Fresh Water - Why is it so Precious?

“Use a cup when you brush your teeth”, “spend less time in the shower when you bathe”, “ collect rain water to water your plants”. You have probably heard your parents ask you to use water wisely. But why? We are surrounded by large oceans and seas. Why do we have to save water?

Fresh water is hard to find

If you have gulped down a mouthful of sea water when swimming at the beach, you would have noticed right away that it doesn’t taste anything like the water we drink. It’s SALTY. I used to think that its the same salt that we use for cooking but it is not. The salt in oceans are minerals from rocks under the sea or from stones and pebbles in rivers, which is carried by water all the way out to the ocean. Living and using this salty water is no easy feat, and it requires special adaptations.

While sea water is found all around us, non-salty water, or fresh water, is rare. Something as rare as less than 3% (that’s 3 cups out of a 100 cups of water) of all the water on earth is fresh. This includes all the water in our rivers, lakes and ponds. We share this water with fish and other amphibians. That’s what makes it so precious.

Where do we get fresh water?

Our first and most important source if fresh water that comes from rain. Rain falls on mountains, on trees and on our ground. As the water flows, rocks, soil and animals help clean it by removing small dirt clumps and eating up scraps of food left in it. The water then gathers into rivers and lakes where animals and us can use it.

Another source of fresh water is found underground, trapped in water-absorbing rocks, this bodies of water are called aquifers, or simple, underground water. Sometimes rain get absorbs into the soil and ends up in these places, where it is kept clean and does not flow into rivers. People in ancient times used to find these aquifers and dig wells to get this water.

A clever source of water

In our super advanced age, scientists have found other ways to get fresh water. Singapore, for example, uses a special technology to separate clean water from dirty water. While the process requires a lot of electricity and ingredients, it is an important source to make sure we have enough fresh water for everyone.

Fresh water is certainly precious, and I think saving just a little bit can go a long way!