Water scarcity in the world

· How Much Water is there in the World? Water covers about 71 percent of the Earth. 96.5 percent of that is ocean water.

· How Much of the Water in the World is Drinkable? 

2.5 percent of all the water on the planet is freshwater that is drinkable.

· How Much of the Water in the World is Drinkable Right Now?

 Only 1 percent of all freshwater is easily accessible in rivers, lakes and streams. The rest of it is stuck in glaciers and snowfields.

· How Many People in the World Have Access to Clean Water? 

Out of around 7.8 billion people in the world, only about 6 billion of them have access to clean water.

· How Many People in the World Do Not Have Access to Clean Water? 

785 million people in the world lack access to clean water. That is 1 person without safe water out of every 10  

The agricultural sector is by far the biggest user of freshwater. 85-90% of all freshwater is used for agriculture. 

 Agriculture accounted for 67% of the world's total freshwater withdrawal, and 86% of its consumption. 

We use the water to irrigate crops and although a large percentage of the water returns from the fields, it has often been changed and carries soil and dissolved compounds.

While agriculture is not the only activity with the potential to affect freshwater negatively,

 It is a very important one. 

There may be a surface runoff of pesticides, fertilizers and manure, or nitrogen leaching into groundwater, the fate of which is discharge to surface water bodies. This means dissolved contaminants will eventually find their way into lakes, rivers or the ocean.

 The water footprint of lettuce production can be quite high, especially in regions where irrigation is necessary. 

Studies have shown that traditional agriculture methods can use 250 Liters of water to produce  1 kilogram of lettuce. 

This highlights the importance of considering the water footprint in food production and reducing water usages, such as using drought-resistant crops or more efficient irrigation systems. 

 growing lettuce in a greenhouse can be a more water-efficient option.

 The same study found that greenhouse agriculture can use only 20 litres of water to produce  1 kilogram of lettuce.

 This reduction in water usage is an important advantage of greenhouse agriculture, particularly in areas where water is a scarce resource. 

 Vertical farming systems can use as little as 1 litre of water to produce  1 kilogram of lettuce. This level of water efficiency is made possible through the use of hydroponic systems and precise control of the growing environment.