Water and sustainability

Water is essential. Without it there would be no life on Earth.

It is important to use it responsibly and to look after our water sources.

In this article you can learn:

• What water is used for
• How Scotland's water supply compares to other countries
• Where drinking water comes from
• Where waste water goes
• How we can save water from being wasted
• Benefits and challenges of using water

This resource is suitable for sustainability topics for primary school learners.

In this video, learn where drinking water comes from and how water can be managed sustainably.

71% of Planet Earth is covered in water. That might make you think that we have lots of it to use, but actually only 1% is drinkable.

Most of Earth’s water is salt water in the seas and oceans. Humans, animals and plants need fresh water as our bodies are not able to process salt water.

As Earth's population increases so does its need for fresh, clean water. But the amount of water on Earth stays the same, as it is recycled over and over again in a process called the water cycle. This means we need to do our best to not waste it.

Learn all about the different stages of the water cycle: What is the water cycle?

At home we drink it, cook with it, use it to clean ourselves and our clothes and for flushing the toilet.

Water is needed for public parks and filling swimming pools. Other businesses and services in our community (including the fire service) need water too.

You might not know is that a lot of water is also needed for agriculture, industry and electricity. For example for:

• watering crops and feeding animals for food and clothing
• capturing hydroelectric, tidal and wave power
• cooling fossil fuel and nuclear power stations
• making and dying textiles and clothing
• making steel, concrete, plastics, paper and other products

So it isn't just water from our taps that we use every day. There is lots of hidden water use that we are responsible for. Some of this can be in countries that don't have a lot of water, so we should think carefully about how much we use and if we can reduce it.

Find out why water is an important part of our health and wellbeing: Water

In Scotland we have lots of freshwater lochs, rivers and reservoirs, as well as plenty of rain to fill them.

But before we can drink it, the water is piped to water treatment plants where it is cleaned of harmful dirt and bacteria.

Underground pipes then carry the clean water to our homes.

Waste water goes down the drain into sewage pipes where it is taken to waste water treatment works. It is cleaned there and then returned to rivers and the sea.

These treatment works use lots of electricity, which isn’t good for the environment. The less water we waste, the better it is for the environment (and it’s the right thing to do when others in the world have a scarce supply of water!)

In Scotland people use around 165 litres of water a day for washing, cleaning, cooking, drinking and flushing the toilet.

However, some countries in the world have less access to water. They might be in places that are very dry and hot. Many poorer countries don't have the money to build water pipes to supply people's homes, or water treatment facilities to make sure water is clean.

Droughts can have a huge impact on people’s lives. Water access can be more restricted in places with droughts, so people might not have the same instant access to water we are lucky to have.

In some less developed countries, people have to ration how much water they use. Getting clean water can involve very long walks. Often children, especially girls, have to fetch water for their family. This can mean they don't have time to go to school and learn.

Can you think about what is different between that and how we access water?

Here are some things we can do:

Benefits

• Water is needed for survival. Humans, plants and animals need access to fresh water in order to survive.

• Water is used by humans for many different reasons. We use water in our homes for washing and cooking etc, while water is also used in many different industries.

• Both fresh water like rivers and lakes, and salt water in our seas and oceans provide a habitat for many species of wildlife

• The kinetic energy of water can be used to produce renewable sources of energy. Hydro-dams, tidal energy and wave energy all rely on water to generate electricity.

Challenges

• Natural sources of water still need to be cleaned before we use it. Cleaning waste water at water treatment works uses a lot of electricity.

• In hot, dry countries there can be a scarce supply of water, which might mean there isn't always enough for people, farming and industries.

• In some places people don't have access to safe drinking water. Using unsafe water can be the cause of illness and death.

• Natural sources of water are becoming polluted due to human activity. This may be through our use of chemicals or through our increased use of plastic.

Droughts - A shortage of water that can impact people and the environment. These occur when there is a lack of rainfall over an extended period of time, usually a season or more.

Ration – To control the amount something is used. When resources are scarce, they need to be rationed. For example, during World War 2 food was rationed to share it out equally.

Scarce – A shortage of something, for example food or water. When there is not enough of a particular resource for the amount of people who need or want it.

Keep a water diary

Track how much water you use in a day and what for.

• Write down each time you use water and what it is for.

• At the end of the day, look at the list and see if there are any ways you can reduce your water waste.

Remember: Don’t reduce how much water you drink to reduce your water use – it is important to stay hydrated!