Three quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Even so, just 3% of it is freshwater, split between the ice that covers the Polar regions and the depths of the ground.
The surface waters available to Man represent just 1%.
In primitive societies, populations established themselves on plains near rivers in search of water, food and natural defences. Water was used for irrigation and agriculture was the prime development factor. Monumental efforts to get water were made by populations based in regions without abundant rivers.
Water lifting machines have been used since Classical Antiquity.
In the Middle Ages, social conditions determined the tendency to replace human labour with water-driven machines. The use of the hydraulic wheel expanded in the 10th and 11th centuries.
With the scientific and technical developments brought about by the Industrial Revolution, Man started to use materials, equipment and techniques that allowed him to build more efficient systems to capture, transport and distribute water.
Nowadays, water has become an easy consumption product for many people: one just has to turn on the tap. However, this situation has not yet been generalized to the entire World, since there are totally arid regions and others where access to drinking water is very difficult. As accessible drinking water forms such a small proportion of the total water on the planet, this natural resource is precious and should be used in a sustainable way.
Report provided by the UN