Do you know where your drinking water comes from? It’s not as simple as you might think. Here’s the journey your water takes.
If you are reading this post, water is not a problem for you. You could even have a water bottle just beside you. In any case, you can easily access water whenever you want it. However, that is only the case for a few people. Some nations are known even to ration water.
For some people, fresh drinking water is like a goldmine, and this post will take you through where drinking water originates from, how much remains, and ways of getting more water.
Water, Where Does it come from?
97 percent of the water in our planet is in the oceans and is not drinkable. Of the 3 percent that remains, 68 percent of it is found in the glaciers and ice caps. Groundwater accounts for about 30 percent, and surface water is about 1 percent.Water in ice caps and glaciers has been stuck for centuries and is located on the south and north poles. Groundwater, also known as aquifers, is Freshwater from Mother Nature, for instance, wells. Surface water is water in the streams, lakes, and rivers. Precipitation replenishes all Freshwater except for the glaciers.
Ways of getting drinking water
All our drinking water starts as either surface water or groundwater before it concludes its journey in your water bottle. Through pumping, water goes through pipes from its primary source and finally ends up in our homes, schools, or businesses.If you live in a large city, your water comes from a public supply. Private companies, as well as the local authority, will provide water to where you live. Thanks to the underground pipes, the water gets to your home, and you get your monthly water bill. People in upcountry areas of the U.S. rely on private water companies for their water.
The present condition of the planet’s sources of Freshwater
With the increase of contaminants and massive extraction, the quality and quantity of fresh water are declining. These activities hurt our ecosystem. For instance, freshwater species are declining, and water contaminants have already made their way into our food chain.
Depletion of Freshwater
Only 1 percent of Freshwater gets unevenly replenished by rainwater across the world. Thanks to the high freshwater demand, people are heavily extracting water from groundwater and freshwater ecosystems all over the planet.Nature Conservancy states that water depletion is causing the depreciation of whole ecosystems, which are crucial in offering vital services to economies and societies. The agricultural industry is the primary cause of water depletion since much water extraction is used for agricultural needs.
This water extraction takes away the homes of freshwater water species. Moreover, the population of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles has decreased by 76 percent in the last four decades.
