Water is life.  Water forms 60% of our bodies.  Water covers vasts parts of the earth.  Without water, we would live only days. But where does water come from, how much water do we need, and how do we use and abuse water?

Water, water, everywhere…

On Earth, water surrounds us.  Water covers 72% of the earth’s surface.  But how much of this water can be used by people?

Ocean’s are 97% of the world’s water.  But as we all know, salt water is unfit for drinking, irrigation, washing and/or industry.  Most of the rest is stored in icecaps and glaciers. Therefore, the total amount of liquid freshwater in the world is only 1% of the world’s water resources!

The amount of water each person uses in the world varies a great deal, and appears to depend on the accessibility of the water. 

Just to survive, each person needs 4.6 litres of water each day.  To remain clean and healthy, each person needs an additional 23 litres – so we each need about 28 litres per person per day. 

In developing countries, the amount of water used per person, per day, varies considerably.  In countries where there is no tap or standpipe – each person uses, on average, 11 litres of water each day.  In countries with a standpipe, each person uses 23 litres a day, on average.  If there is a single tap in the house, 40 litres will be used by each person, per day.  And if there are multiple taps in the house, each person will use 150 litres per day. 

Each person in Canada uses 450 L per day, just in their homes.  Canadians use more water per person than any other country! 

 

There are many things we can do to reduce our water usage!

Here are a few for you to try:

• Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth
• Use a water-saver shower head
• Turn off the water when you are soaping up in the shower, and then back on again when it's time to rinse off
• Use a toilet dam (water displacement)
• Use a bucket to wash things outside (like the car or the windows) instead of a hose
• If you like cold drinking water, keep a jug in the fridge so you don't need to run the tap to get cold water
• Flush the toilet sparingly
• Fill up the laundry load - only run it when it's full!
• Run the dishwasher only when it's full, or wash the dishes by hand
• Fix dripping taps right away
• Check to make sure you don't have any water leaks you don't know about
• Think about how much water you use, and make sure you always use it when you need it, but not extra
• Keep toxic chemicals out of the drain and water system
• Learn more about water and how it works, and tell others!