Water on Earth

Bhoomi and Surya help Ajji fill the water troughs for the cows and water the vegetables and medicinal herbs in her garden. Ajji shows them how to water the plants so that every drop is used and none goes to waste.

We need water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing and cleaning. Water is also used for growing crops and in industries. No water, no farming; no farming, no food.

Water covers about two-thirds of the Earth's surface. But most of it is in the oceans and seas, and it is saline (salty). Salty water is not fit for use in homes, on farms or in industries. For all of these we need freshwater.

Freshwater is found:

• as ice sheets and snow;
• in rivers and lakes on the surface;
• underground.

The water in ice and snow, and the water deep underground, is hard to reach. Only a very small part of the freshwater (in ponds, rivers, lakes and wells) is easy to get to. That is why water is precious, and why Ajji teaches the children to use it with care.