Only about 1% of the Earth’s freshwater is easily accessible for human use. While it may seem surprising considering the vast amount of water in lakes, rivers, and underground sources, most of the planet’s freshwater is locked away in glaciers and ice caps, primarily in Antarctica and Greenland.
To put it in perspective, approximately 68.7% of the Earth’s freshwater is stored in ice and snow. Another substantial portion, around 30.1%, resides in underground aquifers, which are not always easy to access. The small fraction that we can readily use comes from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
This limited availability means that careful management of water resources is critical to ensure that human needs are met without compromising the environment.