Maps
The Availability of Water Around the World
As the human race expands it is also depleting natural resources at an alarming rate. The entire planet has less than 1 percent of freshwater available for human consumption and 70 percent of that usable water is utilized for farming and livestock. People may be surprised to learn that the average meat eaters diet in the US consumes 1,320 gallons of water a day to generate. Areas around the world where malnutrition is a problem are often the same areas that droughts and flooding hit the hardest. When water becomes scarce, so does the food supply. Today’s visualization comes to us from Roman Zydyk who shared his work in the visualization subreddit. He created this piece using Tableau. Check it out:
Click below to zoom:
Fast Facts:
- Asia is the continent with the least amount of water and North America is second behind it.
- South America is the continent with the most fresh water reserves available.
- The country of Turkmenistan in the Middle East uses the most water in the world on agriculture.
- Africa is the continent with the worst access to clean drinking water for its population.
- 780 million people (approx.1 in 9) live without access to an improved water source.
- An improved water source is any process that protects water from outside contamination, such as fecal matter.
There are many simple ways you can help conserve water. We all know taking shorter showers helps but did you know that taking a bath will save more water then even the quickest showers? If you are someone who gardens or likes to water the lawn, you could install a rain barrel to collect run off and reuse it for irrigation. Another great way to save water, time and your hands is to wash dishes in the dishwasher. Using an Energy Star certified appliance can use as little as three gallons per load opposed to cleaning them in the sink, which can use over 25 gallons. Doing your job to conserve water benefits our society now and the many generations that will hopefully follow it.
Other great water conservation resources: