<<back
THE fifth estate: Dead in the Water
Water Stats> Printer Version
Broadcast
March 31, 2004
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.
HOW MUCH FRESHWATER DOES CANADA HAVE?
About 20% of the world's freshwater is found within Canada's borders.
However, we have only 7% of the world's renewable freshwater (water that
is not retained in lakes, underground aquifers and glaciers).
Almost 9% (or 891,163 square kilometres) of Canada's total area is covered
by freshwater. Canada has 25% of the world's wetlands - the largest wetland
area in the world.
HOW CANADIANS USE WATER:
Generating
power - hydro electric, nuclear and fossil fuel - is how we use 60% of
our water.
Our manufacturing industries use another 14%. It takes 295,000L of water
to produce 910kg of paper.
Agriculture represent 9% of water use. One thousands litres of water is
needed to grow 1kg of potatoes.
Municipal and personal accounts for 9%. This includes homes, hospitals
and schools. Most people in Canada get their water from one of the 4000
municipally-run water facilities (almost all are publicly owned and operated)
but many people in rural areas rely on private wells.
Canadians
use, on average, 343 litres of water per person, per day in the home.(see
right)
We use a lot of drinking water to keep our yards green. During the summer
half of all treated water is sprayed on to lawns and gardens.
One lawn sprinkler spraying 19L per minute uses 50% more water in just
one hour than 10 toilet flushes, two 5-minute showers, two dishwasher
loads and a full load of clothes.
THE COST OF WATER IN CANADA
Canadians' demand for water continues to grow, but we pay relatively little
for it. In 1999, the average price for municipally supplied water (measured
by a water metre) was $0.96 per cubic metre. The same year, the monthly
water and sewage bill for the average Canadian household was $28.56. This
is at the low end of average prices of OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) countries.
The cheapest municipal water in Canada is in British Columbia and Newfoundland.
Both provinces have abundant supplies, gravity-fed systems, and generally
good water quality. The highest priced water is in the prairies, where
water shortages are a problem, and the territories, where permafrost and
other climate conditions make supply more expensive.
Just over half of the people in Canada who get water from a municipal utility are charged based on a water metre. The rest are charged a flat rate. Statistics show that people who are on a water metre use 70 per cent less water than those who are charged a flat rate (269 litres per person per day vs. 457 litres per person per day)
the fifth estate: DEAD
IN THE WATER
Broadcast on the
fifth estate Wednesday, March 31 2004
on CBC-TV at 8PM
Water Stats - France
- North America - Argentina
California - South Africa - The
World Bank
Interviews - Resources