Water is essential for life

Water is one of the natural resources. It is Mother Nature’s gift to mankind. Water is essential for all the living things to survive on this planet. Earth is the only planet where water is available in abundance. About 70% of Earth’s surface is covered with water.

Water is essential for daily life. It is essential for all our life activities. All human and animal and plant activities center around water. We require water for various activities such as drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, cleaning and growing our food.

Water is needed by industries for their industrial activities like manufacturing of goods, generating electricity, transport of people and goods. Hence water is vital to humans, animals and plants. All living things will perish if there is no water.

Our body requires water for various metabolic activities and bodily functions. Our body utilizes water in cells, tissues and organs. Our body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion of food. It is important that we rehydrate by drinking water, fluids, and eating foods containing water.

• Water no doubt quenches our thirst. It aids digestion, prevents constipation.
• It regulates body temperature and maintains body weight hence prevent obesity. 
• It acts as a lubricant and cushion for our joints. 
• Hence water helps to maintain the level of moisture in blood, bone, joints, and brain.
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Water is a super solvent. It can dissolve all types of substances in it. Water can dissolve solids, liquids, and gases. So it dissolves enzymes, aiding digestion. Water absorbs vital nutrients from our food and penetrates each and every cell of our body. Similarly, water helps in removing wastes from every cell of our body. So we have to take adequate water to help kidneys, lungs and liver to flush out the toxins from our body.

Water has the unique property of expanding as it freezes. Water expands, it becomes less dense. It is   known as ice, and it floats on water. This frozen state of water protects the water underneath and prevent it from freezing. This property of water is known as anomalous behaviour of water helps the aquatic life to sustain during severe winters. Therefore water is the Elixir of all living things.

The polar nature of water is a particularly important feature that contributes to the uniqueness of this substance. The water molecule forms an angle with an oxygen atom at the vertex and hydrogen atoms at the tips. Because oxygen has a higher electronegativity than hydrogen, the side of the molecule with the oxygen atom has a partial negative charge.

An object with such a charge difference is called a dipole, meaning "two poles". The oxygen end is partially negative, and the hydrogen end is partially positive, because of this, the direction of the dipole moment points from the oxygen toward the centre position between the two hydrogens. This charge difference causes water molecules to be attracted to each other, as well as to other polar molecules. This attraction contributes to hydrogen bonding and explains many of the properties of water.

A water molecule can form a maximum of four hydrogen bonds by accepting two hydrogen atoms and donating two hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen bonding is a relatively weak attraction compared to the covalent bonds within the water molecule itself. More energy is required to break the hydrogen bonds between molecules. This explains why water has high melting and boiling points. This property is made us in domestic and industrial activities.

A water molecule is a polar molecule because of its shape. That is, it has one of the sides is positively charged and the other side negatively charged. The molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The bonds between the atoms are called covalent bonds, because the atoms share electrons. The two hydrogen atoms have one electron each.

During the formation of water molecule sharing of electrons take place. The electrons of hydrogen atom stay close to the oxygen atom and the outside of the hydrogen atom tends to be positively charged. The oxygen atom has eight electrons. All of them tend to stay away from the hydrogen atoms, and cause the outside of the oxygen atom to have a negative charge.

When two water molecules get close together, the polar forces work to draw the molecules together. The oxygen atom of one water molecule will bond with several hydrogen atoms of other water molecules. These bonds are called hydrogen bonds.

Hydrogen bonds are not as strong as covalent bonds, but they are strong enough to bind water molecules together and give water its unique characteristics. Two of those characteristics are: water's great ability to dissolve materials, and water's lower density when it is frozen. Hence water is a polar compound.

All the three states of water exist on this planet for life to flourish. All three states of water are available on our planet create all varieties of habitats and microclimates. For example, frozen ice can be found in glaciers that carve through mountains, whereas water vapour helps to warm the atmosphere. 

Water is essential for life. Earth’s climate and temperature help water to flourish. Earth is the only planet where life is thriving because of water. Water bodies such as lakes, rivers, streams should be preserved for sustaining life on this earth. Rains are the chief source of water. It is becoming scarce or pours due to climate change and global warming. Human activities and rapid industrialization have a great impact on rainfall.

 It is very important that Earth should get optimum rainfall every year. So, grow trees. Nurture water bodies. Keep them clean. Use eco- friendly gadgets that does not harm the environment causing air pollution and that prevents rainfall. Chart out a green way of living.We have to grow trees to welcome rains.

Do not waste water. Use water carefully like precious metals. Recycle waste water. Set up waste water recycling plant in apartments, houses and offices. Save rain water by harvesting it because rain is the only source of water. In our universe there is no substitute found for water. It is becoming scarce due to scanty rainfall. If water resources are dried up our life will come to a standstill. Slowly animal lives and plant lives will be endangered. So,

Save water to Save Life. Save Life to Save Earth.

“Conserve Water to Save Earth”