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i tC'r t t3T n the United States it's easy to take water for granted. Turn on the tap and -there it is! But a huge number of the world's population doesri t have that luxury, and improving the situation as our global population continues to expand will require a new approach. On a planet where most of the surface is covered with water, it can be difficult to imagine that more than one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, while another 2.4 billion don't have adequate sanitary systems. These harsh conditions may seem medieval, but they are a reality of life in much of the developing world. Together, these problems account for up to five million deaths every year. Lack of safe drinking water is due to both lack of investment in water systems and inadequate maintenance of the systems. According to the United Nations Environment Program, about half the water in drinking water supply systems in the developing world is lost to leakage, Soft Path Continued on page 3 The World's Water -Just the Facts Less than 1% of freshwater is usable, amounting to only 0.01% of the Earth's total water. On our blue planet 97.5% of the water is saltwater, unfit for human use. The majority of fresh water is beyond our reach, locked into polar snow and ice. By 2025 two-thirds of the world's people will be facing water stress. The global demand. for water will have grown by over 40% by then, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Where is it going? Our increasing thirst is a result of growing population, industrial development, and the expansion of irrigated farming. In the past 40 years, the area of irrigated land has doubled. The World's Water Continued on page 6