A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge and Practices regarding Domestic Methods of Water Purification among mothers of school going Children in selected rural area, Bangalore with a View to Develop an Informational Booklet

Human beings have certain basic needs. We must have food, water, air, and shelter to survive. If any one of these basic needs is not met, then humans cannot survive. Among the above-mentioned resources water plays a crucial role in the survival of the biodiversity of the planet, even though it provides no calories or nutrients. Water covers about 70.9% of the Earth's surface, mostly in seas and oceans. Small portions of water occur as groundwater (1.7%), in the glaciers and the ice caps (1.7%), and in the air as vapor, clouds (consisting of ice and liquid water suspended in air), and precipitation (0.001%). Water moves continually through the water cycle of evaporation, transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. There is about 1.4 billion cubic kilometres of water on the earth which comes about 71percent of the earth’s surface. About 97 percent of the water on the earth is in the oceans. The ocean water is salty and is not suitable for human consumption. The remaining 3 percent of the total water is available in the form of ice sheets, clouds, river, lakes, ponds, well and springs. Only 1-1.6 percent of the 3 percent of water, is useful for human consumption. Water is nature’s most abundant resource which man has always been taking for granted. Studies indicate that less than 1% of the world’s water is available in the form of rivers, ponds and lakes for human use. But today, because of the rapid decline of ground water levels and over exploitation of the surface water there is acute shortage of fresh water. This serious situation can be rectified through on age old practice called rain water harvesting.