• Change text size
• Skip to content

• About us
• Contact us

Environment home

• SoE
• About SoE reporting
• SoE 2011
• SoE 2006
  • SoE 2006 report
  • SoE2006 at a glance
  • Theme commentaries
  • Integrative commentaties
  • Current or emerging issues
  • Technical reports
  • Data Reporting System
• SoE 2001
  • Report
  • Key findings
  • Fact sheets
  • Theme reports
  • Technical papers
• SoE 1996
  • SoE 1996 report
  • Key findings brochure
  • Technical papers
• Publications

SoE themes

• Atmosphere
• Biodiversity
• Coasts & oceans
• Human settlements
• Inland waters
• Land
• Natural & cultural heritage
• Australian Antarctic Territory

Issue: Pressures created by human settlements on the environment - Water use

This is an issue under the Human settlements theme of the Data Reporting System.

Why we need to know about this issue

Human settlements exert pressure on the environment by extracting resources from it and by generating wastes and emissions. As population grows and human settlements expand the demands for resources as well as the amount of wastes generated increase. Pressure of human demand for and use of water is a principal pressure on many parts of the Australian environment.

Indicators

• HS-40 National water consumption 
  Water is an important natural resource that supports both the environment and human settlements. It is of particular importance in Australia given the high level of variability in rainfall and current water resource management regimes. Water withdrawal is a major pressure on freshwater resources and monitoring national water consumption will help monitor the trend in overall water usage.
• HS-41 Water consumption by sector 
  Water is an important natural resource that supports both the environment and human settlements. It is of particular importance in Australia given the high level of variability in rainfall and current water resource management regimes. Water withdrawal is a major pressure on freshwater resources and this indicator will help monitor the trend in overall water usage.
• HS-42 Water consumption per capita 
  Water consumption per capita is an indicator of the pressure of human demand on water resources.
• IW-03 Surface water used for irrigation 
  The indicator is a direct measure of one aspect of water use.
• IW-04 Surface water used for urban/industrial 
  The indicator is a direct measure of one aspect of water use.
• IW-08 Groundwater used for irrigation 
  Quantity of groundwater used for irrigation is a direct measure of one aspect of water use.
• IW-09 Groundwater used for urban/industrial 
  Quantity of groundwater used for irrigation is a direct measure of one aspect of water use.
• IW-11 Number of licences dams, weirs, regulators and levees 
  Dams and weirs have been designed to increase the security and productivity of human activities and to ensure constancy of supply. In many cases they have highly modified the natural conditions. They have changed the connectivity of the aquatic and disrupted the life cycle of many aquatic species. Number of weirs and dam is a crude but direct measure of one of the pressures resulting from human use of water.

Related issues

• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Surface-water availability and human use 
• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Ground-water availability and human use