The Importance Of Water

          Water brings and sustains life on our planet. Water is something which we cannot do without only when it is not available. After all, our bodies are made up of seventy percent water. It is quite possible to survive without food for more than a month, but without water we will perish in a matter a days. Remember the ancient mariner's cry of agony and despair in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem?

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink,

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

          This verse of the poem clearly points to the absolute need of suitable drinking water of survival. The mariner, being the only survivor left on his ship, is desperately lost at sea for months. Having used up all the ship's store of drinkable water, he laments on his plight: surrounded by water on all sides, but not a drop of drink!

          Water is essential to life. We required water for washing and cooking, cultivating our fields and most importantly for drinking. Life becomes impossible on earth without water. Imagine a drought situation, there are no rains, the river and lakes have dried up and all planet life lay dry and wasted. In such situation, the Grim Reaper becomes exceedingly busy, for water is life giving and every living organism, without exception, requires water of its existence. Dehydration spells, without mistake, certain, inescapable death.

          When we read about the origins of life in this planet, we realize at once the important role water had played in causing living things to come into existence. Life began, or so geologists and scientists say, in the watery oceans. Water has those unique chemical elements and properties needed to nourish the living cells of living beings.

          Apart from the glaringly obvious fact that water is essential to life, water is also man's important precious resource. Water is source of energy. Water converted into steam can be used as fuel for driving vehicles fitted with the steam engines. Electricity can also be generated with hydro power. In fact, about a third of the world's electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. And this form of power supply is cheap since water is free, and running costs of hydroelectric power plants in much cheaper compered to the other types of power plants.

          The importance of water can in no measure be minimized. It is not only a source of life and energy, it also sustains life on the planet. We should all be duty bound to ensure that our sources of water remain unpolluted.