Water: H20

Water: H20 is the theme Jake has set for this week's Sunday post.

Water covers over 70% of the earth and our bodies are made up of 60 to 70% of this liquid.  Although it is essential to life as we know it, we do not treat it with the respect it deserves. We take it for granted - we squander it quite frequently in our homes or gardens and, while we generally keep our homes clean, we let our rivers and oceans end up with unimaginable amounts of rubbish.

Jacques Yves Cousteau:

"Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans. We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."

Did you know that only about 3% of the earth's water is fresh water? 

Both in Africa and in the Algarve, droughts are common and fresh water is an extremely precious commodity. Summer hasn't officially began here and already the water levels of lakes and reservoirs are low - many rivers have dried up.

This picture is of the River Gilão running through the town of Tavira, on the Algarve coast. The water was looking quite clear and inviting when I took this photo in the winter of 2004.

Surf along to Jake's blog for related posts