Water on Tap M ost of us take water for granted We turn on the faucet when we want a drink We have a bath or shower every day and we turn on machines to wash our clothes or dishes We simply expect water to be there whenever we want it Imagine what would happen if you turned on the faucet and nothing happened Suppose your water supply just ran out You would have to gather rainwater to wash with and join long lines of people waiting for fresh water to drink Many farms in developed countries use large quantities of water to irrigate their crops Much of this is wasted in runoff and evaporation As the population of the world increases the worldwide demand for water is growing It is not just drinking water that the world needs it is water for agriculture and manufacturing industries Did you know that it takes 37 gallons 140 l of water to produce one cup of coffee Or 792 gallons 3,000 l to make a hamburger and 2,100 gallons 8,000 l to create a pair of leather shoes All of these processes require enormous amounts of water to grow crops feed cows or produce leather 4
In dry places such as parts of Africa many homes do not have running water These people in Zambia have to travel long distances every day to fetch water for their families Unfortunately water is not distributed evenly across the world In many countries where water is plentiful people often waste it In other countries many people do not have enough water Water is a valuable global resource and everyone should help look after it by using it carefully and wasting less Families in New Jersey enjoy a day out at a water theme park People in developed parts of the world rarely suffer water shortages and may take water for granted
