Get the Facts About Water

For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet.  But, where does water come from?  How does it get to our tap?

Drinking water can come from two places:  from the water in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers (surface water) or from water that comes from wells (groundwater).  In a typical city in the developed world, water is transported through a distribution network of buried pipes.  Smaller pipes bring water into your house.  However, many areas of the world do not have municipal water supply system such as this.  In fact, over 1.1 billion people do not have improved access to clean water.  In many developing countries, especially Africa, people must collect water from open sources and wells, which can often be contaminated.

How does the water get into the ground, rivers, and lakes in the first place?  Water on earth is constantly on the move, recycling over and over again.  This is called the water cycle.  Visit the USGS website to find out about the Water Cycle or visit the EPA to see an interactive flash on the topic.

Click the water cycle diagram below to make it larger.

Did you know...

• Although a person can live without food for more than a month, a person can only live without water for approximately one week.
• A child dies every 15 seconds from diseases related to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
• 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water.
• 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related illnesses that keep children out of school and compromise their ability to learn when they do attend.
• When you flush the toilet, you are using the same water amount that one person in a developing country uses all day to wash, clean, cook and drink.
• 40 billion hours each year are spent collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa, equal to over 19 million full-time employees.
• Every $1 invested in water yields an economic return worth $8 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. (UNDP)
• In many areas of sub-Saharan Africa women and girls often walk an average of five miles to the nearest water source every day. If a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day, she could earn an additional US $100 a year.
• The weight of the water container that women in Asia and Africa carry on their heads is equivalent to the baggage weight allowed by airlines (20 kg/44 lbs).
• It takes 630 gallons of water to produce onehamburger and 2,900 gallons of water go into producing a single pair of blue jeans!

Want more facts? Visit PlayPumps International to learn more about global water issue facts.