Water is essential for life, health, industry, and agriculture. It is needed for basic survival, as dehydration can lead to death. Two to five liters per day are needed by the human body to stay hydrated. However, not all people have access to safe drinking water, which can spread diseases like malaria. Industries and agriculture also rely on water to operate and grow food. A lack of access to clean water impacts a country's ability to develop and feed its population.

1. What is so significant about water?

2. Think about how you use water...

3. Water is essential for life! Dehydration is a slow and painful death… To stop our bodies from dehydrating we need 2-5lts of H2O per day…. But not everyone has access to this, so many people are dying from a lack of water.

4. Water is essential for being healthy… Water can carry many diseases, for example Malaria. So it is not just about having access to water, it is about having access to safe water and preferably, drinking water.

5. Water is essential for being healthy… The cleaner the water you drink, the less likely you will get sick. If you get sick, then you become a burden to you family. Medical bills need to paid for and someone has to look after you. People may have to take time off work. Countries with less access to safe water have higher incidents of water related diseases. If you have access to safe water you are less likely to be affected by these diseases.

6. Water is essential for industry… In industrialised countries, water is used in factories, construction and much more. If the factories had no water, they would not be able to operate and then there would be no jobs. Developing countries often have less access to water, which means they are not able to build industries that would enrich their country.

7. Water is essential for agriculture… Farmers need water to water their livestock and crops. Without water there would be no food grown and this could lead to a famine. Countries with less access to safe water will struggle to feed and water their livestock and crops. This is the case in many African countries.