Sustainability

Water as a resource

Water plays a crucial role in the survival of living organisms (animals and plants) on Earth. Where there’s water, there’s life. Even in the driest regions of our countries, even under the deserts, there is always water, even if sometimes it is too deep to be possibly used. Springs, running waters, glaciers and lakes provide animals and plants with that amount of water that is indispensable for their life cycle. Man is interested in particular in drinking water, which is becoming less and less as the population of the world increases and because of pollution. Plants have been installed, especially along the coasts of dry regions, that make seawater drinkable to make up for the shortage of drinking water on the continents (see graph).
Water is important in all its forms also because it is an integral part of the earth’s landscape, because it largely contributes to its shaping, because it contributes to determine its climate.
Finally, fresh as well as salty waters are inhabited by micro-organisms that decompose much of the waste produced by man. This biological cycle is also of crucial importance.