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All known forms of life depend on water. Water is a vital part of many metabolic processes within the body. Significant quantities of water are used during the digestion of food. (Note however that some bacteria and plant seeds can enter a cryptobiotic state for an indefinite period when dehydrated, and come back to life when returned to a wet environment)
About seventy two percent of the human body is made of water. To function properly the body requires between one and seven litres/ quarts of water per day to avoid dehydration, the precise amount depending on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Water is lost from the body in urine and faeces, through sweating, and by exhalation of water vapour in the breath.
Humans require water that does not contain too much salt or other impurities. Common impurities include chemicals or harmful bacteria. Some solutes are acceptable and even desirable for perceived taste enhancement. Water that is suitable for drinking is termed potable water.
Because of the growth of world population and other factors, the availability of drinking water per person is shrinking. This issue can be solved through more production, better distribution, or through less waste.
Water is a strategic resource for many countries. Many battles and wars, such as the Six-Day War in the Middle East, have been fought to gain access to it. Experts predict more trouble ahead because of the world's growing population, increasing contamination through pollution and global warming.
UNESCO's World Water Development Report (WWDR, 2003) from its World Water Assessment Program indicates that, in the next 20 years, the quantity of water available to everyone is predicted to decrease by 30%. 40% of the world's inhabitants currently have insufficient fresh water for minimal hygiene. More than 2.2 million people died in 2000 from diseases related to the consumption of contaminated water or drought. In 2004, the UK charity WaterAid reported that a child dies every 15 seconds due to easily preventable water-related diseases.There are three ways to improve the availability of drinking water: produce it more, distribute it better to the needy, and waste it less.
Drinking water is often collected at spring or extracted from artificial borings in the ground, or wells. Building more wells in adequate places is thus a possible way to produce more water. Other water sources are the rain or the seas. This water however is not adequate for human consumption, and water purification is needed. Popular methods for purifying water are filtering, boiling and distillation. More advanced techniques exist, such as reverse osmosis.
The distribution of drinking water is done through water pipes or as bottled water. Governments in many countries have programs to distribute water to the needy at no charge. Others argue that the market mechanism and free enterprise are best to manage this rare resource, and to finance the boring of wells or the construction of dams and reservoirs.
Reducing waste, i.e. using drinking water only for human consumption, is another option. In some cities, such as Hong Kong, sea water is extensively used for flushing toilets citywide in order to conserve fresh water resources. Polluting water may be the biggest single misuse of water; to the extent that a pollutant limits other uses of the water, it becomes a waste of the resource, regardless of benefits to the polluter.
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