Water - Facts we should know!

"The world is not "running out water", but it is not always available when and where people need it."

"Every minute during the next 20 years, 30 Indians will leave rural India for urban areas. India will need some 500 new cities. If there were ever a time to focus on the smart growth of our urban areas, that time is now"

These are some words of wisdom that I found in an interesting publication brought out by World Business Council for Sustainable Development titled " Water - Facts and Trends"

This publication brings out some very interesting basic facts about Water. Before I write about these fascinating and interesting facts, I would like to point here that, many political pundits and commentators are saying that next wars if fought, will be on claiming rights to water resources. Such is the importance of WATER in the contemporary era.

According to this publication "Water -Facts and Trends",

Global Scene

1. Less than 3% of world water is fresh. Rest is seawater and undrinkable.
2. Of this 3%, over 2.5% is frozen, locked up in Antarctica, Arctic, glaciers and not available to man.
3. Humanity relies on this, 0.5% for all of man's and ecosystem's freshwater needs

Sources of Freshwater

1. 10,000,000 cubic kilometer (km3) is stored in underground aquifiers (50% for Drinking, 40% for Industry, 20% for agriculture)
2. 119, 000 km3 from Rainfall
3. 91,000 km3 in natural lakes
4. 5,000 in man made storage areas - Reservoirs, Dams
5. 2,120 Km3 in Rivers - Constantly replace from rainfall and melting snow and ice.

Water Usage

Courtesy - World Business Council for Sustainable Development