Question

What percentage of the total water available on Earth is actually used by humans?

• A. 0.006%
• B. 0.06%
• C. 0.6%
• D. 6%

Answer 1

The correct option is A

0.006%

Though 71% of the Earth's total surface is covered with water, it is largely in the form of oceans and seas. This water is salty and cannot be used for daily activities by humans. Only 2.5-2.75% is fresh water, including 1.75-2%, is frozen in glaciers, ice and snow, 0.5-0.75% as fresh groundwater and soil moisture, and less than 0.01% of it as surface water in lakes, swamps and rivers. And of this fresh water, the actual amount of water that is directly available and safe for use for humans, i.e., usable freshwater, is only around 0.006%.