It has water, which covers three-fourths of its surface and constitutes 60-70 wt % of the living world. Water regenerates and is redistributed through evaporation, making it seem endlessly renewable. So why worry? Actually, only 1% of the world's water is usable to us. About 97% is salty sea water, and 2% is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. Thus that 1% of the world's water supply is a precious commodity necessary for our survival. Dehydration (lack of water) will kill us faster than starvation (lack of food). Since the plants and animals we eat also depend on water, lack of it could cause both dehydration and starvation. The scenario gets worse. Water that looks drinkable can contain harmful elements, which could cause illness and death if taken.
The water on earth's surface, underground, in the air, in rivers, lakes and seas always has the same amount. The water cannot get out of the water cycle at all!
Why is Water Important?
Without water, we could not wash our clothes, cook food, run the washing machine, and drink Coca Cola. But the most important thing of all is you can't live without water! Our body depends on water! Water is very important and is become very scarce. Water pollution (below) is one of the causes. Water wastage is an other one. There is also a table below about how much water you can save daily.
Water Pollution
Water pollution is a big set of bad effects upon water bodies (lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater) caused by human activities. Although natural phenomenon such as volcanoes, storms, earthquakes etc. also cause major changes in water quality and the environmental status of water, these are not deemed to be pollution. Water pollution has many causes and characteristics. Organic wastes such as sewage and farm waste impose high oxygen demands on the receiving water leading to oxygen depletion with potentially severe impacts on the whole eco-system. Industries discharge a variety of pollutants in their wastewater including heavy metals, organic toxins, oils, nutrients, and solids. Discharges can also have thermal effects, especially those form power stations, and these too reduce the available oxygen. Silt-bearing runoff from many activities including construction sites, forestry and farms can inhibit the penetration of sunlight through the water column restricting photosynthesis and causing blanketing of the lake or river bed which in turns damages the ecology.
Table of Activities to Save Water:
This table shows how much water you can save by just doing the following activities:
I think we should save water and respect the environment and planet. If you think that there is enough water to play with and waste; you are 100% WRONG! In fact there is only a 1% of clean, fresh water on the planet that is available to us at the moment.
Exxon Valdez Disaster:
Seventeen years ago on March 24, 1989, 11.2 million gallons of oil spilt into Alaska's Prince William Sound after Captain Joseph Hazelwood skippered the Exxon Valdez onto Bligh Reef. Exxon was unable to contain the spill during three days of calm weather and smooth seas. When strong northeasterly winds picked up, the oil was dispersed beyond any hope of containment and wreaked mess on the pristine ecosystem. Nearly 10,000 square miles were affected by the spill, including a national forest, four national wildlife refuges, three national parks, five state parks, four state critical habitat areas and a state game sanctuary. Wildlife ranging from seabirds and sea otters to whales and bald eagles were covered and killed by the oil. As well, fishing communities lost millions of dollars in potential revenue from destroyed salmon, black cod and herring spawning grounds. The Exxon Valdez, a medium-sized oil tanker, ran aground on a reef to cause this spill of almost 11 million gallons of crude oil. While this was a big spill, it was actually only a small fraction of the oil-less than 2 percent-of what the United States uses in one day! This amount of oil would have filled up nine school gyms or 430 classrooms.
