Wrong. Less than one percent of the world's fresh water is actually available and ready for use. Most of our fresh water is frozen in icebergs or polluted.

Before we begin to tackle the issue of just how much water there really is, and how much of that is really viable for human use, let's get a little background information. How exactly do we get our water? Large bodies of water (think lakes, rivers, oceans) sit there on the surface of the planet, that water evaporating into the air, the molecules spreading out loosely on their own. These water particles then travel up into the atmosphere, higher and higher until it reaches the point that is so cold, the temperature begins to force all of those water molecules back together. As the density increases, we start to see clouds. When the density is too great, the water falls back to the earth, soaking into the ground, refilling lakes, and running down our windows. The water that soaks into the ground (or groundwater) is what most communities use as their water supply. It runs into reservoirs where a filtration system separates bad particles from the water, cleaning out harmful bacteria and waste, and the liquid is then pumped through pipes and out of faucets. More and more large cities are also using water recycling facilities where waste water from our sewers is put through an intense filtration and treatment process, and then pumped back into our pipes clean.

Now, think of all the times you use water in a twenty-four hour period. There's the cooking and the cleaning, the teeth brushing, washing hands, and of course, the drinking. In order to keep yourself properly hydrated, to keep your body in its own personal state of balance, the recommended daily intake of water is 64 ounces (or eight normal sized glasses or about 2 liters). Doesn't really sound like a problem, right? All you have to do is turn on the tap, or buy a bottle of water. What if you didn't have a faucet or access to a store that sold bottled water by the case? Then, you would likely be traveling to your nearest well or freshwater river to get the precious liquid the rest of the world has seemingly easy access to. But what if that well or river is contaminated? Do you still use it? In almost forty percent of the world's countries, you wouldn't have much of a choice.

We are currently embroiled in the middle of what experts around the globe refer to as a “Water Crisis.” The name might sound melodramatic, but it is right on the nose. While people in industrialized nations are worried about recycling their plastic water bottles and conserving the amount of water they use on their lawns, the rest of the world is trying to find water to drink. Almost half of the world's population, the people in still “developing” countries, don't have easy access to water, or even clean water at that. Pollution is at an all time high. Chemicals are dumped into waterways, legal or not, and nations without the technology of countries like the US or the UK have it the worst, particularly those throughout Africa and Asia. In fact, only one out of every five people has access to clean water in these developing nations. (On a global scale, only one out of every eight people has access to clean fresh water.) Many of the populations of small towns or villages in East Africa have to make long treks to retrieve water from rivers kilometers away from their homes. This task usually falls to women. Women carry whatever containers they have, sometimes toting children along with them, load up on water, and then carry them all the way back while their husbands or fathers work. Some of these containers can weigh more than forty pounds (about 18 kilograms) when full. It's a constant struggle to have enough water for their families, and often results in women not having a source of income and young girls dropping out of school. There isn't enough time to work or attend a class when most of the day is spent walking to a water source.

A lot of communities that actually live on waterways in the economically struggling areas use the same water source for cooking, cleaning, and drinking, and they have no filtration system to ensure harmful bacteria doesn't make it into their bodies. Think about this: if you live in an area that has experienced an extended power outage, like after a natural disaster such as a hurricane or an earthquake, then you know that authorities warn you to conserve your water because only so much of it can be properly cleaned when electrical systems are down, or even, in cases where the power is out for days, to boil your water before using it because the filtration system backs up without that electrical help. People in low income areas, people in developing countries, and people in poorly educated areas, don't get these warnings because most of them don't have a system filtering their water source that runs on electricity. In fact,most live without running water on a regular basis. It is these people who tend to have the most water related illnesses in their communities, illnesses like dysentery and dengue fever. (To be clear, it isn't the water itself that causes these illnesses, but organisms living in the water when it is unclean.) Many of these same illnesses would be treatable in industrialized nations where medical care is advanced and treatments are readily available. In parts of the world like Ethiopia though where almost 39% of the population lives in poverty, medicine isn't easy to get, and it is radically expensive. Contaminated water goes hand in hand with poverty (which can also be seen in Ethiopia where 89% of the population doesn't have access to proper sanitation services), so most people who get sick from the dirty water don't recover. If there's no recovery, the outcome is death. Just like with most illnesses, the age groups hit hardest are the very old and the very young. In fact, every fifteen seconds a child under the age of fourteen dies from a water related illness somewhere in the world.

Check out this video for some of the statistics:

Now, you're probably wondering why I've bombarded you with all of this information about developing nations and impoverished communities. After all, does any of it really apply to you? Yes. You see, it's not only countries without proper sanitation procedures that have filthy water, and it isn't just deserts far from fresh sources that are facing shortages. The Water Crisis has an impact on the entire planet. Experts estimate that by the year 2020 the water shortage all over the world will be reaching critical levels. The world's population is booming, which means we are using more water than ever before, but water exists in a set amount. We can't grow more like we can with plants, and we can't manufacture more like we can with plastics. The water cycle just continues to make it rain, and the water gets reused. So what can you do to help? There is, of course, the option of donating to the organization you deem most worthy, but sometimes, money is tight, so your best bet is to contribute to the conservation effort. Do your best to use less of your own water and spread the word about what a precious resource it is. Here are some tips to get you started: