96.5% of our planet’s water is ocean, the rest is glaciers and ground water leaving just 1% that is fit for us humans. Surprisingly, that is more than enough for our 7 billion population. The only problem is water purification. Fresh, safe tap water is something that is easily taken for granted, but it’s not available to everyone.
In fact, 783 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water; that comes down to about 1 in 10. 2,000 African children die every day from poisoning from unsafe water; that’s a higher death toll than AIDS, malaria, and measles put together. And a staggering 2.5 billion people don’t have access to adequate sanitation systems.
Does that put some things in perspective?
If you live in a first world country, it’s so easy to forget the struggles of people in third world countries. We consider ourselves to be better educated because of the wealth of information always within our grasp. Yet, we may not be as educated on the importance using our resources conservatively.
It’s almost beyond us how much water we waste every day, from shaving to brushing our teeth to just running the faucet while waiting for the water to heat up, hundreds of gallons go down the drain. Even just by tweaking a few habits, we can effectively save water and money.
Read more: First World Problems: What To Do With Too Many Leads