No Life Without Water

1 - We humans depend on water. Our bodies are made up of water: about 90 percent in infants, 70 percent in children and 60 percent in older people. We are constantly losing water: we sweat, lose moisture through our breath and pee. To make up for this loss, we need to drink regularly. We can survive for only about three to four days without drinking, or at most around ten days.

2 - Without the water in our bodies, our blood would not flow. We can only eat foods that contain water; otherwise, they would be as hard as stone. Without water, we would not be able to digest and use food either. Since water is usually cooler than the air, it also cools us down when we sweat. In summer, we enjoy cooling off in an outdoor pool, a lake or the sea.

3 - We use water to wash ourselves and to clean our clothes, homes, toys, cups, plates and cars. Water is needed to make many products, and it is hard to imagine a fire brigade or an indoor swimming pool without it.

It’s not only humans who depend on water. Animals and plants also consist largely of water, which they need to replenish regularly. Forests can only grow where there is plenty of water, and therefore plenty of rain or snow.

4 - It’s a good thing, then, that there is plenty of water on Earth. Water covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. However, it is unevenly distributed: some regions have an abundance of water, while others suffer from water shortages and drought.

5 - Although you are surrounded by water at sea, you would still die of thirst without drinking water. This is because seawater contains a lot of salt. If you drink salt water, your body excretes more water than you can take in. Land animals and plants cannot tolerate salt water either.

But only three percent of the water on Earth is freshwater. We must treat this precious resource with care, neither wasting it nor polluting it unnecessarily. We depend on water. - Images: Hamsterkiste