Water and its Environment

         Water is the most common substance on earth and the most

Important. All living things depend on water. Water also helps create

Our weather, and flowing water changes the face of the earth. For

People, water helps grow crops, drives machinery, and provides

Transportation and recreation.

          People use far more water than the amount they need to stay

Alive. We need water to drink, and we use water to wash ourselves ,

Our clothes, and our dishes, to brush our teeth; to cook our food; and

In many other ways.

           Water is essential for growing crops. In some areas the land

Does not get enough rain or it gets rain at the wrong time of year for

Farming. Farmers may supply the needed water through irrigation.

           People must have fresh water for almost all their water

Requirements but the salty water of the ocean accounts for about

97 percent of all the water on earth. Most of the remaining 3 percent

Which is fresh (unsalty) water – is frozen in polar ice caps or glaciers

Or is circulating as water vapour. Ocean water, ice and water vapour

Do not satisfy the needs of people.

            Efforts must be taken to prevent water and its environment from

Being polluted. People have polluted (dirtied) their water supplies and

Made them unfit to use. Some steps have been taken to reduce water

Pollution. The most serious water pollutants are sewage, detergents,

Insecticides and oil. Today people have begun to work toward solving

These water problems.