How Much Water Is There On Earth?

An Axis Of Concern

- Bosky Khanna

Water is life; it sustains life and is a prerequisite to the existence of a living world. It is also the most important resource of, for, and on the Earth, and is integral to maintaining the natural balance.

We have water everywhere, in different forms, but how much of it is readily available at our disposal is a pertinent question. According to the United States Geological Survey, "The Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? About 71% of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5% of all the Earth's water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your dog."

Of the 3.5% of the world's freshwater, only 1% is in lakes and rivers, directly available for human use. Hence, paradoxically, water becomes the single most invaluable resource, on which our very survival depends.

Today, exploitation of this very resource is wreaking havoc. A section of historians, political scientists, and researchers also go to the extent of postulating that 'water' would spark the next 'World War'. According to researchers, water

fifty years. But there is a bigger concern begging attention at the moment.

A change in tilt Excessive extraction of groundwater is not only making people's daily lives difficult, but has affected the mechanics of our planet itself. According to the latest research, excessive extraction of groundwater has tilted the Earth's axis by 31.5 inches, i.e., around 80 cm.