4. Fresh water is a vital natural resource for all life on Earth. However, only 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water and most of this is not available for human use.
5. Globally, fresh-water supplies are abundant, despite the low percentage of available fresh water. Water availability Why? Precipitation is constantly replenishing natural stores by filling rivers and lakes and topping up underground stores.
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7. Where is the water? The majority of the water-rich countries are in the hot, wet tropics. The most water-poor countries are located in the desert lands of the Middle East and the northern half of Africa. Many of these countries rely on aquifers (underground stores of water trapped in layers of pervious rock) or great dams, such as the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile in Egypt.
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9. Water stress Some water-poor countries are already suffering from severe water shortages, which the UN refers to as water stress . By relating water availability in a country to its water consumption, the organisation estimates that one in three of the world’s people lives in a country already experiencing moderate to high water stress.
