Drinking water
Water safe for ingestion, essential for health, scarce for billions.
Drinking water, also known as potable water, is water that is safe for ingestion, either directly as a liquid or indirectly through food preparation. It is often supplied through taps, in which case it is called tap water. Access to safe drinking water is considered a basic human right by the World Health Organization, yet as many as two billion people lack it, and unsafe water is a major cause of death and illness worldwide.
- definition
- Water safe for ingestion, either drunk directly or used in food preparation
- global_access
- As many as two billion people lack safe drinking water
- daily_recommendation_US_males
- 4.0 liters per day (total water, ~80% from drink)
- daily_recommendation_US_females
- 3.0 liters per day (total water, ~80% from drink)
- hot_climate_need
- Up to 16 liters (4.2 U.S. gal) per day for active people
- leading_quality
- Finland has the best drinking water quality in the world (UNICEF/UNESCO report)
Lore & Background
Drinking water is obtained from springs, hyporheic zones, aquifers, rainwater harvesting, surface water, or desalinated seawater. To be safe, these sources must receive adequate treatment and meet quality standards. Bottled water, often packaged tap water, is used when consumers perceive other sources as unsafe. An experimental source is solar-powered atmospheric water generators.
Reader's Guide
The significance of drinking water lies in its fundamental role for human health and survival. The amount needed varies with physical activity, age, health, and environment; for those in hot climates, up to 16 liters per day may be required. Despite its importance, as many as two billion people lack safe drinking water, leading to over half a million deaths per year from diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. The most efficient transport is through pipes, but leakage rates of 50% are not uncommon in urban systems, and replacing deteriorating infrastructure in industrialized countries may cost up to $200 billion a year. Quality is monitored via microbiological, chemical, and physical parameters, with microbial pathogens posing the greatest immediate health risk. The legacy of drinking water is a continuing global challenge: ensuring universal access to safe, affordable, and sustainable supplies.
Did You Know?
- In the United States, only 1% of water provided by public water suppliers is used for drinking and cooking.
- The common advice to drink 8 glasses of plain water per day is not scientific; thirst is a better guide.
- Water intoxication (consuming too much water too quickly) causes hyponatremia, which can cause death in minutes or hours.
- Perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) have been widely detected in drinking water worldwide and are known to persist in the environment.
More in Food And Drink 1-24
Elsewhere in the Food And Drink universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record