The Planet's Water!

[kb4]

If the planet is covered with water, how is it that so many people have little drinking water available to them?

[pumkinns]

ummmm.. well you are right that earth is covered with bodies of water, but not all of them are for drinking. actually many are contaminated.

can you drink the water of the dead sea? it's mostly salt.

can you drink the water of the nile river? or the oceans? well the process of purifying water takes time. and in some places their are no bodies of water anywhere near.

the waters that we can drink without getting sick come from springs, underground. they are actually purified. and safe to drink. those types are very little, and hard to find.

[Stephanie]

If the planet is covered with water, how is it that so many people have little drinking water available to them?

Ninety-eight percent of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt. About 2 percent of the planet's water is fresh, but 1.6 percent of the planet's water is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers.Another 0.36 percent is found underground in aquifers and wells. Only about 0.036 percent of the planet's total water supply is found in lakes and rivers. That's still thousands of trillions of gallons, but it's a very small amount compared to all the water available. The rest of the water on the planet is either floating in the air as clouds and water vapor, or is locked up in plants and animals.

In some countries potable water is available but not very cheaply. Basically the poor countires have no acess to clean water, because it's too costly. For example, in Haiti, there's lakes and rivers with water, but it's polluted.

Hope this helps Lol

Edited April 17, 2011 by Stephanie

[Guest Red XII]

The water that's drinkable is not very evenly distributed. Compare the area around the Great Lakes, which are filled with drinkable water, to a desert.

[Grumps]

If the planet is covered with water, how is it that so many people have little drinking water available to them?

if people were drinking all the water the earth wouldnt still be covered in it

duh

Edited May 7, 2011 by Grumps

[Proletariat]

If the planet is covered with water, how is it that so many people have little drinking water available to them?

Coca-Cola must've not gotten around to establishing a Dasani plant in those countries yet.

[Chris Kuno]

Well you can't drink salt water and less than 1% of the planet's water is drinkable right from the get go, so thats why there are people (many people, too many people) with no drinking water

[Guest Red XII]

If the planet is covered with water, how is it that so many people have little drinking water available to them?

Coca-Cola must've not gotten around to establishing a Dasani plant in those countries yet.

Isn't Dasani the one that's just tap water ?

[JustAnotherAsian]

Because its salty.

[Chris Kuno]

I believe dasani just comes from a tap and is sold for a price higher per litre than gasoline.