DW Documentary

Water - Too much and not enough

Water forms the basis for all life on Earth. It has shaped human activity and influenced the development of entire societies. Water has always been a mainstay of health, prosperity and power. Water means life or death. Experts around the world are urging us to rethink the way we use water. Fresh water accounts for only 2.5 percent of the total volume of water on earth. Water is practically never "lost" on Earth. But precipitation volumes and zones are changing. Extreme weather conditions last longer and become more intense. The consequences are obvious and far-reaching. Drinking water shortages, dwindling water levels in lakes and rivers, floods and mudslides are increasingly becoming the focus of media coverage. Consumption must not simply continue to rise from year to year. Rather, we must make better use of what is available to us. On the one hand, this means using extracted water more efficiently and, on the other, finding solutions to adapt to the new circumstances.