A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man.
Water is an essential nutrient and plays a key role in the human body. We can survive up to several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Every system in the body, from cells and tissues, to vital organs requires water to function.
Did you know?
- Water carries nutrients to all cells in our body and oxygen to our brain.
- Water allows the body to absorb and assimilate minerals, vitamins, amino acids, glucose and other substances.
- Water flushes out toxins and waste.
- Water helps to regulate body temperature.
- Water acts as a lubricant for joints and muscles.
Water is also essential for the healthy growth of farm crops and farm stock and is used in the manufacture of many products.
It is most important that the water which people drink and use for other purposes is clean water. This means that the water must be free of germs and chemicals and be clear (not cloudy).
Water that is safe for drinking is called potable water.
Disease-causing germs and chemicals can find their way into water supplies. When this happens the water becomes polluted or contaminated and when people drink it or come in contact with it in other ways they can become very sick.
Water that is not safe to drink is said to be non-potable. Throughout history there have been many occasions when hundreds of thousands of people have died because disease-causing germs have been spread through a community by a polluted water supply.
One of the reasons this happens less frequently now is that people in many countries make sure drinking water supplies are potable. Water supplies are routinely checked for germs and chemicals which can pollute water. If the water is not safe to drink it is treated. All the action taken to make sure that drinking water is potable is called water treatment.