Water

It is a cliché, but a true cliché: without water, we cannot survive. It is not only human beings who would be in danger without water, but also plants and animals would not survive. Although it is difficult to imagine the earth without water, it is not so obvious that there is not enough fresh water for everybody. Hundreds of millions of people do not have access to fresh drinking water and have to walk hundreds of kilometres to a water pump. It is not only a shortage of water that can cause trouble, a surplus of water can cause harm too. Just think about the great flood disaster of 1953 and the tsunami in Asia in January 2005.

To make use of the benefits water offers us, water must be managed. This applies to both the driest desert in Africa and the wettest coastal areas in the Netherlands. Before making any decisions, a good knowledge about the local area is vital. Without this knowledge, one can actually cause more harm than good. The natural balance can easily be distorted. A small change may have no immediate or visible effect, but it is difficult to predict what the effects will be in the future. Knowledge such as what water is, how it is divided up over the earth, how the tides work, and what the water cycle is, is indispensable. Holders of this knowledge can try to optimise the water functions, e.g. drinking water, irrigation water and the waterways. Water management makes it possible to combine water collection and water purification with human activities, such as living, working and recreating. Most importantly, nature should be preserved.

Wikipedia

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