World Water Day
March 22 is World Water Day. Here is a brief description of the state of water in the world, some interesting facts, and some resources.
Approximately 70 percent of an adult’s body is comprised of water.
Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
The earth is a closed system. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.
The United States uses more than 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
Approximately 85 percent of U.S. residents receive their water from public water facilities. The remaining 15 percent supply their own water from private wells or other sources.
The Problem:
Globally, one out of 10 people can’t access clean water.
2.4 billion people – 1 in 3 – lack access to a toilet
Some 1,400 children die each day from water-related diseases.
See World Water Day Fact Sheet
The Solutions:
Make yourself aware of the problem. It’s easy in America to overlook the crisis because of our abundance of water treatment plants and sewer utilities, but many countries can’t afford this.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty.
UNICEF, for example, works in more than 100 countries to improve access to safe, clean water and sanitation facilities.
World Health Organization efforts
