Water

“Water is needed in all aspects of life. The general objective is to make

certain that adequate supplies of water of good quality are maintained for the

entire population of this planet, while preserving the hydrological, biological and

chemical functions of ecosystems, adapting human activities within the capacity

limits of nature and combating vectors of water-related diseases…. The

multisectoral nature of water resources development in the context of

socioeconomic development must be recognized, as well as the multi-interest

utilization of water resources for water supply and sanitation, agriculture, industry,

urban development, hydropower generation, inland fisheries, transportation,

recreation, low and flat lands management and other activities”. (Agenda 21)

Water is a vital element on the earth and almost three quarter from the

earth is covered by water .The figure below shown the distribution of the water on

the earth. Its shows about 97 percent of all water are in the oceans while other 3

percent is a freshwater. The majority of freshwater are glaciers and icecaps, mainly

in Greenland and Antarctica. That covered about 68.7 percent of freshwater. About

30.1 percent is a groundwater, 0.3 percent is surface water and 0.9 percent is

others. Surface water is divided into rivers and lakes, swamps and river.

We use fresh water for a variety of purposes and needs. Agricultural needs

represent the largest consumer of fresh water, about 42 percent and about 39

percent of our fresh water is used for the production in hydroelectricity, 11 percent
 E
w
9
O
3
r
a
c
7
e
h
t
%
'
n
s
is used in urban and rural homes, offices, and hotels; and others 8 percent is used in

manufacturing and mining activities.

Figure