Scroll to appreciate the beauty of water
Water covers about 71% of our planet
Over 96% of the world’s water is in the oceans.
Less than 1% of the world’s water is drinkable.
The earth’s atmosphere contains more water than all the rivers combined.
Our bodies are made up of about 65% water.
You can live longer without food than water!
H20 has 3 states; solid, liquid and gas or more commonly known as ice, water and steam.
Water is used as a universal diluent.
The oxygen atom carries a slight negative charge whereas the hydrogen atoms carry a slight positive charge. This means that many molecules “stick” to water and dissolve in it.
Non charged molecules therefore repel from water and this is why fat does not mix with water.
Water has a unique property of storing heat and this contributes to regulating the earth’s temperature.
Surface tension is defined as “The property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force, due to the cohesive nature of its molecules.” Water exhibits good surface tension as its molecules bond together well. This “sticky” bond between them means that small objects like a paperclip, or even insects can float on water! The surface tension is also responsible for the formation of bubbles.
Ice is less dense than water. When water freezes into ice, it separates appart. This makes is less “compact” and thus less dense. As ice is less dense than water, it floats to the top. In nature this is useful as it provides land for animas to travel on, but also provides a physical barrier and an insulation layer for the water below.
Capillary action; Water has the ability to ascend through slim tubes, cylinders or permeable substances. This is a result of the adhesive and cohesive forces interacting between the liquid and the surface.
So how is this applied in nature? A few examples include the movement of water up trees and plants and also how tear fluid is pumped out in the eye.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Formula | H2O |
| Mass | 18g/mol |
| Melting Point | 0℃ |
| Boiling Point | 99.98℃ |
844 million people don’t have clean water.
2.3 billion people don't have a decent toilet.
31% of schools don’t have clean water.
Every minute a newborn dies from infection caused by lack of safe water and an unclean environment.
Diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills a child under 5 every 2 minutes.
Around the world up to 443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses.
At least 1.8 billion people worldwide are estimated to drink water that is faecally contaminated. An even greater number drink water which is delivered through a system without adequate protection against sanitary hazards.
Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century.
Almost 900 million people in the world do not have access to clean, safe drinking water, while 2.6 billion live without basic sanitation. Across the globe, more than 6,000 people die each day from diseases caused by dirty water. Most disturbingly, two thirds are children.
1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to improved sources of drinking water.
Globally, diarrhoea is the leading cause of illness and death. It is reported that 88 per cent of diarrhoeal deaths are due to a lack of access to sanitation facilities, together with inadequate availability of water for hygiene and unsafe drinking water.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, treating diarrhoea consumes 12 percent of the health budget. On a typical day, more than half the hospital beds in are occupied by patients suffering from faecal-related disease.
WaterAid’s sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene programme, or SusWASH, is a three-year initiative. The SusWASH Programme (implemented in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Pakistan) aims to ensure that WASH access is both inclusive and sustainable.
The united nations set "clean water and sanitation" as goal 6 of its "sustainable development goals"
The goal is to "ensure access to safe water sources and sanitation for all."
Various targets have been set, the most of which are aimed to be completed by 2030
To improve sanitation and access to drinking water, there needs to be increased investment in management of freshwater ecosystems and sanitation facilities on a local level in several developing countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia.
Circle of blue is literally the "voice" of water
The organisation works with journalists, scientists and policy makers to communicate water challenges across the globe.
This organisation is non profit and provides reliable water projects to commiunities in sub-Saharan Africa.
It aims to relieve the people's sufffering from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation.
Their in-country teams build water wells, sand dams, spring protections, and other water solutions. These projects are also followed up to ensure the solutions are sustainable.
We hope you've enjoyed and learnt a bit more about water from our brief overview. Please do feel free to contact us about more information, feedback or if you wish to contribute to the website!
