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Information on Water Use, Treatment & How it Circulates.

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Information on Water Use, Treatment & How it Circulates.

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Welcome to Britannica School , a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

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Water is vital for life-both the sustaining of life and improving living conditions-so that's why we are happy that #WorldWaterWeek is bringing focus to the many issues around the availability and cleanliness of water.

Water Wells for Africa is dedicated to providing clean and accessible water to people living in hard-to-reach rural areas of Africa.

Wazilamu is a village in the east bank of the Shire river in Chikwawa District-close to the southern tip of Malawi.

This village is made up of relocated people from flood-prone areas. This is one of the very hottest areas in Malawi; in summer temperatures can reach over 100°.

Most of the streams and rivers get dried up so quickly and cause the area to experience intense dry spells.

So, as you can imagine, the installation of a water well by WWFA in this area was indeed an answered prayer. The community can now mold bricks for their homes and community developmental structures using water well "runoff water."

Now that they have access to water, the community is also planning to make a tree nursery.

This village has a large number of families benefiting from water well. This is evidenced by the long queues of people we found on the well as shown in the picture below. They said there is always a queue like that, but they are not bothered by it because they used to have to hike a long distance and many people were made sick by the impure water.

Many thanks to all the kind supporters of WWFA who helped make this well a reality!

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Water is vital for life-both the sustaining of life and improving living conditions-so that's why we are happy that #WorldWaterWeek is bringing focus to the many issues around the availability and cleanliness of water. Water Wells for Africa is dedicated to providing clean and accessible water to people living in hard-to-reach rural areas of Africa.

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The biggest difference between seawater and freshwater? Only the latter is drinkable! Learn how only a tiny fraction of the world’s water is safe for humans, and how to conserve this resource.

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Considered by the United Nations as an essential human right, access to clean freshwater is both necessary for human life to thrive, and an increasingly fragile resource as more and more sources of clean freshwater fall under the threat of climate change.

Photograph by Nishasharma

Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary

All life on Earth depends on water, a vital natural resource. Natural resources-such as water, air, plants, wildlife, soil, and fossil fuels-are used by humans for the basic necessities of life, including food, drinking water, energy, and shelter. As a crucial resource for human life, access to freshwater has historically determined where civilizations began and thrived. Freshwater exists on Earth's surface in lakes, rivers, and ice, as well as below the surface as groundwater. However, it is a limited resource; freshwater makes up only about three percent of all water on Earth.

Although freshwater is considered a renewable resource, the use of freshwater in some regions exceeds the ability of natural processes to replenish supplies. When the demand for freshwater cannot be met, it can lead to political tension and public-health problems. Distribution issues may arise when freshwater supplies, such as lakes, cross political boundaries. They can also occur when human activities upstream on a river adversely affect communities living downstream. Those activities can include dumping pollutants into the river or diverting large amounts of water away from where the water typically flows.

Ecosystems vary in the amount of water they hold. Places with hot and dry climates, like deserts, do not have as much freshwater as areas with cool, wet climates. North Africa and the Middle East, which are primarily desert environments, are two areas most affected by water shortages. Even in a water-rich ecosystem, such as one along a major river, the amount of available freshwater can be limited. Factors affecting water supplies in these areas include the amount of precipitation, as well as human activities, such as industry and farming, that can degrade water quality.

complex way of life that developed as humans began to develop urban settlements.

community and interactions of living and nonliving things in an area.

water found in an aquifer.

Credits

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Director

Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Program Specialists

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

Producer

Clint Parks

Last Updated

Oct. 1, 2019

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Director

Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Program Specialists

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

Producer

Clint Parks

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Image Considered by the United Nations as an essential human right, access to clean freshwater is both necessary for human life to thrive, and an increasingly fragile resource as more and more sources of clean freshwater fall under the threat of climate change.

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Welcome to Britannica School , a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

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Video on Water Filtration/Treatment Process

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Video on Water Filtration/Treatment Process

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Water and You: The Water Treatment Process

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How to make a simple water filter project for school

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DIY WATER FILTER | WATER FILTER EXPERIMENT | HOW TO FILTER DIRTY WATER | Science Project

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Access to Clean Water in Rwanda | UNICEF USA

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The World Counts - People In Need of Water

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The World Counts - People In Need of Water

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TheWorldCounts uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on the website. Learn more

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Needing Freshwater When It Is Not Available