Nature’s Treasures · Lesson 2 of 8
Water: Access, Use and Care
“Trace where usable water comes from and practise protecting a limited shared resource.”
• List domestic, farming and industrial uses of water. • Explain why abundant water on Earth does not mean abundant accessible freshwater. • Identify waste and pollution and suggest practical remedies. • Describe how rainwater harvesting and stepwells help store water.
Water in everyday life
Ajji fills troughs for cows and waters vegetables carefully. At home we need water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing and cleaning. Farmers need it to grow crops; industries use it too. Think of the water you use before breakfast alone. Where did it come from, and could some of it be saved?
Why usable freshwater is limited
Water covers roughly two-thirds of Earth’s surface, but most is salty ocean or sea water. Such saline water is not normally suitable for the domestic, agricultural and industrial uses described here. Freshwater occurs in ice and snow, rivers and lakes, and underground. Water locked in ice or deep underground can be difficult to reach. Only a small fraction of freshwater is easily accessible in ponds, rivers, lakes and wells.
Water without the high salt content of oceans and seas, available in sources such as rivers, lakes, ponds and underground stores.
The amount of all water is not the same as the amount of readily available clean freshwater. Pollution or unequal access can make a local shortage worse.
Investigate how water is wasted
Make a three-column survey: activity, how water might be wasted, and a way to reduce waste. The chapter suggests seven activities: hand washing, washing clothes, washing utensils, showering, cooking, gardening and brushing teeth. Observe what actually happens before proposing a change. A tap left running is one possibility; a leaking tap can waste water even when nobody is using it.
| Activity | Possible waste to investigate | Possible improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Brushing teeth or hand washing | Tap runs while no water is needed | Turn it off during the pause |
| Washing clothes or utensils | Using more fresh water than needed | Use a sensible amount; reuse suitable rinse water where safe |
| Showering | Water runs much longer than necessary | Shorten the time and close the tap when possible |
| Gardening | Water misses roots or runs off | Water carefully near plants |
| Cooking | Usable water is discarded thoughtlessly | Reuse suitable water for plants when safe |
Problem
A tap runs while someone brushes their teeth. What can the observation and the proposed action tell us?
- 1.Record exactly when water is needed and when it simply runs away.
- 2.Turn off the tap during brushing and turn it on again for rinsing.
- 3.Compare the two routines to identify a reduction in unnecessary use; there is no need to guess a volume without measuring it.
Fixing leaks, reusing suitable water and harvesting rain are other ways to conserve water. Reuse must fit the purpose: water contaminated with chemicals or dirt is not drinking water. Because access differs, in some places people walk long distances for drinking water. Conserving a shared supply matters to them as well as to our own households.
Keep sources clean
Plastic bags and wrappers floating in a stream are visible pollution. Waste from homes and industries also pollutes freshwater when discharged into it. Polluted water can be unsafe for living beings. Preventing waste from reaching rivers and lakes matters alongside saving water: a full source that is polluted cannot serve the same needs as clean water.
Contamination of a water source by waste or other harmful materials, reducing its suitability for living beings.
Collect water when it falls
Rainwater harvesting means collecting and storing rain for later use. On a building, rain falling onto a roof can be guided into a storage tank. The diagram traces the path from roof to pipe to tank. Ask where your school’s roof water goes during rain and whether it can be collected safely.
Collection and storage of rainwater for later use.
Stepwells are a long-used form of water harvesting in India. A Bawadi in Rajasthan or a Vav in Gujarat may store rainwater and water that seeps from nearby ponds, lakes or rivers. Stone-lined trench walls allow seepage. The chapter’s photographs contrast a building’s rainwater system with a stepwell; both collect water but have different designs and sources. World Water Day on 22 March is an opportunity to ask how people locally protect clean water.
Problem
A school finds a leaking tap and rain running off its roof. Propose two different water-conservation actions.
- 1.Repair the leak so usable water is no longer lost continually.
- 2.Explore a suitable rainwater collection system for the roof with responsible adults.
- 3.The first action prevents needless loss of supplied water; the second stores some rain for later suitable use.
Quiz
Why is most water on Earth not directly suitable for drinking?
Which source is described as readily accessible freshwater?
What is the strongest conclusion from a daily water-waste table?
Which action helps prevent water pollution?
What is the main purpose of rainwater harvesting?
What may a traditional stepwell store besides direct rainwater?
Practice Problems
- List six uses of water and group them into household, farming or industry.
- Explain why two-thirds of Earth covered with water does not remove the need to conserve accessible freshwater.
- Carry out a seven-activity water-use audit using the chapter’s headings; propose a change for each observed waste.
- Describe two ways people pollute freshwater and how each can be prevented.
- Draw and label a roof, pipe and tank to explain rainwater harvesting.
- Compare a rooftop system with a stepwell, including seepage into the latter.
- Design three practical steps to use less water at your school and explain who would help carry them out.
Key Takeaways
• Water supports homes, farming and industry, but easily accessible freshwater is limited. • Reduce waste by observing routines, closing taps, repairing leaks and reusing suitable water. • Protect water from rubbish and other pollution. • Rainwater harvesting and stepwells collect water for later use; access to clean water is not equal everywhere.