PART 3: WHY HUMANS NEED WATER

Humans need water for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.

Domestic
In the home water is, of course, used for drinking and cooking, but this only
accounts for about 3% of domestic use. In more economically developed
countries (MEDCs) about 50% of domestic water is used for washing and
flushing the toilet and a further 20% for washing clothes. Much less domestic
water is used for washing, flushing the toilet and laundry in less economically
developed countries (LEDCs), although the actual proportions vary. In some
situations quite a lot of water is used for watering the garden and a substantial
amount is often lost in leaks. The proportions of these uses and losses varies.
Water for domestic use needs to be especially safe.
Industrial
Water is used in a vast range of industrial processes. One of the largest uses is
for cooling in the production of electricity. Another use of water relies on the
fact that a very wide range of substances is soluble in it. Water is often
described as the universal solvent.

Figure 1 Estimates lay 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution at the feet of fashion’s textile-dyeing and treatment
processes.

Agricultural
By far the greatest
use of water in
agriculture is for
irrigation (see Section
3.4). The use of water
for irrigation often
forms the largest
proportion of water
use for a whole
Figure 2 It takes about 270 gallons (1,022 litres) of water to produce a dollar’s worth of
sugar. country. Plants need
water to transport
minerals and food, to keep their cells rigid and to combine with carbon dioxide
to make food in photosynthesis (see Section 9.1). This means that, for
successful growth of crops, a reliable supply of water will be needed. In
addition, domestic animals require a reliable source of water.