regulations, and well-
diseases designed drainage systems help
reduce flooding and water
contamination.
Filling in wetlands. Reduces natural flood control, Mitigated by enforcing strict
increasing water runoff into conservation laws, promoting
people’s houses. This damages sustainable land use practices,
buildings like removing painting and restoring degraded
peelings and deterioration of wetlands.
structures.
Farming and Agriculture. Results into Eutrophication of Mitigated by use of organic
Activities such as the use of nearby water bodies e.g growth of fertilizers e.g. manure from
fertilizers Algae blooms/algal bloom leading both animal and plant waste
to water pollution which are biodegradable
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WATER PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT
ACTIVITY 8.10: Making a home-made charcoal water purifier
What you need
1.5 L bottle of mineral water, Straw, Sand fine and large grain, Gravel fine and large grain,
Charcoal granules, Cotton batting, Coffee filter, Cup
What to do
1. Cut the bottom off of the two 1.5 litre bottle. Cut a hole in the lid and
insert the straw into the hole so that the filtered water will flow out of the
straw.
2. Insert the cotton batting at the bottom of the bottle and lay charcoal
granules. The next layer is fine grain sand followed by larger grain sand.
After the sand layers, add the gravel layers. Start with the fine grain gravel
followed by the larger grain gravel. Alternate these layers until you reach
the top of the bottle. Top the layers off with the coffee filter.
3. Once you have everything in place, pour the impure water at the top
of the bottle.
4. The water will pass through the different layers to remove the
impurities. The cotton batting at the bottom works as the final layer to
catch particles from the sediment. The water will flow out of the straw
and into the cup.
Discussion questions
1. What is the use of charcoal in purifier?
2. In your groups, discuss how this water purifier can be improved.
3. How can you ensure that the purifier remains functional?
SEWAGE AND SEWAGE TREATMENT
Wastewater is generated from various sources such as showers, bathtubs, washing machines,
dishwashers, kitchen sinks, and toilets, collectively known as sewage. Sewage is a complex
mixture of organic and inorganic components, including bacteria and viruses. To prevent water
pollution, sewage treatment is essential; it involves removing contaminants from household
and some industrial wastewater. There are four stages involved in the sewage treatment are as
follows:
• Screening: This initial stage removes large objects such as diapers, sanitary items,
plastics, and grit to prevent equipment blockage or damage.
• Primary Treatment: Wastewater is placed in settlement tanks where organic solids,
or sludge, settle at the bottom. Scrapers push the sludge to the center for removal, and
the remaining water moves to the next stage.
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• Secondary Treatment: In aeration tanks, air is pumped into the water to promote
bacterial breakdown of remaining sludge particles.
• Final Treatment: The water undergoes another settling process to remove more sludge
formed from bacterial action. The resulting water is almost free of harmful impurities.
A by-product of sewage treatment is a semi-solid waste or slurry, called sewage sludge. The
sludge has to undergo further treatment before being suitable for disposal or application to
land.
SAMPLE ITEM WITH THE RESPONSES
During the rainy season, people's homesteads in Bwaise town flood due to poor drainage
system, poor disposal of wastes and wetland encroachment. The local leaders are planning to
design fliers to be pinned in the town with sensitization information about this situation.
Task;
As a chemistry student, write a message with the information to be put on the fliers.
Responses
Responses
Category of the natural resource
Poor drainage system, poor disposal of wastes and wetland encroachment affect water
sources.
Water is a renewable natural resource since it can easily be replenished/replaced within a
short time
Composition of the natural resource
Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen
Impact of the human activities on the natural resources
• Improper disposal of garbage clogs drains and waterways, causing flooding. Floodwaters
can carry pollutants from waste and debris, leading to contaminated drinking water sources
and increased risk of waterborne diseases (like cholera and dysentery). Mitigated by proper
waste management, regular drainage maintenance,
• Filling in wetlands reduces natural flood control, increasing water runoff into people’s
houses. This damages buildings like removing painting peelings and deterioration of
structures. Mitigated by enforcing strict conservation laws, promoting sustainable land use
practices, and restoring degraded wetlands.
Benefit/importance of natural
• Habitat for many aquatic organisms; water bodies like lakes, dams, pools contain necessary
conditions for survival of aquatic animals
• Water bodies like rivers can be used to generate electricity, fast moving waters to the rivers
drives turbines at waterfalls which produce kinetic energy into electrical energy
ACTIVITY OF INTEGRATION
You are a concerned citizen in your local area. You have noticed that human activities such as
improper waste disposal, wetland encroachment, and poor farming practices and many others
are affecting the quality of drinking water. Write a letter to be read at the village council
meeting explaining community activities that could be carried out to ensure that local drinking
water would not become polluted.
END