1
wa·ter
noun, often attributive \ˈwȯ-tər, ˈwä-\
: the clear liquid that has no color, taste, or smell, that falls from clouds as rain, that forms
streams, lakes, and seas, and that is used for drinking, washing, etc.
: an area of water (such as a lake, river, or ocean)
waters : a specific area of water; especially : an area of seawater
FACTS ABOUT WATER:
. Most of the earth's surface consists of water; there is much more water than there is land.
2. Water can not only be found on the surface, but also in the ground and in the air.
3. There is the same amount of water on earth as there was when the earth was formed. The
water that came from your faucet could contain molecules that Neanderthals drank…
4. The overall amount of water on our planet has remained the same for two billion years.
5. There are two kinds of water; salt water and freshwater. Salt water contains great amounts
of salt, whereas freshwater has a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only
freshwater can be applied as drinking water.
6. Water consists of three atoms, 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom, that are bond
together due to electrical charges.
7. The weight of a water molecule depends on the number of moles present, as it is 18 grams
per mole.
8. Water moves around the earth in a water cycle. The water cycle has five parts:
evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and surface run-off.
9. In a 100-year period, a water molecule spends 98 years in the ocean, 20 months as ice,
about 2 weeks in lakes and rivers, and less than a week in the atmosphere.
10. Groundwater can take a human lifetime just to traverse a mile.
11. Most of the earth's surface water is permanently frozen or salty.
12. Water regulates the earth's temperature.
13. Water freezes at zero degrees Celcius.
14. Water vaporizes at a hundred degrees Celcius.
15. Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas,
solid.
16. If water changes phase its physical appearance changes due to parting of water
molecules. In the solid phase the water molecules are close together and in the gaseous phase
they are the furthest apart.
17. Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats on water.
18. A litre of water weighs 1.01 kilograms.
19. It doesn't take much salt to make water "salty." If one-thousandth (or more) of the weight
of water is from salt, then the water is "saline."
20. Saline water can be desalinated for use as drinking water by going through a process to
remove the salt from the water.
21. When water contains a lot of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water. Hard water
is not suited for all purposes water is normally used for.
22. To determine water quality certified agencies take samples that are tested in a laboratory.
The samples are tested on various factors, to determine if they suffice water quality
standards.
23. Each country has its own water quality standards that determine to which degree water
should be purified, depending on the purpose it will be used for.
About water quantities:
1. As oceans are very wide and there are multiple to be found on earth, oceans store most of
the earth's water. This is apparently 97% of the total amount of water on earth, 2% of which
is frozen.
2. 80% of the earth's water is surface water. The other 20% is either ground water or
atmospheric water vapour.
3. Of all the water on earth, only 2,5% is fresh water. Fresh water is either groundwater
(0,5%), or readily accessible water in lakes, streams, rivers, etc. (0,01%).
4. If all the world's water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to use
would equal only about one tablespoon.
5. Over 90% of the world's supply of fresh water is located in Antarctica.
6. Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water.
7. The earth's total amount of water has a volume of about 344 million cubic miles.
· 315 million cubic miles is seawater.
· 9 million cubic miles is groundwater in aquifers.
· 7 million cubic miles is frozen in polar ice caps.
· 53,000 cubic miles of water pass through the planet's lakes and streams.
· 4,000 cubic miles of water is atmospheric moisture.
· 3,400 cubic miles of water are locked within the bodies of living things.
8. Approximately 66% of the human body consists of water. Water exists within all our organs
and it is transported throughout our body to assist physical functions.
9. The total amount of water in the body of an average adult is 37 litres.
10. Human brains are 75% water.
11. Human bones are 25% water.
12. Human blood is 83% water.
13. 75% of a chicken is water.
14. 80% of a pineapple is water.
15. 95% of a tomato is water.
16. 70% of an elephant is water.
17. Each day the sun evaporates a trillion tons of water.
18. A single tree will give off 265 liters (70 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.
19. An acre of corn will give off 15,000 litres (4,000 gallons) of water per day in evaporation.
20. A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.
21. The amount of water we deliver on a hot summer day, 308 million litres (80 million
gallons), could fill 1.28 billion cups of coffee.
About water & health:
1. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. If a
human does not absorb enough water dehydration is the result.
2. A person must consume 2 litres of water daily to live healthily. Humans drink an average of
75.000 litres of water throughout their life.
3. Humans cannot drink salt water.
4. More than 2 billion people on earth do not have a safe supply of water.
5. Water regulates the temperature of the human body. If you have caught a fever you should
drink lots of water.
6. Water removes waste from the human body.
7. You should never drink water straight from a lake or river, as it can be damaging to your
health.
8. If you live in an old house with lead pipelines you could get health problems. Due to
weathering of the pipelines lead can end up in your tap water.
9. Your drinking water may be fluoridated to help prevent dental cavities.
10. Water leaves the stomach five minutes after consumption.
11. Centres for Disease Control receive notification of more than 4,000 cases per year of
illness due to drinking water contamination.
12. A quarter of the world's population is without safe drinking water.
13. Water can cause serious health damage when it is contaminated by bacteria and other
microrganisms.
14. In most cities and towns, drinking water from the tap is treated so that people don't get
sick with diseases such as cholera and typhoid, which are caused by bacteria, viruses or
parasites found naturally in the water.
About water use and saving water:
1. Humans use more and more water each year.
2. Americans use five times the amount of water that Europeans use.
3. Humans daily use about 190 litres (50 gallons) of water.
4. A person pays about 25 cents for water use on a daily basis.
5. Two thirds of the water used in a home is used in the bathroom.
6. To flush a toilet we use 7.5 to 26.5 litres (2 to 7 gallons) of water.
7. In a five-minute shower we use 95 to 190 litres (25 to 50 gallons) of water.
8. To brush your teeth you use 7.5 litres (2 gallons) of water.
9. For an automatic dishwasher 35 to 45 litres (9 to 12 gallons) of water is used.
10. Saving a bottle of cold water in the fridge is better that taking it from the tap, because it
saves time and water.
11. While brushing your teeth, instead of leaving the tap running, you should fill up a glass to
rinse your mouth.
12. Baths use less water than a typical shower. Soaking in a partially filled tub will use less
water than a short shower.
13. The average person spends less than 1 % of his or her total personal expenditure dollars
for water, wastewater, and water disposal services.
14. Less than 1% of the water treated by public water systems is used for drinking and
cooking.
15. Bottled water can be up to 1000 times more expensive than tap water and it may not be
as safe.
16. Today, at least 400 million people live in regions with severe water shortages.
About water pollution and related problems:
1. Humans largely influence the factors that determine water quality, as they depose off their
waste in water and add all kinds of substances and contaminants that are not naturally
present. We now know more than 70.000 water pollutants.
2. About 450 cubic kilometres of wastewater are carried into coastal areas by rivers and
streams every year. These pollution loads require an additional 6,000 cubic kilometres of
freshwater to dilute the pollution. This amount equals to two-thirds of the world's total stable
run-off.
3. Public water supplies must meet or exceed certain standards. The kind of standards that
are used differ for each country. Many public water supplies consistently supply water that is
much better than the minimum standards.
4. Four litres (1 gallon) of gasoline can contaminate approximately 2.8 million litres (750,000
gallons) of water.
5. Groundwater supplies serve about 80% of the population, whereas up to 4% of usable
groundwater is already polluted.
6. There are 12,000 different toxic chemical compounds in industrial use today, and more than
500 new chemicals are developed each year.
7. Over 70,000 different water contaminants have been identified.
8. Each day almost 10,000 children under the age of 5 in Third World countries die as a result
of illnesses contracted by use of impure water.
9. Today, drinking water meets over a hundred different standards for drinking water quality.
10. The principal sources of contamination are associated with the post World War II chemical
age.
11. If all new sources of contamination could be eliminated, in 10 years, 98% of all available
groundwater would then be free of pollution.
12. Most of the world's people must walk at least 3 hours to fetch water.
13. Freshwater animals are disappearing five times faster than land animals.
About water as a raw material:
1. It takes 5,680 litres (1,500 gallons) of water to process one barrel of beer.
2. It takes 450 litres (120 gallons) of water to produce one egg.
3. To process one chicken we need 44 litres (11.6 gallons) of water.
4. To process one can of fruit or vegetables we need 35 litres (9.3 gallons) of water.
5. About 25,700 litres (6,800 gallons) of water is required to grow a day's food for a family of
four.
6. It takes 7,000 litres (1,850 gallons) of water to refine one barrel of crude oil.
7. To manufacture new cars 148,000 litres (39,000 gallons) of water are used per car.
Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/water-trivia-facts.htm#ixzz2g0ilB0lY
World Water Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the Armenian day for water, see Vartavar.
World Water Day
Observed by
All UN member states
Date
22 March
World Water Day has been observed on 22 March since 1993 when the United Nations
General Assembly declared 22 March as "World Day for Water".[1]
This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Observance began in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since; for the general public
to show support, it is encouraged for the public to not use their taps throughout the whole
day. The day has also become a popular Facebook trend.
The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations
and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world's water
resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead
in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. Since its
inception in 2003, UN-Water has been responsible for selecting the theme, messages and
lead UN agency for the World Day for Water.
In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water and
sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public
attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance,
the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum
during the week of World Day for Water. Participating agencies and NGOs have
highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking
and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006 and 2009, the UN
World Water Development Report was launched on the occasion of the World Water
Day. The fourth Report is expected to be released around 22 March 2012.[citation needed]
Contents
[hide]




1 Water Day, by the years
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
Water Day, by the years[edit]
2013: Water Cooperation
2012: Water and Food Security: The World is Thirsty Because We are Hungry
Official Website www.unwater.org/worldwaterday [2]
Coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The
visual identity and communication campaign is by UN-Water.[3] It is in conjunction with
a one-day event organised by EU Minister for Water Stephen Tummon who has
organised a one-day event to raise awareness about water, called "Aquatic Picnic". On the
matter, Tummon said; "It's incredible how many people don't know that water actually
exists, I first learnt about "water" in 2009 and my life hasn't been the same since. Thats
what #aquapic (sic) is all about"
On the occasion of 2012 World Water Day, the ICRC is calling attention to the waterrelated challenges faced by civilians caught up in fighting.[4] WaterAid partnered with
Waterlogic to help raise funds for clean water and sanitation for poor communities
worldwide.[5] In participation with World Water Day 2012, Waterlogic pledged $225,000
USD to WaterAid over the course of three years.[6]
2011: Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge[2]
Coordinated by UN-HABITAT. The visual identity and communication campaign is by
FAO WATER, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Water section.[3]
2010: Clean Water for a Healthy World
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The
communication and visual identity campaign is by FAO WATER, the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Water section.[3]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2010:
http://www.worldwaterday2010.info/
UN-Water is dedicating World Water Day 2010 to the theme of water quality, reflecting
its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management.
Clean water and war: in time of war the access to clean water is frequently restricted
because water supply or purification systems have been destroyed, because water
reserves are located in areas that have become dangerous or because of massive
displacement. People ultimately resort to sources of water with a high health risk and
many people contract water-borne diseases.[7]
2009: Trans Waters
Coordinated by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization
(UNESCO), with the assistance of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Water section.[3]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2009:
http://www.unwater.org/wwd09

UNESCO webpage on the World Day for Water:
http://www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/2542
On the occasion of 2009 World Day for Water, the ICRC called on governments to
ensure safe water and decent sanitation for civilians in conflict zones. In many conflicts,
disease kills more civilians than bullets.[8]
2008: Sanitation
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health
Organization (WHO). The World Day for Water 2008 also coincides with the
International Year of Sanitation (2008), which was organized by the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in collaboration with the UNWater Task Force on Sanitation.[9]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2008:
http://www.unwater.org/wwd08

Official website of the International Year of Sanitation: http://esa.un.org/iys/

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/2095
On 21 March 2008, The Guardian Weekly published a special report on World Day for
Water.OMG[citation needed][10]
2007: Coping With Water Scarcity
Coordinated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2007's theme highlighted the
increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration
and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce
water resources, both at international and local levels.[11]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2007:
http://www.unwater.org/wwd07

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/1036
2006: Water and Culture
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization
(UNESCO). The theme 'Water and Culture' of 2006 drew the attention to the fact that
there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural
traditions across the world.[12][13]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2006:
http://www.unesco.org/water/wwd2006/

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/715
2005: Water for Life 2005–2015
Coordinated by the United Nations (UN). The United Nations General Assembly at its
58th session in December 2003 agreed to proclaim the years 2005 to 2015 as the
International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" (Water for Life Decade), and beginning
with World Water Day, 22 March 2005.[14] The Water for Life decade set the world's
goals on "a greater focus on water-related issues, while striving to ensure the
participation of women in water-related development efforts, and further cooperation at
all levels to achieve water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development and Agenda
21."[15]

Official website of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life":
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2005
2004: Water and Disasters
Coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The message of the Day was: Weather, climate
and water resources can have a devastating impact on socio-economic development and
on the well-being of humankind. According to the World Meteorological Organization,
weather and climate-related extreme events, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, storms,
cyclones, floods and drought, account for nearly 75 per cent of all disasters. They lead to
an enormous toll of human suffering, loss of life and economic damage. Monitoring these
events, predicting their movements and issuing timely warnings are essential to mitigate
the disastrous impact of such events on population and economy.[12]

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2004/
2003: Water for Future
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Water for the
Future was the theme for World Water Day 2003. It called on each one of us to maintain
and improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available to future generations. The
goal was to inspire political and community action and encourage greater global
understanding of the need for more responsible water use and conservation.[12]

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2003/
2002: Water for Development
Coordinated by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The theme for 2002,
'Water for Development,' carried the message that the poor and deteriorating state of
water resources in many parts of the world demand integrated water resources planning
and management.[12]

Official website for the World Day for Water 2002: http://waterday2002.iaea.org/

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2002/
2001: Water for Health
Coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The message for the day was:
"Concrete efforts are necessary to provide clean drinking water and improve health as
well as to increase awareness world-wide of the problems and of the solutions. 22 March
is a unique occasion to remind everybody that solutions are possible. Use the resources
on this site to help turn words into political commitment and action."[16]

Official website of the World Day for Water 2001:
http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2001/
2000: Water for the 21st century
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization
(UNESCO).[17]

Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2000/
1999: Everyone Lives Downstream
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The 1999 World
Water Day's primary message is that when it comes to using freshwater, human beings,
whether they live in a village or a megacity, cannot isolate themselves from their
neighbours. Rather, there are fundamental linkages and dependencies between water
users and uses in a given drainage basin that affect everyone in that basin.[18]

Official website of the World Day for Water 1999:
http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/1999/
1998: Groundwater – The Invisible Resource
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Nearly half of the world's
population depends on groundwater sources for drinking water supply and for other uses.
The UN is concerned about three primary gaps in groundwater management which have
enormous implications for sustainable development: (1) The accelerated degradation of
groundwater systems, through pollution of aquifers. (2) The lack of both professional and
public awareness about the sustainable use and economic importance of groundwater
resources generally. (3) The economic implications of not resolving groundwater demand
and supply management.[19]

Official website of the World Day on Water 1998:
http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/1998/
1997: The World's Water: Is there enough?
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization
(UNESCO)and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The message for the
World Day for Water 1997 was that water is a basic requirement for all life, yet water
resources are facing more and more demands from, and competition among, users.[12][20]
1996: Water for Thirsty Cities
World Day for Water 1996 emphasized the growing water crisis faced by cities across the
world which threatens the sustainability of their social and economic development.[12][21]
1995: Women and Water[22]
1994: Caring for our Water Resources is Everybody's Business[23]
See also[edit]

UNICEF Tap Project
References[edit]
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Jump up ^ United Nations General AssemblyResolution 193 session 47 Observance of World
Day for Water on 22 December 1992
^ Jump up to: a b "2013 - United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation". Unwater.org.
Retrieved 2013-07-10.
^ Jump up to: a b c d UNwater.org
Jump up ^ No one-size-fits-all solution to world's water woes
Jump up ^ March 22 is World Water Day
Jump up ^ Waterlogic announces new charity partnership with WaterAid
Jump up ^ Clean water and reasonable living conditions for war victims
Jump up ^ Ensuring water supply for civilians in war zones
Jump up ^ UNwater.org
Jump up ^ GuardianWeekly.co.uk
Jump up ^ UNwater.org
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f WorldWaterDay07.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ United Nations General AssemblyResolution 217 session 58 International Decade
for Action, Water for Life, 2005–2015. on 23 December 2003
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ WorldWaterDay.org
Jump up ^ UNESCO.org
External links[edit]








World Water Day – Official United Nations World Water Day website
World Water Day 2008 on Sanitation – Official UN Water World Water Day
thematic site
Section on Water and Habitat – ICRC web site
Earth Institute: World Water Day
KnowH2O – Global water education website for students and educators
UN-Water
PCI - Project Concern International (PCI), World Water Day 2012 page
UN Groundwater meeting marking road to World Water Day 2013