EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -In most regions of the world, over 70 percent of freshwater is used for agriculture.

Detailed explanation-2: -Agriculture is the largest water user worldwide, accounting for 70 percent of total freshwater withdrawals on average3 – but these amounts can reach as much as 95 percent in some developing countries.

Detailed explanation-3: -The main sources for irrigation water are groundwater from wells, surface water, drainage ponds, rain and municipal water.

Detailed explanation-4: -According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), water used for irrigation accounts for nearly 65 percent of the world’s freshwater withdrawals excluding thermoelectric power (1).

Detailed explanation-5: -And, of the total freshwater, over 68 percent is locked up in ice and glaciers. Another 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground. Fresh surface-water sources, such as rivers and lakes, only constitute about 22, 300 cubic miles (93, 100 cubic kilometers), which is about 1/150th of one percent of total water.