Water is, quite literally, the stuff of life. We need it to cook, to wash with and of course to drink. You may already know that the human body is 75% water. Here, we explain what water is and give 15 compelling reasons why it is so important.
The chemical symbol of water is H2O. This means that each water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single atom of oxygen. This sounds simple, but water is used in increasingly complex ways. It provides us with hydraulic energy, it used to power steam trains, and it is used in all sorts of everyday activities from keeping central heating systems working properly to flushing the toilet.
Once you have read the 15 points below, you will have 15 convincing reasons to save water. It is so important that we don’t waste water, because everyone needs pure drinking water for their health.
15 Reasons Why Water is Important.
1. All living creatures need water to survive. Just pause for a while and take that in! All plants, all mammals, all fish, all reptiles, all insects and all birds – in short, all living creatures on earth – need water in order to survive. This is why water is called ‘the stuff of life’.
2. Water keeps the human body healthy. Every single cell in our body requires water in order to function properly. One important way in which our bodily tissues use water, for instance, is to regulate our temperature. This is part of a process known as homeostasis.
3. Water cushions the spinal cord. The spinal cord is incredibly sensitive, and incredibly important – if it gets damaged even slightly we can become paralyzed for life. Keeping hydrated ensures that our spinal cord is constantly replenished with enough spinal fluid to keep it nourished, healthy, and cushioned against jolts and bumps.
4. Water is essential for the digestive system. From the intense filtering processes that go on in the kidneys (in a system known as the nephron, to be precise) to the absorption and re-absorption of water in the large intestine, water is absolutely essential to keep our digestive system healthy. Water enables us to remove waste and transport nutrients to the right parts of our body at the right time.
5. Water keeps us clean! From relaxing baths to energizing showers, and from toothbrushes moistened with water to the sink that your surgeon uses to sterilize their hands, water is so important for hygiene.
6. Water keeps our stuff clean. Dishwashers wash our crockery and washing machines keep our clothes clean – all with the aid of water.
7. Good for the garden. Water keeps our gardens blooming and full of life. Potosynthesis is the process by which plants create their food using the sun’s light, and plants need water in order to photosynthesize.
8. A little lubrication. Think how awful it is to have a dry mouth or dry eyes. We need water to stop that happening!
9. Green energy. Hydraulic power is a wonderful source of green energy. It does not release CO2 into the environment like fossil fuel based energy sources do.
10. Fun to play on. Water skiing, diving and sailing are just some of the fun things you can do in water.
11. Keeping us fit. Swimming and other water based sports are excellent ways of staying fit. Swimming, for instance, famously uses nearly all of the muscles in your body and so provides a brilliant full body workout.
12. A sense of majesty. Watching the crashing waves of the sea reminds us of the power of nature, and the importance of respecting it and preserving it for future generations. From babbling brooks to tides turned golden by the sunset, water is gorgeous to look at.
13. A source of biodiversity. Scientists have discovered over 220, 000 species of marine life in the oceans – and that is not even including plant life! They also estimate that there may be up to a whopping 9 million species in our oceans that we have yet to discover. That is how vast our seas are!
14. Agriculture. Water is used in agriculture for irrigating fields of crops, for keeping animals hydrated, for washing agricultural machinery and also for washing fruits and vegetables before they are sent to the supermarket.
15. Water is what unites us. We are all largely made of water, and we all need water every day to stay alive. This makes water perhaps the one thing in the whole world that unites all species.
Conclusion.
Clean water is essential for everyone. Drinking water keeps our digestive and nervous systems healthy, as well as being essential for our bodies on the microscopic level of cell function. As well as being crucial for health, water is also important for hygiene, energy, and leisure too!
As the 15 points above demonstrate, it is smart to save water in every way that we can. If we don’t waste water we care for ourselves, for others, and for the whole planet.
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