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www.GOALias.blogspot.comFig. 16.2 Long queue for waterActivity 16.1Collect clippings from newspapers andmagazines on the news items, articlesand pictures related to water shortage.Paste them in your scrapbook and shareit with your friends. List some problemsfaced by the people and discuss themin the class.Water shortage has become a matterof concern throughout the world. It isestimated that in a few years from nowFig. 16.4 Earth appears blue from spaceFig. 16.3 Newspaper clippingsYear 2003 was observed asthe International Year ofFreshwater to make peopleaware of this dwindling natural resource.more than one third of the people inthe world could face water scarcity.Before we discuss why water isgetting scarce we must know how muchwater is available for use on our planet.16.1 HOWMUCH WATERIS AVAILABLELook at the picture of the earth takenfrom space. Why does it appear blue?Surely, you can guess!You are aware that about 71% ofthe earth’s surface is covered withwater. Almost all the water on theearth is contained in the seas andoceans, rivers, lakes, ice caps, asgroundwater and in the atmosphere.However, most of this water is not fit forhuman consumption. The water that isfit for use is freshwater. Perform the194SCIENCE