Water is fast becoming a limited natural resource….There are more than 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth. Yet only 1% is fresh and available for human consumption. Water is unevenly distributed among the world’s population. Today more than one billion people lack access to safe, clean drinking water, and just 10 countries share 60 percent of the world’s natural, renewable water resources and that number is getting worse. Water supplies must be available to local populations in sufficient quantity and quality and without compromising local ecosystems. Unfortunately, this is not the case in most of the world.
Keeping existing water supplies healthy and sustainable is critically important and increasingly more difficult. Industrialization and population growth are escalating usage, while changing weather patterns are diminishing supply. Surface and groundwater supplies in some regions are already stressed by increasing demand as well as declining runoff and groundwater recharge. In some regions, climate change is increasing the likelihood of water shortages and competition for water. Water quality is diminishing in many areas, particularly due to increasing sediment and contaminant concentrations after heavy downpours. Heavy downpours and extended periods of precipitation are often followed by extended periods of extreme droughts. This taxes water treatment facilities and costs go up. Water is in the news more and more.
Saving and conserving water starts at home. It is the small things that you do every day that lead to change. Make a commitment and teach your children to use water efficiently, avoid waste and harvest rainwater.
For more information about water supplies http://growingblue.com/water-in-2050/
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