Water extraction is done for a myriad of uses; most of the water is used for agricultural use to water crops and hydrate animals, and then there is the water that is used for production purposes, including everything we use, wear, eat, drive, and dispose of like take-away containers.

Finally, we also need water for personal use; humans need to stay well-hydrated at all times in order to perform optimally. We also need water for personal hygiene, food preparation and other domestic uses such as washing the dishes, doing laundry, etc.

The variations in water usage between the affluent and the poor are massive; in more unequal affluent countries, people consume more water on average for personal use; or perhaps they are just far more wasteful in their use of water.

In a study, the domestic water consumption in the 25 most affluent countries in the world was measured, and it was found that water consumption per person in the US is approximately three-and-a-half times higher than in Germany.

It was also found that this is not due to people being less hygienic in poorer suburbs or countries, but due to various other reasons such as:

  • Climate – there are fewer private outdoor swimming pools in poorer and colder climes;
  • Inequality – there is a lot less concern about wasting water in more unequal countries. Toilet cisterns may be less “eco-friendly”, and individuals generally worry less about watering the garden with a chlorinated supply designed for human consumption, not for plants.
  • Abundance – in a country where there is an abundance of water, or even where one can just turn a tap and water flows freely, individuals have far less concern for global water shortages – as long as they have sufficient they feel free to use and abuse as they wish and damn the consequences.

In poorer, arid countries, where people do not have access to an abundance of flowing fresh water, they tend to appreciate the water that they do have and which they sometimes have to walk for hours to fetch, much more and do not therefore waste a drop.

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