Water

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Water

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Of all the water found or available on earth, 97% of it is salt water and only 0.6% is available as fresh drinking water.

In real terms, the planet is in the midst of a water crisis and we need to be very careful about how we use our water.

There are a number of factors which contribute to our South African water crisis:

We have an increasing population and accordingly an increasing requirement for water
Our day time temperatures in summer are high leading to heavy water loss through evaporation
Our dams are slowly silting up due to erosion of soil during flood season
The changing climate brings with it an increase in the severity of droughts

Water pollution in South Africa is a huge problem with many poorer communities living on the banks of marginal rivers.

Similarly, there are industrial areas constantly polluting the groundwater resources.

Here are some interesting facts about water.