UNIT IV 

 WATER AND ITS EVERYDAY USES 



PREVIEW 



Did you ever think what the world would be like with- 

 out water? There could be no rainy days, no snow 

 storms, no coasting or skating, no bathing, swimming, or 

 sailing, and no water to drink. Without water there could 

 be no plants, hence no vegetables or fruits, no animals 

 and no food for man. You can readily see that without 

 water on the earth there could be no life, not even man. 

 The nearest thing to a waterless earth is found in the 

 desert, but even in this parched and dry area there may 

 be a few springs or pools of water left after a desert storm. 

 Mile after mile of shifting sand, no plants except 

 an occasional cactus, and a few dried-up bushes ; perhaps 

 a snake, a lizard, or a desert mouse, and once in a while 

 a bird is all the life that we see. But visit this same spot 

 after the spring rains have swept down from the moun- 

 tains, and we find the whole desert floor covered, as if by 

 magic, with little plants having many bright-colored, 

 red, magenta, blue, and violet blossoms. Even the 

 dried-up desert bushes have put on leaves and are in 

 flower. All these changes have come because of the 

 temporary presence of water. Some deserts, such as 

 the Sahara, however, are so unfavorably situated that 

 they do not receive enough water to sustain life at any 

 time of year. Such places are a barren wilderness and 

 sometimes so extensive that it is with great hazard that 

 man attempts to cross them. 



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