231
Domestic Use
The clarification of water use conducted revealed that approximately 8% of water
use worldwide is for domestic purposes, which include cooking, laundry, toilet
flushing, drinking water, bathing, gardening, and cleaning [5]. Excluding water for
gardening, basic domestic water requirement is at around 50 L per person per day
according to estimation [15, 16]. Drinking water, more special than other uses,
refers to water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or used
without risk of harm, which can also be called potable water. In most developed
countries, the water provided for domestic, commerce, or industry is at drinking
water standard though only a small proportion is consumed for food preparation.
Agricultural Use
Compared to domestic use, agricultural use of water occupies a large amount of water
use. According to estimation, 70% of water use worldwide is for irrigation, with
15–35% of irrigation withdrawals being unsustainable [15]. To satisfy one person’s
daily food need, 2000–3000 L of water will be consumed, which is a considerable
amount compared to drinking 2–5 L [13, 17]. Therefore, according to calculation,
Fig. 12.4 A graphical distribution of the locations of water on earth. Only 3% of the earth’s water
is freshwater. Most of it is in icecaps and glaciers (69%) and groundwater (30%), while all lakes,
rivers, and swamps combined only account for a small fraction (0.3%) of the earth’s total freshwater reserves
Results and Discussion
Domestic Use
The clarification of water use conducted revealed that approximately 8% of water
use worldwide is for domestic purposes, which include cooking, laundry, toilet
flushing, drinking water, bathing, gardening, and cleaning [5]. Excluding water for
gardening, basic domestic water requirement is at around 50 L per person per day
according to estimation [15, 16]. Drinking water, more special than other uses,
refers to water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or used
without risk of harm, which can also be called potable water. In most developed
countries, the water provided for domestic, commerce, or industry is at drinking
water standard though only a small proportion is consumed for food preparation.
Agricultural Use
Compared to domestic use, agricultural use of water occupies a large amount of water
use. According to estimation, 70% of water use worldwide is for irrigation, with
15–35% of irrigation withdrawals being unsustainable [15]. To satisfy one person’s
daily food need, 2000–3000 L of water will be consumed, which is a considerable
amount compared to drinking 2–5 L [13, 17]. Therefore, according to calculation,
Fig. 12.4 A graphical distribution of the locations of water on earth. Only 3% of the earth’s water
is freshwater. Most of it is in icecaps and glaciers (69%) and groundwater (30%), while all lakes,
rivers, and swamps combined only account for a small fraction (0.3%) of the earth’s total freshwater reserves
Results and Discussion