Water….:

Save every drop!

Planet Earth is called the Blue Planet because two thirds of the planet is covered with water - the wonder liquid of life . Yet,today the world is facing a water crisis which will only worsen with time as the freshwater resources around the world dwindle drop by drop. With more than a billion people around the world lacking access to safe drinking water and over two million children dying every year due to the lack of safe drinking water and diseases associated with it, it is imperative that we save every drop of the freshwater available in the world.

Last week we enlightened you about freshwater, its availability and distribution and the water footprint or the use of virtual water in the products we use daily. Today we bring more interesting facts about this wonder liquid that keeps the world alive so that you can make conserving freshwater a priority in your life.

Most of you are aware by now about the need to use water sparingly and conserve this precious resource because freshwater is becoming scarce in the world. Your awareness of the vital role water plays in our lives is evident from some of your articles published in the page today. However, it is easy to lose your focus on the urgency of conserving water ,especially when it comes to virtual water since it is not visible as to how much is actually used ....

It is perhaps in this context that this year’s World Water Day theme is ‘Water and Food Security’ which aims to raise an awareness on the amount of water needed to produce food. Each product “consumes” water to grow and by providing you all information about these consumptions, every meal will make us aware of how much water is used for our food, and which products may require a lower water input. So, in the future there is a strong possibility that most goods and services around the world will specify the water input in them .

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 22, 1992, declaring March 22 to be the World Day for Water each year. Countries were encouraged to develop activities to highlight local needs for water. The first World Day for Water was observed in 1993.

The Water for Life Decade was launched on World Water Day in 2005. This decade will run from 2005 to 2015 and give a high profile to women’s participation and the UN’s water-related programmes.

In many countries, the primary reason people cannot rise above the poverty line is the water scarcity. Women and children bear the burdens disproportionately. Most often they are forced to walk for miles in the scorching sun in search of water to meet the requirements of their families and communities. It is a growing problem. However, there is hope. Proven solutions to the water problem such as digging wells and rainwater harvesting currently exist. Proper funding and a collective will can make universal safe drinking water a reality.

There is a lot you can do to conserve water. So, make a commitment to save every drop and not let it go to waste.

Don’t waste water

Water is very important to us. Without water we cannot live. Everybody needs water, to wash, cook, bathe and do many other things.Animals and plants too need water.We get water from rain, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

In the world there is 70 per cent water, but the water in oceans and seas are salty. So, we cannot use the water in them.

Some countries do not have enough water. Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan are some examples.

Our ancient kings did not waste a single drop of water. They built huge tanks to collect water so that it could be used in the dry seasons.

Do not waste water. It is our duty to conserve it.

Bhagya Gajadheera,
Grammar School,
Battaramulla.

Water - our life blood!

Water is a valuable gift of nature. All living beings and plants need water for their survival.We require water for different purposes. We can live for a few days without food, but we can’t live without water. We need water for our daily activities like bathing, cooking, washing and cleaning.

Water plays a major role in the life of all living beings, especially humans.In village areas of some countries, it is difficult to transport goodby road. They have to transport things via rivers. Rivers are very useful as we can use water in them to generate power.

About 70 per cent of the Earth is covered by water.

Even though there is a great mass of water, only a small part of it is clean to be used for drinking, cooking and other purposes.We need water for cultivation. If there is a drought we cannot cultivate and people suffer without food and an income. So, each and every drop of water should be saved.Most people do not use water sparingly. They waste this valuable resource. We can see how some people keep taps open while engaged in other activities. Every drop wasted leads to scarcity.

The Government must impose strict laws to protect all water resources. People who pollute waterways should be punished severely.

Public awareness programmes too should be organised throughout the country to teach the people the value of water.

Nethma Devanji Jayathilaka,
Grade 7 - Nelum, St. Joseph’s Balika MV,
Kegalle.

An amazing resource

Water is essential in the lives of every living being. Water is a natural resource with the formulae H2O. It is a tasteless, odourless liquid. It is virtually colourless.

Water is a fundamental part of life. It is used in agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Not only man depends on water but also his surroundings such as plants and animals depend on water.Human beings can live without eating even for three days. But they cannot live without drinking water even for three days. Water usually makes up 70 per cent of the human body.

About 85 per cent of our brain tissue is made of water.Water saves time and energy. It is easy to keep everything neat and clean by using water.Drinking water is the most important piece in the weight loss puzzle. Water helps us maintain our body temperature and also aids bowel movement.

Seas, oceans, rivers, wells, springs, reservoirs and lakes are sources of water.

Water is a precious resource. Nothing in this world can equal it. So, we should stop wasting water and conserve it.

Nusrath Jawsy,
Ilma International School.

Keep water sources clean

Water is very important for humans, animals and plants. Chemicals and other harmful substances not only pollute our freshwater resources, but also streams, lakes, rivers and seas. Pollution affects a large number of fish and other animals. People who use polluted water too can fall ill and even die.

Humans pollute water in many ways. Insecticides, weedicides and fertilizer used in large quantities in farming are a major source of pollution. When it rains, these chemicals flow into streams, lakes and rivers. Harmful chemicals, gases and waste materials are also sometimes released from industrial factories into waterways.

We should control pollution and help keep our water resources clean.

Farmers should not use excessive chemicals and also release such toxic chemicals into waterways. Another way of preventing water pollution is to build cleaning treatment plants in factories. If we stop throwing waste into lakes, rivers and seas, they will stay clean and beautiful forever.

Water is needed for our existence and we should ensure there is clean, fresh water for everyone in the world.

Vidhursheni Vigneswarn,
Grade 6A,
Hindu Ladies’ College.

What you should know...

* Water-related illnesses are the leading cause of human sickness and death.

*1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water, roughly one-sixth of the world’s population.

*2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die every year from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

* Some 6,000 children die every day from disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene - equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.

*The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is six kilometres.

*Tens of millions of children cannot go to school as they must fetch water every day.

*About 80 per cent of diseases in the developing world are caused by contaminated water

*The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

*The average person in the developing world uses 2.64 gallons of water a day.

*In the United Kingdom an avarage person uses 35.66 gallons of water per day and in the United States, between 100 and 175 gallons every day at home.

*Water is a 400 billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil.

* The UN estimates it would cost an additional 30 billion dollar to provide access to safe water to the entire planet. That’s a third of what the world spends in a year on bottled water.

* It takes five litres of water to make one litre of bottled water.

* Almost 70 per cent of the available fresh water gets used for irrigation in agriculture.

*20 percent of freshwater fish species have been pushed to the edge of extinction from contaminated water.

*Half of the world’s 500 major rivers are seriously depleted or polluted.

* The water we drink today is the same water the dinosaurs drank—there is no new water.

* The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) call for halving “by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.” The MDG for safe drinking water on a global scale appears likely to be reached, in most regions, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa.

* Only one per cent of the total water resources on Earth is available for human use. While 70 per cent of the world’s surface is covered by water, 97.5 per cent of that is salt water. Of the remaining 2.5 per cent that is freshwater, almost 68.7 per cent is frozen in ice caps and glaciers.

*Freshwater ecosystems have been severely degraded: it is estimated that about half the world’s wetlands have been lost, and more than 20 per cent of the world’s 10,000 known freshwater species have become extinct, threatened or endangered .

* By 2025, it is estimated that about two thirds of the world’s population - about 5.5 billion people - will live in areas facing moderate to severe water stress.

*People in slum areas have very limited access to safe water for household uses. A slum dweller may only have 5 to 10 litres per day at his or her disposal, while a middle- or high-income person in the same city may use some 50 to 150 litres per day, if not more .

Facts and pix : Internet