Do you know that Water is very important to us? Water covers more than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface. Water is everywhere. It is our lakes, rivers, and oceans. it can be found underground and even in the air. Water is life. Now, with so much water, one can say it is abundant and we can afford to waste it. Well, if it covers more than 70 per cent of the Earth? Why not, right? Wrong. Even if there is so much water, only 3 per cent of the Earth's water is fresh. About 97 per cent of the Earth's water is in the oceans and this water is too salty to be used for drinking, farming, and manufacturing. All living things use water for a lot of purposes.

LIVING THINGS NEED WATER

Every living thing is composed mostly of water. Our bodies are about 65 per cent water. Living things need a lot of water to carry out life processes. All living things take nutrients. The water in our bodies help dissolve these nutrients and aid the blood in bringing these vital nutrients to the different body parts. Water is so important to us that a man can live without food for a month but one cannot live without water for more than a week.

WATER IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Human beings need water in their daily lives. From bathing, cleaning, and cooking alone the amount of water used is far more than the amount of water needed for a human being to simply stay alive. Water is used for flushing toilets, taking showers, automatic washing machines, and dish washers. Let us be careful in using our water!

WATER FOR IRRIGATION

Man raises food crops for his needs, but like all living organisms, plants need great quantities of water. Irrigation of food crops is not limited to the crops alone but also to the dry areas.

WATER FOR INDUSTRY

Industry uses water in many ways. Water is used for cleaning fruits and vegetables before canning and freezing them. Water is also used as a raw material for such products as soft drinks and beer.

Water is also used by industry for cooling. In a refinery, water is used to cool the hot gases produced in refining oil. In a steel mill, water is used to cool the hot steel made.

WATER FOR POWER

Water has so many uses. It even provides us with electricity. Power stations burn fuel to turn water into steam. This steam supplies the energy to run the machine that produces electricity.

In a hydroelectric power station, the energy of falling water from waterfalls and dams is used to produce electricity.

Considering that water is used in almost every facet of our lives, it is important to remember that it is a valuable resource (only 3 per cent is fresh water) that must be used wisely.