Water
QCA Unit 11

What's the big idea?

Water is essential for life. In fact, the human body is 70 per cent water. But dirty water can also carry diseases that kill.

Nearly all water needs to be treated before it can be used. Clear water is not always clean water. Waste water from our homes and industries also needs to be cleaned otherwise it causes pollution and damages the environment.

450 million people today face water shortages, but people in rich countries are wasting it. We are used to turning on the tap and having fresh, running water whenever we want it. Each person needs 80 litres of water per day for health and hygiene. The average American uses 500 litres per day. To make one small car requires 450,000 litres of water!

Water companies are draining rivers to cope with the demand for water. If we used less we could stop damaging the environment and save money. We should all think of ways to save water in our daily lives.