Clean Water: Water on Earth [e]

W H A T' S L E F T T O D R I N K?

"The challenge is enormous: over one billion people still lack access to safe water, and nearly two billion lack safe sanitation. Slow progress is not acceptable, as more than three million people still die every year from avoidable water-related disease. In helping our members rise to meet this challenge, we seek to foster approaches that are people-centered, market-based and earth-friendly. "
World Bank, Water Help Desk

In some places, there's not enough water to drink and people die from waterborne illnesses. In just the last century, we've developed infrastructure to combat these problems in the U.S. This is true for much of the industrialized world.

But we face new challenges as our population and needs grow. For life drinking water is essential, but clean water is also essential in other ways. We need more water for sanitation to maintain health, we need it for our industry to sustain modern practices, and we need to allow natural environments to have some if we want these environments and their inhabitants to remain. We often rely on the inhabitants for food.

We aren't sure if nature will provide the same bounty of water consistently - whether at nature's whim or by some hand of our own doing. And we're trying to balance industrialization that both gives us the luxury to repair the environment and causes ongoing degradation.

Out of nature's water supply, what will be left? It will depend on the kind of solutions that we find today and tomorrow to preserve freshwater resources. Sufficient water is still an issue everywhere. To use water efficiently we neet to understand how water systems work on Earth.

Part I - Water, Life and Earth
Section D
Water on Earth
• Intro - Blue Planet
• Stores of water
• Infinite cycle
• Sculpting the earth
• What's left to drink?
Quiz
Glossary
Resources
Teacher's guide
Information Sources
Contents

• Activity 4.1
Investigate: What is the history of waterborne illness in your community?

Starting points:
Cholera Epidemics in Chicago
Chicago Public Library

The Reversal of the Chicago River
By Sylvia Lee, Northern Illinois University Library.