Consumption of Water in Everyday Life: Chemistry Class 12

Consumption of Water in Everyday Life: Water is considered to be one of the essential factors that support life. Survival of any living-being demands water. About three-quarters of the planet’s surface is covered with water. Water makes up \(70\% \) of our bodies, as well as more than \(95\% \) of fruits and vegetables. Water in chemical terms is referred to as the combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Let’s discover more about how water is consumed in everyday life.

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Consumption of Water: Details

We can classify the main uses of water as follows:

1. Domestic use
2. Agricultural use
3. Industrial use

1. Domestic Use

We use water for many purposes like drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, flushing the lavatory, brushing teeth, washing cars, sweeping the floor, filling the swimming pools, gardening, etc.

2. Agricultural Use

Plants also need water. Seeds need water to germinate. Water is required to grow crops. It helps plants in absorbing dissolved nutrients from the soil. It also helps to transport the nutrients to various parts of the plant. Crop plants need water to make their food by the process of photosynthesis.

3. Industrial Use

• a) In industries, water is mainly used as a solvent and also for washing, cooling and disposal of waste. Some industries use a large amount of water to produce commodities like paper, chemicals, food, etc.
• b) It is a good medium for the transportation of people and goods by boats and ships.
• c) Water is used in radiators of vehicles (cars, buses and trucks) to keep their engines cool.
• d) Water is an essential requirement for the growth and development of any plant.
• e) Water provides a medium for recreational sports, such as swimming, boating and water skiing.
• f) Water is used for generating electricity in a hydroelectric power plant.

Significance of Water

Water is helpful to us in many ways.

• 1. It is used by all plants and animals, including human beings, to make life processes work.
• 2. It is used for household chores such as bathing, cleaning, washing, cooking, cooling (in desert coolers), etc.
• 3. It provides a habitat for aquatic plants and animals.
• 4. It is used for generating electricity in hydroelectric power stations.
• 5. It is beneficial for bulk transportation of passengers and goods by water transport.
• 6. It is the backbone of all industrial activities.
• 7. It acts as a carrier of the plant seeds to distant locations.
• 8. It is used in agriculture for cultivating crops.
• 9. It is used to put out the fire.
• 10. It regulates the climate of a place.
• 11. Water helps in maintaining the body temperature of living organisms.
• 12. Water helps in the digestion of food.
• 13. Water also helps in transporting substances within the body. Blood, which contains water, carries nutrients, oxygen and carbon dioxide to various body parts.
• 14. Water helps in excreting waste material from our bodies.
• 15. Water is also a habitat for many plants and animals. Plants like lotus and water chestnut grow in water. Animals like fishes, dolphins and whales live in water.

Water in Everyday Life: Sources

We get water from the following sources:

1. Rainwater

Rainwater is the purest form of natural water because it is usually from any impurity. But the first shower, while coming down to earth, collects dust particles, germs and bacteria from the atmosphere. So, they contain most of the impurities.

2. Surface Water

Surface water is present on the surface of the earth. It is of the following types:

(a) River and Lake Water

The water in rivers and lakes comes from rain and the melting of snow on the mountains. Water flows down the mountains and goes into rivers. On its way, it dissolves some soluble salts and carries suspended impurities. It contains harmful materials that are discharged into rivers by factories and also sewage from our cities. Sometimes, river water also contains germs that can cause diseases like jaundice, cholera and typhoid. These diseases are called water-borne diseases.

(b) Seawater

Streams and rivers finally flow into the sea. Seawater is dissolved into the sea. Seawater contains the dissolved presence of a large amount of common salt. Seawater is salty in taste and is called saline water. It is unfit for drinking, agricultural or industrial needs.

3. Underground Water or Subsoil Water

Some of the rainwater that falls on the earth seeps through the soil and goes down the surface of the earth. Ultimately, this water is stopped by some hard-non-porous rocks and collects there. The water present below the earth’s surface is called groundwater or underground water. The level of groundwater is called the water table.

Groundwater is pumped out by digging wells deep enough to reach the water table. Hand-pumps or tube wells are also used to pump out groundwater. This groundwater is used for household, agricultural and industrial purposes.

At some places, water comes out from the ground in the form of springs due to high pressure inside. It is called spring water. The water of springs and wells is filtered through different layers of soil. So, there are no suspended impurities in it.

Water: Availability for Human Consumption

The earth’s surface contains a very large amount of water. Nearly three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water. About \(97\) per cent of water is present in oceans and seas. This water has a very large amount of salts dissolved in it. Therefore, seawater cannot be used for human consumption.

The polar ice caps account for \(3\) per cent of the world’s freshwater resources. But water cannot usually be consumed in the frozen state. Only \(1\) per cent of all the water on earth is fit for use by plants and animals. Therefore, this water is very precious to us, and so it should be used wisely.

Summary

Water is an essential natural resource. All living beings need to stay alive. Water is a wonderful liquid. It is one of the most common substances around us. There is water almost everywhere on the earth. About three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Water is also present inside us. All living things need water to survive. A person can survive longer without food than without water to drink. In this article, we learned about the importance of water, sources of water and uses of water.

FAQs on Consumption of Water in Everyday Life

Frequently asked questions related to consumption of water in daily life is listed as follows:

Q.1. How much water do we use in our daily life?
Ans: At home, the average family uses over \(300\) gallons of water every day. Approximately \(70\% \) of this usage takes place inside. Outdoor water consumption accounts for \(30\% \) of household water use nationwide, although it can be significantly higher in drier areas of the country and in landscapes that require more water.

Q.2. What is \(10\) uses of water?
Ans: We need water for various purposes. Some uses of water are as follows:
1. We need water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes and utensils, flushing toilets, watering plants and cleaning floors.
2. Water is used in industries for producing almost all the things we use.
3. It is a medium for transportation of people and goods by boats and ships.
4. Water is necessary for the growth and development of plants.
5. Water provides a medium for recreational sports such as swimming, boating and water skiing.
6. Water is used for generating electricity in a hydroelectric power plant.
7. Water is used in vehicles’ radiators (cars, buses and trucks) to keep their engines cool.
8. Water dissolves the nutrients in the soil that the roots of plants can easily absorb.
9. Water dissolves the waste materials of the body that are removed as urine.
10. Water regulates our body temperature by the process of sweating. In summers, water evaporates from the surface of our body by taking away heat and cools our body.

Q.3. Is water important to your everyday life at home?
Ans: Yes, water is important to our everyday life and key to our survival. We use water for many purposes like drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, flushing the lavatory, brushing teeth, washing cars, sweeping the floor, filling the swimming pools, gardening, etc.

Q.4. What is the source of water for use?
Ans: Surface water and groundwater are the two sources of water for community water systems. People utilise surface and groundwater for a variety of purposes on a daily basis, including drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene, as well as recreational, agricultural, and industrial activities.

Q.5. What are examples of the consumption of water in everyday life?
Ans: We can classify the main uses of water as follows:
1. Domestic Use
2. Agricultural Use
3. Industrial Use

Q.6. What makes the fresh rainwater become saline after reaching the earth’s surface?
Ans: Since water dissolves a wide variety of compounds, it is known as a universal solvent. Rain dissolves common salts, as well as a variety of other chemicals and minerals found on the surface of the planet. Rainwater dissolves a considerable amount of salt and other minerals when it flows through different layers of the ground and rocks. As a result, it has a saline taste to it.

Q.7. Give the percentage of water which is usually available to use for us.
Ans: Only a tiny fraction of about \(0.01\% \) of total water is used by human beings.

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