Many countries are short of drinking water and there have even been wars over water as a resource. In the third world water shortages lead to famine, disease and inevitably loss of life. As the worlds climate changes there will be general shortages of water This will displaced millions of people from their lands, destroyed crops, lead to a breakdown in societies and caused millions of premature deaths.

In the past and inevitably in the future water shortages will lead to major disagreements between countries and even wars over control of water resources.

In the developed world we treat water as a infinite resource. Water is often wasted. For example, public buildings use an immense amount of mains water during a normal day. It has been estimated that over fifty percent of our mains water is simply flushed away, used in washing machines, showers and wasted.
It is common for even the average school to have a monthly bill in excess of four thousand pounds. This is a ‘drain’ on the financial resources of any school. Money saved in this area could be put to more productive use such as the purchase of computers, text books and other essential equipment that enable pupils to be successful in their studies.

The technologically advanced nations of the world have a moral obligation to develop technologies that conserve existing water resources in our own countries and make available the technology to other countries who struggle to supply their people with adequate clean drinking water.
 

The estimated use of water within a typical domestic house is seen opposite (Save the Rain Campaign figures). Rainwater can replace over fifty percent of water usage. This will save the house owner money on his/her water bill and help conserve water as a valuable natural resource.

It is estimated that a similar percentage of water is wasted in a typical school. The pie chart opposite shows the proportion of valuable drinking water that is quite simply flushed away down the drains. It is also common for some pupils to deliberately leave a tap on wasting water.

QUESTIONS:

Research the internet to find ways in which simple technology is used in Third World Countries/drought affected areas of the world, to store and use rainwater.