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WATER STATS:
THE GLOBAL PICTURE OF A PRECIOUS RESOURCE
FRESHWATER AROUND THE GLOBE:
Water covers 75% of the world's surface, but only
2.5% of that is freshwater lakes, rivers and underground
aquifers.
Most of the world's freshwater is not accessible.
Two -thirds is ice in the form of glaciers and ice
caps. One- third is deep underground.
Less than 1%
of the world's surface or below-ground freshwater
is accessible for human use.
WHO USES THE
MOST WATER:
The amount of water a person uses every day in the
home varies greatly around the world. Canadians
and Americans are the world's biggest users.
WHERE
IS WATER SCARCE?
One third of the world's population lives in 'water
stressed' areas where consumption is more than supply.
Currently more than 1
billion people do not have access to clean drinking
water. This number could rise to four billion people
(about 1/2 of the world's population) by 2025.
The most affected are the poorest places in the
world.
As the world's population grows so does our demand
for water. We use 6 times more water per person
than we did a century ago.
WATER SHORTAGE AND HEALTH:
The human body is 70%
water. We need to replenish 4 litres of water in
our body every day through drinking and eating.
But to grow the daily food for one person requires
between 2000 and 5000 litres of water.
About 3.4 million people die each year from diseases
caused by unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation
and insufficient water for hygiene.
In developing countries 80% of illnesses are water-related.
Water-related illness kills a child every 8 seconds.
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